Animal-World > Small Animals > Pet Racoon

Raccoon

Ring-tailed Raccoon, Racoon Family: Procyonidae

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Raccoon: RufusProcyon lotor Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   Here is a raccoon up past his bedtime! This younster couldn't keep still, climbed all over everybody and was constantly "checking things out"!

   Racoons are a pet that requires a lot of attention (to keep them out of trouble?), but if given the right environment are lots of fun to keep. They are extremely smart, active, and curious animals. Please read some of the reader comments to get an idea of what problems can be encountered before considering taking on a raccoon as a pet!

   Since wild raccoons have adapted to suburban and urban environments, they are considered a pest by many people. Most states have regulations concerning ownership of racoons so check to make sure you meet all the requirements before you seek one out.

For information about Small Animals and their care visit:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Small Animal

Background:
   Raccoons range throughout the United States, actually they range from southern Canada to the Panama. They are fond of areas near water in piney forests and broadleaf woodlands.

Description:
   The raccoon is a medium sized mammal about the size of a small to medium sized dog. They will grow to about 30 inches long including a bushy 10 inch long tail, and will reach 25-45 lbs. as adults. They have a long pointy snout, large eyes and ears, five digits on each foot and a ringed tail.
   The name 'Ring-tailed Raccoon' describes them by one of their very distinctive markings, a ringed tail. They are also recognized by their familiar black ‘mask’, giving this wily animal an almost comical look. Their course fur is a mixture of gray, brown, and black.

Environment:
   In the wild, the the raccoon will have a den built in a hollow tree. Usually an outdoor area at least 4'x4' with a source of running water is needed. If kept in the house they are readily box trained and are similar to keeping a cat or dog except you will probably have to put childproof latches on your cupboards and drawers!

Care and feeding:
   Provide lots of water (if not running water) every day as they have a curious habit of washing their food before they eat it. Raccoons are omnivorous. In nature they eat various small animals, fish, frogs. molluscs, and fruits.
   In captivity, most people feed them a ferret diet, cat food, and table scraps (they will eat just about anything). See about foods for ferrets here. Besides offering them their natural diet they will also eat vegetables, crayfish, crabs, insects, and they love eggs.

Social Behaviors:
   In their natural habitat they do not exhibit aggressive behavior, but males will defend territories. They are generally solitary animals except during breeding season. We have found no information on keeping several raccoons together so we assume that unless you are keeping a family, it is probably best to keep individuals separate in captivity.

Handling and Training:
   The cunning Raccoon is easily tamed, and makes a pleasant 'monkey-like' pet. It should be noted, however, that though young raccoons make entertaining pets, many become surly, rough and even vicious as they approach sexual maturity.

Activities - Exercise and Play:
   Raccoons are nocturnal, but are sometimes active during the day. They are a mammal that is known for their inquisitiveness. Besides being very curious and active, they are expert climbers and will enjoy some excercise time where they can explore in areas both high and low.
   Make sure that your raccoon's designated play areas are properly "raccoon-proofed", not only to prevent damage to the area but to reduce the chances of him injuring himself during play.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   Raccoons' breeding season is from late winter through early spring. Females give birth from April to June and have an average litter of three or four babies. The pups remain in their birth den until they are about seven weeks old, at which point the mother moves them to a series of alternate dens.
   In some parts of the country, young raccoons spend their first winter with their mothers, but it is just as common for them to leave the mother in the late fall of their first year.

Ailments/Treatments:
   As with all animals, raccoons can become ill or hurt. You can do your best to avoid this by taking good care of your pet. Make sure he gets proper nutrition, grooming, and exercise. This will keep your raccoon in the best of conditions and reduce the chances of him getting sick.
I   f your raccoon endures serious injuries such as back injuries, severe bleeding, broken bones, or poisoning, it should be taken to a veterinarian.

Availability:
   Most states have regulations concerning ownership of raccoons so check to make sure you meet all the requirements before you seek one out, your pet store can help you with this.
   Be sure to check your state and local restrictions before acquiring a raccoon.

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Latest Comments
Hello, I am nakoosa's and rockies companion. To the women whom has coonie have you tried natural stuff, like garlic in the capsules. My raccoon nakoosa loves putting them in water then eating them. Or something that gets rid of toxins in are own bodies is milkthistle. That you would have to watch, nakoosa will take about 4 sometimes 5, depending on the amount of grams. The native americans had cures for everything and these were 2 of them that I could think of to help you. I hope coonie is around for sometime to come and it sounds like he's well on his way to teaching us humans a few things. mary Anonymous 2008-11-16
Hi quickly, nakoosa companion and rockies again. I forgot something, if he is in a cage is he litter boxed. My rockie, for reason of no teeth and in nature, would think the litter as the bottom of a creek and eat it, causing seizures because of the toxins in it. Natural litter solved the problem. He also did not use the litter for potty, he lets us know when he has to go and he goes outside. If you choose natural products to help coonie like garlic and milkthislte, kooey eats garlic and she just loves it, but the milkthistle I watch. I read somewhere if a horse eats to much of it out in pastures, he can get sick so I find the lowest dosage. She eats about 4 or five of both garlic and milkthistle, she doesn't eat the capsule, she sucks out the stuff. Clever little girl. Again best hopes for you and coonie. We all know what you're going thru, just trying to help. mary Anonymous 2008-11-16
Hi gang, Mary here. Quickly, did anyone else see cnn news when they were giong thru pets in the white house, some first lady way back when it was in black and white had a pet raccoon in the white house. Gees I would loved to know her. Mary. p.s. cooooool! Anonymous 2008-11-05
Hey everyone, I appreciate all of the positive comments on raising raccoons. I was recently at work and found an orphaned coon less than a week old. His two siblings were already dead, but this one has survived the loss of his mother, hypothermia, dehydration, and two days' worth of uninformed mishandling, but is now getting much stronger and doing quite well. While looking up how to properly care for this animal I found many articles saying that I needed to take any baby coon to a professional wildlife rehabilitator, but I've gotten pretty attached to the little guy and now look forward to raising him-maybe to have as a companion and maybe to release when he is capable of surviving on his own, we'll have to see. Coleman 2008-11-02
Hi raccoon companions. I think I posted on the wrong page before so here are some things I have learned throughout the years of caring for these creatures. Never never hit a raccoon. We would shake our finger at nakoosa when she was a baby and she would cover her eyes with her paws, gees how cute is that. We have a much older guy raccoon, some day I will tell you guys the story on how we acquired him, it is awesome. But he started to have seizures. He came from the wild so the worst was going through my mind, rabies. Took him to a vet, no rabies, But there was some sort of toxin in his blood. Turned out it was the kitty litter, it has all kinds of crap in it. Raccoons in the wild will sit in shallow creek beds and eat the silt, it contains shells, shrimp, and all kinds of stuff. Now we got natural stuff no more siezures. Litter boxing is great, but get all natural stuff. Babies are a blast but their fingers can and will open everything. If you have to bottle feed, I watched nakoosa's previous owner do it. You need to gently hold their heads until they get use to grabbing that fake nipple. Once they get it they will do it on there own. My guys loved pudding, ensure the nutrition drink, ice cream, and glazed pecans. One mistake I made, one time nakoosa got into potatoe chips as a baby. She started choking seriously. I was showering and she was next to the tub, I literally got water down her throat and shook her upside down. Why she almost choked I am not clear on, but she did. Oh and another thing, get a tub or old baby wash bin, they love shallow water. We went to the local bait shop got some minnows, boy she had a blast. If you choose to walk your raccoon using a leash, never put it around the neck. Put it around the back of their front legs. Choose trees with little branches, and don't let them go to high that they can get hung up on your leash and you can't get them. And one other thing I can remember for now, never give any animal advil or tylenol, it is poison literally to any other creature but us. Hope this helps some people. Oh if you have a sick raccoon, the pink stuff from the vet for cats, penicillin,will not hurt your little guy. Use it the same way you would your cat, it goes by there weight. Oh and natural garlic is good if they will eat it. Mary mary wille 2008-10-20
Some of the coolest comments:
I have a real sweetheart. Coonie has been with us since a bottle fed baby two and a half years ago. I feel so blessed to have found a vet that gives him rabies/distemper shots, (& most importantly I think) nuetered him before he was six months old. He lives in a ferret nation cage (2 stories high), and comes out for regular playtimes. He is a real people person coon, so to speak. His cage is in the foyer, and he loves lady to open the cage and let friends pet him and shake paws. I can only humanize it that he figures if you're cool with mom and dad, you're cool with him. He has won the hearts of many. When he is let out for playtime he doesn't usually come over to snuggle. He has a different personality for playing with each of the different animals. One he is very chatty with, and they often have to be told to quiet down and calm down. Another dog he climbs on top of, they tossle about, and usually end up grooming each other for hours on end. Now that cat he just wishes he could get close to. His favorite "toys" would be ice cubes, the dogs water bowl and anything he can dunk in and out of the water. Like a 2 year old, you put it in, then you take it out, in and out, in and out. And now as his owner and mom, I'm a little beside myself. I found out today that he has cancer. The vet says that we can put him on prednisone to try and slow it down, but I am concerned about side affects,and possibly a change in his attitude. Right now it only seems to be in his glands on his neck. it started in one gland and within a month it was in the next. The good news is it hasn't gone to any other glands, AND his temperment has not changed, it doesn't seem to be causing any pain. I have noticed he has more frequent coughing fits though. I know this has been wordy, but thank you for letting me share. I have always felt that Coonie has a mission in life - to change peoples fears and melt their hearts. I hope he can continue to do so. "lady" 2008-11-11
Congradulation mr./mrs.colemen. Your little guy will love you forever. You saved him and that will make a big impact on your relationship with him. My name is Mary and I have posted here before, so I am sure you can tell how I feel about release. Everyone has an opinion, but what I wanted to say is your gonna see just how loveable these creatures are. Shoot, half the humans I've met are not as loving as theses guys. He will grab your finger and cry for you, it's awesome. I have a raccoon named rocky. Well I said someday I would tell the story on how we came upon each other. Well it was late january in wisco. Our home had just burned to the ground, lost my orphan raccoon in the fire. I don't want go into details because I will cry, it was an electrical fire in a 1813 farm house. The lights went out and I couldnt find him in the dark, the smoke, anyways. It was aweful, meeka was his name. Well, we had to stay at ma's until we had a roof over our head again. About 2 weeks after it happen I was sipping a cup of coffee looking out my ma's patio window and I saw a blop in the middle of the driveway. My ma lived on a 42 acre farm road a mile back in the woods. So it was cold but I went to go see what it was. It was a raccoon, no ears, no tail and I did not think it was possible to see ribs on a coon. It had more gray from age then brown or black. I put a blanket over him, then a sleeping bag, then a down blanket, then a cage and hay, then a heater. Well this went on for 2 days. I put food out but he wasn't eating. Finally I wrapped him up in some of this stuff and picked him up, he was so light, and brought him in. I think my ma was gonna kill me. My husband understood, tough guy cried as hard as I do when we think of meeka. Well I gave rocky some penicillin in the butt and wormed him with a syringe in the mouth. Not even a snarl, he knew we were trying to help. Gave him some ensure (vitamin drink), he guzzled it. He had no teeth, he couldn't eat anything hard, that was 3 years ago. Rocky is still here with us. He lets us know when he's gotta go potty, goes out and comes right back in, he hates the outside. Why, I can only image why, he has no tail or ears and all that he has seen in the wild. He is so old, gees I don't know an age. My point is they know when you save them. Meeka was an orphan, he was with us for 3 years before tha fire. He stuck by us like glue. Rocky is so sweet, kittens lie on his back, he sleeps next to the dog and half the time he's upside down with all four limbs in the air snoring. He's a "wild" raccoon, not bought. Now Nakoosa is a purchased raccoon. We built her an outside kennel plus the house. She just came home after running the countryside for 1 month, she's gonna learn the hard way. Rocky and meeka already knew the hard way and wanted nothing more to do with it. Each of them have their own personalities, and I hope if you have the patience, mr/mrs colemen, you are about to enjoy the best companion you will ever have. Mary Anonymous 2008-11-04
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
I found this Dr. Jungle site and see all the posts of raccoon lovers. I found a baby racoon at the park where I go for bike riding. When I saw her she counld't walk ,so I brought her home and looked at the webpages about raccoons. I tryed the bottle feeding and then a spoon fed diet. She was so lovable and I am very sad. I worried to much and brought her back to the park, I went back to the place I put her the following day and she was dead. I am heartbroken for my poor efforts in care now that I remember her and think what this meant for her. Thanks to all the post from the raccoon lovers and the encouragement, I know from here on. Paula 2007-04-28
Raccons r cool. u guys rock with all the animals that I love. Britt 2005-02-20
thanks alot, your website helped me alot!!!one day i was at my grandmas house and she dropped me of at my house. i ran up to my room and i heard a chirping noise. i looked down and my (other)grandpa was holding a ferret looking animal. "did we get a ferret?", i asked. "no we got a racoon!" "wow! how old is he?". "five weeks". cool! "his name is mafia". aidan blonk age 11 2004-08-09

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Author: David Brough. CFS.