2006-09-17 12:20:21 · 10 answers · asked by dionne99099 1 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
You can learn a lot from these groups -
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/WildandWonderfulWildlife/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RaccoonCritters2/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Raccoongroup/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/raccoon_rehab/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/I_Love_Raccoons/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/AllCrittersGreatAndSmall/
2006-09-17 19:55:14 · answer #1 · answered by Lea 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Find a wildlife rescue or wildlife rehabilitator in your area and volunteer your time there to take care of sick, injured and orphaned wild animals - including "former pet" raccoons. These animals are entertaining in the wild - but that's where they belong. Once you see how many raccoons are rescued because they were obviously once a house pet and then discarded in the wild, you'll change your mind about wanting one.
Raccoons can live for 15+ years. It's a long-term commitment. They are born with instincts that can't be bred out of them - and those instincts are not user-friendly. Trust me, you'll see what I mean when you have spent some time taking care of the ones that were raised as pets - then dumped.
It's sad.
2006-09-17 21:55:04 · answer #2 · answered by north79004487 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are cute and adorable, but it is illegal to keep them for pets. Maybe you could work for a licensed rehabilitator in your area. My family and I actually had a raccoon for a pet, about twenty years ago now. It was frowned upon then, but not illegal at that time. His mother had been hit by a car and all the other kits were deceased, he was alive and when my then teenage son and his friends were driving home from work one night, they stopped to see what was going on with the raccoons and this little one climbed up his pants leg and up onto his shoulder. Because we are all animal lovers, my son brought him home and we ended up having him with our family for a bit over two years. We had to sneak him into the vets after hours, as we were really supposed to take him to a rehabilitator, but once he was in the house for a few nights, he was not leaving until he was all grown up. He was a lot of fun, and very intelligent, but when he got older he wanted to mate and kept chasing after our Lab and our tabby cat, so we had to release him into the woods near where we lived. There are Federal and state guidelines regarding a lot of these animals now because of rabies and other diseases. Check with vets and animal shelters in your area and see if there is a licensed rehabilitator you could work with. Have a good night.
2006-09-17 19:44:05 · answer #3 · answered by Sue F 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well it depends on the state you are in. Check with the Fresh water fish and game in your city for the regulations. In Florida it is a class 3 animal. I would suggest you volunteer somewhere that has raccoons first. They are very cute but also VERY dangerous. also you need to think of day to day dealings with them. you can never go on vacation because with exotics you can not take them out side of their approved areas and no one can "pet sit" like with a dog or a cat because they do not have the proper license... Just something to think about..
2006-09-17 20:43:43 · answer #4 · answered by aby12341234 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, first off...I have about 20-30 of them. They are so awesome as pets, BUT, it depends on where you live and if you are in the "country" or not. How we got ours was that we found them as little babies, like eyes not even open babies, and we took them in and bottle fed them and things like that. So we got them out of a fallen tree (that my dad cut down) and the mom and other baby had been killed, so we took in the two other babies.
Yup (again) we got ours from the wild, but if it is okay with you state and county and stuff then you have to get them from the 'woods'. BUT don't abduct, or kidnap them, take them only if the can not provide for themselves and have no mother raccoon. That is the best way to go about it.
But again, make sure that it isn't illegal in your state or county or anything like that. And I'm not so sure that owning one while living in the city is such a good idea, they need to be able to roam.
Hope I helped and if everything is all good and you can get one....
Congratulations!
2006-09-17 19:34:30 · answer #5 · answered by ?Victoria? 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Raccoons are extremely cool, BUT............ In most states it is illegal to keep these animals as pets, but you can obtain a permit from your local conservationists if you find an abandoned baby, if it is legal in your state.
Boar coons can turn very mean unless neutered and tangling with a coon can seriously hurt you. I raised one and i raised him from a baby. One day i go to feed him and he tore my hands to shreds. he had just turned a year old, and boar coons will start mating at 1 year old and female coons will start at 2-3 years. The coon wanted to be free and that is just what i did, i turned him into the wild, but from the time i acquired him i took him out everyday to make him get his wild instincts as i knew he would have to go one day.
They are very cool animals but not meant to be pets forever, and it is cruel to keep them caged because they are suppose to run free.
If you do get one please check with your local conservationists to see if you can obtain a permit. Do the research on coons so you can keep its wild habitat and be careful, if you bottle feed it will forever love you but can be very nasty to others.
2006-09-17 19:45:44 · answer #6 · answered by badgirl41 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's a bad idea to keep wild animals as pets. Maybe if you took in injured raccoons and released them after rehabilitating them you could enjoy them just as much
2006-09-17 19:29:14 · answer #7 · answered by M 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
you need to get a wildlife license that involves the ownership of wild animals...you should contact your local animal control center...they should have information on the certification...i know a guy who has such a license in upstate new york...crazy...
once you have done that, just take a walk in the woods
2006-09-17 19:32:05 · answer #8 · answered by eyesavedhyrule 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Why would you want one? Yes they are cute and cuddle when they are small but when they get big they are destructive and have a bit of an attitude plus they can carry rabies which they aren't vaccinated for.
2006-09-17 19:35:21 · answer #9 · answered by wolfds650 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
nowhere it is illeagle,i know they are cute i would love one myself but law forbids owning wild animals.
2006-09-17 19:25:22 · answer #10 · answered by cuervo25_1 3 · 2⤊ 2⤋