Is it ok for me to make friends with a raccoon that lives in my backyard?

Question

I know that it's dangerous and not very practical to keep a raccoon as a pet, but what about just becoming friendly with one that lives in my backyard? There's a cute little raccoon that comes in my garage at night and eats my cat's food. He looks like he doesn't have rabies. He's very cute. Are there any potential problems with just tossing him some food whenever I see him? Is it ok to pet him, if I'm very careful?

Answer 1

While it is ok to feed the racoon (if you don't mind more racoons and possibly other pests coming out of the woodwork when you start to intentionally feed him), I wouldn't try to pet him. Racoons carry all kinds of diseases, rabies is just one of the long list. No matter how friendly he may seem, he is still wild and will most likely bite or claw at you - if he doesn't just run away before you make it close enough. You may also scare him and ruin your chances of being friends from a distance.

Also, I would also suggest that you move your cat's food to somewhere the racoon doesn't go. As I'm sure you are aware, wild animals can be very vicious when competing for food - and although he is cute, he may very well attack your cat - who is no doubt more adorable than a racoon.

To make him your buddy - pick a good spot to feed the little bandit where you can observe him eating from a distance. If you really want a show, put a bowl of water out with whatever food you leave for him. Racoons instinctively wash their food, and will wash ANYTHING, including cat food and old biscuits. They will wash their paws and face too, which is so cute to watch. You can start to move the feeding area closer and closer as he grows more comfortable with you watching him, just try to keep yourself a safe distance (at least 8 ft) away. You could pobably go closer if you have a low patio to sit on while he dines on the ground. The height separation should also keep him from feeling anxious of you.

Besides giving him a big dish of water, you can also give him boiled (peeled) or raw eggs (in the shell!) they LOVE them. Pieces of apple or any other fruit or vegi will also be a hit. Don't bother with meats or fish, since he will be finding this in other places (mice, insects and the like). Really the eggs and the water will make him your buddy for life.

Answer 2

You can be friendly, but I wouldn't take the chance of feeding or petting him. You never know what kind of diseases he might be carrying, unfortunately.
I know there's laws in place about keeping him as a pet, so don't let him become dependant on you in any way. Maybe call up an animal control or animal shelter and explain the situation - see if they have any input.
Don't trust him too far. Keep your distance and don't create any dependancy - which may be difficult. Think about if you're always throwing him food, and one day, you stop. What's he going to do to get that food? Raccoons are smart; they observe everything and can easily get into things you'd probably rather them not get into. It's a delicate situation.
Just be careful, and be respectful - he's still a wild animal. Observing isn't as fun as having your own little raccoon pet, but it's better by far for the both of you. Best of luck!

Answer 3

NO!! no!!! reason l. you can't tell if a raccoon has rabies by looking at them -- they are carriers. reason 2. If there is one raccoon there are many raccoons. reason 3. If you get scratched or bit you have to take those damn shots for rabies and they aren't much fun and they are expensive as heck and then animal control will have to come and trap all the raccoons in your neighborhood and they will have to be destroyed because you didnt have enough common sense to leave them alone. reason 4. A raccoon can kill a dog and I assure you if you tick one off it could hurt you really bad. Just because something looks harmless doesnt mean it is. Remember, dont mess with mother nature. Good Luck -k-

Answer 4

When raccoons are young, they can be very friendly and sweet. I have handled baby raccoons before, they seem like kittens. Unfortunately, alot of people who have kept raccoons as pets find out the hard way, that when a raccoon (particularly males) reach the equivelant of puberty, they have a horomone surge, and become very aggressive; even with their owners. Aggressive meaning nasty, and requiring a hospital visit/stitches. Not to mention, you cant exactly tell by looking at an animal whether or not it has a disease. I would strongly urge that you do not befriend this raccoon.

Answer 5

They are darn cute arent they. That aside, its not a good idea, just because hes healthy now doesnt mean he will be once he hits around 30 lbs. They dont just carry rabies they carry, distemper, and other nastier little bugs. Also the breeding males can get ENORMOUS and very very aggressive. Raccoons are opportunists. They wont stop at cat food, they will actually eat cats, small animals, garbage, plants, bird seed anything that isnt nailed down. They can be very destructive and very aggressive. They dont back down if cornered, He may seem sweet now, but what if you or a friend or a family member corners him accidently? You could suffer a very severe injury. Also if its a female, she will hang around as long as there is food, and possibly pick a not so desirable place, like your attic or garage to give birth, and then you will have a hellion on your hands. Female raccoons are very very protective of there babies.
I am actually hand rearing 2 orphaned raccoon babies right now. I actually re-habilitate them to not want to be around people. As they get older they get less handled and eventually when they start leaving the enclosure more and more to venture on there own, I will then start to startle them away from the enclosure with loud noises and barking dogs. So they dont want to come around people. Its the reason they came to me in the first place, people feeding the Racoons, the neighbors didnt like it and the neighbor shot the mom but saw there was babies with her.
So thats another reason, your neighbors may not like that idea of yours, cause they will hang around the area not just your house. You may not get along with the neighbors when they start multiplying.

Answer 6

Just because he looks fine doesn't mean that he doesn't have rabies. If he is or ever becomes rabid there is a (albeit very slim as the virus does not live very long outside the body) chance of your cat contracting it. And don't pet him - even if he isn't rabid he is a wild animal and may bite you.

Even though they are adorable it's just not a good idea to feed raccoons and encourage them to come close to residential areas..

Answer 7

Just realize that as long as you continue to feed him, he's going to keep coming back and he's not going to stay little. It's a wild animal and whether or not he has rabies now, he could get it sometime in the future. If it's a female, she may decide to come back to your house and have more cute little raccoons. They can be destructive.

Answer 8

There is nothing wrong with leaving out some extra treats and watching from afar once in a while. But be aware that your little "friend" may tell his buddies and then you have tons of raccoons all over your garage. Also just because he doesn't look like he has rabies doesn't mean he still doesn't have diseases. So never try to approach him or offer treats by hand. Here is a website full of great tips.

http://www.loomcom.com/raccoons/info/feeding.html

Answer 9

No- Big carriers of Rabies... Rabies can be Silent without symptoms.... Throwing him food will encourage his hanging around and becoming dependent on you...Also there is no such thing as one raccoon... Where they go so do other dangerous animals like possums and rats.... Been there done that and before I knew I had a Bob Cat show up for a feeding... That cured me.. Wild means just that *WIILD*

Answer 10

Obviously, the potential for rabies is a health issue you need to worry about for your own safety. However, regardless of the rabies issue, it is very bad to feed a wild animal for various reasons...one of which is that they become reliant on you for food and forget how to properly fend for themselves. It's much like what is happening with certain bear populations. They so often come in contact with human food, that they now actively seek it out rather than eating their regular diet and in doing so, they come in contact with people causing dangerous/deadly situations to occur. This is one of many reasons why humans need to leave wild animals alone and allow them to do what they do naturally. Wild animals are able to fend for themselves. Let them. Do not interefere with the natural process. Throwing off the balance is disasterous. I realize we often have the best intentions...we do it because we love animals. But we need to respect their bounderies. If we really love them , we will learn about how they survive naturally and try to protect their habitat and allow them to live as they would in their habitat free from our interference.