RaccoonMaintenance

Raccoon Maintenance

Rocky

Jakee

Spring is my least favorite time of the year. A lot of people find baby raccoons and attempt to raise them yet they have no clue what they're doing and usually do more harm than good to the baby. They may seem cute and cuddly, and they are, but they ARE a lot of responsibility as well.

Basic Care for Orphaned Babies:
***The first thing you should do is look for a local rehabber and see if they'll take it before you try to do anything. If the rehabber gives you instructions, then follow those and ignore these. Rehabbing takes a lot of time, knowledge, skill, and a license. These guidelines should only be followed if a rehabber can't be found immediately or in cases in which immediate action is needed.
*Feed it only KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement).
*Feed while setting it upright and don't let the baby overeat. It may still think it's hungry but if it eats too much it will bloat.
*Stimulate it after every feeding to make sure it goes potty.
*Note: In some states, it is illegal to have a wild raccoon or any other wild animal without a permit.

The Links page has a lot of good sites that will have information on caring for a baby raccoon. Check those out if you're interested.

Raccoons aren't really good pets if you don't have much time. I absolutely adore all my babies but they require a lot of attention which most people wouldn't be able to give them. For some people they're the perfect pet but for others are too much of a hassle. If you're thinking of having one for a pet, determine whether or not you feel you could give them the attention that they need and/or put up with some of their idiosyncrasies.
   Raccoons bite. Sometimes hard sometimes not. Most of the time, when one of mine bites, it's just because they're playing with me. Biting would be a problem with most people because they would probably take it as an insult and get rid of the 'coon for biting them, even if the 'coon didn't mean any harm.
   Raccoons need a lot of space to walk around and occasionally if they feel trapped, they'll start pacing around. It's natural and usually means that they just want more room or some attention, or both.

      If you plan on giving a raccoon, here are some tips:
* If you have an extra room in the house, give it to them. They'll love it and since they're naturally solitary animals, they'll have someplace to go when they want some time to themself.
* They get to be a little destructive at times. You can train them out of this but it takes a little while but they'll learn quickly enough.
* It's possible to potty-train an adult raccoon but it's so much easier if you potty-train them when they're young.
* If they do something bad, don't hit or yell at them. They're just like a child. Just say 'NO'. They'll usually get the point, if they don't, then when they do it again you'll just have to repeat it until they do understand.

Check out some of the links to learn more tips like these and anything else you need to know.