Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I really dont like to say this but your are 100 and 10 percent wrong about raising baby coons. They are one of the easiest things to care for in the entire world. And you telling her that they only give people germs and kill young children is totaly wrong. Ive raised prolly 20 babies and never one have i gotten and sort of worms. Even my little brother who was 10 when he got his first coon didnt seem to get these so called impossible to prevent worms. And your lil fire on the cage theory to clean it is bullcrap. try again......

Raccoons are easier to rehabilitate than some species certainly. However, they do carry a number of diseases and parasites that are indeed contagious to humans and other pets. These include, but in no means are limited to: rabies, canine distemper, raccoon parvoviralenteritis, infectious canine hepatitis, pseudorabies, coccidiosis, trichinosis, tuberculosis, toxoplasmosis, listeriosis, yersiniosis, pasteurellosis, tularemia, and leptospirosis. Proper cleaniliness must be maintained to prevent this, as well as minimizing exposure to feces. Additionally, to rehabiliate a raccoon to be released and survive in the wild, does take a great deal of care and attention to detail. They must learn to be independant, and over time learn to NOT trust people, otherwise it is as good as signing their death warrant. They must be taught to forage for food, as well as to socialize with their own kind.

Each year, many raccoons are mistaken for being "rabid", simply because they are a bit too social with humans, who mistake this for rabidness and it leads to certain death. They can not depend on people for their food or shelter as adults, or they will not thrive or survive in nature.

Also let me add, that "raising coons", and rehabiliting them are not always one in the same. Rehabilitors go thru hours of training to learn to properly raise their charges in order to ensure a succesful (and permanent) release. They also know the risks involved, and how to take proper precautions. The point is, not everyone should "have a coon", just for the sake of doing it, and those who improperly rehabilitate and release, are doing more harm than good. Anyone who does wish to become involved with them, needs to do so with a reallistic concept of how to do it, and what to expect, as well as what potential risks are involved. Also to answer your question, I personally bottle fed and weaned 16 infant raccoons last season, and assisted in the rehab and release of 35. 6 of these were released near my home so that I could oversee their release, and ensure that as they learned to forage and expand their areas, that food would be available.

Calming down would be my first suggestion. You have taken everything I have said in the wrong fashion. I love raccoons and think they are wonderful animals. They do have these "so called impossible to prevent worms" which are known as Baylisascaris procyonis also known as roundworm. It is a roundworm known mainly to the raccoons which if ingested by children can cause serious CNS (central nervous system) damage or even death. I'm not saying it is going to kill every kid on the face of the earth and that we should end all raccoon life as we know it. I wanted to make the person who posted aware of the dangers.

Also fire aka. high temperature is the only thing that kills the eggs of this "so called impossible to prevent worm". So if the cage is then used on other animals such as rabbits it can kill them if they ingest the eggs or just cause your pet rabbit severe CNS damage. I think that should arouse enough concern that we should mention it to someone considering getting into raccoon rehabilitation. Attacking someone here on a message board is not only uncalled for it is just plain rude. If you want anymore information on "So called items you think I'm just making up as I go along" there is plenty of literature out there on the subject of Zoonotics which is diseases that are transferrable from human to animal and animal to human. You might want to check it out.

I said Good Day (Like Fez from That 70's Show)

Calm down dude. You could had said that in a more polite manner. I agree with you, that raccoons CAN make a good pet, FOR THE RIGHT PERSON. I stress that so much because people will get exotic pets and take care of them wrong and blame the animal for not being a good pet. Exotic animals, especially raccoons, take infinite patience and understanding. If you get a baby raccoon from a reputable raccoon farm/breeder, it is pretty safe to say that it is a healthy animal, (pics of the animal BEFORE you purchase it, helps you determine wheather it is healthy or not) and you can raise a raccoon to become a good pet. I believe only "animal people" should have exotics but some may think otherwise. Animal people are people that have a way with animals, as one man puts it is adequately "I guess I was born with an animal thumb" -from the book "Raccoon Family Pets" by Leonore Brandt (very good author and a very good book)!
I have a kinkajou, he is captive born, bottle raised and he is a wonderful pet. We have a big cage for him and a room just for him to play in, that is huge and kinkajou proof. I believe this is type of room is needed for any large exotic animal. They also need a HUGE cage, no less than 6'x6'x12' outside with a cement bottom.