Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi All,
In case you don't know I will tell you my situation. My parents are divorced, and I'm 14. I have a lot of experience with exotics and I love them so much. I visit my dad in South Carolina all summer and have nothing to do. I want to become active with doing some sort of rehabbing but the centers wont let me do anything because I am not old enough. What I would like to do is raise a baby opossum or raccoon because they're my favorite. Does anyone have any ideas about what I could do with keeping busy with rehab work? Plus I cant really keep one as a pet because I leave at the end of the summer and am not able to care for it myself. Thanks.

A true animal lover,
Drew

We have discussed this previously, without either your own permit or the umbrella of a rehab organization's permit, rehabilition of these animals is illegal. Additionally, raccoons are rabies vector animals which adds a whole new dimension. If you want to help an organization, perhaps taking up collections for them so that they can purchase much needed supplies, making posters for them, and spreading the word would be a good way to help. This will get your foot in the door so that when you are old enough to do this legally, they will know how motivated and capable you are. You can also use this time to purchase and study many of the available rehab books.

Joker
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Can you explain what rehab books you are talking about? I didn't know they made books for wildlife rehabilitation. I am going to try to volunteer at one of the rehab centers in SC when I go there for the summer. Thanks.
-Drew

I got "Wild Orphan Babies" for Christmas! It is a great book. I read it in a day and I am working on my second time around LOL.
-Drew