Statement
of purpose:
The purpose of this site is to provide factual information about the issues involved with having a pet raccoon.
Aside from the last two paragraphs on this page, all of the information
on this site is established fact and is intended to help people
make an informed decision when considering the raccoon as a pet.
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RABIES
The occurrence of rabies in
raccoons is far less frequent than the media would have us believe
and the chances of a pet raccoon contracting the disease are extremely
slim. Because of the fear of rabies, however, some states require
that a pet raccoon who bites or scratches someone must be killed
and the head sent to a lab for testing. The result of the test
is almost always negative, but it's too late for the raccoon.
A pet raccoon who has been vaccinated against rabies is not exempted
from this requirement.
RACCOONS ARE NOT
DOMESTICATED
People have been attempting
to keep and domesticate raccoons for centuries, yet as a species,
they are still not domesticated. Domestication is a process
that takes hundreds of generations and after centuries of trying
there is still no such thing as a domesticated raccoon. Even
a raccoon who is raised in the company of humans is still by
definition very much a wild animal.
Domestication occurs in several clearly defined stages beginning
with "wild" and ending with "domesticated." The raccoon's position
on the scale is "wild". The simple fact is that the characteristics
of some species cause them to be more readily domesticable than
others. Raccoons are not possessed of those characteristics.
Detailed info on domestication
BAYLISASCARIS PROCYONIS
Baylisascaris procyonis,
also known as roundworm or raccoon roundworm, is a parasite
that is common in raccoons. When transferred to another animal,
such as a dog or human being, it can cause blindness, central
nervous system damage and even death. There are wormers available
that will rid a raccoon of these parasites but they must be
administered regularly and if the treatment is overlooked, everyone
who comes in contact with the raccoon may be at risk. A captive
raccoon who is free of the parasite may still contract it from
contact with animals or objects that have been exposed to the
parasite.
OBESITY
Captive raccoons are extremely
susceptible to obesity due to their diet and lack of exercise.
The raccoon's natural diet varies from one region to another but
usually consists of fruits, grains, insects, nuts, berries, small
birds and mammals, eggs, fish, frogs, and crayfish. It is difficult,
if not impossible, to duplicate this diet and the failure to do
so frequently causes serious health problems in the captive raccoon.
In nature the average weight of a wild adult raccoon is from 12
to 18 pounds- larger in the northwest, smaller in the southeast.
The average weight of a captive adult raccoon fed on commonly
available pet foods is in excess of 30 pounds and is frequently
closer to 40 or even 50 pounds. One of the more common causes
of premature death in captive raccoons is heart failure brought
on by obesity. Obesity may bring on other health problems such
as fatty liver and hip displaysia.
REVERTING
There is no doubt that young
raccoons are among the most adorable of wild babies. Unfortunately,
raccoons grow up and as they get older they have been known
to become aggressive and unmanageable. They sometimes become
so aggressive toward their owners that they can no longer be
kept in captivity. There is some debate as to whether this can
be technically labeled "reverting", but whatever one wishes
to call it, this phenomenon is very real and it is impossible
to predict in which raccoons it will occur.
RELEASE
As an adjunct to the previous
paragraph, the raccoon who has been kept in captivity is not
a good candidate for release to the wild. Raccoons learn their
wild survival skills from their mothers during the first 10
to 12 weeks of their lives and the captive raccoon is utterly
without these skills. Releasing such an animal to the wild usually
results in the premature death of the animal by starvation or,
more likely, because of their lack of fear of humans.
LEGAL ISSUES
In many states it is illegal
to own a pet raccoon. In these states, if a person is found
to be keeping a raccoon as a pet, the animal may be seized and
destroyed and the owner may face legal action including expensive
fines.
DIFFICULTY IN FINDING
A VET
Few veterinarians will treat
a pet raccoon because of concerns about distemper and rabies.
Distemper is common in raccoons and since it is an airborne
virus, merely allowing an afflicted raccoon into the clinic
can cause the death of every susceptible animal present. Rabies
in raccoons is less common but has received quite a bit of publicity.
Since a rabid raccoon may be asymptomatic at some stages of
the disease, many vets will not even consider treating them.
THEY ARE DESTRUCTIVE
Raccoons are noted for their
curiosity. They are compelled by their nature to touch everything
they encounter, climb anything that can be climbed, open every
door and investigate every nook and cranny. They do this with
great interest and no regard for what may be dropped, spilled,
shredded and broken.
HEALTH ISSUES
It can be very difficult
to maintain the health of a captive raccoon. They have very
specialized dietary requirements and need lots of exercise and
space. A raccoon who is denied any of these requirements is
at risk of serious health problems.
THEY ARE MESSY
Give a raccoon a bowl of
water and a dish of dry dog or cat food and he will create for
you a mess of epic proportions. Raccoons are very clean animals
when it comes to personal hygiene but otherwise they are experts
at creating wet, sloppy messes.
THEY ARE UNPREDICTABLE
As stated above, raccoons
are not domestic animals and even the most well-behaved of pet
raccoons will occasionally administer a painful bite. Their
unpredictability makes them unsuitable as pets in any household
with small children or, for that matter, any household where
the human occupants have little tolerance for pain and some
occasional bleeding.
THEY REQUIRE A GREAT
DEAL OF ATTENTION
Owning a raccoon is much
more like having a second job than it is like having a pet.
Meeting their dietary needs, continually providing them with
sources of entertainment and cleaning up after them is a full-time
occupation. It is also a long-term commitment since life expectancy
in the captive raccoon is 14 years.
LIABILITY
In a household where a pet
raccoon resides, visitors to the home may be thoroughly investigated
by the raccoon. There is some danger in this since all it takes
is for the raccoon to smell something it interprets as threatening
on the guest's clothes and that person may be bitten or scratched.
Liability insurance is a must for anyone who wishes to keep
a captive raccoon.
SPACE REQUIREMENTS
Raccoons cannot be kept
in any but the largest of cages for any length of time. If a
raccoon is to be kept in captivity, it must be given the run
of the house. This being the case, the entire house must be
made "raccoon-proof". All cabinets and closets where the raccoon
is not allowed must be secured and even then, if the raccoon
wants to get in badly enough, he may destroy the door in trying
to gain entry.
THE CONSEQUENCES
OF ESCAPE
Captive raccoons who manage
to maintain some interest in the outdoors may be difficult to
keep in captivity. If they determine that they want to go outside,
they will probably find a way. When this happens, the consequences
can be severe. Pet raccoons have little fear of humans. Humans,
unfortunately, have little understanding of raccoons and an
encounter between an escaped pet raccoon and a human usually
results in the death of the raccoon.
MATING SEASON
Mating season brings a long
period of aggressiveness in captive raccoons who are of breeding
age. Their instinct tells them they should be mating but they
can't so they become very frustrated and moody. Humans coming
in contact with a raccoon during this period are at increased
risk of being bitten. This period may last for 3 to 4 months
and it occurs every year.
RESPONSIBILITY
Got vacation plans? If you
are keeping a pet raccoon, you may as well cancel them now.
A raccoon cannot be left to it's own devices for any length
of time longer than a few hours. No kennel will board a raccoon
and if they did, the raccoon would be in misery being kept in
a small cage. If you have a friend, neighbor or relative who
might keep an eye on the captive raccoon while you are away,
they will need to completely raccoon-proof their home before
they can take the animal in and should be warned of all the
inherent difficulties of keeping a raccoon. Once again, liability
insurance is a requirement.
THE ODDS
The odds of successfully
keeping a captive raccoon for an extended period of time are
not good. Some estimates put the odds at 300 to 1 against. I have no doubt that this figure is grossly inflated, but there is still a chance that
a raccoon who is kept in captivity will eventually become a
very unhappy, aggressive animal.
BREEDERS
Some people breed raccoons
for profit. In some cases, any raccoons that the breeder cannot
sell may be either destroyed or "set free" when the cost of
caring for them starts cutting into the profits. Another problem
that comes under this heading is breeders who are not really
breeders at all. As long as there is a market for young raccoons,
there will be people who head for the woods in the spring for
the purpose of killing mother raccoons and capturing their young
so that they might sell them for profit. Responsibility for
this phenomenon may be placed squarely in the hands of anyone
who actively encourages people to obtain a raccoon for the purpose
of keeping it as a pet.
More info on breeders
IT IS AGAINST THEIR
NATURE
This is a philosophical
point- feel free to skip it if you are not in a philosophical
frame of mind.
Fact: the raccoon is a wild animal. As such, it is imbued with
a wild spirit. Raccoons who are kept in captivity from a young
age invariably have that wild spirit destroyed. It is common
to see captive raccoons whose spirit has been so completely
removed from them that they are afraid to go outside. There
are few things sadder than a wild animal who has been so utterly
corrupted by human contact and influence that it is terrified
of its own natural habitat. In this age when our wild heritage
seems to be in jeopardy at every turn, wouldn't it be better
to just allow wild things to be wild? It seems that the popular
notion is that nature and wildlife are wonderful things as long
as A) They don't interfere with modern convenience and B) We
can exploit them in some way to satisfy our needs. Unspoiled
wilderness is only of value to us if we can pave a few roads
through it so that we may admire it from the air-conditioned
comfort of our sport-utility vehicles as we fly through at 50
or 60 miles per hour. This, because truly wild nature is not
convenient enough for us. We don't get anything from it unless
we manipulate it into something we can easily access and use.
It is painful to see this attitude carried over to raccoons
and other wild creatures. If we decide we like raccoons, is
it not enough to observe them in their natural state? No, we
must "own" them since the animal in the wild does not provide
us with adequate gratification. Like the paved and concession-standed
wilderness, when we take a wild animal out of nature to suit
our needs, we destroy a piece of it. In the case of the raccoon,
what we destroy is its true spirit.
A FINAL NOTE
I
personally know a number of people who have pet raccoons. These
people found an orphaned raccoon, nursed it back to health and
raised it. They decided to keep the animal as a pet for various
reasons, usually because they came to love the raccoon so much
that they couldn't bear the thought of releasing it to the wild
and an uncertain future. My hat is off to these folks. They
have knowingly taken on a huge responsibility and made many
personal sacrifices for the sake of an animal they care for
deeply.
There is a very big difference between this and the person who
consciously decides to obtain a wild animal and keep it in captivity.
Wildlife should not be looked upon as a commodity which may be bought or
sold.
maskd_bandit 10/99
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