This story is from Tammy.
I didn’t wake up one day and decide, “I am gonna get a raccoon today.” I
actually took my father to a breeder to purchase a bird. While we were there
we decided to check out his “inventory”. He discovered one of his young
mothers had died while giving birth. Porkchop was the only baby alive in the
nest box. He was going to kill her because he didn’t have time to
bottle-feed anything. I know this is normal for farmers and breeders the
“only the strong survive” attitude. Well after a while of begging this guy
not to kill her he gave her to me. I brought her home and bottle-fed her.
She got stronger and stronger. I had full intentions of taking her to the
local rehabber. On the day we were to go my whole family was sitting there
in tears. We decided to make the adjustments in our home to keep her. I do
realize that it would have been better to give her to the rehabber, but the
thought of her being chased by dogs, shot, trapped or ran over by a car was
just too much to bear.
Now we could not imagine our lives without her. When people ask about
getting a raccoon as a pet I always tell them not to do it. I grew up on a
farm and have dealt with more animals than I can count. My husband and I use
to raise reptiles. My father even raised raccoons when I was a child
(outside). None of this prepared me for raising one of my own (inside).
Raccoons are more work and harder work than anything I have ever
encountered, which includes raising children. Mine is very protective of me.
For the longest time she would not let any other animals around me. She also
wouldn’t let my son near me. She has since accepted him and likes to lie on
his lap when she is pouting.
Over the last year I have been bitten and scratched to the point of scaring
because she wanted her way. I have had to replace a large portion of my
plumbing and toilet because she filled it full of pennies, nail, marbles,
rocks or whatever she felt needed to be washed. We had to change our
cabinets and install key locks to keep her out of danger areas. I had to
remove all the plants from my home, except for those that I could hang high
enough from the ceiling that now require a ladder to water.
Mini blinds and curtains last about a month.
We redesigned our whole basement with the full intention of making it a
safe, fun place for her to call her own. I know as well as I am sitting here
when she wakes up and comes up to play she is going to find something new to
get into and we are gonna have to change it. It is almost a daily activity
here. Oh here is one, she got under the kitchen sink while she was playing,
and she disconnected my sink plumbing. When I let the water out of the sink
instead of going down the drain it went all over my newly installed kitchen
floor. The installers had to come back and fix what the water had damaged,
at an extra charge. Basically what I am saying is you think you have
everything secured, locked down and coonie proof. Then they discover
something new. It is a constant cycle.
When you go on vacation you have to find someone who will take care of them.
Keep in mind there are no raccoon boarding facilities like they have for
dogs and cats. The person has to be someone that the raccoon likes and
trusts. I established legal godparents for mine. The look on my lawyer’s
face when we did this was priceless. The company that I have my homeowners
insurance through didn’t even know how to class her on my papers. Yes, I pay
extra insurance just like you would if you had an aggressive type dog.
If you have one tiny hole in your drywall that will catch their attention
and they can get a paw nail in, get ready, it will soon be a huge gapping
hole that needs major repair.
We put a shelf above our bathroom mirror. Figured our stuff would be safe up
there. I still don’t know how she got up there but she made it and threw all
the stuff to the floor and stretched out on the shelf. All the while giving
me a look of total offense because she threw down several bottles of perfume
that broke so the room smelled awful. She thought I should be able to make
the smell go away.
My husband left the stamp collection closet door open one day. She got in
and found a box of loose stamps he had not yet put in books. She destroyed
about $2000.00 worth of stamps. All because the door didn’t close completely
behind him.
She constantly hides our cell phones and keys. She
removed every key off of every keyboard in the computer room.
These are just a couple of my experiences over the last 11 months. These are
things that a year ago I would have never dreamed would happen. That I never
took into consideration. Things that you should consider before getting a
raccoon.
I was asked this question by someone interested in getting a raccoon as a
pet. Would I get another one? My answer is “NO”! As much as I love my baby
girl Yes, I would rescue one from certain death like I did with Porkchop,
but it would go directly to the rehabber. I would probably volunteer to help
out with her, if she wanted my help, buy formula for it or whatever she
would like me to do, but I would not keep it and raise it on my own.
I hope I didn’t ramble on too much here. I just wanted to help paint the
picture of what life is like being “Owned by a Raccoon”.
So please ask yourself and others that want a raccoon for a pet to remember:
First: “Can I Keep Him? No!” Second: “Should I Keep Him? No!” and Third:
Should I be: “Owned by a Raccoon? No!”
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