Raccoon Help

[Longdogshortcat]

Have finally finished the outdoor enclosure and done an initial "coon-proofing" of indoors as we want the new member to be a part of our extended family.
Our two biggest problems (and would appreciate any advice from fellow coon keepers) are
1) Our cats are fed from a gravity feeder about 4ft off the floor on a cat tree. I know the coon will climb this no problem but would he eat the entire content of the feeder.Probably a dumb question but thought I would ask anyway.....

2) I know that the dogflap will have to go and whilst our garden is secure at ground level,if he were to get out,he would be up a tree or the fences and off.So.....is there any way to have him in the garden with us or just around the house with a door open,without him making a break for it?

Any advice on how you handle this or is it actually possible to coon-proof a garden.We could of course just put him in his outdoor enclosure on sunny days when doors are likely to be open and closed regularly but I would love to find an alternative to this.

Would it be ridiculous to get him to wear a collar and install an untrasonic pet boundary?

Lastly.....does anyone have any babies (PR or HR) available?

Thank you.

[mat_worrell]

Look over in the classifieds, there are a few!!

[fantapants]

They will eat ALL of the food given the chance! and not just cat food.......dog food, human food, bin contents, fridge and freezer contents.......everything!

I cants stress this bit enough, you can NOT have a window or door open while you have araccoon free roaming in your house. The are masters of escape and almost silent when they are up to mischief. We have 3 windows in the house that we can oped as they are very long skinny windows that are 4 1/2 foot above the floor. Their is no way Atuki can get to them but even so we leave them on the locked catch so there is only a gap of 2 -3 inches. But ATuki does go out on a harness and lead.

And an ultrasonic pet collar? Im sorry to say this but i am guessing you have never met and interacted with a a raccoon at all? If you let a raccoon out with a beepy collar by the time you heard it beep the raccoon would have scedaddled. If thats so i really strongly suggest that you spend a good few hours getting used to these animals. They can NOT be trained like dog, are unpredictable, can be very aggressive and caause horrendous bites and scratches. They are destructive in the house and while Atuki cost me £550 he has cost me almost treble that in damages in my house>

[Longdogshortcat]

Thanks for the reply.I knew as soon as I wrote it it was a daft question. I have actually lived for a while with a rescued racoon years ago.I vividly remember him climbing on the sink drainer,turning on the tap and then washing whatever food he had managed to pinch before he scoffed it.I do remember the emptied waste paper baskets and their shredded contents and how hard he nipped if we tried to take anything away from him.
He was mainly housed outside and it was 30yrs ago so just needed reminding!
I guess I will just have to look at a larger indoor enclosure as well as the outdoor one.

How is Atuki housed?
Would it be possible to see a picture?

Any advice on indoor housing greatly appreciated - the outdoor one is completed.

[fantapants]

Originally Posted by Longdogshortcat

Thanks for the reply.I knew as soon as I wrote it it was a daft question. I have actually lived for a while with a rescued racoon years ago.I vividly remember him climbing on the sink drainer,turning on the tap and then washing whatever food he had managed to pinch before he scoffed it.I do remember the emptied waste paper baskets and their shredded contents and how hard he nipped if we tried to take anything away from him.
He was mainly housed outside and it was 30yrs ago so just needed reminding!
I guess I will just have to look at a larger indoor enclosure as well as the outdoor one.

How is Atuki housed?
Would it be possible to see a picture?

Any advice on indoor housing greatly appreciated - the outdoor one is completed.

Atuki has his own bedroom with some large platforms and steps that lead up to a roof attached nest box. He doesnt have an outdoor enclosure yet as its in the process of being built. He sleeps til around noon when he comes out and then he free roams the house til 3 when he walks to school with us to get the kids. Then after a hefty dinner he sleeps til around 7 in my dressing room (always the top shelf!) and then he comes back down when the kids have gone up to their rooms. He free roams again til his night time walk with the dogs around 10. He has another dinner and then plays with us until we go to bed around midnight. The fact that we allow him so much freedom means that we have to tolerate the mes he causes..........mainly dirty foot prints on the worktops and kitchen table. He also loves the bathroom and has managed to prise the bath panel off and he hides in there if he really doesnt want to go to bed.

He has stripped the wallpaper off the living room within a week of me doing it, right in the middle of the wall! he has contaminated my marine tank and i lost all my livestock, destroyd the wooden floor in the kitchen due to his persistant washing of his stolen treasures and then digging at the floor to see whats underneath it.....and we have to clean behind the couch on a daily basis as he has certain spots where he stores stolen goods! it can also get pretty whiffy in his favourite sleeping spots so needs constant cleaning. He loves paddling in the toilet too if somebody is stupid enough to leave the lid up!

Oh and what you remember as "Nips"....you need to be prepared for way worse than nips. If Tooks doesnt want to be moved or if we try to take something off him he can inflict a nasty bite. plus the claws are like little razor blades and we all have scars to prove it.

Where about are you based?

Where abouts are you based?

[Longdogshortcat]

Now I know I shouldn't but I did. My African Grey ate half a mantlepiece one day after someone didn't close the cage door properly when we went out. He also did the wallpaper stripping thing-unfortunately he learned from me as he watched me strip the old stuff off.He didn't of course help me with that-no,he waited to strip the brand new paper off.
Stashing things I can cope with as I have had kids so am used to finding piles of "treasure".
I have to admit I did underplay the "nip" comment,it did bloody hurt and I also remember the golden rule we had about never smacking a coon or we would live to regret it.

Atuki is one lucky raccon with his own "deluxe apartment".It sounds fantastic.To be honest,it is something I am considering for here.I have a smallish room that I could turn into a playroom/bedroom for our man.I think I will work on that one as he starts growing.

What type of harness do you use for walking Atuki? I know they are notorious escapologists but would love to take him out for walks with the dog.

[fantapants]

Originally Posted by Longdogshortcat

Now I know I shouldn't but I did. My African Grey ate half a mantlepiece one day after someone didn't close the cage door properly when we went out. He also did the wallpaper stripping thing-unfortunately he learned from me as he watched me strip the old stuff off.He didn't of course help me with that-no,he waited to strip the brand new paper off.
Stashing things I can cope with as I have had kids so am used to finding piles of "treasure".
I have to admit I did underplay the "nip" comment,it did bloody hurt and I also remember the golden rule we had about never smacking a coon or we would live to regret it.

Atuki is one lucky raccon with his own "deluxe apartment".It sounds fantastic.To be honest,it is something I am considering for here.I have a smallish room that I could turn into a playroom/bedroom for our man.I think I will work on that one as he starts growing.

What type of harness do you use for walking Atuki? I know they are notorious escapologists but would love to take him out for walks with the dog.

Atukis bedroom is what was the nursery for my daughter. Its not massive, around 8ft square but he gets an awful lot of "out" time. We are in the process of turning the utility room and part of the garden into a bigger better enclosure as i hope to have a friend for him this year and its taken me almost 8 months to get Atuki ok in the house......i dread to think what damage 2 could do on the loose!

For atuki we have tried cat and dog harnesses and then he continually broke the clasps on them, somebody on here told me about the ferplast self rathceting harness. They are about £20 on amazon and are sturdy and secure. He CAN get out of it kind of by doing a backwards shuffle if the lead as it its full extension. BUT aslong as he is on the move and interested in whats going on around him he is fine...........as with all the racoons the trouble starts when they are bored!

i live in the northwest, you would be welcome to come for some raccoon playtime if you are local.

[Longdogshortcat]

Well funnily enough,the room I am thinking about was MY daughter's nursery too-and the same size! Right opposite a bathroom too fo splash time...

I am down in Herts unfortunately or I would have loved to come and meet you "one-coon demolition squad".

Not sure Icould build anything as fab as Atuki has to sleep in but as long as mine never sees it I should be safe!

Sorry-but a couple more questions....Do you have insurance for him and if so-could you recommend anyone?
Is he vaccinated at all?

[fantapants]

I spoke to the vet at length about vaccinations but he said that innoculating a raccoon is a hit and miss situation. The injections COULD protect them but there is no conclusive proof. Instead my vet notifies me if there is any outbreaks of distemper or any other illnesses in my locale . Even in the states there is no proof of jabs working so i prefer to err on the side of caution and take the vets advice.

I dont have insurance, but its typically around £15 a month with exotic direct. I am waiting til i get my 2nd addition before i commit. In the mean time the savings can cover it!

[lukendaniel]

to be honest if you have a big outdoor enclosure he would be fine to just lie outdoors all year long and just bring him in for play time when your there to supervise! it is how most people i know with raccoons live. Roo wears a collar with her micro chip tag on incase god forbid she did escape so whoever captured her would know to check for her chip! I let Roo wander our yard when I am there watching her but she is as far as raccoons go amazingly behaved! i would say for yours your best bet would be a harness and an extendable lead! that way you can sit out keep an eye and if he were to decide to make a break you have control! I would also say when you get him you should try getting him used to having a harness put on and taken off asap as trying to do it to a raccoon who decides they dont wanna wear one is hard work!!! our shop hopes to get some baby raccoons in as soon as they are available to us and we will be trying every measure to make sure they are used to this for whoever buys them! we have experienced bringing up Roo and have a good idea what we need to do while theyre in our care! I am sure you know all the basics but i would get him neutered as early as you can aswell! Roo is feamale and spayed but before we got her done she took a massive disliking to Daniel and now although he can stroke and scritch her he cant pick her up! so to keep them as sweet natured as they get your best bet is to neuter asap!