Illinois Raccoon Parents

[Sparttan117]

I'm looking to get a raccoon in a little less than a year, but I want to meet one that has been raised by people first to get a first hand idea of what goes into caring for a raccoon. Are there any raccoon parents in Illinois? Northwest Indiana works too.

I've posted this topic before and got a response, but unfortunately, the person who was going to show me their raccoon was getting it this spring and found out that there was a local law against it.
Previous post: viewtopic.php?f=91&t=13739

[pat]

most raccoons are generally born in March-april.

However, some are born in june-july, but, not as many as march-april.

I don't know what to suggest to see one in person. worse case, there are many videos of raccoons.
at least you can see them in action.

It is very important to understand their needs and their behavior.

what type of permit does IL have for raccoons? here in PA, all we need is a bill of sale as long as it is bought in PA.
can you call the state game comm. and ask if they have a list of raccoon owners?

wish I could help, but, that is all I can think of.

[Sparttan117]

what type of permit does IL have for raccoons? here in PA, all we need is a bill of sale as long as it is bought in PA.
can you call the state game comm. and ask if they have a list of raccoon owners?

The law in IL is that all persons with a raccoon in their private care must have a furbearing mammal breeder permit ($25.50 annually renewed, sold at Bass Pro Shop and the like) (even if the intent is not to breed the animals).

As for videos, I've seen plenty. https://www.reddit.com/r/trashpandas has pet raccoons, wildlife rehab, and wild raccoons. As much as I enjoy these videos, I feel that there is a lot more that I could learn in person.

Does anyone know of someone on this forum who lives in Illinois or one of the nearby states (preferably Wisconsin or Indiana if not Illinois). I can handle driving that distance to do something for the day and then drive home that night.

[Kagney]

I totally respect your trying to find an owner to visit. Honestly, it would be really nice if more people thought about that sort of thing before bringing one home.

One thing I will point out though... if you came to my house you'd probably not see my little girl at all unless you stayed at least 5 hours or spent the night. I don't know how friendly other coons are with strangers (probably just another personality thing) but my little lady isn't fond of them. She's certainly not aggressive, she's just politely hiding until you go away. If she did finally decide to come out, her usual easy-going, laid-back, paling-around-with-the-dogs side is not at all what you would see. She'd be wary and totally sketched out about a stranger being in the house, especially one that took such an active interest in her. I think you'd be disappointed.

I'm in Florida, or I'd welcome you to give it a shot anyway. But my point is, you may not see "normal" house-coon behavior even if you can find someone close enough for you to visit. I could be wrong though. I only have the experience of 5 years with my one little girl... shes all I know. Maybe someone else can jump in here with a different perspective and a coon with a more gregarious personality...

Anyways, if you can't find someone to visit but want a good look inside life with a raccoon, check out Ana's tumblr. She did this right. She covers everything you could want to know along with awesome day-to-day antics. Can't say enough good things about it.
(Hope you don't mind my posting this, Ana) coonstuff.tumblr.com

[pat]

sparttan117 ,

tiny tracks is in Indiana. not sure if he would help you out, all you can do is ask him. maybe he knows of people near you that has raccoons.

--------------------

Kagney,
I know what you mean about some raccoons won't take to people they don't know.
my two youngest will back away from people. my oldest one is fine. my first raccoon that died, was not afraid of new people.

maybe cause I don't get too many people visiting or maybe it is just their personality.

[Kagney]

Pat,
I'm sure there are exceptions, but I think it comes down to personality and socialization. The problem is, you have to start socializating when they are young... and at their most rambunctious and mouthy. All it takes is one bite or scratch (even in play) to the wrong person , and they're gone forever.
I never wanted to take the risk, so Giz is only "herself" around people she knows. I've wondered before how common that might be.

[pat]

Pat,
I'm sure there are exceptions, but I think it comes down to personality and socialization. The problem is, you have to start socializating when they are young... and at their most rambunctious and mouthy. All it takes is one bite or scratch (even in play) to the wrong person , and they're gone forever.
I never wanted to take the risk, so Giz is only "herself" around people she knows. I've wondered before how common that might be.

I have to agree with you. one never knows if our raccoon will bite. if a new person approaches the racoon, they could take it the wrong way.
my first raccoon larry(now deceased) was friendly with everyone. my two youngest, will growl if a new person approaches him. the female will run the other way. my oldest one george is fine, he will accept anyone.

I remember quite a while back, a member here had a raccoon, and the raccoon bit her step daughter(or some relative, can't remember for sure)
the raccoon was reported and of course put down.

none of mine ever bit me. however, my almost year old male use to sneak up on me and bite my back, he was playing, but, yike that hurt.(he didn't break the skin) I corrected him on that, took a few plus times to break him of that.

However, I do agree with you, it is best to safe than sorry.

off topic a bit: several plus years ago, one of the members loved foxes, he wanted to know if he could visit mine. I told him, OK.
he come over seen the foxes. but, it turned out, he took a liking to larry Lee (my now deceased raccoon). it was so cute, larry liked this person,
both would sit on the couch watching TV. for hours, of course a couple times, Larry went into his pocket , and pulled out some change.
Larry must of really like this guy, he sat with him all day.

[Trefoil]

Neither of my babies are stranger friendly. They hide until the company leaves.

[pat]

Neither of my babies are stranger friendly. They hide until the company leaves.

thank you for your input. guess some raccoons are different than others.

[Sparttan117]

Does anyone think that it would be a good idea to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center to gain experience working with raccoons? I've been having trouble finding people who have pet raccoons who live close enough for me to visit. Of course, wildlife rehab would be a different interaction with the animals than the interaction that I might have if I were to meet someone's pet. Does anyone think that this would be helpful?

[Kagney]

Does anyone think that it would be a good idea to volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center to gain experience working with raccoons?

Absolutely! No, it won't be the same kind of interaction, but watching natural behavior up-close and personal will do nothing but benefit you as a future caregiver. Learning about the behavior of wild raccoons will give you a much better understanding their psychological needs, and aid you in coming up with appropriate enrichment/living environment plans for your future baby. You'll also probably be seeing a lot of orphans at different stages of rehab... good to know in advance just how high energy a juvenile can be. And there's also the bonus of learning from the pro's about diet, etc.

Just keep in mind that if you express your interest in acquiring your own from a breeder, they will probably try to discourage you. Rehabbers undoubtedly know the species they work with, but only in the rehabbing context, not as a companion animal. They are accustomed to seeing people get all starry eyed over babies and immediately declare "I want one!" with no real concept of what it takes to care for one. Don't be offended if you get lectured or discouraged. In a way, its kind of part of their job.

I hope you can make it happen! Please share your experiences if you do!

[Sparttan117]

Don't be offended if you get lectured or discouraged. In a way, its kind of part of their job.

I hope you can make it happen! Please share your experiences if you do!

I definitely will share any interesting stories. I've already talked to my supervisors at my zoo internship, and they're all for it (as long as it's done responsibly), so I'm sure I can get rehabbers on board.

[Sparttan117]

Update: I'm putting off getting a raccoon until spring of 2018 so that I can get experience working with them first. I'm volunteering at a wildlife rehab center (Fox Valley Wildlife Center in Elburn Illinois) and had my first training day last Monday (May 13th). I helped feed baby raccoons a milk formula using feeding syringes fitted with a nipple. Does anyone have any further ideas of how I could interact with raccoons that would help prepare me for when I get a raccoon?

[TamanduaGirl]

That's good to hear. If you can join some raccoon facebook groups maybe you'd have better luck finding someone but working with rehabs is a good start.

[Ana]

I really respect and admire your commitment to being as prepared as possible. It took me two years of research before adopting my first boy.
If you ever find yourself in the Pittsburgh area, you are very welcome to be robbed and molested by my angels. :D