# Raccoons- worst damage done?



## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Thought it might be interesting to see what keepers have to say about the worst domestic damage raccoons have done to their home. Since i have been walking Atuki the amount of people that says "oh i WANT one" is just crazy. We always tell them that having a juvenile raccoon is like having 4 toddlers with ADHD and a good set of teeth and super sharp claws thrown in! So i wondered, whats the worst damage been caused in your house/enclosure?

For me Atuki has been a whirlwind. He is pretty much free roaming in the house through the daytime while we are home, then he has his own bedroom. We have to keep the windows shut but even so he has.......

stripped the wallpaper from my newly papered lounge.
ruined my new carpet not being potty trained.
stole my daughters fresh poo out of the potty and run away with it while smearing it all over the floor and walls.
bitten my kids feet and hands as they pass them ( in play, but it still marks)
tried to eat my turtles out of the tank, despite the mesh over the top
crapped all over my bed and ruined my mattress, protector, pillows and quilt (twice).
stole the lid off my marine tank while trying to get to my crabs.
got his nose stuck in a beer can that he stole out of the recycling box.
tried to eat my rottweillers while they sleep.
tried to hump my smallest female cat.
knocked over a litre of vodka trying to get into it
Just bit my husband in the balls and drew blood
Just crapped on me. he has the runs. 
 
So, what mad random things has your raccon done? Dont get me wrong, i LOVE atuki so much but even after all the research i still didnt expect it to be such a task to watch him 24/7 ! he is more trouble than the 4 kids but i love him to bits.


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## emasmad (May 30, 2009)

i did say u were nuts lol


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

emasmad said:


> i did say u were nuts lol


 
Hey, im not complaining as such. I just thought that a threa about the "realities" of having a raccoon may show up when people search them as pets. Atuki is a handfull an a half but i woudlnt swap him for anything! ( my D isnt working very well, he just pulle it off!)


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## BethieSims (Jun 28, 2010)

I find that adorably annoying!


He TRIED to eat your rottweilers?

how on earth.....


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

BethieSims said:


> I find that adorably annoying!
> 
> 
> He TRIED to eat your rottweilers?
> ...


During the day time, the dogs are confined to the kitchen so they cant get near the front door when the kids are in and out. Every day, he goes into the kitchen when the dogs are asleep, seeks them out in the utility room where their beds are.......then he literally tries to chew their feet off and get into their food bowls. He does this on a daily basis. Then the dogs wake up, and he chases them off their beds. They are left sat in the kitchen while he makes a nest out of their old duvets. The dogs REALLY want to play with him but he wont have it, even though he starts it! The only animal in this house that he is scared by is the adult female cat, she hates him and he wont go near her. He tried to jump on her and she turned on him, he hid behind the couch for an hour. We have tried to walk him with the dogs but he wont as he has to be kept on a lead. Give him a few weeks and he will be leading the cats and dogs in a revolt against us humans 8) raccoons may yet rule the world


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## BethieSims (Jun 28, 2010)

Raccoons! This time, its personal 

lol!
What a crafty, mean little thing. But bless him! I love characteristic pets, that alot of people see as destructive, annoying, "always there" kinda thing. But im willing to put up with all of it, if i still get a cuddle. Its why in my thread im asking about coatis (similar traits to a raccoon) and how destructive and vicious are they after sexual maturity. My female kitten, makes the big old poodle/collie cross im fostering, cower. He could EASILY just eat her or do alot of damage, yet he literally tiptoes around her.

I have a big ol' list of pets i want, but i doubt im ever going to be in a position to own myself. It'd be a nice world if it happened though.

Are you worried about sexual maturity and the fact they can turn sort of feral? 

x


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

BethieSims said:


> Raccoons! This time, its personal
> 
> lol!
> What a crafty, mean little thing. But bless him! I love characteristic pets, that alot of people see as destructive, annoying, "always there" kinda thing. But im willing to put up with all of it, if i still get a cuddle. Its why in my thread im asking about coatis (similar traits to a raccoon) and how destructive and vicious are they after sexual maturity. My female kitten, makes the big old poodle/collie cross im fostering, cower. He could EASILY just eat her or do alot of damage, yet he literally tiptoes around her.
> ...


 
Atuki will be neutered as soon as the vet feels its needed. He says 5-6 months old so not long as he is only 13 weeks old. He is a sweety but i wish he didnt destroy so much of my house!


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## BethieSims (Jun 28, 2010)

Its just too big of a risk in my eyes!
Upto you what you can deal with 
Youv got 4 kids! iv got one stepdaughter. 
I think our tolerance levels are way different.

I hope hes still a little, evil angel after!

x


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

BethieSims said:


> Its just too big of a risk in my eyes!
> Upto you what you can deal with
> Youv got 4 kids! iv got one stepdaughter.
> I think our tolerance levels are way different.
> ...


 

I live in a 6 bedroom house, Atuki has his own bedroom but the little guy still rules the roost. He knows he is the boss. I had him to the vets 2 days ago as he has had constant runny poo for 4 days. The vets solution was to worm him with panancur and then do a fecal sample. The worming cost £34 including consult and the complete fecal cost £54 after worming. Since I started a 5 day worming cycle, he has been dragging his back end all around the house. I cant help but think that he should have been wormed earlier. His poor bum hole looks like a blood orange


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## BethieSims (Jun 28, 2010)

Well.. that put me off my 1am snack 
LOL!

Bless him though, i hope he's okay. I never understand why we humans dont really pick up all these parasites so easily? Do you?
I mean, we usually go out more than our pets. We usually probaly eat more junk, shake hands with more people etc

x


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

BethieSims said:


> Well.. that put me off my 1am snack
> LOL!
> 
> Bless him though, i hope he's okay. I never understand why we humans dont really pick up all these parasites so easily? Do you?
> ...


 
I know for a fact that i have a cast iron constitution! but every new food we introduce into Tukis diet causes him grief. He gets the runs real bad but he recovers soon enough. His diet seems to be ok when he is on IAMS and purina 1. He loves fruit and veg but they play havoc with his guts. We try to introduce new stuff slowly but him and his inquisitive mind tries to sort it differently. And to be fair, every time he goes out he tries to eat a mole hill or a cat poo :/ bloody raccoons!


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Great post :2thumb: Its good that people get to see that the cute balls of fluff are actually very much Jekyll & Hyde :whistling2:

Kasa has:

Pulled the ceiling tiles down (good job I hate them)
Ripped off the wallpaper
Shredded various important documents & books
Regularly emptied the bins over the floor
Bitten the dogs
Attacked & tried to eat the parrots in their cages - not good as its stresses them out majorly - you have to think about your other pets all the time as Coonies are very inquisitive!!
Tried eating the Pouched Rats but came off worse with major bite through the foot & blood everywhere
Always pinching other animals foods


Kasa is now 18 months old & is what I would say a typical Raccoon that you hear about - all grown up & a complete grumpy pain.........she growls at me when I try getting a cuddle, but at the same time will give me a kiss when requested (Jekyll & Hyde!!). I can no longer take her out on a lead & harness because I would end up in hospital if I try putting the collar/harness on.........she hates it with a vengeance. If i did try getting it on my arms would look like they have been through a shredding machine & probably need hospital treatment!! I can feed her by hand but god help me if I try taking anything away from her :devil: if she gets anything in her grasp it becomes hers & you ain't getting it back - even if its a £20 note :censor::censor:

Do I love her & regret having her - NO, but then I am often told I am crazy lol. My only regret is she now lives in a pen & not out as much in the house - thankfully Dexter my Dobermann loves going in to play with her so she gets regular playtime :lol2:


Would I recommend them as a house pet - NO!! Especially if there are young kids in the house.


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## Renfield (May 20, 2008)

Hi, 

I have to agree about Jekyl & Hyde thing too

So far my large lemon tree in my living room is their climbing frame to them and so far I've had no lemons as they pull them off.

My cat was fast asleep on the arm of the sofa and was rather rudely awoken when Bonnie decided to pull, no sorry yank his tail rather violently, the cat shot six foot in the air.

My male dog ignores them but my female dog wants to mother them.

They seem to find our old receipts and then proceed to shred them and leave piles of them behind the sofas.

They love taking my house keys and hiding them and they also take letters of the coffee table, first they paw them and feel them, then they taste them and then they shred them and leave little trails of paper over the floor.

I love the way they pick things up that they know they shouldn't and scamper off with them whilst giving you that knowing look, like look what I've just stolen and it's all mine, just like Smeagle out of Lord of the Rings.

They also spend ages running up and down the stairs and in and out of the bannisters too.

Luckily there has only been one pee to clean up they normally go back to their litter tray for that.

Do I regret having Bonnie and Clyde, not one bit but I am very aware they can change into aggresive snarling bundles of fur in a split second and as such I keep my eye firmly on them at all times.


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## fangsy (Sep 17, 2007)

These sound amazing lol, but dont think my other half would agree (she already puts up with enough lol)

Any pics ???

Ta

Steve


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## sooty (Dec 31, 2009)

:lol2:wat fun for you all!!!!
lovely animals but a bit too much for me,enjoy them: victory:


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## Renfield (May 20, 2008)

Here's a couple of Bonnie and Clyde


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## fangsy (Sep 17, 2007)

Absolutely amazing !


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## shplooble (Jan 5, 2008)

Roo was brought up inside and now lives outside! in her time inside she tore down the wallpaper, smeared poo all down the wall, pulled all the inside of the matress out!, pulled all the inside of the sofa out, ate through a few chargers, ruined several laptop keyboards, tried to eat a kingsnake, has left many a scar on us especially in the run under the bed then bite your legs game, put all the toothbrushes down the toilet, unrolled several toilet papers, eaten documents, pulled the seals off the windows,pulled everything off shelves, let the baby rats out in my bedroom, opened the tortoise vivs, pulled up all carpets. Thats all I can think of at the moment but i am sure there will be more! I love her to pieces but I thank the lord I can put her outside now! :lol2: not to mention she got scared and punctured my vein the other day ruining my jacket hurting my arm and spilling blood all over poor Africas floors :whistling2: it has to be love to put up with! :flrt:


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## shplooble (Jan 5, 2008)

oh and i dont think i own a single item of clothing without holes in where she has decided to climb me :2thumb: my new top being the latest victim today while walking!


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## Loderuna (Mar 9, 2010)

Hats off to you raccoon owners :no1::2thumb:

This is a great thread for prospective owners to see, plus it makes skunks look like little angels in comparison!!!!!!!!:blush:


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## ditta (Sep 18, 2006)

Loderuna said:


> Hats off to you raccoon owners :no1::2thumb:
> 
> This is a great thread for prospective owners to see, plus it makes skunks look like little angels in comparison!!!!!!!!:blush:


 skunks and angels in the same sentence???? never thought id hear that but i bloody totally agree with you on that one<<rushes to kiss all 3 skunks for being so angelic>>


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Right where should I start :whistling2:

Ripping the return pipe off the marine tank leaving Nemo and Dory paddling in the shallows.
Taking all the CDs out of their cases and 'playing' with them raccoon style
Pooping and peeing on the leather chair
Imitating the Andrex puppy a million times
Pinching keys off the laptop again...and again...and again
Pulling all the leads out of the back of the TV and pooping on them
Mimi had a mega strop and lacerated Johns arm, blood everywhere
Opening a window and climbing up the wall of the house to the roof...Mimi again (sigh)
Stealing always stealing!
Hiding stuff always hiding stuff!
Pinching a bottle of gin out of the cupboard, taking the top off and tipping it all over the dog

We love them to bits, they haven't done too much really considering we have three :2thumb::2thumb:


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Loderuna said:


> Hats off to you raccoon owners :no1::2thumb:
> 
> This is a great thread for prospective owners to see, plus it makes skunks look like little angels in comparison!!!!!!!!:blush:


 
Hopefully finally put my Lin off wanting one....and skunkies an be angels!!!!


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## fangsy (Sep 17, 2007)

africa said:


> Right where should I start :whistling2:
> 
> Ripping the return pipe off the marine tank leaving Nemo and Dory paddling in the shallows.
> Taking all the CDs out of their cases and 'playing' with them raccoon style
> ...


OMG , thats unreal ......

Even my wife wouldnt put up with that !!!! lol

We need pics AFRICA ..... 

Thanks

Steve


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Here you go... Oreo loves playing with cashpoint machines...masked bandit!


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## fangsy (Sep 17, 2007)

africa said:


> Here you go... Oreo loves playing with cashpoint machines...masked bandit!
> 
> image


lol, thats brilliant ........


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Oreo is ace he is very friendly and has a passion for cashpoint machines and computers.Have put all three on my banner now and that's Oreo again on my avatar. I love my raccoons:2thumb::2thumb:


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

I have to admit Oska has been great so far but in fairness he is only 15 weeks (on Sunday)

Worst so far is scratching at carpets to get in/out rooms but I'm not bothered about that at all.

The last week or so his nipping/biting has practically been non-existent too so I hope that's going to continue!


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

kellystewart said:


> I have to admit Oska has been great so far but in fairness he is only 15 weeks (on Sunday)
> 
> Worst so far is scratching at carpets to get in/out rooms but I'm not bothered about that at all.
> 
> The last week or so his nipping/biting has practically been non-existent too so I hope that's going to continue!


 
We have noticed a direct link between Atukis behaviour and the amount of excercise he gets. If we walk him for 20 minutes in the morning and again in the afternoon his mischief is kept to a minimum. He gets REAL excited when people come to visit and i am ordering a "enter at your own risk" sign for the front door. He loves his walks though so its all for the greater good!

His appetite has recently shot through the roof. He adores purina cat biscuits and has started eating proper meals so is having less milk from the bottle. But we just ordered a kebab and left it on the side in the kitchen while i paid for it........came back to find the little terror eating coleslaw and donner meat. Thankfully he didnt manage to open the garlic bread or I would have been gutted. He knocked a can of beer over last night when my sister went the loo ( she didnt heed the "take the beer with you" warning!) and he managed to get a good few slurps before i grabbed him off. I just cant believe that i have a racoon that favours beer and ashtrays over over anything else :/


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

They favour anything they are not supposed to have :lol2:

Best Wishes

Neil


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

kodakira said:


> They favour anything they are not supposed to have :lol2:
> 
> Best Wishes
> 
> Neil


Oh don't they just:lol2: especially computer keys, mobile phones, TV remote controls, jewellery, hair bobbles, glasses........


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

africa said:


> Oh don't they just:lol2: especially computer keys, mobile phones, TV remote controls, jewellery, hair bobbles, glasses........



We are pretty lucky that my eldest son is a wizz at fixing the laptop keys back on. We have lost and replaced 18 keys on my laptop and 7 on barrys. Atuki loves hair bobbles and ear rings too.


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

fantapants said:


> Thought it might be interesting to see what keepers have to say about the worst domestic damage raccoons have done to their home. Since i have been walking Atuki the amount of people that says "oh i WANT one" is just crazy. We always tell them that having a juvenile raccoon is like having 4 toddlers with ADHD and a good set of teeth and super sharp claws thrown in! So i wondered, whats the worst damage been caused in your house/enclosure?
> 
> For me Atuki has been a whirlwind. He is pretty much free roaming in the house through the daytime while we are home, then he has his own bedroom. We have to keep the windows shut but even so he has.......
> 
> ...


my skunk bit my balls when i was asleep  she very nearly got thrown through a closed window in a sharply woken rage:lol2:


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

inkyjoe said:


> my skunk bit my balls when i was asleep  she very nearly got thrown through a closed window in a sharply woken rage:lol2:


I can imagine! Atuki bit me on my boob when he wa about 8 weeks old, it hurt like hell and bruised quite badly......i can only imagine the pain a man would feel on his family jewels :gasp:


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

fantapants said:


> I can imagine! Atuki bit me on my boob when he wa about 8 weeks old, it hurt like hell and bruised quite badly......i can only imagine the pain a man would feel on his family jewels :gasp:


oh, dont worry, it wasnt the jewels, just a big sensitive mouthful of scrotum!:bash::devil::bash::devil:


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## colinm (Sep 20, 2008)

Theres always a post on here that makes me feel good.I have just got a Boxer puppy and I thought I was having it rough until I read this .Good luck.:2thumb:


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

*Ouchness......*



inkyjoe said:


> oh, dont worry, it wasnt the jewels, just a big sensitive mouthful of scrotum!:bash::devil::bash::devil:


 
:gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp::gasp:!!!!!!!!!!!!






Holy moly.

Dave


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## yonark (May 23, 2007)

OMG i have loved reading this thread...a wee voice in the back of my head said having a racoon would be so cool :2thumb: then my hubby's big voice said no.:devil:


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## WhiteRabbit (Apr 6, 2010)

Ok just read the first post, don't think iv laughed so much at anything in quite some time, bit your husband in the balls... iv got to ask how did it gain access


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

WhiteRabbit said:


> Ok just read the first post, don't think iv laughed so much at anything in quite some time, bit your husband in the balls... iv got to ask how did it gain access


 
We were sat on the couch watching a film. Hubby was wearing a pair of track suit bottoms an Atuki loves the drawstring toggle things. He was lay on barrys lap chewing the toggle and got a bit excited and dropped it. So he pounced and got a mouthfull of fabric and testicle. I dont think i have ever seen a man go that pale, that quick before!


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## Freakinfreak (May 13, 2009)

fantapants said:


> We were sat on the couch watching a film. Hubby was wearing a pair of track suit bottoms an Atuki loves the drawstring toggle things. *He was lay on barrys lap chewing the toggle and got a bit excited and dropped it. So he pounced and got a mouthfull of fabric and testicle. I dont think i have ever seen a man go that pale, that quick before!*


This bit caused me to laugh out loud, very loudly... Hehehe! :lol2:


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## abandonallhope (Jun 19, 2009)

I have to admit I'd love a racoon, but has decided realistically that I wouldn't have the time, space or patience for one - this thread has just re-confirmed all that. Hopefully it will put off the 'I want one of those, how hard can it be to look after' brigade.


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## maddragon29 (Oct 16, 2008)

This is a brilliant thread, well done to all you raccoon owners


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## tanliaza (May 11, 2010)

I have really enjoyed this thread.
Raccoons are gorgeous :flrt: but I know I couldn't cope with one.


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## NinaDee (Apr 14, 2010)

Oh yes all of the above sounds familiar lol. Indy has done so much damage to my the house it's unbelievable, from stripped wallpaper, and dug up carpet, and the worst one has to be the hole in the sofa. She's made a hole on the underneath bit, and hides inside whenever someone enters the room... one of the sofa's been fixed thank goodness, and now the second one remains. 
She also has stolen loads of my expensive makeup and eaten it, and of course numerous cigarette packs, that she keeps stealing out of people's pockets.. and she loves chewing on mobile phones too, and picking batteries out of remote controls.. and anything she can lay her little paws on...


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## talanie506 (Nov 24, 2009)

this has been a great thread, ive laughed all the way through.


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Ok see when I said Oska hadn't really inflicted any damage...well he musta read it after I posted lol

Other day there he pee'd on my router...no net for 24 hours aarrggh got another one and a few days later guess what?? arrrgghhh. Got it swapped as "faulty" though lol but now my router and NAS drive are in a plastic crate with a lid on top!!!


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

NinaDee said:


> Oh yes all of the above sounds familiar lol. Indy has done so much damage to my the house it's unbelievable, from stripped wallpaper, and dug up carpet, and the worst one has to be the hole in the sofa. She's made a hole on the underneath bit, and hides inside whenever someone enters the room... one of the sofa's been fixed thank goodness, and now the second one remains.
> She also has stolen loads of my expensive makeup and eaten it, and of course numerous cigarette packs, that she keeps stealing out of people's pockets.. and she loves chewing on mobile phones too, and picking batteries out of remote controls.. and anything she can lay her little paws on...


 
The last few days Atuki has started the battery thing too. My little girls laptop is his favourite one, he removes the batteries and then we have a mad dash to get them off him before they get chewed. He even strips the duct tape of the covers !


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## Alfonzo (Mar 7, 2008)

I worked with some raccoons for a short while...On one occasion one stole my car key from my breast pocket and threw it in a bucket of water (electronic remote key at that!)...another time the same raccoon took a receipt out of my knee pocket on my combats and ran off with it - costing me about £13 as I could have used it to claim expenses. 

Props to you for putting up with one in your house, I couldn't do it. If I were to keep them myself, which I never will, despite their massive appeal, it would have to be outside enclosures all the way!


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

The thing is they do all of this and then they hold your hand or have a little snooze cuddled up against you.....and that's it....all is forgiven.:flrt:


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## kazzy (Aug 17, 2009)

*:notworthy::notworthy::notworthy::notworthy: some amazing funny stories here i dont think i could cope with a racoon*


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## NinaDee (Apr 14, 2010)

africa said:


> The thing is they do all of this and then they hold your hand or have a little snooze cuddled up against you.....and that's it....all is forgiven.:flrt:


+1 that is sooo true, Today I was playing some video games when Indy came over sat on my lap started playing with my hoodie and fell asleep like that... awwww


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

If I ever had any ideas of getting a Raccoon at some point, they have now firmly been removed from my head! :gasp:


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## cato4eva (Dec 29, 2008)

i have loved reading this thread it made me giggle so much id be tempted even after reading all this. but i dont think my pig poppy wud cope with one specially not the stealing her food parts lol


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

Zoo-Man said:


> If I ever had any ideas of getting a Raccoon at some point, they have now firmly been removed from my head! :gasp:


 
How about Raccoon sitting? I thought you might like Kasacoonie for a weeks holiday :whistling2::lol2::lol2::lol2:


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

carlycharlie said:


> How about Raccoon sitting? I thought you might like Kasacoonie for a weeks holiday :whistling2::lol2::lol2::lol2:


I can't, Im errrrrr, washing my hair...............


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

I raccoon sat Atuki for Ali today and he was such a good boy(as good as a coonie can be) No hard biting or tantrum throwing just lots of busybodying,playing, climbing and cuddles :flrt: It was very enjoyable but it still doesnt make me want one of my own:lol2:


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## pixie_bex (Jul 1, 2006)

I have loved reading this thread!!!

More stories please :no1:


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

im with you zoo man. theyre pretty cool from a distance, but Il be happy to keep them at a distance for the same reason i dont give my nephews coke and smarties when i babysit for them.
I know a girl with one, she bought it down the shop to meet me. the poor girl looked like shed been dragged through a bramble patch!:lol2:


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## inkyjoe (Mar 31, 2008)

fantapants said:


> We were sat on the couch watching a film. Hubby was wearing a pair of track suit bottoms an Atuki loves the drawstring toggle things. He was lay on barrys lap chewing the toggle and got a bit excited and dropped it. So he pounced and got a mouthfull of fabric and testicle. I dont think i have ever seen a man go that pale, that quick before!


I wasnt that lucky with the skunk....i got it on the bare flesh!
My ex had taken the bed, so i was sleeping on the sofa, during the heatwave, and i was pretty exposed in my vulnerable slumber. She had got out of the kitchen in the night, and had found, what she thought, was a tasty wrinkly treat. it bled a bit


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## selina20 (May 28, 2008)

inkyjoe said:


> I wasnt that lucky with the skunk....i got it on the bare flesh!
> My ex had taken the bed, so i was sleeping on the sofa, during the heatwave, and i was pretty exposed in my vulnerable slumber. She had got out of the kitchen in the night, and had found, what she thought, was a tasty wrinkly treat. it bled a bit


Ouch lol


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

africa said:


> The thing is they do all of this and then they hold your hand or have a little snooze cuddled up against you.....and that's it....all is forgiven.:flrt:



I know, its like they have magic cuddle powers ! no matter how naughty Atuki has been as soon as we push him away with a firm "NO!" he becomes all bashfull and sorry. Little terror worms his way back onto my neck and sit there sucking on my ears and giving me kisses. The only time he has been sent to his bedroom in disgrace is when he bit in anger and had a big temper tantrum and after 10 minutes he was the most apologetic coonie ever 



Shell195 said:


> I raccoon sat Atuki for Ali today and he was such a good boy(as good as a coonie can be) No hard biting or tantrum throwing just lots of busybodying,playing, climbing and cuddles :flrt: It was very enjoyable but it still doesnt make me want one of my own:lol2:


He can be SO sweet natured and thankfully the tantrums arent that often. It helps if you make sure that anything he can get hold of isnt of an importance to you. As soon as you gasp and lunge for the item he has taken , he goes crazy. Most of his temper tantrums have been when we have been trying to get cigarette stumps off him, He absolutely loves them and as they litter the streets i am hard pressed to keep him away. I love my little guy so much, he is worth all the trouble


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## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

inkyjoe said:


> I wasnt that lucky with the skunk....i got it on the bare flesh!
> My ex had taken the bed, so i was sleeping on the sofa, during the heatwave, and i was pretty exposed in my vulnerable slumber. She had got out of the kitchen in the night, and had found, what she thought, was a tasty wrinkly treat. it bled a bit


And you didn't make a hat out of her??? :gasp:


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## robspax (Oct 28, 2010)

lol, love the sound of that but i dont think i could put up with it? 
got any pics of the little scoundrel?
my auntie had a rescued koala once and he was very similar in the destructive stakes! NOT ADVISED getting a koala people!


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## Mysterious_121 (Feb 18, 2010)

This has made me laugh to a point of tears. how funny and how much we love our devils. i dont think i could have one but its fantastic how some of you guys do. i will happilly love from a distance


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Wyot has stripped my wall paper behind the couch, killed a pair of flip flops, eaten my slippers, likes to hump skunks 

and loves to steal whatever he can get his hands on :lol2:

been lucky really that the dogs an skunks amuse him enough to want to do much damage :lol2:


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Oh forgot to add i have loads of bruises on my legs cos of his buster collar lol he was castrated yest :lol2:


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Emmaj said:


> Oh forgot to add i have loads of bruises on my legs cos of his buster collar lol he was castrated yest :lol2:


 

Poor denutted fella........RIP balls.

Dave


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

sam gamgee said:


> Poor denutted fella........RIP balls.
> 
> Dave


 
He made me feel so guilty  

the night he had it done he laid on his back next to me an grabbed my hand an put it on his empty plum sacks as if to say look what they did to me mum  :lol2:


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Emmaj said:


> Wyot has stripped my wall paper behind the couch, killed a pair of flip flops, eaten my slippers, likes to hump skunks
> 
> and loves to steal whatever he can get his hands on :lol2:
> 
> been lucky really that the dogs an skunks amuse him enough to want to do much damage :lol2:


Luckily Atuki hasnt touched any footwear. He obviously doesnt know that my shoe collection is my prized posession! 

He has recently taken to prowling the kitchen worktops. He pulls out the bottom drawer and climbs on it, then the middle drawer and climbs that and then the top drawer and he is on the work surfaces. We have lost half a dozen glasses and mugs from him trying to get the dregs out. But we have got into the routine of clearing dirty dishes straight away to minimise casualties. 

I left my jewlery box open the other day and most of its been taken and hidden round the house. Thankfuly it was the costume jewellery box and not the GOOD jewelery box!

On a plus side, he has stopped suckling on people and now preffers to sckle on one of the fluffy balls thats on a string on his new cat activity centre. 

Oh!!! and he is almost house trained. He poos outside the cat litter iggloo and also in the corner of his bedroom so clean ups are much quicker !


I cant wait to get my new camera delivered so i can take more photos of him :flrt:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

And I thought *my* life was dominated by the animals!:gasp: I have to agree with Col and the others- fascinating, hugely funny animals- but not the pet for me!:lol2:


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## vicjim (May 18, 2009)

:gasp: Pmsl! Loved reading all of this thread. Well done!
As been said before though, not for me, my hubby would move out!!


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

vicjim said:


> :gasp: Pmsl! Loved reading all of this thread. Well done!
> _As been said before though, not for me, my hubby would move out!!_


That was the reasoning behind me getting a raccoon. Sadly the husband loves him and is staying put :lol2:


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## Tds79 (Nov 6, 2010)

fantapants said:


> That was the reasoning behind me getting a raccoon. Sadly the husband loves him and is staying put :lol2:


 Hmmm might have to try this the hubby has also said it he would go if I got one might be time to test :lol2:


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Tds79 said:


> Hmmm might have to try this the hubby has also said it he would go if I got one might be time to test :lol2:


Pointless, he would fall in love and then you would have two babies to put up with:whistling2:


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

africa said:


> Pointless, he would fall in love and then you would have two babies to put up with:whistling2:


 
lol sallie 


fanta pants 

i have learned to put my shoes away an not leave them laying about as wyot likes to rip them to shreds an the skunks pull the insoles out :lol2:

have to say wy has chilled even more since having his plums off he was cuddled up with the dogs last night with no wrestling just cuddles lol an has been coming to me for more cuddles too :2thumb:


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Hey Emma!

Nice to see you back online.

Oska was "done" the other day there too (last Wed) and i've already noticed a difference...no more humping haha!! He still has his hyper moments and his lovely sweet cuddly moments.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

kellystewart said:


> Hey Emma!
> 
> Nice to see you back online.
> 
> Oska was "done" the other day there too (last Wed) and i've already noticed a difference...no more humping haha!! He still has his hyper moments and his lovely sweet cuddly moments.


 
i know arrrrrrrrrrr weeks without the laptop lol not good ha ha 

i have another pic to send you too hee hee 

yeah its amazing how it changes them having them done wyots fabtastic now even more than before lol 

does Oska have a buster collar ? :lol2:


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Awe bless...good to hear!

Nah I asked for intra-dermal stitches as I knew he would pick them out if they were external....a buster collar wouldnt have lasted an hour on him! 

His lil incision has nearly all healed now and absolutely no issues with it at all...what a difference!


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

kellystewart said:


> Awe bless...good to hear!
> 
> Nah I asked for intra-dermal stitches as I knew he would pick them out if they were external....a buster collar wouldnt have lasted an hour on him!
> 
> His lil incision has nearly all healed now and absolutely no issues with it at all...what a difference!


 
yeah wy was external but he seems to have healed already they are bloomin fast healers thats for sure 

i sent you the pic  that was taken last night :lol2:


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## Tds79 (Nov 6, 2010)

africa said:


> Pointless, he would fall in love and then you would have two babies to put up with:whistling2:


:lol2: good point he always falls in love with the ones he has said not to get.


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

kellystewart said:


> Hey Emma!
> 
> Nice to see you back online.
> 
> Oska was "done" the other day there too (last Wed) and i've already noticed a difference...no more humping haha!! He still has his hyper moments and his lovely sweet cuddly moments.


How heavy is Oska? our vet said that he wont sterilise Atuki until he has grown to his adult size (or near as damn it). And i have been telling the kids that Atuki is NOT humping the cats......are you telling me he is!?


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

He is now nearly 4kg (3.9ish). 

How is your vet justifying that? Since when does adult weight matter? Pups are done from after 4 months old as long as their testicles have descended properly.

I'd speak to another vet about doing it. I spoke to several and all were willing to do it...my own vet quoted me £130 (ouch) so I went elsewhere to a vet with exotic experience and was charged £65 including intra-dermal stitching and skin glue. Excellent I thought!

And yes he is humping your cats lol 

x


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

New ones of Oska


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## alfie99 (Oct 12, 2007)

Here is few pics of Norman, to be honest he is really good and so far fingers crossed no damage, his worst trait is he loves feet, he gets on really well with Claude the Bedlington but Jag the whippet is a little to old for the little up start.
Last wednesday he went on his first Animal Encounter at a loacal school along with the rest of the gang a put smiles on 400 kids faces.


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Hi guys, Norms looking a lot bigger....I would guess you need to constantly wear footware at home, lol?

Hopefully get over to say hello soon.......

Dave


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

alfie99 said:


> Here is few pics of Norman, to be honest he is really good and so far fingers crossed no damage, his worst trait is he loves feet, he gets on really well with Claude the Bedlington but Jag the whippet is a little to old for the little up start.
> Last wednesday he went on his first Animal Encounter at a loacal school along with the rest of the gang a put smiles on 400 kids faces.
> View attachment 26773
> 
> ...


Has Norman been done yet? we share the same vet i think. ( our southport vets said he has another on his books)......our vet said NO to neutering before 20-26 weeks so they had reached maturity.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

couple of pictures of my lil angel:whistling2: wyot :flrt:

pictures from the bottom are when he 1st arrived to most reccent ones at the top 

sorry about quality im on a borrowed phone as mine is broke :blush:


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## alfie99 (Oct 12, 2007)

> Hi guys, Norms looking a lot bigger....I would guess you need to constantly wear footware at home, lol?
> 
> Hopefully get over to say hello soon.......
> 
> Dave


Yes Dave he has grown a lot just under 5kg and like a dynomo he never stops:mf_dribble:



> Has Norman been done yet?


No, not yet.


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

kellystewart said:


> He is now nearly 4kg (3.9ish).
> 
> How is your vet justifying that? Since when does adult weight matter? Pups are done from after 4 months old as long as their testicles have descended properly.
> 
> ...


The vet we use suggests that any animal is only done when they have pretty much reached their adult size. Same with dogs....cats, all animals. Even the Cats protection league told us they wouldnt sterilise the cats til between 5 and 6 months depending on size.


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

I've never heard that before in all honesty and I've done months of work experience in vet surgeries :s


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Ours were spayed and neutered at 7 months, they were not adult size at that age. Our vet said the the ops were easier than cat/dog as the tendons were slacker.


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Well as much as people say the '***** are "easier" if they are neutered i think i will be waiting till atuki is 6 months (minimum) til he is neutered. I know i would play merry hell if the doctors wanted to remove my sons testicles if he was under 18, unless they offered him hormone therapy. Testicles are needed to produce hormones to help them develop into adults. Im not having a go at anybody that has chosen to have theirs done earlier........but it will be interesting to see how all the raccoons grow an develop as they age, regardles of the age they were neutered


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Previously I did a lot of research on early neutering on cats and dogs and what I read basically says there is no difference apart from early neuters can grow larger but they are always more affectionate than when they are castrated after reaching maturity.

"The results of this study so far indicate that the differences between cats neutered at 7 weeks and 7 months are insignificant. The differences observed between animals in Groups 1 and 2 and the animals in Group 3 (after reaching maturity), while in some cases statistically significant, are not differences which appear to affect the health of the animal in a negative way"

BUT more importantly for me

"In terms of behavior, after 7 months, the cats in Group 3 were noticeably less affectionate and more aggressive prior to altering than the cats in Groups 1 and 2. Contrary to popular opinion, neutered animals were as active as their unaltered age mates."

from...

Cat Fanciers' Association: Early Spay/Neuter in the Cat

I don't want to take any risks with lil Oska with regards to behaviour and for me early as possible neuter was something I had always planned and was also advised this from rehabbers and long time raccoon pet owners in the Statea.


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

kellystewart said:


> Previously I did a lot of research on early neutering on cats and dogs and what I read basically says there is no difference apart from early neuters can grow larger but they are always more affectionate than when they are castrated after reaching maturity.
> 
> "The results of this study so far indicate that the differences between cats neutered at 7 weeks and 7 months are insignificant. The differences observed between animals in Groups 1 and 2 and the animals in Group 3 (after reaching maturity), while in some cases statistically significant, are not differences which appear to affect the health of the animal in a negative way"
> 
> ...


 
Thats really interesting. Something to look at i guess. Its difficult as Barry ad i have very different views on whats "right". I agree that their may be benefits for the humans in getting a raccoon spayed young, but is there any benefits for the racoon? Its kind of a catch 22...........i want my lil guy to mature and grow as he rightly should but i would like to keep him relativly tame. I am undecided if its "right" to neuter so young when the benefits are for the human, as opposed to the raccoon. I hope that makes sense, i cant seem to find the right words today, i think i may be getting a cold.

EDIT ( THIS IS BARRY) , it seems almost like people are trying to change the nature of a raccoon by early neutering so they can fit in with domestic life. Isnt that kind of denying the raccoon its nature? I didnt buy a raccoon so i can turn it into a cat or a docile puppy. I dont think i agree with that. I got my dog neutered as i didnt want pups. I got the male neutered as i didnt want him to father pups. I didnt get my dogs neutered to tweak their personality or make them more maleable. I want Atuki to know he is a raccoon and act accordingly. I dont believe in descenting skunks just to make them better house pets and i dont know if i agree with earlier neutering just to improve personality.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

fantapants said:


> Thats really interesting. Something to look at i guess. Its difficult as Barry ad i have very different views on whats "right". I agree that their may be benefits for the humans in getting a raccoon spayed young, but is there any benefits for the racoon? Its kind of a catch 22...........i want my lil guy to mature and grow as he rightly should but i would like to keep him relativly tame. I am undecided if its "right" to neuter so young when the benefits are for the human, as opposed to the raccoon. I hope that makes sense, i cant seem to find the right words today, i think i may be getting a cold.
> 
> EDIT ( THIS IS BARRY) , it seems almost like people are trying to change the nature of a raccoon by early neutering so they can fit in with domestic life. Isnt that kind of denying the raccoon its nature? I didnt buy a raccoon so i can turn it into a cat or a docile puppy. I dont think i agree with that. I got my dog neutered as i didnt want pups. I got the male neutered as i didnt want him to father pups. I didnt get my dogs neutered to tweak their personality or make them more maleable. I want Atuki to know he is a raccoon and act accordingly. I dont believe in descenting skunks just to make them better house pets and i dont know if i agree with earlier neutering just to improve personality.


 
but if you didnt want to change the nature of a raccoon then why did you get a baby to hand rear......why not get a parent reared baby.........also why have him living in a house why not have him living in an outdoor enclosure with other raccoons 

as ali has already said its a catch 22 no matter how you approach the subject there is always something else to argue back with 

(wasnt meaning anything in what i said just putting the point across in a different point of view): victory:


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Couldn't have said it better myself Emma...think you hit the nail on the head here.

Point is you have taken on a baby raccoon from 4 weeks old and hand reared it...his eyes weren't even open so he has not even seen another raccoon so in all essence he does not know he is a raccoon. By default his nature is altered.

Now, yes I agree you are altering them to "fit" in better BUT this is the selfish choice we as pet owners make yanno? This is the same for any pet if you ask me...caged parrots, reptiles in a viv etc etc. IMO if you take on a pet no matter what and are keeping it as a house pet then you have to do as much as possible to make their life comfortable and for want of a better word enjoyable. 

A male raccoon going through maturity with no idea what he is and no females anywhere near is not enjoyable...not for him and certainly not for anyone having to live with him. I'm not sure you are really aware how badly a raccoon can bite when they hit maturity. I've heard from several keepers that for around 4 months of the year their males and females are ridiculously hard work to the point they have to be in an enclosure. Maybe ask to speak to Sallie's John as he has been bitten really badly a couple of times.

And a LOT of people get their dog's neutered to alter their behaviour, yes maybe you didn't but it is fact that some people do. It is a fact that neutering takes away a desire and with that desire removed you can have a calmer, more easily manageable and therefor HAPPIER pet well that is IMO. Oh and don't forget ANY male animal can get testicular cancer or other conditions....these conditions are known to be lessened if not eradicated by castration.

If you were going to keep Atuki totally as an enlcosure animal with other raccoons (or breed) then I'd totally agree that it would be "right" to leave him entire but I think as a house pet and with the risks as well as you may have children/other pets that could be harmed seriously then I do think they should be neutered but in anything how you choose to raise your animals is totally up to you.


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

kellystewart said:


> Couldn't have said it better myself Emma...think you hit the nail on the head here.
> 
> Point is you have taken on a baby raccoon from 4 weeks old and hand reared it...his eyes weren't even open so he has not even seen another raccoon so in all essence he does not know he is a raccoon. By default his nature is altered.
> 
> ...


Yes Mimi bit John really badly, she hasnt done it since but my goodness it was nasty! She wasn't spayed at the time so was under 7 months old.
Raccoons definitely need sorting out unless they are to breed.


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## Annihilation (Nov 2, 2009)

Just recently chewed my mouse to bits on the PC...

And nearly took my eye out, oh and broke my ipod cable.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Annihilation said:


> Just recently chewed my mouse to bits on the PC...
> 
> And nearly took my eye out, oh and broke my ipod cable.


 
yus wyot chewed my broken phones charger earlier :gasp::lol2:

he is currently wrestling a huskies tail :lol2:


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

I agree that when it comes to neutering there is a whole host of things to take into account and its personal choice as to when to do it . Well the decission has been made after speaking to the vet today , Atuki is off to the vets tomorow for a castration. He is almost 6kg and i reckon that its about the right time. It will also give the cats a bit of peace and quiet from his humping them.

Newest damage report:- I bought Atuki and the cats a big cat tree, it reaches the cieling. Atuki has now forgotten to chew the wall paper and rip it to shreds.....he has not started to eat the coving instead. He has taken a strong liking to insoles from our shoes and also to piddling in the dogs food bowls. He has a serious passion for beer cans/bottles and has broken into the recycling more than once. He also loves ice cubes, especialy if they are in my vodka and coke :lol2:


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

fantapants said:


> I agree that when it comes to neutering there is a whole host of things to take into account and its personal choice as to when to do it . Well the decission has been made after speaking to the vet today , Atuki is off to the vets tomorow for a castration. He is almost 6kg and i reckon that its about the right time. It will also give the cats a bit of peace and quiet from his humping them.
> 
> Newest damage report:- I bought Atuki and the cats a big cat tree, it reaches the cieling. Atuki has now forgotten to chew the wall paper and rip it to shreds.....he has not started to eat the coving instead. He has taken a strong liking to insoles from our shoes and also to piddling in the dogs food bowls. He has a serious passion for beer cans/bottles and has broken into the recycling more than once. He also loves ice cubes, especialy if they are in my vodka and coke :lol2:


 
Awww give him a cuddle from me and let me know hes safe and sound after his op:flrt:

We love Atuki:flrt:


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

everything crossed for him hun sure he will be fine though and have lots of cuddles for mum when he gets back home :flrt:


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Lil Atuki will be just fine....sore for the first day then haring around as usual!


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

kellystewart said:


> Lil Atuki will be just fine....sore for the first day then haring around as usual!


 
aye thats what wy was like bless him first time i have had cuddles without him want to just play all the time :flrt:

thats the down side to parent reared but it has its upsides too hee hee hee


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## DebbieLuke (Sep 1, 2009)

Looking through at how naughty everyones is. I was wondering would anyone take the time to send me a PM on what to deeply expect from one & what they need. Me and my partner are THINKING of getting one but we have 6cats 2dogs 5rabbits 4snakes 2lizards & a chicken would a raccoon be a bad idea? :lol2: Or if anyone would could send us some care sheets price guide ect...


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

DebbieLuke said:


> Looking through at how naughty everyones is. I was wondering would anyone take the time to send me a PM on what to deeply expect from one & what they need. Me and my partner are THINKING of getting one but we have 6cats 2dogs 5rabbits 4snakes 2lizards & a chicken would a raccoon be a bad idea? :lol2: Or if anyone would could send us some care sheets price guide ect...


Come and visit our three if you like that will give you a good idea:whistling2:


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

DebbieLuke said:


> Looking through at how naughty everyones is. I was wondering would anyone take the time to send me a PM on what to deeply expect from one & what they need. Me and my partner are THINKING of getting one but we have 6cats 2dogs 5rabbits 4snakes 2lizards & a chicken would a raccoon be a bad idea? :lol2: Or if anyone would could send us some care sheets price guide ect...


honestly, the things listed on this thread are the sort of things that you can expect!

Anyways, Atuki got back from the vets at 6.30 last night. He was very leepr for an hour or two and then started chasing the cats again. This morning he has climbed the washing machine, traversed the worktops and emptied the cereal from the boxes. The kids didnt think he could climb today so didnt bother to put them away.


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

fantapants said:


> honestly, the things listed on this thread are the sort of things that you can expect!
> 
> Anyways, Atuki got back from the vets at 6.30 last night. He was very leepr for an hour or two and then started chasing the cats again. This morning he has climbed the washing machine, traversed the worktops and emptied the cereal from the boxes. The kids didnt think he could climb today so didnt bother to put them away.


 
Im glad to hear hes back to normal:flrt:


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Shell195 said:


> Im glad to hear hes back to normal:flrt:


Me too, ours were absolutely fine after their ops, they were getting into trouble within the hour of getting them home:whistling2:


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

africa said:


> Me too, ours were absolutely fine after their ops, they were getting into trouble within the hour of getting them home:whistling2:


 
hee hee i was lucky then as i had a quiet eve with wyot hee hee


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Emmaj said:


> hee hee i was lucky then as i had a quiet eve with wyot hee hee


 
Atuki was back to normal within hours! it took a few days for him to stop humping the cats but he has now stopped. I have to say i am amazed by the change in his behaviour. Every time my best fiends comes round he used to torment her by climbing all over her and tryoing to eat her boots. Today he walked right past her and curled up on the floor


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

yeah its amazing the difference in them when they have been castrated wyots the same he is alot more laid back now


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Same as Oska...he still has his moments but defin a calmer coony boy!


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Atuki has outdone himself this week. He climbed on the indow ledge and pushed Barry swish 23" touchscreen PC of the desk and right onto the floor upside down. The casing has cracked in 2 places and the touchscreen no longer works. I DID ask him to secure it the very same morning that the accident happend.

Oooops!:lol2:


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## satre08 (Aug 10, 2009)

fantapants said:


> Atuki has outdone himself this week. He climbed on the indow ledge and pushed Barry swish 23" touchscreen PC of the desk and right onto the floor upside down. The casing has cracked in 2 places and the touchscreen no longer works. I DID ask him to secure it the very same morning that the accident happend.
> 
> Oooops!:lol2:


oh god bet that cost him a fortune! whos in the bad books though atiku or barry? lol silly mans own fault i'd say! 
my has finally agreed when i finish uni and we're in our own house rather than renting we can get a racoon i can't wait! reading this thread has helped a lot though, i think im quite prepared for the damage they can do but i'm not sure i can be completely prepared until we get ours! think i'm still in for quite a surprise!


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

satre08 said:


> oh god bet that cost him a fortune! whos in the bad books though atiku or barry? lol silly mans own fault i'd say!
> my has finally agreed when i finish uni and we're in our own house rather than renting we can get a racoon i can't wait! reading this thread has helped a lot though, i think im quite prepared for the damage they can do but i'm not sure i can be completely prepared until we get ours! think i'm still in for quite a surprise!


They are fantastic animals to keep, no doubt about that. As long as you are prepared for a bite happy, claw heavy, relatively untrainable demolision expert then you will be fine. You should start saving for plasters and savlon for all the nippy little bites and claw damage and you will also need a few thick fleecy jumpers......when a raccoon is sat on your shoulder and slips or tries to get more comfortable its YOUR skin that takes the brunt of the damage! we are all covered in cuts and scratches from Atukis claws. But i wouldnt swap him for anything :flrt:

EDIT- the computer cost £900 last july. I bought it for Barry for his birthday. Atuki knocked it over a few weeks ago and i told barry to put a bracket over the rear legs to supprt the screen. It still worked so Barry was lucky that time. Then i reminded him to secure it the other day and he didnt.......within an hour his touchscreen was busted. Its Barrys fault and he knows it. Cant blame an animal for damage that an owner knows is going to happen. I just hope Atuki doesnt get his teth into my new memory foam mattress!


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

fantapants said:


> They are fantastic animals to keep, no doubt about that. As long as you are prepared for a bite happy, claw heavy, relatively untrainable demolision expert then you will be fine. You should start saving for plasters and savlon for all the nippy little bites and claw damage and you will also need a few thick fleecy jumpers......when a raccoon is sat on your shoulder and slips or tries to get more comfortable its YOUR skin that takes the brunt of the damage! we are all covered in cuts and scratches from Atukis claws. But i wouldnt swap him for anything :flrt:
> 
> EDIT- the computer cost £900 last july. I bought it for Barry for his birthday. Atuki knocked it over a few weeks ago and i told barry to put a bracket over the rear legs to supprt the screen. It still worked so Barry was lucky that time. Then i reminded him to secure it the other day and he didnt.......within an hour his touchscreen was busted. Its Barrys fault and he knows it. Cant blame an animal for damage that an owner knows is going to happen. I just hope Atuki doesnt get his teth into my new memory foam mattress!


 
Oh dear :gasp::lol2:

well i shot across my living room the other night (not run that fast in ages lol)...........i had given wyot an ice cube to play with next min he is sat on top of the switched on stereo (that he had switched on) rolling it round in his hands:gasp::lol2:

so i shot across an moved him off before i ended up with fried coony :lol2:

other recent damages.........i bought a pack of 6 pens an only have 2 left surviving..........he has killed his favey teddy bear.......my curtains are no longer black out curtains they have raccoon claw pricks up them :lol2:.........the wall behind the couch is now completely stripped lol


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## Melissa88 (Oct 28, 2009)

After reading this thread, I have a newfound respect for Raccoon owners and their patience levels in having these adorable little rascals as pets.  Goodness; and I thought my four ferrets were trouble-makers. :gasp:


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## Renfield (May 20, 2008)

My little bundles of fur have now taken up diy and have started to lift the tiles off the hallway floor and to make matters slightly worse they have started digging up the concrete flooring underneath.

So that's another job on the list to sort out lol


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Emmaj said:


> yeah its amazing the difference in them when they have been castrated wyots the same he is alot more laid back now


 
I am sure I would be quieter, lol, if some doc had whipped my bits:gasp::gasp::gasp:

Evenin` all!

Dave.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Renfield said:


> My little bundles of fur have now taken up diy and have started to lift the tiles off the hallway floor and to make matters slightly worse they have started digging up the concrete flooring underneath.
> 
> So that's another job on the list to sort out lol


 
LOL wyot has removed the beading from round the bottom step in the living room......he also found a loose piece of floor board as a new toy too :lol2:

there is also a hole by the stone in the fire place he sits with his hands down for ages lol (he hasnt made the hole it was already there) :lol2:


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Renfield said:


> My little bundles of fur have now taken up diy and have started to lift the tiles off the hallway floor and to make matters slightly worse they have started digging up the concrete flooring underneath.
> 
> So that's another job on the list to sort out lol


Atuki has lifted up a tile off the floor in the bathroom too. He has also removed the bath panela nd we spent a good 40 minutes looking for him and trying to figure out how he had escaped.......then we noticed the panel had moved at one and and his fat bum was curled up the waste pipe. He can also remove pretty much any bottle lid and spilled 3ltrs of orange cordial all over the kitchen. Then danced a little jig in the middle of it all. Was like the dogs shaking.......ornage ALL over the place. :lol2:


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Carpets ripped up , everyhing climbed! We put ours outside. Lol. A jackal and hide experience. Nose and ears attacked loads...owwww


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

*Why?*

...would anyone want to keep an animal that is such a home wrecker?

So, having read all of this, I`m right off coonies with a vengeance........have a small problem in that Lin, my OH, is dead set on getting one, and soon!
She wants to keep it outside, long term, which will kill off a portion of our garden (it`s a good size, I suppose) also which I am less than keen on plus we have a room available spare upstairs that can be used too, should the need arise..........so there`s alot stacked in her favour!

Convince me for or against and be realistic! No `awww` this and `he is cute` etc. Know what the animals` nature is like etc!!!

C`mon, then........:lol2:

Dave.


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Yanno Dave I really dunno....for all their tantrums and destruction there IS something special about them. Granted they are not for everyone and I really suggest meeting as many as possible and when they are in different moods too.

Oska is such a sweetie with me 80% of the time the other 15% is rough play and 5% moody lil swine but you learn their moods quickly. My housemate always plays rough with him though and I cant seem to get it through to him that he needs to stop it a he is the one that will get bitten and bitten badly.

I totally understand why people want raccoons but cannot stress enough how much hard work they are. Your whole life revolves around them and you have to change how you do things...like you can't leave anything lying around and you have to raccoon proof everything too

Not an easy decision at all

x


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

If your wAnting something it sit on your lap get a cat. If your wanting something where u are in control get a dog.'if you think your incharge your not. Its not all loves and cuddles because in 2 minutes time it's rip his face off time once more. I'd look at other things as well.


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Thanks you two!
Don`t worry, I know how they can be and maybe it is something to do with how they are handled early on or just the individual.
We aren`t really expecting a lap animal (none of ours really are but love `em for what they are) but, funnily enough, Lin likes the interaction, good or bad, of coonies.
Mind you, she would also love a dog, lol.

And, yes, it is a difficult decision,_ her_ mind is already made up after experiencing a few (4, all with different personalities....) and, as we are not, er, "hobbyists", ie they become long term pets, part of the family as it were, I keep reminding her of the long term commitment involved in that our lives will be changed. She`s a tough old fart.....(10 years my junior, lol!!) and likes to get her own way.

Aye, Kelly, tis `ard........


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Oh, animalstorey.......sounds like you have had a bad experience?????

Dave.


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

One thing I discovered was Raccoons & parrots don't mix well..........my last remaining pet African Grey is now plucking after Kasacoonie thought it great fun to catch said Grey through the parrot cage bars & almost lick her to death. She had no intention of harming the parrot & was only playing..........but sadly sharp claws & the fright of being caught set off the feather plucking!! :gasp:

Oddly enough she is fine with most of the other animals but has been bitten several times when putting her hands in cages :whistling2: One such bite went straight through her finger & took over an hour to stop the bleeding :bash: Try keeping a raccoon still to stem the flow of blood, or even put soem kind of bandage on for that matter :devil::devil::devil:

Hey Dave, maybe you can rent Kasa off me for a month & then make a decision on getting a raccoon of your own !!


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## JPReptiles (Dec 2, 2007)

Listening to all the different comments and situations I have one question?..... What is the difference between a raccoon and a cat?

I know what the physical difference is but what about behavior?

We have indoor cats and outdoor cats,the outdoor cats are not a problem.

The indoor cats on the other hand have ripped,scratched,bitten and broke things. They also whine to come in and out of rooms if the door is closed and also bite,chase and annoy the dogs.

I have seen the damage that raccoons can cause and I am aware that they used to be on DWA,but..... they came off for a reason.

Just a question? I have never kept a raccoon and I am just wondering if there is much difference?

Regards,
John


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## bothrops (Jan 7, 2007)

Can't believe this hasn't been posted in this thread yet!


(swearing at beginning)

YouTube - Raccoon Willie: I Hate You!


:lol2:


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

JPReptiles said:


> Listening to all the different comments and situations I have one question?..... What is the difference between a raccoon and a cat?
> 
> I know what the physical difference is but what about behavior?
> 
> ...


 
you cannot compare a raccoon to a cat at all..............

they are so different

a raccoon is like a furry child they need so much more than a cat i know that i have a racoon an cats


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

they are hard work in a really rewarding way 



Emmaj said:


> you cannot compare a raccoon to a cat at all..............
> 
> they are so different
> 
> a raccoon is like a furry child they need so much more than a cat i know that i have a racoon an cats


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

They have such sharp claws and will go from your feet to sitting on your shoulders in seconds! Don't get me wrong they are very playful, just noses and ears aren't really play things. We got him from 6 weeks. We had a young couple wanting to keep racoons come and visit ... They changed there minds on a racoon. They are beautiful, and we didn't rush into getting him but all the, they make great pets isn't quite as straight forward as some say. Be carefully if you have kids. Don't take anything away especially food! I'm not saying don't get one, just really know what they are like. Visit more ***** first. Be sure you want an animal that's going to be hard work. They are nothing like a cat or a dog and never will be. Nuetering may quiet a male down but don't expect it to.


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## Graz (Dec 7, 2006)

I got bitten on my jaw quite nicely, must admit it didnt hurt half as much as i thought it would of! Left a nice bloody patch though!


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## Renfield (May 20, 2008)

I've only been bitten a couple of times and on all occaisions it was when feeding treats by hand, the last time my raccy seemed more shocked then me probably because i was not as tasty as the treat lol

I have to agree you cannot compare them to cats, yes cats scratch and bite but raccoons have teeth more like a dog and they can turn in seconds and they are bleeding fast off the mark.

Their hands and their claws explore everything they come into contact with and then if it takes their fancy they take a bite just to see if it's edible, if not they chuck it out of their way and then quickly move onto the next object of their desire, so move your ming vases as ornaments wont last long nor do houseplants as they regularly get dug up and uprooted.They sit there in the broken ornaments and dirt playing with the debris like kids in a sand pit and they look like they're savouring every minute, whilst giving you that knowing look of do not disturb their fun.

Bottom line is they have a personality of Jekyl & Hyde but I'm still over the moon with them and their antics never fail to amuse.


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

sam gamgee said:


> ...would anyone want to keep an animal that is such a home wrecker?
> 
> .


I knew what i was getting into from the start. i have 4 kids, one of which has aspergers syndrome.....the other three are just badly behaved! I have 2 rottys and 2 cats and i have never took the easy path. When i got Atuki i knew i signed up to a good many years of putting him first. We cant go on holiday as a family as he hates, hates, HATES other people being in our house when we arent at home. And he has destroyed alot of stuff in this house but so have my kids.



kellystewart said:


> Oska is such a sweetie with me 80% of the time the other 15% is rough play and 5% moody lil swine but you learn their moods quickly. My housemate always plays rough with him though and I cant seem to get it through to him that he needs to stop it a he is the one that will get bitten and bitten badly.


Barry rough houses with Atuki ALL the time. But he knows that when he gets bit its his fault. Its a double edged sword though because i think Atuki is more comfortable with Barry than me. When Barry walks the dogs of a night Atuki gets all excited and begs to go with him........Last week he broke out of his harness and couldnt go for walks for 3 nights while wiating for a new one to be delivered and the poor boy sat at the front door chunnering and trying to get out. Didnt stop til Barry got back ! Barry can do things with Atuki that i would struggle to........Barry cuts his claws, fits his harness, checks any injuries. And if Atuki bites Barry in anger then Barry bites him right back. They have a very good relationship and i kind of envy it. I just get the licky kisses and him occassionaly wanting to play with his teddys. Barry is more like the hardcore "fun" parent to him.



Emmaj said:


> you cannot compare a raccoon to a cat at all..............
> 
> they are so different
> 
> a raccoon is like a furry child they need so much more than a cat i know that i have a racoon an cats


Our cats now run for the hills when they see Atuki. He is way to big to play with them now so they stay away from him. True that they are more like a child . I find it easier to deal with my aspergic son than i do with Atuki. Infact i have often said that a raccoon is like owning a toddler with ADHD, dogs teeth and a set of razorblades for fingers! I have some cracking full blown scars on my arms and shoulders from Atuki jumping at me and trying to get a grip when i have only had a Tshirt on.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

ham & ***** don't mix...


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Fantapants just summed it up.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

animal politics...


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## mimozine (Feb 4, 2011)

Hi! My son practically lives on this forum and instead of noseying thought id join! Buffy my raccoon is really a good girl,well apart from when she sees my eldest son with his long hair flapping and lots and lots of sparkly shiny things,on his face nose ears ect, one look and its like watching a tom and jerry cartoon,no serious damage though as he usually just sqeals and shuts hiself in his room leaving Buffy very proud of herself indeed!


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## Samanthaa (Sep 21, 2009)

WOW.
I have a new found respect for all you 'coonie keepers.

I've wanted one for ages, but I think now is time for a reconsider
I think my ferrets are boisterous enough for me!!


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## JPReptiles (Dec 2, 2007)

Emmaj said:


> you cannot compare a raccoon to a cat at all..............
> 
> they are so different
> 
> a raccoon is like a furry child they need so much more than a cat i know that i have a racoon an cats


I made the comment on the basis of what I have read,and from that they sound very similar to me.

Obviously I do not own a raccoon so I do not know if they are alike in behaviour or not.

Regards,
John


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Well, went to see Norman (raccoon) at Swifts in Birkdale and what a lovely experience it was. Found him very similar in nature to Oreo (Sallie Rainbows` ****) and, yes, you can see they will play rough but they have had no real damage done in thier house it appears, he did appear very well behaved and we were around him for 4 plus hours, lol!!

I always question mark everything and like to ensure there is contingency with everything, having said that we would never move an animal on......

Keep the comments coming on this thread.........amusing, if nothing else!

Dave.


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Well last night Atuki lost his rag on Barry. My sister was here and Atuki always gets very very excited when people come into the house and when it got to the point where Tooks was not taking no for an answer Barry took him upstairs. When Took figured out he was going into his room he went crazy, like a massive toddler tantrum and then the door got stuck as Barry was trying to open it. Gave Atuki the time to rip Barrys fingers to bits. And this is just a normal "i dont want to do that" response from Atuki when he is over-excited.

on this picture it doesnt look too bad, at the very edge of Barrys nail is a black mark, thats were Atuki pierced his nail before xmas when he had another temper tantrum. Luckily thats almost grown out now and his nail ( thankfully) didnt split all the way to the germinal matrix.










This pic looks a lil bit nastier, its where Atuki has shook and basically ragged barrys finger. It bled a helluva lot! BUT this is still only a small love bite, they are capable of WAY more.


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

It's almos like having your own grizly at home. Lol.


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

We have two as house pets.

None are aggressive although Kuckuniwi does let us know when she is not happy.

The are destructive animals but not intenionally in our experience.

Surround sound speakers are good for climbing and so look in a bad state.

Leather suite looking worse for wear from climbing

Wallpaper stripped in places

Bandit loves my marine reef aquarium and scales it in a second wanting to swim

Kuckuniwi has been very lucky with wiring when she went through a very short stage of chewing it. All now protected.

They can take plugs out of sockets

Bandit can open the front room door in a couple seconds

Don't know how many keyboards we have had

We love them both and are with us for life. If we had time again we would definately take them on again but I would never recommend them as a pet to anyone.

Best Wishes

Neil


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Hopefully some of this will sink in.


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

kodakira said:


> We have two as house pets.
> 
> None are aggressive although Kuckuniwi does let us know when she is not happy.
> 
> ...


Our brown leather suite is in shocking condition! it actually looks like some sort of exotic hide as its brown and grey stripes where Atuki has climbed all over it. Our walls have been stripped and Atuki has a massive thing for the marine tank. He blew one of my light canopies taking a paddle  Atuki can also UNLOCK the front door so we have to take the keys out and hang them up.We have also had 3 laptop keyboards replaced!

I dont want to give people the impression that Atuki is aggressive, he is fine when left to his own devices. Its when we try to impose OUR will onto HIM that we have a problem. Most of the time he accepts it without a grumble but occassionaly we do loose blood . He isnt aggressive in that he Attacks us, not at all. Its just he has his own will. Shame humans cant regrow fingers!


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Ours live outside and only come inside for supervised time. We have a bench in one part of the enclosure where we can sit with them,play etc

We spend a lot of time with them and have a lot of visitors who also go in with them or meet them in the house.

We love them dearly and think they are wonderful. 

None of ours are aggressive at the moment but one of the females(spayed female) can often have a 'strop' when she doesn't get her own way, this is dealt with by always having a fleece blanket in the room,throwing it over her, scooping her up and taking her back to the enclosure. As soon as that fleece goes over her she is ok, whoever picks her up is ok and no harm is done. Actually quite a few peeps on here have witnessed this.

On the one occasion that she threw a major strop she damaged my fiances hand badly.:devil:

The other two(neutered male and entire female) have the odd huff and that's about it.

Raccoon bites are nasty and best avoided but that doesn't mean giving them their own way, it means finding the best way to deal with them quickly.

They are all wilful, get bored easily (they need lots of time spending with them and for them)and have different personalities and temperaments....there is no guarantee therefore they should only be kept by someone willing to adjust to their behaviour.

Oreo goes out and about a lot, meeting and interacting with people, that's fine for him, it wouldn't be fine for Anoushka, she is lovely and sweet but much shyer. It would be really foolish to take Mimi out and about where there were lots of people as she would get fed up with the attention and make her bad mood known to everyone!!! They are all different.

We haven't had much of a problem with them being destructive but they have excelled themselves now and again when no one has kept an eye out namely when Mimi pulled the return pipe out of the marine reef tank and flooded the room with nearly 220 litres of salt water(thankfully we noticed the second time!) and Oreo smashed a very expensive antique vase.


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

africa said:


> Ours live outside and only come inside for supervised time. We have a bench in one part of the enclosure where we can sit with them,play etc
> 
> We spend a lot of time with them and have a lot of visitors who also go in with them or meet them in the house.
> 
> ...


 
Hi Sallie!!!!
Thank you and can vouch for the above......

Dave.


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

*The race is on.......*

Hehe...
Sallie & Mckelly aside, it almost sounds as if, on this thread, you are all competing with each other as to who`s coonie has done the worse damage/injury etc..............oh, and animalstorey is making me suicidal, lol!:2thumb: Don`t take it personal......

I have made Lin, my OH, read all, yet she remains as was, ie. keen. :gasp::gasp:

I might add, we do have other animals in the house (apart from Lin!), see sig, all are house pets with the reptiles having thier own room (they still come out...) except Ruby, who`s large viv is in the conservatory.
She/we are also `houseproud` and we work hard to ensure things stay that way without affecting the creatures too much.
Dunno how this will pan out with a coonie, if one appears, guess we shall see. We do have a good sized garden and good sized spare room.......sort of `contingency`..........

Like i said, keep em comin guys n gals, really dunno how/why you keep them if they are so destructive/`aggressive` and so on.
It seems also that related examples (Atuki/Norman) are/can be totally different.......Atuki = real handful (bit of a pun, there), Norman = fairly calm, few probs. is this down to how they are handled or just plain personality? 

Nite all............


Dave. Currently being mythered by Puck the `possum, yawn. Also now affectionately known as sausagehead!


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## kodakira (Jul 11, 2008)

sam gamgee said:


> Hehe...
> Sallie & Mckelly aside, it almost sounds as if, on this thread, you are all competing with each other as to who`s coonie has done the worse damage/injury
> 
> 
> Like i said, keep em comin guys n gals, really dunno how/why you keep them if they are so destructive/`aggressive` and so on.


Hi

I think most people on here are just telling it like it is :2thumb:. You asked earlier for people to post there experiences and so when we do you tell us we are are competing :gasp: lol ???.

As for your second paragrapgh about why we keep them. You have been given all the bad points about keeping them, yet your partner still wants one. Why ???. The fact is that the majority of Raccoon behaviour that is described is the norm. It has nothing to do with training, how you treat them etc. They are what they are and we are only modifying some of their behaviour by training.

Please take a look at

• View topic - Kuckuniwi the Raccoon

The thread was started long before this thread when there were only a few of us keeping raccoons at the time. Although it starts off with us enthusing about Raccoons as we became more aware of their behaviour etc we decided that people should know the other side of keeping a raccoon. Which in my opinion can only be a good thing. What is the point of glossing over about them. It does not do the new owner any good and especially the poor Raccoon who may be passed from pillar to post.

Best Wishes

Neil


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

I find that normaly people ask what somethings like and the keeper sId things like, they are great, easy to keep, hard work but brilliant etc... I think this is the first post that I've read where the truth has been brought to light. Yes raccoons are fun and rewarding,'but they Are not 'perfect pets for every one. They need room- lots of it, Interaction, special care, a first aid kit, etc... 
I'll hold my hands up i was one of the people that was told all the wrong things about them. Even when we went to see the babies and parents we were told alsorts which I now know isn't true. We really loved rocco but he was no good around the kids. Any loud noise and it was play up time, which usually ment claws and jaws. We desceided after 3 months that we couldn't give him what was needed and found him a wonderful new home. He's got friends to play with(dogs) and his new owed has loads of time for him. I wish I had been told all these things before rather than finding out the hard way. Yes he may have settled down in time but not to the extent I would have liked. 
We have a coatimundi which is better, although still fast and nails are sharp. Where rocco was sure of himself honey is a little more timid. She more us for sure. 
For the right person ***** can be good. But u need the room and time and understanding that even if it has been hand raised being ripped apart can and does happen! Honey rips you apart but she doesn't bite like rocco did.


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

*Sorry but me again.....*

Okay!

Animalstorey - thank you for your honesty;don`t get too much of it these days. :notworthy:

Neil......r e l a x! 
Yes, there is, of course, a serious side to all of this and along with that comes the amusement/bemusement factor, too! Surely you need to see the funny side of things, too? Although they may not be so laughable at the time, lol!
I do realise I am the novice here and can assure you there is no extraction of urine intended and, yes, have read the threads (in fact loads....don`t really think theyre are too many at all glossing over things).
Although you have clearly had a few hiccups with Kucki, your coonie does seem to be as balanced as one would hopefully expect/desire from a raccoon! Plus you evidently care for your creatures, i do love our few but I do also like them to remain what they are to a large extent....none-domesticated animals....only fair! 

Besides, this lil thread is changing other folks` minds, there have been a few posting they aren`t going there, so to speak.....

On a final note, I am sure we can fairly easily accommodate a raccoon and give it time etc., that isn`t so much the issue with us (no kids btw-so that concern is out and anyone who keeps one with very young children is brave or bonkers.......oh, forgot to add I am in the bonkers cat. anyway) it is wether we want to (should read "I").
Oh, animalstorey, we were also considering a coati, I am fond of them but OH appears to like the touchy feely/attitude/etc that a coonie displays......(in fact, I am with you all the way, coati please, more `me` but Lin wears the trousers and really loves challenges at work and home. Doomed!!!)


........and will keep you all posted!!!

Thanks all but don`t be a stranger to amusement:2thumb:!


Dave.


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## Nix (Jan 23, 2008)

africa said:


> Actually quite a few peeps on here have witnessed this.


I've seen Mimi throw a strop at Sallie's fiancee (how awesome to be able to say that Sal!), trust me when I say it gave me a new found (even higher) respect for raccoons!


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Coatis are touchy feelie! Honey loves Dawn she jumps on her head, sticks her nose in her ear, hands up the top, hands down the top- that's more than what I get. Lol. What do you think Africa, know you have both. 
I'm not tring to put anyone off just people need to understand. If it puts them off then fair play but if it doesn't and they except what they get from a coonie then that's great for me. We bought a large dog shed with extra large run attached for £500, which is perfect. Now honeys in it I have insulated the shed out and also she has her own central heating! A well a thermostat and Habistat powerplates in the roof. Safe with guards where she can't reach. My dad had been chopping branches out of an old tree so we used them for climbing etc. Old hessian sacks as hammock are fun but don't last long. 

Other coati keepers... Can they be litter trained? Honeys messy and does it everywhere. Lol. Our skunk is litter trained which was rather easy.


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Must admit our skunkies are good with the litter trays, even go to our loos (have a tray in each, lol) to do the business. Our V.O. is equally easy....in tray/on paper by back door. There is the (very) occasional hiccup but mostly fine.
Wonder how coonies are in this respect, honestly, of course. Fanatapants has, er, worried me in her having the poo artistically decorating the walls:lol2:!!!

Dave.


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

I've been interested in VOs for a while but there haven't been many around. do they make handable pets?


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

sam gamgee said:


> Must admit our skunkies are good with the litter trays, even go to our loos (have a tray in each, lol) to do the business. Our V.O. is equally easy....in tray/on paper by back door. There is the (very) occasional hiccup but mostly fine.
> Wonder how coonies are in this respect, honestly, of course. Fanatapants has, er, worried me in her having the poo artistically decorating the walls:lol2:!!!
> 
> Dave.


Atuki does poo in certain specific places but when he has an upset stomach from new foods or eating something dodgy he can make one helluva mess. Today i have spent 4 hours scrubbing my stair carpets as he was routinley wormed a few days ago and he has had the runs. He has had to be bathed daily to clean his fur and tail ( NOT an easy task!) and the house was stinking big time. Its all done now though. Also, Atukis urine is VERY musky at times and while he will poo in certain places he is very haphazzard in his wee spots. Maybe its because we have cats and dogs and he is marking his teritory.....he only does it up stairs where the dogs arent allowed. But it does humm! He has also managed to do it all over a new unpainted door so i have no idea how im going to get that smell off.

Also people that said about raccoons being touchy feely. Raccoons make their own mind up what they want to touch and feel. Its not a species where we can approach them. If Atuki wants a cuddle he will come to us. If we go to him its pretty normal for him to freak out a little and run for the hills. 

If i had to put it into % i would say that 

80% of his awake time is spent nice and calm just trotting round the house investigating , eating and chasing the cats.

10% is spent play fighting with us and his toys and teddys.

5% is us walking him , 

3% is him climbing on us or sleeping on the same chair as us 

2% of the time is him being a complete horror.





animalstorey said:


> I've been interested in VOs for a while but there haven't been many around. do they make handable pets?


 
I want one too. Barry doesnt know yet, probably for the best


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

I have just read back some of my posts and i feel like im coming across as a moaner! Atuki is my baby, i waited so long for him and i love him to bits no matter what his behaviour is like. I just wanted to share this picture, i snapped it today on the webcam and it sums up the "good" raccoon moments where he is impecably behaved. He sat curled on my chair with Alice and me for around 20 minutes. That doesnt happen very often and it was lovely.


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Now that is a cute pic, no matter what!!!!! 

Dave.


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

*`Possums......*

They are handleable but ours isn`t cuddly and he does have his own lil character and we are extremely fond of him.
He sleeps loads and I find him very calming though he does have his moments of bonkersness, usually after 12 midnight and he wants up on my shoulder for a little walkabout.
Hardest bit is feeding him healthy stuff ie. his greens!

Dave.


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

animalstorey said:


> Coatis are touchy feelie! Honey loves Dawn she jumps on her head, sticks her nose in her ear, hands up the top, hands down the top- that's more than what I get. Lol. What do you think Africa, know you have both.
> I'm not tring to put anyone off just people need to understand. If it puts them off then fair play but if it doesn't and they except what they get from a coonie then that's great for me. We bought a large dog shed with extra large run attached for £500, which is perfect. Now honeys in it I have insulated the shed out and also she has her own central heating! A well a thermostat and Habistat powerplates in the roof. Safe with guards where she can't reach. My dad had been chopping branches out of an old tree so we used them for climbing etc. Old hessian sacks as hammock are fun but don't last long.
> 
> Other coati keepers... Can they be litter trained? Honeys messy and does it everywhere. Lol. Our skunk is litter trained which was rather easy.


Yes we have 3 coonies(Oreo,Mimi,Anoushka) and 2 coatis( Bertie and Mabel). Our coatis are lovely, they also live outside with inside time as well always supervised. Bertie is a cuddly chappie, Mabel is a little shyer, both are naturally nosey, neither have been destructive and neither are aggressive in any way.They don't throw any tantrums and could teach Miss Mimi a lesson:whistling2:!
For some reason they have adopted their bed as a litter tray which is a pain they also have a spot at one end of their enclosure where they poop off a branch!!!
I love both the raccoons and the coatis, we have VO's as well and these two (Yogi and Blossom) are handleable but can be a bit nervous sometimes, they are spot on with their litter tray:2thumb:

I agree with you that raccoons are not for everyone and coatis appear to be steadier overall but I do know of someone who was savaged by his coati over food and had 200 stitches as a result, the animal has now been rehomed to someone on this forum and has since settled down after neutering.

I think there have been plenty of bad points about raccoons aired on here and rightly so as they need pointing out but I also believe that they can make extremely rewarding animals to live alongside... for the right person.

The words interesting, challenging,intelligent,cunning, wilful,loving,affectionate,fun,cheeky,endearing,strong willed,winsome....all spring to mind- in a positive way.

I know that raccoons are the right animals for me and I am very, very proud of all of mine.


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

i swear everyone here would say you're 'nuts' to have a ****!

trust me!:lol2:


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## Renfield (May 20, 2008)

My ***** are both litter tray trained and so far there's not been one accident , touch wood lol


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## HABU (Mar 21, 2007)

i lived with ***** in florida... brought their kids around even!


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

fantapants said:


> I have just read back some of my posts and i feel like im coming across as a moaner! Atuki is my baby, i waited so long for him and i love him to bits no matter what his behaviour is like. I just wanted to share this picture, i snapped it today on the webcam and it sums up the "good" raccoon moments where he is impecably behaved. He sat curled on my chair with Alice and me for around 20 minutes. That doesnt happen very often and it was lovely.
> 
> image


Aaawwwww look at the babies!


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Honeycoati: http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...morning-awakening-coatimundi.html#post7751431


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Renfield said:


> My ***** are both litter tray trained and so far there's not been one accident , touch wood lol


Atuki does poo right outside the cat litter tray! but he refuses point blank to use it :/


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Ali i had that problem with wyot to start with an i noticed why 

he wouldnt go in the cat litter tray unless it was clean...........so if a cat or skunk or himself had already been in he wouldnt go back in till it was clean an do it right next to it 

So i just make sure the litter trays are clean all the time now an he uses them fine


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## sam gamgee (Apr 8, 2009)

Hi Emmmmm.

Now that is a full time job, I know as our skunkies, well, Ella in particular, is axactly the same......
Hope you is well 

Dave. x


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Emmaj said:


> Ali i had that problem with wyot to start with an i noticed why
> 
> he wouldnt go in the cat litter tray unless it was clean...........so if a cat or skunk or himself had already been in he wouldnt go back in till it was clean an do it right next to it
> 
> So i just make sure the litter trays are clean all the time now an he uses them fine


 
I might try getting a few more litter trays then. I have noticed that the only time he goes in it is when its just been cleaned out. But even then he only goes in it the once and wont touch it til its redone. Thanks


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Emmaj said:


> Ali i had that problem with wyot to start with an i noticed why
> 
> he wouldnt go in the cat litter tray unless it was clean...........so if a cat or skunk or himself had already been in he wouldnt go back in till it was clean an do it right next to it
> 
> So i just make sure the litter trays are clean all the time now an he uses them fine


Digger our skunk is like this.
She like a clean box/tray. We put down two for her which she uses and we pick up and clean them, then replace them.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

sam gamgee said:


> Hi Emmmmm.
> 
> Now that is a full time job, I know as our skunkies, well, Ella in particular, is axactly the same......
> Hope you is well
> ...


hey dave hun yeah all is well........i feel more human now the panto is over an i have time to do anything ha ha 



fantapants said:


> I might try getting a few more litter trays then. I have noticed that the only time he goes in it is when its just been cleaned out. But even then he only goes in it the once and wont touch it til its redone. Thanks


i have 3 hooded litter trays in the livingroom and the crates have normal litter trays in too........the skunks tend to plod off to the open crates to use their litter trays 

wyot prefers the hoodeds but will go in the skunks in the crates if i have just cleaned out :lol2:



animalstorey said:


> Digger our skunk is like this.
> She like a clean box/tray. We put down two for her which she uses and we pick up and clean them, then replace them.


thats pretty much what i do but with alot more litter trays lol :lol2:


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

Oska is brilliant with his litter trays...there is one upstairs in his room and one in the living room and he uses both without fail.

I am very lucky in that I can approach Oska to pick up and give him a cuddle etc. As soon as I pick him up he wraps his front paws around my neck and his rear legs around my waist lol. The only time I won't pick him up is if he is having a mood swing which you learn to read really easily.

Overall I have a really well rounded raccoon (so far) he has his moment of course but really he is great. However, I have noticed the last 3 weeks or so he is being a little pain by testing he boundaries and play fighting too roughly I put this down to a "terrible two's" phase and expect him to grow out of it...I hope! haha

x


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

kellystewart said:


> Oska is brilliant with his litter trays...there is one upstairs in his room and one in the living room and he uses both without fail.
> 
> I am very lucky in that I can approach Oska to pick up and give him a cuddle etc. As soon as I pick him up he wraps his front paws around my neck and his rear legs around my waist lol. The only time I won't pick him up is if he is having a mood swing which you learn to read really easily.
> 
> ...


 
hee hee i took wyot to have his claws clipped this morning me an the vet nurse had soooooooo much fun :lol2:


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

My housemate helps me to clip Oska's.....I dunno how Barry manages it on his own :S 

It's bad enough doing it when you have someone holding him lol they need done every 3 weeks too and that's even with him getting walked shows you how much they really need their claws sharp!


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

kellystewart said:


> My housemate helps me to clip Oska's.....I dunno how Barry manages it on his own :S
> 
> It's bad enough doing it when you have someone holding him lol they need done every 3 weeks too and that's even with him getting walked shows you how much they really need their claws sharp!


 
lol our vet nurse fell inlove with wyot even though it was such a struggle to do his claws she couldnt believe how sweet he was even though we were pinning him down to clip his claws ha ha 

she had always thought of raccoons as nasty evil animals until she met wyot today she had fun feeding him dog treats an was in awww at how gently he took the treats from her :lol2::lol2: she said most dogs snatch them not take them gently ha ha ha


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## kellystewart (May 11, 2010)

I am always amazed at how gently Oska takes food/treats from anyone....much gentler than any of my dogs lol

Oska is well huffy when I do his claws but afterwards he is back to normal and just wants to play lol


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

kellystewart said:


> I am always amazed at how gently Oska takes food/treats from anyone....much gentler than any of my dogs lol
> 
> Oska is well huffy when I do his claws but afterwards he is back to normal and just wants to play lol


 
yeah wy is the same with any treats an food he is soooooo gentle 

lol i cant do the claws alone no more so its me an the vet nurse in future lol:lol2: good job she loves him ha ha ha


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

Its amazing just how different they can be.......Atuki has an attitude at times but he is fine when it comes to getting his claws clipped. And he is gentle with treats too. His favourite at the moment is marshmallows ( we chop one into tiny bits and ration them out over a week) and he LOVES mayonaise. We found that out last week when he dug the bottle out of the bin and spent a whole hour trying to get his paw right into get te smears out of the bottom.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

fantapants said:


> Its amazing just how different they can be.......Atuki has an attitude at times but he is fine when it comes to getting his claws clipped. And he is gentle with treats too. His favourite at the moment is marshmallows ( we chop one into tiny bits and ration them out over a week) and he LOVES mayonaise. We found that out last week when he dug the bottle out of the bin and spent a whole hour trying to get his paw right into get te smears out of the bottom.


wy loves marshmellows too an mayo lol he shares sarnies with me an i love mayo an salad cream too :lol2:

oh an wy was 13 wks when i got him so had alot of trust building with him to do which i think has paid off : victory:


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## serasvictoria (Aug 2, 2009)

The wrost thing Roxy has done, other than trying to bite my OH's fingers off, is take a small chunk out of my eyeball and scratched it as well.

She didn't mean to it wasn't her fault, it was more my fault for giving her kisses (she licks me!) so cute!

But its grown back, hurt like hell though, that was 2 weekends ago now, had to race to A&E.


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## LoveForLizards (Apr 20, 2008)

serasvictoria said:


> The wrost thing Roxy has done, other than trying to bite my OH's fingers off, is take a small chunk out of my eyeball and scratched it as well.
> 
> She didn't mean to it wasn't her fault, it was more my fault for giving her kisses (she licks me!) so cute!
> 
> But its grown back, hurt like hell though, that was 2 weekends ago now, had to race to A&E.


I would have _loved_ to have been there when you explained that one to the doctor/nurse. :lol2:


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## mimozine (Feb 4, 2011)

Well call me crackers if you will but i have been the happiest ever with Buffy and as much as ive tried to talk myself out of it id like another raccoon in my family!


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

mimozine said:


> Well call me crackers if you will but i have been the happiest ever with Buffy and as much as ive tried to talk myself out of it id like another raccoon in my family!


They are addictive aren't they!:2thumb:


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

I think Atukis days are numbered.....he just broke the ceramic sink in the bathroom. No idea how, but it had literally the whole side of it in bits. Luckily he isnt hurt but i am. My fingers are shredded from trying to piece it back together and fix it with milliput. 

Pics to follw later on when im not so peed off!


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## BenjaminBoaz (Jan 6, 2006)

Has he knocked something heavy into it? Heavy bottle of perfume or something as that can break them.


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## fantapants (Jan 4, 2008)

animalstorey said:


> Has he knocked something heavy into it? Heavy bottle of perfume or something as that can break them.


It looks like one of the kids left a glass on the window ledge. i found a glass in the bath. unbroken! and my sink in bits. Its been fixed up for now, just need to sand the milliput down when it dries and whack on some white enamel paint.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

fantapants said:


> It looks like one of the kids left a glass on the window ledge. i found a glass in the bath. unbroken! and my sink in bits. Its been fixed up for now, just need to sand the milliput down when it dries and whack on some white enamel paint.


eeeeeks hun sounds like you have had fun :whistling2::lol2:

well if wyot had been a girl i would have called him maggy short for magpie :lol2: i was looking for a tea spoon earlier...........guess where i found them all ..............in his blooming hammock along with lots of other shiny things :lol2::lol2:


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