Do raccoons make good pets?

Humans judge animals by how cute they look and use it as a determination of whether to keep them as pers. Raccoons are so precocious and cute and this is one of the reasons as to why so many of us keep on wondering if they’d make great pets. The answer to this question is a resounding NO.

In all aspects, raccoons are wild animals first of all. It is illegal and so unethical to go out there and capture a wild animal which is healthy and then force it to live within the confinements of a cage or home its whole life regardless of the reason. Some humans only capture the raccoons just for their own personal amusement and this is not right.

There are wildlife rehabilitators who are well trained so as to be able to care for the injured or sick raccoons till such a time that they are strong enough to go back to the wild. These are people who are trained so as to prevent the young animals from getting any kind of attachment to domestic animals and humans.

There are however some rehabbed raccoons that have injuries that are permanent and this is one of the things that can keep them from thriving in the wild. Such injuries mean that the raccoons cannot be released back into the wild. Such facilities or such wildlife educators can therefore apply for the special permits that will allow them to care for the animals as long as they live.

One of the criteria for maintaining an animal that has been permanently injured is to show that one is totally capable of giving the animal the needed diet and the correct size of enclosures with foraging opportunities, exercise and the natural enrichment of the environment.

One of the weird things about humans is the fascination with rare or very unique pets and this usually includes wild animals. This is what has led to animal breeders getting permits so as to sell the animals. Raccoons should never be made pets. They need to be in the wild if they are healthy enough to do so. Raccoons are known as some of the most familiar and most destructive critters that are found in North America. When the raccoons are aware that you have food available, they will frequently pay a visit to you while searching for shelter or food.

Go back to the How To Get Rid of Raccoons home page to learn more about whether raccoons make good pets.