# Raccoon



## Steverags (Jul 19, 2010)

Went too the vets today with 3 kittens and while there a couple come in with their pet Raccoon, never seen one in real life and didn't think you could have one as a pet over here, I want one now.... :lol:


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

oh no i just hope raccoons dont catch on as pets over here:frown: i hate to see wild animals kept as pets its cruel and the trade in exotics is awful....also raccoon saliva is toxic to dogs, not sure if it has the same effect on humans but i hope so


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

there are quite a few owners of racoons on the rfuk web site(reptile forum)
some have skunks,possums,gambian pouched rats(i have one)many exotic mammals.


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## mee (May 28, 2010)

All pets started off as wild animals. 
I really want a raccoon,have done for years but my dog would never accept it.Someday i will have one. I just dont understand why they have it in a cage rather than on a lead....

ps "Despite thorough research, no toxins have ever been identified in raccoon saliva"
taken from - Coonhound paralysis (polyradiculoneuritis) in dogs


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## snoopydo (Jan 19, 2010)

Someone once said to me If you have a Wild Animal from a Baby it's never known life in the wild so it will adapt ...If you've Domisicated one from say Birth it would not be able to survive in the wild would it?:


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

I have my own Racoon :lol: :lol:


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## snoopydo (Jan 19, 2010)

ooh, What are they like to keep..Are they sociable friendly?


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

snoopydo said:


> ooh, What are they like to keep..Are they sociable friendly?


:lol: The piccy is of Badger my pup, everyone says he looks like a Racoon!

He is very sociable & friendly


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

mee said:


> All pets started off as wild animals.
> I really want a raccoon,have done for years but my dog would never accept it.Someday i will have one. I just dont understand why they have it in a cage rather than on a lead....
> 
> ps "Despite thorough research, no toxins have ever been identified in raccoon saliva"
> taken from - Coonhound paralysis (polyradiculoneuritis) in dogs


imo its selfish to keep animals such as raccoons,meerkats,marmosets etc as pets, domestication dosent just happen over night and the trade in exotics very cruel!

a dog recently died in my county of the suspected condition...Dead Dog Sparks Yorkshire Raccoon Hunt « Jo Warrior



snoopydo said:


> Someone once said to me If you have a Wild Animal from a Baby it's never known life in the wild so it will adapt ...If you've Domisicated one from say Birth it would not be able to survive in the wild would it?:


no a wild animal reared in captivity most likely wouldnt survive in the wild but it will never be domesticated, you could hand rear a lion but at the end of the day you will still have a wild animal with all its innate behaviours, ......wildlife belongs in the wild not in a cage!


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## Steverags (Jul 19, 2010)

mee said:


> All pets started off as wild animals.
> I really want a raccoon,have done for years but my dog would never accept it.Someday i will have one. I just dont understand why they have it in a cage rather than on a lead....
> 
> ps "Despite thorough research, no toxins have ever been identified in raccoon saliva"
> taken from - Coonhound paralysis (polyradiculoneuritis) in dogs


It was in a carrier as it was in the vets.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

my gambian pouched rat
her ancestors live in africa in the wild,some are used as landmine detectives called hero rats.they sniff out the tnt and get food as a reward.
some are eaten as bush meat.

mine is a pet,here she is
one domesticated pouched rat


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

blade100 said:


> my gambian pouched rat
> her ancestors live in africa in the wild,some are used as landmine detectives called hero rats.they sniff out the tnt and get food as a reward.
> some are eaten as bush meat.
> 
> ...


Oooo i've never seen one before, they are quite big aren't they!


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

blade100 said:


> my gambian pouched rat
> her ancestors live in africa in the wild,some are used as landmine detectives called hero rats.they sniff out the tnt and get food as a reward.
> some are eaten as bush meat.
> 
> ...


she might be tame but that dosent make her a domesticated animal.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

syrian hamsters are found living in the wild!
are they not domesticated?
dogs have come from being wild years ago are they not domesticated?
u can get stray cats u can get domesticated cats.

wild gambians domesticated gambians.
queenie and her sister(who is with her breeder)are said to be two of the most domesticated gambians in this country.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_domestic_animals


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

Is there a general rule as to how long wild animals have to be bred in captivity and tamed so that they are classed as domesticated??

I dont have a clue so i am quite interested to know the answer. 

Thanks x

Oh just noticed the wikki link! 

Nope that doesnt answer me lol


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## Nicky10 (Jan 11, 2010)

I would love a raccoon as a pet. But they're too destructive for me and I don't like the fact they're taken and hand reared and given to new owners far too early. They're not easy pets from what I know. I don't mind people keeping exotics as long as they do it right. No monkeys in tiny cages or meerkats in rabbit cages on their own


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

blade100 said:


> syrian hamsters are found living in the wild!
> are they not domesticated?
> dogs have come from being wild years ago are they not domesticated?
> u can get stray cats u can get domesticated cats.
> ...


no actually syrian hamsters are thought to be extinct in the wild, every single syrian today comes from 1 female and her litter found in 1930...... they are a domesticated species.

yes the 'domestic dog' is domesticated the process is believed to have began some 30,000 yrs ago...

yep you can get stray cats but they arnt wild animals even if they act like they are...they are a domestic animal which has turned feral

ive copied this off a pouched rat website it looks like they are very knowledgable on the animal

In very many ways Pouched Rats' behaviour is different from domestic rats' becuase Pouched Rats are not a domesticated species. Domestication will take very many generations to achieve so owners must always remember that the current captive population retain all their wild instincts. Even the most solialised individuals can exhibit their wild traits from time to time. Pouched Rat owners should expect the unexpected.

Pouched Rat behaviour


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

Allana said:


> Is there a general rule as to how long wild animals have to be bred in captivity and tamed so that they are classed as domesticated??
> 
> I dont have a clue so i am quite interested to know the answer.
> 
> ...


i dont think there is a general rule but in most species its been a slow gradual process over thousands of years, i think many rodent species have domesticated relatively quickly in comparison to more complex animals, i believe most of these were captured and bred for experimentation and over generations became the domestic species of their wild counterparts, in saying that a Russian scientist domesticated silver foxes on a fur farm in only 10 generations by selectively breeding only the less fearful animals, he wanted animal who would be easier to kill for their skins, some of the foxes developed blue eyes and different coat colourations they wagged their tails and behaved very much like dogs do....he would have had many animals to select from:frown:


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

Steverags said:


> Went too the vets today with 3 kittens and while there a couple come in with their pet Raccoon, never seen one in real life and didn't think you could have one as a pet over here, I want one now.... :lol:


There was one found in a garden a few miles from us. I think they found the owners quite quickly. 
BBC NEWS | England | Dorset | Raccoon rescued from town garden


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

noushka05 said:


> i dont think there is a general rule but in most species its been a slow gradual process over thousands of years, i think many rodent species have domesticated relatively quickly in comparison to more complex animals, i believe most of these were captured and bred for experimentation and over generations became the domestic species of their wild counterparts, in saying that a Russian scientist domesticated silver foxes on a fur farm in only 10 generations by selectively breeding only the less fearful animals, he wanted animal who would be easier to kill for their skins, some of the foxes developed blue eyes and different coat colourations they wagged their tails and behaved very much like dogs do....he would have had many animals to select from:frown:


Oh i actually seen something about that on tv a little while ago!

It showed you the ones that they wouldn't breed from because they were 'too wild' and then the others that they would that wagged their tails etc.

That was quite interesting actually, shame for the poor wee foxes tho!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

oh you've been on adrians web site,yes but queenie is 5th generation from her wild ancestors.

she acts in everyway more like a cat than a rat that is the fancy rat which really they are nothing like.

she isn't aggressive in anyway towards myself or my partner.
she depends on me to feed and play with her.so to me she is domesticated.
and as her excellent breeder has said she along with her sister are possibly two of the most tame,domesticated pouched rats in this country.

so untill you've actually owned a gambian that has come from an excellent breeder,that has handled them from birth and then the gambian becomes like my queenie u can't really comment on whether she is domesticated or not.


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

Allana said:


> Oh i actually seen something about that on tv a little while ago!
> 
> It showed you the ones that they wouldn't breed from because they were 'too wild' and then the others that they would that wagged their tails etc.
> 
> That was quite interesting actually, shame for the poor wee foxes tho!


so sad to see the way us humans use and abuse animals isnt it



blade100 said:


> oh you've been on adrians web site,yes but queenie is 5th generation from her wild ancestors.
> 
> she acts in everyway more like a cat than a rat that is the fancy rat which really they are nothing like.
> 
> ...


i wouldnt want to own any wild animal ty and i really really hope raccoons arnt going to be the next craze to be exploited to death:thumbdown:


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

noushka05 said:


> so sad to see the way us humans use and abuse animals isnt it
> 
> i wouldnt want to own any wild animal ty and i really really hope raccoons arnt going to be the next craze to be exploited to death:thumbdown:


There is one at one of the animal rescue centres near me, well its a farm that takes in abandoned farm animals mostly like goats pigs etc even horses and donkeys but they have a Racoon that was dumped with them, the owners said it was too destructive. Been with them for a loooong time so it must have been going on for a while.


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

Oh and poisongirl said she knows someone with a skunk, i mean where do you get a skunk from


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

each to there own,but i like to think that queenie is safer here with me rather than out in the wild where she could get eaten for bush meat or attacked.
or out being "hero rats"

see she looks very comfy here safe and sound.


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## catz4m8z (Aug 27, 2008)

People do breed them and I think they are about the most domesticated exotic species to live with. Most exotic pet breeders are pretty strict about who they sell to. Although you would have to put up with a fair amount of destruction in your home!
I love some exotic pets like raccoons and skunks but I dont think most people should keep things like monkeys or meerkats becase they really need a zoo type enclosure (and a family group) to be happy. Skunks can be happy with a plate of mealworms an a cuddle!LOL

BTW Queenie is totally gorgeous! (I always think of Gambian pouched rats as kinda being somewhere between domestic and exotic!).


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

Allana said:


> There is one at one of the animal rescue centres near me, well its a farm that takes in abandoned farm animals mostly like goats pigs etc even horses and donkeys but they have a Racoon that was dumped with them, the owners said it was too destructive. Been with them for a loooong time so it must have been going on for a while.





Allana said:


> Oh and poisongirl said she knows someone with a skunk, i mean where do you get a skunk from


and this is one of my big fears that these exotic wild mammals are going to become ever more popular and many owners wont be able to cope once they become difficult and destructive ...then where will they go? they'll either be sold on and on or dumped in rescues who are not equipped to deal with exotics....in the USA its a massive problem its so sad....and its all because selfish people wanted them, if no one bought them the trade would cease and no more would suffer unnatural often miserable lives.

...i think the ancestors of most pet skunks came from fur farms so i suppose those spared that fate were very lucky...bet theres plenty for sale in the free ads aswell.


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

blade100 said:


> each to there own,but i like to think that queenie is safer here with me rather than out in the wild where she could get eaten for bush meat or attacked.
> or out being "hero rats"
> 
> see she looks very comfy here safe and sound.


That is some cage she has got!


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

noushka05 said:


> and this is one of my big fears that these exotic wild mammals are going to become ever more popular and many owners wont be able to cope once they become difficult and destructive ...then where will they go? they'll either be sold on and on or dumped in rescues who are not equipped to deal with exotics....in the USA its a massive problem its so sad....and its all because selfish people wanted them, if no one bought them the trade would cease and no more would suffer unnatural often miserable lives.
> 
> ...i think the ancestors of most pet skunks came from fur farms so i suppose those spared that fate were very lucky...bet theres plenty for sale in the free ads aswell.


I never even knew you could buy such things as skunks or racoons, i think you should need to have a special licence to keep them.

I did see that meercats were being sold, now i really dont think thats fair to keep them as pets. :frown:


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Oska Raccoon - Pic heavy! - Reptile Forums

My new baby raccoon  - Reptile Forums

lots of exotic mammal owners

Exotic Mammals - Reptile Forums


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Allana said:


> That is some cage she has got!


thanks,though she spends most of her time out of it wondering around the house and snuggling to her mummy(me)

if u take a look at the links you'll find there are quite a few exotic mammal owners here.
i do not agree with keeping meerkats and i'm pretty sure u have to have a licence for them.


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

blade100 said:


> Oska Raccoon - Pic heavy! - Reptile Forums
> 
> My new baby raccoon  - Reptile Forums
> 
> ...


Am not in the house enough for one....but they are so cute! That baby one!!! xx


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

blade100 said:


> thanks,though she spends most of her time out of it wondering around the house and snuggling to her mummy(me)
> 
> if u take a look at the links you'll find there are quite a few exotic mammal owners here.
> i do not agree with keeping meerkats and i'm pretty sure u have to have a licence for them.


those links make me so sad... Captive-bred is not the same as domesticated and these animals are still damaged by their confinement. They have the same instincts and needs as those born in the wild.

and no you dont need a licence to keep or even breed meerkats any numpty can keep them!.....ive signed the Save the Meerkat petition... Save the meerkat


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

oh i thought u did.


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

noushka05 said:


> those links make me so sad... Captive-bred is not the same as domesticated and these animals are still damaged by their confinement. They have the same instincts and needs as those born in the wild.
> 
> and no you dont need a licence to keep or even breed meerkats any numpty can keep them!.....ive signed the Save the Meerkat petition... Save the meerkat


Signed! Meercats are not pets! xx


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## noushka05 (Mar 28, 2008)

niki87 said:


> Signed! Meercats are not pets! xx


ty Niki

i dont know how anyone could even want to keep them or other wild mammals as pets this article is so sad....why dont people just get a ferret if they want something unusual, i bet rescues will be bursting with all these wild species in a few short years and sadly the majority will most likely end up pts.

Meerkat misery: Thanks to that TV ad, they're now a must-have pet... but behind the cute image lies shocking cruelty | Mail Online


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Oh poor little Simples!! Thats is awful!!! xx


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