Raccoons Among Us
We currently have 2 young raccoons in foster care at our house. One of them (Wild Thing) is very wild having just come into WildCare recently at 11 weeks of age. The other one (Pansy Boy) came in around the same time at 9 weeks old after being raised (illegally) as a pet since Memorial Day. Our challenge is to care for the wild one, allowing him to play and grow up, while trying to wild-up the tame one enough that he can be released at the end of the summer. Fortunately, they teach each other so much, our job mainly ends up being cook and maid service.
While still uncomfortable in our presence and unwilling to let us touch him, Wild Thing is less prone to growling as we approach and is starting to see us as a temporary food source. (This does not mean he will be habituated to humans. Raccoons wild-up nicely when they reach a certain age, just like every other teenager. It just means he won't be stressed all the time and we'll be able to weigh him and give him shots without losing an arm.) Meanwhile, Pansy Boy has already stopped chirping at our approach and trying to climb onto our shoulders. And he even shies away when we reach for him.
The 2 quickly became great friends and Pansy Boy is having a great time playing raccoon games for the first time in his life. He was adorable last night, literally bounding around the cage, almost rabbit-like, stealing food from Wild Thing and chasing his tail.
We were fortunate enough to have them come to us already weaned, so there are no bottles. We do our thing and let them do their thing with very little interaction. This is a great age to watch, though, as they play and experiment with new foods and shows of dominance.
Raised on human food like Rice Krispies, Pansy Boy is quickly taking to his raccoon diet. Here he is enjoying a piece of smelt which he saw for the first time only 3 days earlier.
And here's Wild Thing fishing for his dinner.
