10 Reasons Raccoons Make Terrible Pets

Because they are so cute and precocious, many people wonder if raccoons make good pets. My answer is always, in a word, "No." Raccoons are wild animals, and many people don't realize it's unethical and illegal to capture a healthy wild animal and force it live out the rest of its life in confinement. Licensed wildlife rehabilitators like me are trained to care for sick or injured raccoons until they can be returned to the wild. We are also trained to prevent young animals from becoming imprinted, or socialized to humans and domestic animals. However, some rehabbed animals have permanent injuries that prevent them from surviving in the wild. Rehab facilities or wildlife educators can apply for special permits that allow them to provide care to these animals for the rest of their lives. A part of the criteria for maintaining a permanently injured wild animal is to demonstrate that you are capable of providing a species-appropriate diet, ample sized enclosures with natural environmental enrichment, exercise, and foraging opportunities. Unfortunately, people seem to be attracted to rare or unique pets, including wild animals. This has led to exotic animal breeders acquiring permits to breed and sell animals that, in my opinion, should never be pets. Raccoons fall into this category. 10 Reasons Raccoons Don't Make Good Pets 1. I can't stress this enough: "Raccoon" and "pet" are mutually exclusive terms. Raccoons are wild animals, not pets, and even "tamed" are extremely h...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news