Raccoons
Raccoons, or trash pandas as I like to call them, are thieves that can get away with anything....including stealing hearts. They are curious, intelligent, loving, and mischievous little boogers. I will never forget the time my dad called me after walking into our cabin one morning and said there was someone in there....when I walked in, my coons, Lovey, Pudge, Cooper, and Emmie, were all going through our pantry and cupboards as fast as they could, throwing silverware and plates every which way! And of course the little bandits stopped as soon as I walked in and caught them red handed!! They just couldn't help themselves! Needless to say, mom was not a happy camper. This is merely one example of how curious and adventurous raccoons tend to be. Helpful tip, if you get a coon, baby proofing, including baby proof locks, are a must!
We feed our coons a good dog food (Purina One), fruits (apples, bananas, watermelon, unsweetened applesauce, etc), veggies (carrots, corn, unthawed mixed veggies, etc), scrambled eggs, hardboiled eggs, raw eggs, cooked chicken without the bone, fish, minnows as treats, and unsugared cheerios. With most critters, the key to a good diet is variety. They LOVE junk food, but we try to monitor what we feed and how much. Easiest thing to do is overfeed your coon, resulting in obesity. Unhealthy treats are okay every now and then, just not in excess!! Moderation is key!
At the time of receiving your baby, they will be drinking milk from a bottle. We use Fox Valley Raccoon powder mix most often, but do sometimes use Esbilac puppy if we are in a pinch. Fox Valley "Raccoon" formula is a formula specifically made for raccoons. Highly recommend using this and buying ahead of time if you plan to purchase a baby from us. Below is the link to the Fox Valley Website and the Raccoon Formula. Esbilac is OK to use as an alternative as well.
store.foxvalleynutrition.com/day-one-4025
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highly recommend getting raccoons spayed or neutered. This will help with overall moodiness and aggression as they reach puberty and age. It will not fix everything, but can help decrease aggressive and hormonal behaviors. We don't recommend until around 6 months of age to allow proper growth/organ function. As a raccoon owner, it is important to accept that you will get bit, whether it is play biting or from aggression, it will happen. Don't think just because you spay or neuter, all bad behavior magically disappears. With that in mind, who you have around your coon is important. I would not recommend ever having a small child or baby near your raccoon without constant supervision (even with supervision can be tricky). If you have an infant and are wanting to purchase a baby raccoon, I encourage you to wait until your child is older and can respect and appreciate the way of these animals!
I want to touch on a topic that most don't want to hear. I know a lot of people see these cute photos of raccoon babies and the playful videos on tiktok/facebook and then all of a sudden think they need a raccoon. Please don't be one of those people. Do the research, join some raccoon ownership Facebook pages (Raccoons of Lost River is a page dedicated to raccoon owners who have purchased strictly from us), ask questions, read this web page and care sheet to their entireties, and then ask yourself if you're ready for such a big commitment. These guys are not dogs. They are extreme PRODUCTS OF THEIR RAISIN'. If you teach one to be loving, to play rough only with toys, to respect boundaries, to redirect when bad behavior occurs, to stay calm in stressful or loud environments, they are more apt to be that way as an adult. HOWEVER, if you rough house like you would with a kitten, if you let them play bite you, if you let them invade your boundaries, if you never desensitize or expose them to stressful/loud environments, if you never redirect poor behavior and just let them do as they please, then you WILL have a terror by the time puberty sets in. I can 100% guarantee that.
Here is my advice to you. To think about before inquiring about purchasing:
*If you have a tiny child---don't purchase one. Wait until your baby is older and can respect the raccoon. Not only that, wait until you have more time to dedicate to the raccoon kit and to train it properly.
*If you are living in an apartment or rental house and could possibly be uprooted---don't purchase one. We don't want rehome situations if we can avoid them. Our goal is to place these babies in forever loving homes where they will be actively loved family members and have a stable environment.
*If you cannot provide an outdoor enclosure or are worried you won't have enough space for your little one as he/she gets bigger---don't purchase one. You have to realize, raccoons get bored. Yes, I recommend keeping them indoors solely until 5-6 months, but once they are bigger, they need constant stimulation and enrichment to keep entertained and happy. Not only that, but an active, enriched raccoon, is a much healthier weight and healthier overall, than a couch potato that lays around the house and eats junk food (this goes for people's dogs, too).
*If you don't already have a vet or backup vet in mind that is willing to operate or treat your raccoon kit---don't purchase one. What happens if a freak accident occurs and he/she breaks a leg? Or aspirates on the bottle and you need emergency care or an antibiotic? You need to have a reliable vet lined up in case of emergency.
*If you are not in a legal state---don't purchase one. You would only be putting your baby in danger of being confiscated and euthanized or uprooted and rehomed to a "sanctuary". People can lie and give us fake addresses, but at the end of the day, you're only jeopardizing that baby's life. Don't be that person.
*If you don't have enough money to cover emergency costs of vet bills, milk, toys, etc---don't purchase one. The easy part is purchasing the baby. The really expensive parts come after when you have to keep this baby entertained, stimulated/enriched, fed, and taken care of. Please understand, that 4-700$ you spend in the beginning, is nothing compared to what you will end up paying ultimately if you do raccoon ownership the right way.
I hope each any every one of you potential raccoon kit parents, think of these scenarios and ask yourself if a raccoon is a right fit for your family BEFORE inquiring. I try to be as blunt and honest as possible because at the end of the day, it isn't about the money for us. It is about providing and breeding quality, sweet little raccoons, that we can share with others who will love them, appreciate them, and provide for them, just as we do! We adore these guys so much and love that we can share them with others, but we want to be sure that they are going to the right people who can provide to the fullest. They deserve that.
******************************************
Raccoons generally have their babies around April and have a 63 day gestation period. Breeding usually begins in January. Normally, coons have one litter a year unless they happens to lose them or wean early, then they can rebreed and have a second litter. The babies are born with their eyes/ears closed and they remain closed for about the first 10 days following birth. We like to bottle feed our babies simply because they are easier to bond with at a younger age, but are super easy to aspirate so we do not like to let them go to their new homes until they are closer to weaning (6 weeks). The aspiration can be fatal if not acted upon quickly and taken to a vet. ****IF your raccoon ever chokes while eating a bottle, TAKE THE BOTTLE AWAY!!!!! If choking persists and the raccoon sounds raspy or lungs sound like rice Krispies popping, CALL A VET!!! (Hold the raccoon baby up to your ear and listen to its lungs that way--If you have any questions or a doubt in your mind, GO TO YOUR VET).
Raccoons can be anywhere form 8-20 pounds when fully grown. As you can see in the pictures below, you can have multiple colors such as cinnamon, blonde, albino, traditional, etc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is another good website for Raccoon Care Info:
sybilsden.com/caresheet/raccoons.htm
Vaccinations:
I do not recommend starting vaccines until at least 14-16 weeks of age due to size of kits. If a kit has a bad reaction to a vaccine, the baby needs to be a good enough size to withstand those bad effects. Size is what I typically go by when determining if a kit is ready to have vaccines or not. I know of many who have vaccinated at 6 weeks like a puppy, and had a tragic experience. Don't be another tragic story.
With that being said, a raccoon baby is susceptible to all the same diseases that a puppy and kitten are. Feline and Canine Distemper, Parvo, Leptospirosis, etc. Be mindful of this and make sure your baby is not set on foreign ground or brought into contact with sickly animals (avoid setting in grass, rest parks altogether, and areas that have had parvo pups in the past). It is your job to protect babies and the environments they come into contact with until all vaccines are administered.
Deworming:
Deworming is HIGHLY encouraged, especially as babies. We recommend doing every other week or 2. Worm with 1.) Pyrantel pomoate (strongid or nemex-2 puppy dewormer) or 2.) Fenbendazole (Panacur). These dewormers can all be found at your local farm store; Tractor Supply or Rural King. All the dewormers listed are to be administered orally, but please read labels on the back for dosages. Dosages will be by poundage, so I recommend you invest in a food scale to weigh your raccoon as a baby (Get a mixing bowl, tare out the scale, and then place coon in the bowl to obtain the accurate weight). We like to alternate our dewormers to get all the most common worms; Hooks, roundworms, and whipworms. Nemex-2 (Pyrantel Pomoate) only treats roundworms and hookworms, while Panacur does treat for whipworms, tapes, etc. Continue deworming as adults as well (not as often, just every so often--every 6 mo) to avoid worms; raccoons are notorious carriers and are especially known for the Raccoon Roundworm (Brain worm--See link below). Have regular fecal checks by the vet to ensure you're treating and efficiently ridding your raccoon of all internal parasites. Annual fecals are recommended. As stated above, deworming every 5-6 months is a good time frame to go by.
Website listed below talks about the Raccoon Roundworm:
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/wildlife/disease/raccoon-roundworm-baylisascaris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have raccoon babies for sale in the Spring (April/May) and early Fall (August) on occasion!
Prices for raccoons range anywhere from $500-$700 each, depending on color and time of year available. We do charge an additional 7% sales tax!!! A health paper is also required and is an ADDITIONAL 45$ from our vet.
****Please check your state laws and regulations regarding ownership before contacting me. Each state is different and may require a permit or be illegal. You can find this info out by contacting your local DNR or looking on their website!!
We feed our coons a good dog food (Purina One), fruits (apples, bananas, watermelon, unsweetened applesauce, etc), veggies (carrots, corn, unthawed mixed veggies, etc), scrambled eggs, hardboiled eggs, raw eggs, cooked chicken without the bone, fish, minnows as treats, and unsugared cheerios. With most critters, the key to a good diet is variety. They LOVE junk food, but we try to monitor what we feed and how much. Easiest thing to do is overfeed your coon, resulting in obesity. Unhealthy treats are okay every now and then, just not in excess!! Moderation is key!
At the time of receiving your baby, they will be drinking milk from a bottle. We use Fox Valley Raccoon powder mix most often, but do sometimes use Esbilac puppy if we are in a pinch. Fox Valley "Raccoon" formula is a formula specifically made for raccoons. Highly recommend using this and buying ahead of time if you plan to purchase a baby from us. Below is the link to the Fox Valley Website and the Raccoon Formula. Esbilac is OK to use as an alternative as well.
store.foxvalleynutrition.com/day-one-4025
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Highly recommend getting raccoons spayed or neutered. This will help with overall moodiness and aggression as they reach puberty and age. It will not fix everything, but can help decrease aggressive and hormonal behaviors. We don't recommend until around 6 months of age to allow proper growth/organ function. As a raccoon owner, it is important to accept that you will get bit, whether it is play biting or from aggression, it will happen. Don't think just because you spay or neuter, all bad behavior magically disappears. With that in mind, who you have around your coon is important. I would not recommend ever having a small child or baby near your raccoon without constant supervision (even with supervision can be tricky). If you have an infant and are wanting to purchase a baby raccoon, I encourage you to wait until your child is older and can respect and appreciate the way of these animals!
I want to touch on a topic that most don't want to hear. I know a lot of people see these cute photos of raccoon babies and the playful videos on tiktok/facebook and then all of a sudden think they need a raccoon. Please don't be one of those people. Do the research, join some raccoon ownership Facebook pages (Raccoons of Lost River is a page dedicated to raccoon owners who have purchased strictly from us), ask questions, read this web page and care sheet to their entireties, and then ask yourself if you're ready for such a big commitment. These guys are not dogs. They are extreme PRODUCTS OF THEIR RAISIN'. If you teach one to be loving, to play rough only with toys, to respect boundaries, to redirect when bad behavior occurs, to stay calm in stressful or loud environments, they are more apt to be that way as an adult. HOWEVER, if you rough house like you would with a kitten, if you let them play bite you, if you let them invade your boundaries, if you never desensitize or expose them to stressful/loud environments, if you never redirect poor behavior and just let them do as they please, then you WILL have a terror by the time puberty sets in. I can 100% guarantee that.
Here is my advice to you. To think about before inquiring about purchasing:
*If you have a tiny child---don't purchase one. Wait until your baby is older and can respect the raccoon. Not only that, wait until you have more time to dedicate to the raccoon kit and to train it properly.
*If you are living in an apartment or rental house and could possibly be uprooted---don't purchase one. We don't want rehome situations if we can avoid them. Our goal is to place these babies in forever loving homes where they will be actively loved family members and have a stable environment.
*If you cannot provide an outdoor enclosure or are worried you won't have enough space for your little one as he/she gets bigger---don't purchase one. You have to realize, raccoons get bored. Yes, I recommend keeping them indoors solely until 5-6 months, but once they are bigger, they need constant stimulation and enrichment to keep entertained and happy. Not only that, but an active, enriched raccoon, is a much healthier weight and healthier overall, than a couch potato that lays around the house and eats junk food (this goes for people's dogs, too).
*If you don't already have a vet or backup vet in mind that is willing to operate or treat your raccoon kit---don't purchase one. What happens if a freak accident occurs and he/she breaks a leg? Or aspirates on the bottle and you need emergency care or an antibiotic? You need to have a reliable vet lined up in case of emergency.
*If you are not in a legal state---don't purchase one. You would only be putting your baby in danger of being confiscated and euthanized or uprooted and rehomed to a "sanctuary". People can lie and give us fake addresses, but at the end of the day, you're only jeopardizing that baby's life. Don't be that person.
*If you don't have enough money to cover emergency costs of vet bills, milk, toys, etc---don't purchase one. The easy part is purchasing the baby. The really expensive parts come after when you have to keep this baby entertained, stimulated/enriched, fed, and taken care of. Please understand, that 4-700$ you spend in the beginning, is nothing compared to what you will end up paying ultimately if you do raccoon ownership the right way.
I hope each any every one of you potential raccoon kit parents, think of these scenarios and ask yourself if a raccoon is a right fit for your family BEFORE inquiring. I try to be as blunt and honest as possible because at the end of the day, it isn't about the money for us. It is about providing and breeding quality, sweet little raccoons, that we can share with others who will love them, appreciate them, and provide for them, just as we do! We adore these guys so much and love that we can share them with others, but we want to be sure that they are going to the right people who can provide to the fullest. They deserve that.
******************************************
Raccoons generally have their babies around April and have a 63 day gestation period. Breeding usually begins in January. Normally, coons have one litter a year unless they happens to lose them or wean early, then they can rebreed and have a second litter. The babies are born with their eyes/ears closed and they remain closed for about the first 10 days following birth. We like to bottle feed our babies simply because they are easier to bond with at a younger age, but are super easy to aspirate so we do not like to let them go to their new homes until they are closer to weaning (6 weeks). The aspiration can be fatal if not acted upon quickly and taken to a vet. ****IF your raccoon ever chokes while eating a bottle, TAKE THE BOTTLE AWAY!!!!! If choking persists and the raccoon sounds raspy or lungs sound like rice Krispies popping, CALL A VET!!! (Hold the raccoon baby up to your ear and listen to its lungs that way--If you have any questions or a doubt in your mind, GO TO YOUR VET).
Raccoons can be anywhere form 8-20 pounds when fully grown. As you can see in the pictures below, you can have multiple colors such as cinnamon, blonde, albino, traditional, etc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is another good website for Raccoon Care Info:
sybilsden.com/caresheet/raccoons.htm
Vaccinations:
I do not recommend starting vaccines until at least 14-16 weeks of age due to size of kits. If a kit has a bad reaction to a vaccine, the baby needs to be a good enough size to withstand those bad effects. Size is what I typically go by when determining if a kit is ready to have vaccines or not. I know of many who have vaccinated at 6 weeks like a puppy, and had a tragic experience. Don't be another tragic story.
With that being said, a raccoon baby is susceptible to all the same diseases that a puppy and kitten are. Feline and Canine Distemper, Parvo, Leptospirosis, etc. Be mindful of this and make sure your baby is not set on foreign ground or brought into contact with sickly animals (avoid setting in grass, rest parks altogether, and areas that have had parvo pups in the past). It is your job to protect babies and the environments they come into contact with until all vaccines are administered.
Deworming:
Deworming is HIGHLY encouraged, especially as babies. We recommend doing every other week or 2. Worm with 1.) Pyrantel pomoate (strongid or nemex-2 puppy dewormer) or 2.) Fenbendazole (Panacur). These dewormers can all be found at your local farm store; Tractor Supply or Rural King. All the dewormers listed are to be administered orally, but please read labels on the back for dosages. Dosages will be by poundage, so I recommend you invest in a food scale to weigh your raccoon as a baby (Get a mixing bowl, tare out the scale, and then place coon in the bowl to obtain the accurate weight). We like to alternate our dewormers to get all the most common worms; Hooks, roundworms, and whipworms. Nemex-2 (Pyrantel Pomoate) only treats roundworms and hookworms, while Panacur does treat for whipworms, tapes, etc. Continue deworming as adults as well (not as often, just every so often--every 6 mo) to avoid worms; raccoons are notorious carriers and are especially known for the Raccoon Roundworm (Brain worm--See link below). Have regular fecal checks by the vet to ensure you're treating and efficiently ridding your raccoon of all internal parasites. Annual fecals are recommended. As stated above, deworming every 5-6 months is a good time frame to go by.
Website listed below talks about the Raccoon Roundworm:
https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/managing-resources/wildlife/disease/raccoon-roundworm-baylisascaris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We have raccoon babies for sale in the Spring (April/May) and early Fall (August) on occasion!
Prices for raccoons range anywhere from $500-$700 each, depending on color and time of year available. We do charge an additional 7% sales tax!!! A health paper is also required and is an ADDITIONAL 45$ from our vet.
****Please check your state laws and regulations regarding ownership before contacting me. Each state is different and may require a permit or be illegal. You can find this info out by contacting your local DNR or looking on their website!!
Raccoon Care Sheet 2022
docs.google.com/document/d/1z1dA4Qu6OibuHyD_76tO_Z8WEyAKjj-9WGRlZpdSgeU/edit?usp=sharing
docs.google.com/document/d/1z1dA4Qu6OibuHyD_76tO_Z8WEyAKjj-9WGRlZpdSgeU/edit?usp=sharing