In the middle of Oklahoma. We have plenty of raccoons and of course they would love to eat our birds. I used to keep exotic animals in Florida, which also has tons of raccoons, and knew many fellow exotics keepers that lost animals to raccoons. I lost an escaped iguana to one also. However, when you keep exotics, like parrots and reptiles, outside, you have to use caging that is predator proof. Any loss of your small exotic animal to a predator is a failure in caging, like me accidentally letting that iguana escape. So, when I get into poultry, I approached it the same way.
Our poultry caging isn’t perfect, but we have, knock on wood, not had the caging opened by raccoons. If they do open it and we lose birds, I’ll view it as a personal failure. Our bobcats quickly showed me that our chickens and ducks weren’t going to be able to free range without supervision. Our guineas have done better, but not without loss either.
Yes, it was a long time ago. Probably different rehabbers do different things, plus the area is important. In Oklahoma, skunks and bats are the most likely carriers of rabies. At my old place in FL, raccoons and other suspect animals were indeed tested for rabies and were sometimes positive, with everything coordinated with county animal control and the health department. Another reason to test was if the person bringing them in had contact where a bite or scratch might have been occurred. For the guy in the video, he would have more than enough exposure to warrant post exposure rabies prophylaxis if a raccoon tested or was suspected positive.
Feeding racoons like this is just as stupid as feeding rats if you ask me.
