racoons are so tame its scary, you have to read this

[ssbs]

Quote:
Know why??? Because if a dog has ever had one rabies shot, and sometimes even if its mother had recently had a rabies shot it becomes immune. Forever. Of course the money hungry country and vets don't want to agree with that though.

I just wouldn't be feeding a coon.. It might be okay now but who's to say it won't become rabid down the road?. And you've got a cat, the coon could end up in a fight with it.

 

[CMV]

Here's a lovely link for those of you with a strong stomach. This is why this post is making me cringe.

Be warned- GRAPHIC CONTENT.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-27261--,00.html

 

[iluvsedward]

good thing I have a strong stomach

AND BTW, WE DON'T TOUCH THE DISESE-FREE COON!!!!!!

(jk about the disese-free thing)

 

[Slinkytoys]

We gave rabies and distemper shots to our "loose" raccoons and wormed them. They lived a good long life and kept away the other predators. When Cookie would have her kits (high up in the barn rafters), my brother and I would steal one at a time and gentle it. When her kits were old enough, we would lose a chicken or two while she was teaching them to hunt---but that was the only time. We would leave a couple of eggs out for her, so she wouldn't have to steal them. It was a win/win situation for us.
'Course my brother and I learned to run really really fast, easy to do when a mad momma coon was chasing you for stealing a baby

Funny thing, I ended up on the track team in high school.
Slinky

 

[iluvsedward]

Quote:
sounds kinda mean stealing the babies......

 

[Slinkytoys]

OH, we gave the babies back after we had played with them a bit. Our raccoons were loose on our property which butted up to hundreds of acres. Coons are territorial, so most of them took off for their own area. One big red male, Crumb, stayed with his mom for years since she was quite elderly by then. Best part of it was that we didn't have to worry about other predators coming around.
Slinky

 

[iluvsedward]

man! its almost like your breeding them!

 

[tellynpeep]

CMV, Thanks for mentioning the Balysascaris potential. A potentially lethal (to humans) parasite carried by *healthy* raccoons. Oh, and raccoons can carry rabies and be symptom-free. AND there are plenty of other diseases that can cause neurological disease and disorientation and abnormal behavior.
Food for thought....

 

[MMPoultryFarms]

Since we moved here the racoons have been out of control and only on one case have I ever and I mean ever let a racoon live and feed him. He was very old and blind in both eyes. I discovered this when I went to kick him and missed and he never moved. then he ran into the wall face first. After seeing his eyes and the way he moved I knew then he was blind. I fed him cat food which he would take a few pieces of carefully smelling and pulling his little portion to his legs so he knew where to find him. I let him live out his last days which on a good note and a sad note wasn't long at all.
I eradicate any that I see from this point but. we were told the farm we moved into was inhabited by raccons for the 4 years it was empty. So we just figured he was the last of that generation. He was definatly sweet and greatful for the few treats he got. In my honest Opinion theres a time for sympothy and a time for protection and sometimes we have to figure out which is what. I hear alot about diseases racoons carry and you should kill them all asap, what about us? what about our generations today? herpies, syphlis, HIV, Diabietes, MRSA, are you gonna dare tell me is not the same? we as people are just as dirty as most animals if not more at times.
The only difference is they have a higher Possibility to have such diseases. We as humans are the biggest spreaders of disease, by not washing our hands, Not covering our mouths when we cough, Not wiping the toilet seat in public restrooms. theres tons and tons of things we can do as a society to reduce threats of infections and disease.
My point to this is only to say, I agree with most the posters in the pred section Eradication leads to prevention. But not every animal is a bad animal and few deserve a fair chance. And grandpa use to say practice what you preach, Well if were gonna Kill everything to avoid disease, we need to do our parts as well to be more preventative. Just my 1 cent since I am to poor to afford 2

 

[malignstar]

It's a bad idea to feed an wildlife. The next person may not be so understanding of a "friendly coon" just wanting some table scraps and may shoot it and have it tested for rabies thinking something's wrong. There's just no reason to make friends with any wild animal. They need to stay wild and keep that fear of humans to survive.

http://www.addl.purdue.edu/newsletters/1997/fall/raccoon.shtml

I also fear distemper as my 16 week old beagle died from it. It's a horrible, horrible virus. I wouldn't want any disease carrying wildlife anywhere near me, my house or my dogs. Too risky!