# My Raccoon Tanooki



## freedumbdclxvi (Apr 4, 2014)

The latest addition to our family:

Reactions: Like 1


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## Micrathena (Apr 4, 2014)

Hey, cool! Is it a rescue? Because my local pet store doesn't carry raccoons...


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## The Snark (Apr 4, 2014)

They seem so sweet and harmless when they are asleep. However, the other 23 hours a day... 
Do yourself a favor. Pack up all your small belongings and precious items and drop them in a donation box somewhere. You will save countless hours searching for them not to mention the groundless accusations and recriminations of various household members.

Reactions: Like 1


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## beetleman (Apr 4, 2014)

ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! you didn't,awesome,cute lil buggers aren't they? and yeah courious.............nuff said. great pickup.


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## freedumbdclxvi (Apr 4, 2014)

Nope, not a rescue.  My LPS had a few in.  

Snark, oh, I know.  . My first raccoon but I've also had a skunk for the last two years.  I know all about getting everything off the floor and locking cabinets and random thievery.  If it isn't bolted down, boarded up and chew resistant, that's skunk property.  And now raccoon property.

Pete - yep.  We walked out with him last saturday.


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## Trailblazr80 (Apr 5, 2014)

So cool! Love raccoons


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## freedumbdclxvi (Apr 21, 2014)

A couple more pics from today

Reactions: Like 2


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## Smokehound714 (Apr 23, 2014)

Man this is a bad idea...  Ahahaha..


  I hope you have experience with children, cus that's basically what you guys obtained:  A furry little child that will get into EVERYTHING. haha


   Put locks on all your enclosures!


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## freedumbdclxvi (Apr 23, 2014)

I have a seven year old boy and a two year old skunk.  Raccoon was the next logical step.  Lol

Reactions: Like 1


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## jbm150 (Apr 24, 2014)

Hey Dustin, what shop did you get it from?  Underground?  If there is an exotics shop somewhere close by I don't know about, I wanna know about it lol


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## ARACHNO-SMACK48 (Apr 24, 2014)

THAT...IS...AMESOME!!! You must have one heck of a LPS lol


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## freedumbdclxvi (Apr 24, 2014)

Yep Underground.


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## Smokehound714 (Apr 24, 2014)

Oh man.. you're gonna wake up one day, and your livingroom will look like a crime scene hahaha...


  And the raccoon will be missing, until you see his head pop out of a big hole in the drywall

Reactions: Like 1


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## jthorntonwillis (Apr 25, 2014)

Oh,You are so right.Been there ,done that....Got the t-shirt,but the raccoon stole it.


The Snark said:


> They seem so sweet and harmless when they are asleep. However, the other 23 hours a day...
> Do yourself a favor. Pack up all your small belongings and precious items and drop them in a donation box somewhere. You will save countless hours searching for them not to mention the groundless accusations and recriminations of various household members.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mindibun (Apr 25, 2014)

Good luck w him. He's adorable but we have a ringtail lemur and omg are they BAD. the cuteness wears off... she's a nightmare. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I437 using Tapatalk


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## Najakeeper (Apr 25, 2014)

I love racoons. It is funny that I have seen none in the 10 years I have spent in the US but I have seen one here in the forests of Switzerland .

You gotta check this out:

[YOUTUBE]0DfGf4M3QZo[/YOUTUBE]

Reactions: Like 1


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## freedumbdclxvi (Apr 25, 2014)

I will definitely update if my kitchen is redecorated.


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## Bigboy (May 4, 2014)

You have no idea how jealous I am that you have a Skunk AND a Raccoon. I will watch this thread.


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## ShamanicHerps (May 4, 2014)

Can they actually be kept as pets without trying to kill you?


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## freedumbdclxvi (May 4, 2014)

Yes, many people keep them without being killed.


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## Introvertebrate (Jun 3, 2014)

Saw this guy in the park today.  I assume he fell out of the tree and couldn't climb back up.  I don't know where his mom was.  Maybe she was waiting for a good time to drag him back up to the nest?  Would she be strong enough?


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## Micrathena (Jun 3, 2014)

Najakeeper said:


> I love racoons. It is funny that I have seen none in the 10 years I have spent in the US but I have seen one here in the forests of Switzerland .
> 
> You gotta check this out:
> 
> [YOUTUBE]0DfGf4M3QZo[/YOUTUBE]


 That video is... It's just... Total verbal failure.
"I hate you!"


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## dementedlullaby (Jun 3, 2014)

Our friend had a raccoon. Actually maybe she still does idk I'd have to ask my wife, anyhow. They're mischievous little buggers which makes for a smart pets. If it'll be out a lot (which it should be) you might want to invest in some locks. They will get into everything. Especially as juveniles. It'll likely want to be around you a lot, especially if it's young.

Love the name btw.




Introvertebrate said:


> Saw this guy in the park today.  I assume he fell out of the tree and couldn't climb back up.  I don't know where his mom was.  Maybe she was waiting for a good time to drag him back up to the nest?  Would she be strong enough?


Mom should be able to snatch him up without issue if she's around. It's hard to tell his size in the photo though.


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## The Snark (Jun 3, 2014)

I sometimes wondered what use you could put a fascia-soffit to. Now we know.

Reactions: Like 1


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## freedumbdclxvi (Jun 3, 2014)

Yep, he loves being around me.


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## pitbulllady (Jun 5, 2014)

One of my friends has several raccoons, some of which were rescues(that's his job, wildlife rescue and assisting Animal Control with some domestic critters) and other he bought from fur farms.  He always has at least one in the house at any given time, along with five dogs.  I've never had a 'coon myself, but I have had skunks.  Skunks aren't the climbers and do not get into things quite as badly as raccoons, but they will definitely keep you on your toes-think of a clumsy ferret the size of a big house cat with an omnivorous diet!

pitbulllady

Reactions: Like 1


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## freedumbdclxvi (Jun 7, 2014)

Yummy banana!


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## freedumbdclxvi (Aug 16, 2014)

I hadn't updated in a while. Tanooki is growing and getting even more photo elusive.  Watching him jump, run, climb is a treat, and he still loves clinging to me.  My son especially loves playing with him.  They tire each other out running and playing.


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## HungryGhost (Aug 16, 2014)

They are a handful when they mature.


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## JohnDapiaoen (Aug 16, 2014)

Is that really a tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides)? it looks more like an average racoon (Procyon lotor). 

If it is indeed a tanuki than take my jealousy my friend!!  

-JohnD.


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## freedumbdclxvi (Aug 16, 2014)

No, his name is just Tanooki, due to Super Mario Bros. 3.  Although it would be awesome to own an actual tanooki!


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## JohnDapiaoen (Aug 16, 2014)

Hahaha! awesome name reference, I love that game!

It definitely would be, they just look so soft! I don't think anyone in the U.S has a pet raccoon dog, but if they do I'm gonna need a pup from them. 

-JohnD.

EDIT: well looked online and I guess people are banned from owning them in the land of the free.


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## freedumbdclxvi (Aug 16, 2014)

Wow.  That I did not know.


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## Smokehound714 (Aug 19, 2014)

Opossums are banned in California, also.

 Which is odd, considering they're so unlikely to transmit disease


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## freedumbdclxvi (Aug 30, 2014)

Pics are still hard to come by without being a blackish blur, so I tried video.

[video]https://www.flickr.com/photos/24686296@N08/15064380536/[/video]


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## bugmankeith (Sep 3, 2014)

I've got tons of coons and possums in my yard if you want to adopt them, lots of sizes to choose from

Reactions: Like 1


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## freedumbdclxvi (Feb 25, 2015)

This has to be one of my saddest posts and days.  Apparently, Tanooki somehow contracted distemper, despite the fact that he nor the other pets go outdoors.  He went from behaving normal yesterday to absolutely tanking today.  All his blood tests came up clean, but his neurological functions were toast - he behaved as if drunk and was having intermittent seizures while salivating. After discussing with my fiancee and the vet, it was decided that the best course was to put him down.  However, now i need to keep an eye on my skunk.  He's showing no signs, but Tanooki didn't ahow any until today.  I have an appointment scheduled for an exam and blood work and testing on him to see if he's contracted it, as well as discuss the possibility of trying the Nobivac Puppy DP vaccine on him.  Seems there is some success in using it on skunks.

damn, this has been a crappy month.  I hate February.


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## miss moxie (Feb 25, 2015)

freedumbdclxvi said:


> This has to be one of my saddest posts and days.  Apparently, Tanooki somehow contracted distemper, despite the fact that he nor the other pets go outdoors.  He went from behaving normal yesterday to absolutely tanking today.  All his blood tests came up clean, but his neurological functions were toast - he behaved as if drunk and was having intermittent seizures while salivating. After discussing with my fiancee and the vet, it was decided that the best course was to put him down.  However, now i need to keep an eye on my skunk.  He's showing no signs, but Tanooki didn't ahow any until today.  I have an appointment scheduled for an exam and blood work and testing on him to see if he's contracted it, as well as discuss the possibility of trying the Nobivac Puppy DP vaccine on him.  Seems there is some success in using it on skunks.
> 
> damn, this has been a crappy month.  I hate February.


Awwwww, I'm so sorry to hear this. It's really hard losing furry best-friends. :/ I hope your skunk fairs well.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Ellenantula (Feb 25, 2015)

freedumbdclxvi said:


> This has to be one of my saddest posts and days.  Apparently, Tanooki somehow contracted distemper ...best course was to put him down.
> damn, this has been a crappy month.  I hate February.


I am so extremely sorry to hear this -- a huge loss.  I am so hopeful your skunk will be fine.

Reactions: Like 1


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## freedumbdclxvi (Feb 25, 2015)

Thanks for the kind words.  I'm just at a loss.  It's hard enough losing a pet when he or she has had a long journey, but his had barely begun.


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## miss moxie (Feb 25, 2015)

freedumbdclxvi said:


> Thanks for the kind words.  I'm just at a loss.  It's hard enough losing a pet when he or she has had a long journey, but his had barely begun.


Are you sure it was distemper? Perhaps it was a genetic problem. I'm not doubting you or the vet know what you're talking about, but that is so crazy to pick it up out of the blue.  I don't know much about raccoons as pets, but given how uncommon a pet they are I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of available stock was inbred. 

I dunno, I'm spitballing ideas that don't involve your skunk being exposed to such an awful disease.


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## freedumbdclxvi (Feb 25, 2015)

Not 100% certain, but it was the vet's best opinion.  We decided against a necropsy, as we felt, in case it was distemper, it was better to test the skunk rather than wait for the necropsy results.  Distemper wasn't even something i considered, as it came on so quick and he is an indoor pet.  But the vet said that itt can go neurological very quickly and skip the normal symptoms, and you can carry it on your clothing.  I had no idea.

I'm hoping the age difference (the skunk is three years old vs the racoon being around 11 months) will mean a better immune response.

Reactions: Like 1


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## miss moxie (Feb 26, 2015)

freedumbdclxvi said:


> Not 100% certain, but it was the vet's best opinion.  We decided against a necropsy, as we felt, in case it was distemper, it was better to test the skunk rather than wait for the necropsy results.  Distemper wasn't even something i considered, as it came on so quick and he is an indoor pet.  But the vet said that itt can go neurological very quickly and skip the normal symptoms, and you can carry it on your clothing.  I had no idea.
> 
> I'm hoping the age difference (the skunk is three years old vs the racoon being around 11 months) will mean a better immune response.


Welp, I'm hoping so too for you and the skunk. Keep us updated. 

Not sure if this will lighten the mood a bit, but when I was a child I was convinced distemper shots were to keep animals friendly... Then again, I also believed my father when he told me there was a little gnome who turned the light on in the fridge.

Oh the time I spent, opening and closing the fridge door to catch him in the act. Yahootie, I believe the name was.


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## Aviara (Feb 26, 2015)

I'm terribly sorry for your loss. I just wanted to add my two cents here. I acquired a raccoon for a bit years ago, and the first thing we did (literally the second day we owned him) was acquire a killed distemper vaccine and vaccinate him. If you read up on raccoon care even very briefly on the internet, you will find that these vaccines are necessary and distemper is extremely dangerous for captive raccoons. You track diseases like distemper, parvovirus, etc. in on your shoes from the soil where pets defecate, and no matter how carefully you quarantine an animal there is always a risk of exposure to diseases.

In addition, and I mean no offense, planning to keep a raccoon in your home is never a good idea. Skunks do fairly well in home environments, but raccoons are extremely destructive and can even work their way OUT of the structure. A safe, large outdoor enclosure made of metal with a concrete bottom should always be used as a raccoon's home. These animals don't make good pets, they are wildlife. Last, I hope you had a quality vet and had your baby neutered. Normally I am against neutering for most species, but raccoons can be downright dangerous during mating season when left intact. The raccoon I owned was an intact male, a rescue the previous owner thought was cute as a baby and then got overwhelmed by, and he was nothing like a sweet young raccoon, and nothing like the neutered raccoon in my current town's nature center. I'm pointing this out because, as someone who volunteers for wildlife rehabilitators, I see and hear too many stories of the "cute baby raccoon" kept as a pet turning into an uncontrolled adult who is neither fit for captivity nor for release into the wild. I highly recommend you do a LOT of research before getting another wild mammal. I hate to say it, because I am sure you loved your raccoon dearly and had the best intentions, but if it truly was distemper (and it's a pretty high likelihood over a random neurological issue) it never would have happened with proper husbandry techniques.


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## freedumbdclxvi (Feb 26, 2015)

I have a number of animals many people have deemed "never a good idea" to bring in your home.  I'm not a person who gets a "cute baby" then abandons it.

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## Tivia (Feb 26, 2015)

I am sorry for your loss, freedumbdclxvi.  No matter how or why you acquired it, losing something you cared for is always difficult.

Reactions: Like 2


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## freedumbdclxvi (Feb 26, 2015)

Tivia said:


> I am sorry for your loss, freedumbdclxvi.  No matter how or why you acquired it, losing something you cared for is always difficult.


Thank you.


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## The Snark (Feb 26, 2015)

freedumbdclxvi said:


> Not 100% certain, but it was the vet's best opinion.  We decided against a necropsy, as we felt, in case it was distemper, it was better to test the skunk rather than wait for the necropsy results.  Distemper wasn't even something i considered, as it came on so quick and he is an indoor pet.  But the vet said that itt can go neurological very quickly and skip the normal symptoms, and you can carry it on your clothing.  I had no idea.
> 
> I'm hoping the age difference (the skunk is three years old vs the racoon being around 11 months) will mean a better immune response.


Heartfelt sympathy for the loss.

Pardon me for going technical here but in this day of vaccinations as standard it is far too easy to overlook deadly viruses. All vertebrate animal keepers need to be constantly aware of the threat of distemper, Paramyxoviruses. To be more emphatic and precise, a form of measles. This is why there is such a panic right now to get children vaccinated. Distemper is measles. Sometimes called canine measles. Not a threat to humans but they are very closely related in the same family.
Vets are advised to not perform necropsy on suspected animals as it is all but impossible to avoid becoming a carrier. Surgical sterile protocols are not enough to prevent the vet and the animal hospital from becoming a transmission station. In hospitals it is assumed the virus is always present and our infection control protocols reflect this. To make a long story short, if Tanooki had it, you are a carrier and the skunk has caught it. All that can be done now is hope the skunks immune system is up to snuff. Full quarantine duration is 28 days.

How did the animal catch it? The safe assumption is most animals have it and are resistant. Transmission is as easy as petting a friends healthy dog and bang. You are a carrier. This is why the entire health community is going facepalm over the silly rumors of measles vaccinations causing this or that problem. Measles is a deadly disease and vaccinations are just emulating what mom nature does to prevent massive die offs.

Worth giving a read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramyxoviridae

Reactions: Like 3


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## freedumbdclxvi (Feb 26, 2015)

Thanks, Snark.  I will give that a read.  I'm hoping the skunk's age will factor in to a stronger immune system.


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