When many think of household pets, the first things that come to mind are probably dogs or cats. Maybe you think of hamsters or even tarantulas. But have you ever thought about raccoons? Raccoons can be pretty domestic animals. Of course, don’t go trying to domesticate a raccoon in the wild, that may end up in the opposite direction. Most domesticated raccoons are raised from birth into a human environment, this creates a physical environment in which the raccoon can be healthily raised. However, just as with any other animal, raccoons still have their tendency of digging in the trash, therefore, make sure to research if you have ever considered owning a raccoon.
Stephanie Rhodd, a previous raccoon owner herself, seemed to find herself reeled into the “raccoon distribution system.”
“My husband is an arborist and he found them in a tree he was working on one day,” Rhodd said.
When Rhodd had found the raccoons, they had just been born and this was the perfect opportunity to bring them in. This is where the journey started for the Rhodd family.
Raising these raccoons, we all wonder, there has to be a favorite. Ruby the racoon seems to gain a particular attraction to Rhodd.
“Ruby was the only one who survived her from her siblings and she became attached to me. She wanted to be with me 24/7 and loved to snuggle so she definitely was my favorite.”
Today, the raccoons are released into the wild where they are happy and nourished. The raccoons did not have to be trained or rehabilitated into their environment because since they are wild animals, they have wild tendencies that keep them safe and healthy.
“Before we released them we made sure they knew how to get food and water on their own, a lot of what they needed to know was natural instinct but we still put food and water out for them and they come home every couple days for a snack.”
Of course, having to let the raccoons go seems sad, however, since the raccoons come back for snacks, they appear to show how well they have adapted to their natural habitat.
“We didn’t want to let them go but they always had the natural instinct to want to go explore. We live in a heavily wooded area and they loved climbing trees and going on adventures so eventually we decided to let them go slowly and when they were ready.”
In the end, owning raccoons is a fun alternative to owning a dog and it is more normalized than you think. We will all be wishing that the distribution system will hand us a raccoon someday soon.
