From
The "Common" Household Pet To
The Exotics, Show Animals, Rabbits,
Tropical Fish, Iguanas, Pet Care To Pet
Grooming And More ~ You Will Find A Host
Of Valuable Information On These Pages!
ADVENTURES
WITH "MI GUSTO" & FAMILY
The night
was warm; a perfect night to enjoy an
open bedroom window and gaze at the star
studded sky twinkling through the leaves
of the surrounding forest. I drifted off
to sleep, but was startled awake by the
distinct sound of what sounded like
someone rummaging through my jewelry box
that was sitting on the vanity, under my
bedroom window. The commotion of my
suddenly turning over in bed and sitting
up did not deter the intruder. My
greeting, “Well good evening, Senor
Mi Gusto!” did nothing more than
make Mi Gusto withdraw his paw out of my
jewelry box and curiously gaze at me as I
reached for the camera sitting on the
table beside my bed.
Raccoons!
What wonderful little creatures! What
fun! So cute! Oh so intelligent! We are
so fortunate to live in a wooded area
where we’ve been able to make
friends with our ‘wild’ little
rascals. Feeding wild raccoons in
one’s backyard can be a highly
rewarding experience indeed. For those of
you who are unfamiliar with raccoons, let
me take a moment and tell you a little
about these nocturnal animals.
The raccoon
is often recognized by its black mask and
tail covered by white rings. The name
"raccoon" come from the Indian
word "arakum" which means"
he scratches with his hands." Adult
raccoons may be up to 3 feet long and
weigh up to 30 pounds, although some male
raccoons can weigh up to 40 pounds!
Raccoons have a whitish gray coat,
sometimes yellowish with black patches of
fur. This fur is long and dense, a
grizzled brown and black color that has
often been described as "salt and
pepper." The tail can grow to be
fifteen inches. A tail can have five to
seven black rings on it. Raccoons look
like they are wearing a bandits mask on
their face. Although, raccoons are flesh
eaters and have long canine teeth, their
molar teeth are adapted for a varied diet
which includes more than just meat. They
have sharp claws so they can climb trees
and open shell fish such as clams and
oysters. Raccoons are also nocturnal
animals. The raccoon's closest relatives
are ringtails and coatis from the
Southwest.
I,
personally, can watch raccoons for hours
on end and never tire of their antics.
But feeding any wild animal is something
one should take care to do properly, to
avoid nasty situations later on. Here are
some helpful tips to get you started in
the wonderful world of backyard wildlife
appreciation. Remember, these are only
guidlines -- a lot of people don't follow
them, and a lot of people have different
techniques. I present these only as a
"getting-started" guide for
people who might be interested in
attracting and feeding wild raccoons.
Most
raccoons will eat just about anything.
Although this
statement is generally true, raccoons do
have definite preferences. Generally
speaking, they like peanuts, sweets,
fruits, bread, peanut butter, and
especially cat and dog food. Like feeding
humans, though, don't give them a lot of
treats. Give them healthy food. We buy,
in bulk, the least expensive, large
chunked dry dog food. We buy the large
chunks because we love to watch them hold
the pieces in their sweet little hands,
turning it over, from one side to the
other as they feast with great delight.
As our picture shows, though we,
ourselves, are “guilty,”
I’d discourage anyone from feeding
raccoons by hand.
A
raccoon may bite you quite accidentally,
mistaking your finger for food. Or you
just might get bitten on purpose,
especially if it is believed that you are
taking food away!!
If
a raccoon has a “dry” nose,
STAY FAR FROM IT. A “dry” nose
is a sure sign of a sick raccoon! Note
the “shiny” nose of the raccoon
in this picture. That’s a good sign!
No
matter what the reason is, once bitten,
you're both in trouble. You'll have to be
tested for rabies, and the local health
authorities will want to capture the
raccoon that bit you to test for rabies.
And what are the chances of them finding
the one that actually bit you? That is
unless you know the individual
distinguished marks of “your”
raccoons well enough to tell them apart.
And how is a raccoon tested for rabies?
First of all, the raccoon’s head
will be cut off! Also, you will have to
go through rabies treatment. So,
it’s not a good thing for either you
or your little friend. Be safe rather
than sorry; just don’t feed raccoons
by hand.
Don't
let the raccoons get used to your
handouts. This tip is hardest to live by
because you'll soon find you love the
company of your little night visitors.
Initially, our “babies” came at
night, however, they soon became so tame
they’d peer in our windows long
before dark. Also, you shouldn't feed
them “every” night. For their
sake, and yours, you should try to
stagger the nights you leave food out, so
they're never sure when there will be
food and when there won't. Raccoons are
incredibly good problem solvers, so try
not to make feeding place and time a
pattern. Thus, when you're away on
vacation, they won't tear into your house
to find out why you forgot to leave food
out for them. Like our little
friends did, as shown in these pictures.
 
Don't
associate your house proper with the food
you leave out. When you put out food,
it's tempting to put it out on your
doorstop or veranda. A lot of people do
this, and in most cases that's fine. But
some raccoons are more adventurous than
others. If you're not careful, they may
come to recognize your
house as the source of their food. If you
move out or go on vacation, the
frustrated raccoons may very well invite
themselves inside to look for food. As
you can see in these pictures, they leave
no stone . . . or paper out of your
computer table unturned. They even went
into our tool room and pulled nearly all
of our construction tools off the
shelves, looking for food. It's just
safer and “wiser” to put food a
bit of distance away from your house.
If
you have several raccoons around,
I’d advise you to put out several
plates of food to avoid territorial
squabbles and fights However, generally
speaking, raccoons are quite happy to
share with each other (and other animals)
if there enough to go around.
Not
everyone is lucky enough to live in a
rural setting deep in the woods as we do.
So if you live close to neighbors, be
certain that you will be attracting
raccoons to the area of your neighbors'
yards too. Remembering that everyone
might not love wildlife as much as you
do, it would be deeply considerate to ask
your neighbors if they mind having these
delightful little creatures around. If
your neighbors have tightly sealed
garbage cans and they do not leave food
out there should be no problems.
Do
“you” have a raccoon story, or
pictures, that you’d like to
share? To send them to us just click
here.
[ 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 ]
|
|
