Because of their cute faces, many people think that raccoons are really adorable. To keep a raccoon as a pet is very uncommon. However, there are some Americans who are known to keep a raccoon as a pet. One of them is US President Calvin Coolidge. When he used to reside in the White House, Calvin kept a pair of raccoons as pets.
Do Raccoons Make Good Pets?
The answer is no. Raccoons do not make good pets. They are unpredictable as well as mischievous by their nature. They can also be aggressive. Even if you think that you have already tamed a wild raccoon, it can turn upon you any moment and bite you with its sharp teeth. They also have long and sharp claws which can cause serious damage to you.
Why Raccoons Do Not Make Good Pets?
An interesting fact about raccoons is that they have variable temperaments. While some raccoons can be friendly toward human beings, there are others that can be skittish as well as aggressive. To keep a raccoon at your house as a pet is simply not worth the risk because at any time it may turn on you. Even though you have tamed the raccoon, you cannot be sure about its behavior.
Why Can Raccoons Cannot Be Domesticated?
Over the years, many people have tried to breed raccoons and make them good pets. But these attempts were not successful from time to time. Unlike dogs or even cats, raccoons cannot form a bond or deep connection with human beings. They are aggressive, curious, unpredictable, and independent by nature.
Can Raccoons Cause Diseases In Humans?
Raccoons carry zoonotic parasites as well as other infectious diseases like rabies. This can be dangerous for you and your family members as well as the other pets. The droppings of raccoons also contain raccoon roundworm. These parasitic worms can pose a serious threat to human beings. Their egg spores droppings are extremely dangerous to us, especially for the children.
What May Happen If The Pet Raccoon Escapes?
Suppose you have kept a raccoon at your house and it somehow escapes. What will happen? It will be scary for your neighbors, their children, and also their pets. Even if the raccoon somehow manages to break free into the wild, it will still be difficult for it to survive. The raccoon will not have the necessary skills to survive in the wild as a result of being domesticated.
Is It Legal And Ethical To Pet A Raccoon?
It is illegal to keep a raccoon as a pet in Canada. They are on the list of prohibited animals in the country. It is also unethical to pet a raccoon as they are wild animals. As per the law of the country, you cannot capture a healthy wild raccoon and force it to stay in your house for the rest of its life in confinement. Law says that wild animals like raccoons should live in their natural environment.
Final Words
Raccoons cannot be trained like dogs as they will never be obedient in their true sense. Although young raccoons can be playful and docile, their best place is in their natural habitat which is in the jungle.
