Raccoon Kits!

So I finally convinced the lady who tried to foster these guys to turn them over. It took one dying unfortunately for her to realize that she didn't know how to take care of them properly so here are the remaining two. The larger one is a girl and her name is Jessica (Jess for short) and the little one is a boy named Randy. Hope they make someone else smile the way they do me. :)

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/a...2/IMG_5966.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/a...2/IMG_5962.jpg
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/a...2/IMG_5960.jpg

OMG, they are ADORABLE! :love:

Oh jeez, they are cute! Are they friendly?

What a couple of darlings!! Sure made me smile! What are your plans for them as they get older?

Soooo cute! I took in 2 skunk babies (kits?) years ago. They were sooo amazing!

They are still wild animals so I don't know if friendly is the right word. If you have food, they love you though. Right now, they are still mostly on milk (kitten formula mixed with rice cereal) but they are starting to try new foods. The little one thinks sweet potatoes are the greatest thing and has started to explore shells. Tonight we'll try some earthworms to see how that goes. They haven't bitten though at first they huffed and squealed every time they saw me until they understood I was ok. They still do that with strangers though which is good since they need to stay 'scared' of people.
As for what our plans are, once our local shelter has space in their outdoor pens, they will get turned over to them so they can be released into the wild this fall. They don't make good pets despite how cute they are at this age so they are being kept away from the dogs so they don't get acclimated to them. By the time they are released, they'll know how to hunt, forage, and keep away from people/domestic animals. We did this a couple years ago with an orphaned litter of four and they made it through their first winter after being released the previous fall. It's nice knowing they can get back out into the wild and thrive.

thats so cool, good luck with them!

Yuck, racoons give me the creeps lol.

At work theres one that lives in the woods behind our dumpster. I think its a mom that has babies close by. I always leave the door open on the dumpster at nite so she can go in and get food. Shes actually fairly friendly and will kindly hop out of the dumpster when i throw new stuff in and just sit like 15ft away watching me. Thats about as close as id like to get to her though haha.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Yuck, racoons give me the creeps lol.

At work theres one that lives in the woods behind our dumpster. I think its a mom that has babies close by. I always leave the door open on the dumpster at nite so she can go in and get food. Shes actually fairly friendly and will kindly hop out of the dumpster when i throw new stuff in and just sit like 15ft away watching me. Thats about as close as id like to get to her though haha.

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Well, they don't creep you out too bad, you feed her. :)

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Originally Posted by DrDooLittle

Well, they don't creep you out too bad, you feed her. :)

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

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No she knows i dont like her lol. Its a mutually dislike for one another. But i figure if no one is going to do anything about her, no matter how many times i tell my bosses, then i mind as well keep her happy so she doesnt attack me. Although if she did i would be elated because then i would own the facility due to the fact that i tell them a couple of time a week about her...

Keeping your employees safe is wayyyy overated though right?

She's not going to attack you--you bring her food, lol.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

No she knows i dont like her lol. Its a mutually dislike for one another. But i figure if no one is going to do anything about her, no matter how many times i tell my bosses, then i mind as well keep her happy so she doesnt attack me. Although if she did i would be elated because then i would own the facility due to the fact that i tell them a couple of time a week about her...

Keeping your employees safe is wayyyy overated though right?

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Just don't attack her, scare her, or bother her babies and you're fine. They are very intelligent and curious creatures. She knows you mean food so she sticks around. I highly doubt she would ninja attack you from the bushes even if you didn't feed her though. ;)

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

She's not going to attack you--you bring her food, lol.

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Originally Posted by Dracoluna

Just don't attack her, scare her, or bother her babies and you're fine. They are very intelligent and curious creatures. She knows you mean food so she sticks around. I highly doubt she would ninja attack you from the bushes even if you didn't feed her though. ;)

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Unfortunately i figured i couldnt get that lucky haha.

I was under the impression they were strictly nocturnal though and i see her out and about at all times of the day. I was worried she had rabies but she doesnt look sick imo. And shes been around for at least a month.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

I was under the impression they were strictly nocturnal though and i see her out and about at all times of the day. I was worried she had rabies but she doesnt look sick imo. And shes been around for at least a month.

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That is a myth. They will forage during the day if they feel comfortable. They are very adaptable creatures which is how they survive in the city but that also means they don't all act the same. Most prefer coming out in early evening and will stay out most of the night but I've seen some out during the day especially if they know there will be a food source during that time.

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Originally Posted by Dracoluna

That is a myth. They will forage during the day if they feel comfortable. They are very adaptable creatures which is how they survive in the city but that also means they don't all act the same. Most prefer coming out in early evening and will stay out most of the night but I've seen some out during the day especially if they know there will be a food source during that time.

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Idk that, thanks for sharing! :)
I actually saw a smaller one near the front of the facility when i was leaving at like 8pm tonite. Im guessing it may be the father.

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

Idk that, thanks for sharing! :)
I actually saw a smaller one near the front of the facility when i was leaving at like 8pm tonite. Im guessing it may be the father.

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The males are generally bigger so that might be one of last years babies. They take a couple years to reach adult size and some stay with mom until she kicks them out the following spring. Either that or the word got out that you have a great restaurant. ;)

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Originally Posted by Dracoluna

The males are generally bigger so that might be one of last years babies. They take a couple years to reach adult size and some stay with mom until she kicks them out the following spring. Either that or the word got out that you have a great restaurant. ;)

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Yea the dumpster isnt supposed to have exposed garbage in it, just garbage in bags. You know what I mean?

So since the raccoons are ripping all the bags open and spreading food/garbage juices all over the inside of the dumpster, it is starting to reak. It smells sooooo yucky in there on hot days.

It probably is one of the ones from last year that i saw like you said. :gj: