Larry is a raccoon that was born in captivity. He
was born Late March 2004, I bought him May 2004.
I raised Larry
with my fox Daryl. Both got along great and played
together. Larry is still great friends with Daryl.
Larry not only got along with my fox Daryl, he also
loves my dogs. As Larry was growing up, he was very
trusting and still is. He played with all the dogs
I had at that time. Unfortunately the dogs he grew up
with are now deceased (most from old age). He now has
two female coonhounds he plays with.
Larry has never bit me or even attempted to. He is a
very calm raccoon. However, this don't mean that all
raccoons are this calm. Larry has a lot of
activity daily that helps keep him calm.
However, when he was young, he use to open cupboards,
refrigerator and almost anything with a handle. Seems
curiosity is part of a raccoons nature. As Larry got older,
the calmer he got. Sometimes he will just sit on
the couch and watch TV for hours. But, I believe
some of his calmness is due to his daily activity and
the fact he was bred in captivity.
Larry has his own room with plenty of hiding places, and
a doggie door that goes to his 10x20 pen. His pen has a
tall tower which he loves to climb. He also has
run of most of the house, but, he is kept in his
room/pen at night. He shares the room/pen with
another raccoon and three foxes.
Larry will give me "nose kiss" (he puts his nose to my
lips) on command.
He understands many words, especially the word "no"
The picture to the right is Larry playing with my yellow
lab dog I had back then. It really surprised me
how well all my dogs was so gentle with him.
I have many more pictures of Larry in his photo gallery.
Larry seemed to like getting his picture taken. I have a
ton of "Larry pictures" with more to be added in the
near future.
 The
picture to the left is Larry and Daryl playing when they
were younger.
Now that they are older, they don't play as much as they
did then, but, will
still nap near each other. Sometimes I see Larry
grooming Daryl.
Even though Larry has two other foxes and another
raccoon, his preference is still to be with Daryl.
The picture to the right is of Larry and
Anna (bluetick coonhound).
He plays well with her. Larry gets along with just about
anyone.
This picture was taken 2008.
You will see many of Larry's pictures in his photo
gallery. I have them sorted by year.
 This
is a real classic of Larry. When he was younger, he took
over my hall cupboard.
I use to keep sheets and towels in it,
he decided he
wanted this cupboard, he would throw everything out.
Eventually, I gave up and let him have the cupboard.
The picture to the left is an odd sleeping position.
Don't know how he can be comfortable, but, he apparently
was. It is strange, because generally when
raccoons sleep, they sleep with their head tucked under.
Larry was very easy to litter train. Most raccoons are
pretty good about using a litter box. However, I have
heard of some owners that had a more difficult time.
I use those black cement mixing pans for their litter
pans.
Line it with newspaper and a thin layer of cat litter.
It is best to have more than one litter pan, especially
when they are young.
Larry's favorite food is live fish and for treats he
loves worthers hard candy. He don't get this everyday.
His basic diet is chicken, dry cat food, can cat food.
He also loves marshmallows.
DO RACCOONS MAKE GOOD PETS?
Raccoons can make good pets, as long as they are
understood and cared for properly.
It is extremely important to have a raccoon neutered or
spayed by 6-11 months. Otherwise, you will have an
aggressive raccoon. It is best to get a raccoon that is
still on the bottle. This makes bonding better.
It is very crucial to spend as much time with a raccoon,
especially when young. DO NOT play bite with a raccoon.
Raccoons, as most animals, do not understand that play
biting can hurt a human. You can use a stuffed
animal if you let your raccoon play bite with you.
Even though raccoons are said to be nocturnal animals, some
can reverse their nocturnal instinct somewhat.
Raccoons are definitely not for everyone. They
need special care, understanding and extensive research
should be done prior to buying one. They should
have a pen, they like the outdoors, and prefer to
sleep/nap in hiding places.
Raccoons can be kept inside, but, the best of both
worlds are the best.
Raccoons can be destructive and like to explore new
places. A closed door/cupboard can entice a
raccoon for discovery. Most will climb on counters,
drapes and scratch at doors. Some are worse than
others. Depends on their daily activity. As with
most animals, "a bored raccoon is a bad raccoon"
As with most exotic animals, raccoons are not like
dogs or cats. Therefore, they should not be handled like
a cat or a dog. Every state is different when it
comes to the legality of owning a raccoon. it is best to
check with your state first. Also most states do
NOT allow any animal taken from the wild. So
please do not attempt to get a raccoon from the wild.
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