This is what happens when you feed these critters (raccoons)

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-10-27 10:56am

My parents have a family of three that's been coming all this year. The mother is one of the racoons that came last year, etc. They've never increased because whenever a rogue racoon comes around they chase it off.

Anyhow, they show up at the porch window around 8-9 PM, look inside and paw at the window. You give them some peanut butter, which is the funniest thing to watch, then they leave after about another hour of not feeding them.

They've never destroyed anything because the garbage is kept in a large wooden container. They would come in any case; normally come to finish off the bird seed my parents put out every day.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2003-10-27 11:09am

racoons are cool!!!

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-10-27 11:13am

InnerBrat wrote:Oh, the cute!

How come your wild animals aren't all mangy and disease ridden like our urban foxes and evil pigeons?

We have semi-urban coyotes that don't always look that great but I will say that most of the pigeons that crap all over my patio look to be in pretty good shape.

As for raccoons, they are cute and those in the picture look very healthy but aren't they one of the more common carriers of rabies in the US?

Raccoons in Canada

VetCentric

VetCentric wrote:The most common rabies carriers are wild animals, including foxes, skunks, raccoons, and bats

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2003-10-27 11:15am

Tsyroc wrote:As for raccoons, they are cute and those in the picture look very healthy but aren't they one of the more common carriers of rabies in the US?

Got me.
Rabies isn't yet a major problem over here, excpet for the odd bat and animal that can trek the Chunnel.

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2003-10-27 11:22am

Rabies isn't yet a major problem over here, excpet for the odd bat and animal that can trek the Chunnel.

i thought that we just managed to get rid of rabies through strict quarantining and vaccination?

i don't think we'll ever have a major rabies problem in the UK again. unless someone decides it would be funny to release a load of rabies infected rats and rabbits and shit at some point.[/quote]

Tsyroc · Post by **Tsyroc** » 2003-10-27 11:25am

InnerBrat wrote: Got me.
Rabies isn't yet a major problem over here, excpet for the odd bat and animal that can trek the Chunnel.

It's not really a major problem here most of the time. Every now and then there's an outbreak that makes the news but most of the time people end up getting treated for rabies because it is unknown whether the animal they had contact with was infected or not. Luckilly, the treatment doesn't involve a series of shots in the stomach anymore but it's still something to avoid if possible. I think the more likely danger of having unvacinated animals around is that they could get it and pass it on to family pets which then make it more likely that a human will get it.

I still encounter a lot more incidents of people being bitten by rattlesnakes and stung by scorpions than I hear of rabies bites.

theski · Post by **theski** » 2003-10-27 11:29am

They also are one of the largest animal groups to carry RABIES>>>>>

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2003-10-27 11:30am

Zac Naloen wrote:
Rabies isn't yet a major problem over here, excpet for the odd bat and animal that can trek the Chunnel.

i thought that we just managed to get rid of rabies through strict quarantining and vaccination?

i don't think we'll ever have a major rabies problem in the UK again. unless someone decides it would be funny to release a load of rabies infected rats and rabbits and shit at some point.

Nah, with the increased tourism through the Chunnel it's making a comeback.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2003-10-27 02:48pm

Tsyroc wrote:We have semi-urban coyotes that don't always look that great but I will say that most of the pigeons that crap all over my patio look to be in pretty good shape.

As for raccoons, they are cute and those in the picture look very healthy but aren't they one of the more common carriers of rabies in the US?

I've encountered quite a few raccoons, and I've yet to encounter one that wasn't most likely rabid (because they are the only ones who go staggering around in open areas and don't run from angry dogs... or maybe they are drunk, I dunno) In fact, I know some of them are rabid because I ended up killing the ones that wandered into my backyard and that my dogs went after and turned it over to animal control for dissection (the only way you can really tell). The guy got back to me and said that the coon was rabid and that my dogs should be very carefully watched for a while.

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2003-10-27 02:58pm

Looks like Hyperion has some varmit hunting to do.

Me personally if I looked out on my porch and saw those ten raccons I would go get my .22 or my shotgun and have some fun.

Zac Naloen · Post by **Zac Naloen** » 2003-10-27 03:00pm

Death from the Sea wrote:Looks like Hyperion has some varmit hunting to do.

Me personally if I looked out on my porch and saw those ten raccons I would go get my .22 or my shotgun and have some fun.

me, personally... i wouldn't want to have to clean up the aftermath lol

Zoink · Post by **Zoink** » 2003-10-27 03:42pm

Rabies is pretty uncommon in North America. I know that in Canada there has only been 4 reported cases of human rabies since 1970. You usually only have to worry if they announce an outbreak (I think it was about 15 years since they last announced one in my area).

The riskiest animal is the bat (that's accounts for the most cases), mainly because people don't bother worrying so much about a bat bite, and its harder to know if a bat has bitten your kid.

If you're bitten the recommended procedure: Immediately wash out the wound thoroughly with 20% soap solution (even if it hurts), then use an virucidal agent like iodine (not peroxyde or alcohol, peroxide doesn't kill viruses and alcohol doesn't kill the rabies virus). That should kill the virus in 90% of cases. Then of course see a doctor if rabies is a possibility.

Death from the Sea · Post by **Death from the Sea** » 2003-10-27 03:49pm

rabies is not the only problem with them coon's they also can get distemper which they can spread to domesticated animals.

Vertigo1 · Post by **Vertigo1** » 2003-10-28 10:00pm

Looks like a job for the water hose.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2003-10-28 10:24pm

"You know what happens when you feed a tribble a lot?"
"A fat tribble."
"No... you get a whole bunch of little baby tribbles."

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-10-28 11:43pm

Racoon morphs are so cuuuute!

SAMAS · Post by **SAMAS** » 2003-10-29 03:09pm

Yeah, Racoons seem to get downright tame if you feed 'em regularly.

A few weeks ago, we were on our way back from dropping my sister back off at college, and we stopped at a rest point on the way home just past the Texas/Louisiana border. They had a pair of Raccoons there(never call 'em "coons" in Texas. They're liable to get shot

) that all but walked up to let people pet them.

Jadeite · Post by **Jadeite** » 2003-10-29 11:36pm

I hate raccoons, I lost a cat to them.