Awwwww, how heartwarming ;u; He looks so chill and relaxed!

He's the only raccoon I know of who actively seeks out and enjoys being in someone's lap. :3

Like a cat... :)

Knock over a few garbage cans, and suddenly you're public enemy no. 1. :P

I kinda want a pet raccoon now... But I already have two cats and a beagle and I don't think my parents would be too keen on another mouth to feed.

Raccoons are feral animals and not pets, you have to remember that always you see such a cute animal. They need freedom.

Yah, cute definitely doesn't always equal cuddly. :P

Well, if you want to get into exotics the first thing to do is to get informed. This is a good place:
http://www.raskbb.com/sybilsden/index.php

Don't underestimate the care and money it would take, and the destructiveness which could be pending if they get bored.

The problem with raccoons as pets is their unpredictability... one minute it's all "aww, I love you" and the next minute you're bandaging up a two-inch gash in your hand. :P

Buddy of mine has a raccoon for a pet. They have yet to have an issue, and they have had him a while. They have more trouble with their dog, including pantry and trash can raids, which the coon has yet to do. But he does have a habit of wanting to ride on shoulders, the dogs back, and nabbing food from the coffee table if he has not got his food yet.

My understanding ('cause I've looked into it m'self) is that they don't make good pets. At all. The raccoon in this photo is something of an anomaly in that he enjoys being handled... unusual even for a human-raised 'coon. Most raccoons aren't so approachable or cuddly, and they're liable to bite if the mood strikes them. Someday somebody might put in the effort to breed a line of domesticated 'coons, but until then they've got to be considered feral, wild critters. Pity, that, because I'd love to have one too. :(

Aww raccooney! ^^

Now with extra raccooniness. :3

Yay! lol

He's quite an unusual 'coon... one of the most docile I've ever seen. He gets this kind of attention because his brother died a while back, and his keepers wanted to make sure he stayed active... they were a bit surprised to find out that he's a bit of a lap-coon, and actively enjoys being brushed/rubbed.

Oh yea, thats the spot.

Riiiiiight between the ears. :3

He really does seem to enjoy his morning brush-down. I'm sure it helps that he knows he's going to get some snacks afterward. :3

Man, that is one seriously mellow raccoon! It takes a lot of restraint not to be doing normal raccoon things... like rifling in your pockets, untying your shoes, stealing your brush, and so on.

He still does a bit of clothes-rifling, but he's an older 'coon and a bit mellower than most. :3

Very cool :3 The raccoons I've worked with have all been incredibly grabby. I had to make sure to take off my watch and not to have anything in my pockets. One of them loved to dig keys out of pockets, and then immediately run over to his kiddie pool to dunk his new treasure! X3

Wow, that's so adorable I think I'd have a hard time being miffed. ;3

Where did you get the chance to work with raccoons, if I may ask?

Adorable indeed, so long as you can keep em fed right and keepem from getting obese. Glad you're keeping it active. And (laughs) definitely know what the other person was talking about with the watch.

I was given a gift beaded necklace I wore into work just one day, raccoons immediately snagged it from the walls, tore it apart and proceeded to try and eat all the beads before I could grab them.

From what I hear as pets, there's a couple of major issues outside the "I'm a 1 1/2 years old and I've decided to start biting" thing.

1.) Don't feed them junk food (we've had 2 very obese near death raccoons come to the rehab center because of this).
2.) [From a rehabber with a non-releasable] Raccoon proof EVERYTHING, the fridge, the cabinet, everything had locks.
3.) Make sure they're clean of things like balis, and have access to water all the time to keep themselves clean and happy.

Brushiebrushiebrushiebrushiebrushiebrushie!

That's probably what's going on in the little invisible cartoon thought bubble floating over his head. :3

This made me almost cry. Very nicely put and lovely.

Well, thank you. I absolutely love being witness to these kinds of moments. :3

Aww, it's so adorable :)

Most definitely agreed. :3

Coolness.

Raccoons are among nature's coolest critters.

Awh... yeah... I know it's been written, but, AWWHHHHHH.

Heh... I should have picked "awwww" for my FA name. ;3

Oh wow, thats the first raccoon getting petted who actually looks happy with it :D
The ones I've seen so far on photos looked really really pissed.

Yeah, apparently he's a bit of a raccoon anomaly in that he seems to like being handled (in a carefully maintained morning routine, that is). He even gets a face-rub as part of his grooming, which I wouldn't have thought was something a raccoon would tolerate, much less enjoy. :3

As for his appreciation of affection and grooming, this isn't really that uncommon. My experience ranges from rehab to care of ex-pets to wild raccoons. In all cases, I've met raccoons that really loved the attention. Males tend to be a lot more engaging then females on average, though as 'pets' they're the ones that will end up really nailing you. Indeed, raccoons are terrible pets, but this is primarily because they're wild, and to clarify, this doesn't mean they're simply "unpredictable".

I spent 2 years with wild raccoons on a personal level on their terms, and never felt them to be unpredictable. I'd sometimes wake up to being stepped on by wild raccoons, and was never even slightly concerned.
The problem comes when you impose captivity on them. If they feel irritable - and they typically will without freedom - they really can't do anything about it. This can come out in sudden bursts of rage, including bites. And keep in mind raccoons are plenty smart enough to know that their human is also in effect their captor, however well-intentioned.

But to come back to the cuddly stuff..... males in particular are very susceptible to the 'mutual grooming reflex'. Especially if you get the spot right over the base of the tail (popular with dogs and cats too) a good percentage of raccoons will LITERALLY not be able to resist reaching around to nibble at your arm or somewhere nearby. However, personalities vary greatly from one raccoon to the next too, and the one pictured here is definitely enjoying the attention.

Come to think of it, just once I had a wild female nap on my lap a bit like this picture early on in my visits to the wild raccoons. I always wondered if she might have once been someone's pet. Maybe she missed parts of her old life.

BTW, love your caption under the photo.

I must say, I'm rather envious... when I was younger I had idle daydreams of working with raccoons and other such wild critters. It's fascinating to observe the behavior of a non-domestic animal (especially 'coons, I can watch them all day.)

Point well taken, when you really get to understand an animal it isn't really fair to label them as "unpredictable" (though every individual has their own personality quirks). I'm always careful to emphasize a raccoon's potentially aggressive behavior, though, since my photos tend to make them look cuddly, and I don't want to give folks the wrong idea that they'd make a nice pet. :P

I didn't know that 'coons have that grooming reflex spot over the tail. :3

Oh yeah. You gotta rub firmly with your fingers.....maybe get your nails into it a little, but when done right, raccoons find it irresistible.
I remember one instance where a group of raccoons were gathered, and one of them, Mia, hadn't seen much of her now-grown single cub for a while, and was feeling quite lonely and wanting to 'care for' someone. So she sat down by a fairly bitchy female and started grooming her. This other female protested her actions, but Mia persisted. Before long, she couldn't take it any more and turned around to groom Mia back, even as she sneered in annoyance at Mia's audacity.

The things one learns watching wildlife that are just never found in books.

I respect that you don't encourage raccoons as pets. I could count on one hand the times I've seen it work out long-term, and I've seen a whole lot of attempts over the past 20 years I've been focused on raccoons. The times it does are generally a combination of special circumstances and heavy compromise. As in, house drastically altered for the sake of a live-in raccoon. Caged raccoons though - even part-time - FORGET IT. Keep in mind that raccoons take orders from no one I'm sure some of us can relate to that.

I've yet to have the opportunity to actually pet a raccoon (though I have petted a squirrel and rubbed a dolphin's tongue)... if the chance ever comes up, I'm definitely going to aim for the "grooming spot". :3

I remember a friend of mine telling a story about how, as a little kid, he was out camping in the woods with his folks when a large raccoon approached him, reached out, grabbed hold of his leg, and proceeded to try and drag him away. Even the appearance of his screaming parents couldn't dissuade this 'coon from trying to make off with him, though it did finally relent and trundle off into the undergrowth, hissing the whole time. They were never sure, but their guess was that this was a female who had lost a kit and was maybe looking for a replacement. Either that, or it was thinking "man, this kid is huge! I could eat for weeks!"

I do love being able to observe animals just sort of doing their own thing. Just today, I got to watch an enormous wild turkey do his best puffed-out mating dance in an attempt to woo a hen. :3

Oh... never rubbed a dolphin's tongue before. A tongue that size must feel.....interesting!
Played 'catch' with a dolphin though. Well, they'd swim in toward me, I'd catch their rostrum(as in mouth) in my hands, then shove them back........they'd just kinda float back till they lost motion and swim back in. Problem was they increased their speed a little each time till it wasn't so fun anymore. You start to realize how heavy they are in such games.

As for that raccoon story of yours, I would have to have seen it for myself I think to speculate with any accuracy. But I'm quite sure it was not predation.

I remember standing on the side of a dock with two dolphins play-fighting in the water in front of me... suddenly it turned serious, and the water exploded in a churning white boil while they slammed into each other so hard I could feel the vibrations in my feet. It only lasted a few moments, but I suddenly realized "wow, these things are solid muscle, and they could easily kill me if they wanted to." Kept me nice and respectful in the water.

Dolphin tongue feels like soft wet rubber.

I think this is the best raccoon photo ever taken

Wow... thank you kindly. Always a pleasure to get such encouraging feedback. :3

Awwwwww, he looks so happy.

I like to think that he is... he certainly lives something of a charmed life, as raccoons go. :3

i'd love to give one of the lil guy's a home!

Me too, if I thought I could give one the time and effort it would take to truly keep one happy and healthy (and if I didn't mind the worry that one morning I'd lose a finger to a raccoony mood swing.) Sadly, nobody's ever figured out a way to truly domesticate a raccoon. :P

yes, raccoons have it tough - but they are pretty tough themselves. they are one of the few creatures to not only survive. but thrive in the category "urban wildlife".

This is true, which is probably where this whole suburban love-hate thing comes from... they're almost too successful at living amongst us, which makes folks suspicious. What are the raccoons really up to, we wonder?

That is possibly the most adorable thing I've ever seen...

I was pretty wobbly-kneed when I saw it, too. ;3

DAW! He looks so at peace. Like you've said in other comments, it's amazing to see such a docile coon.

It's always a pleasure to go and watch this guy get his morning brushing. :3

AWWWWWWWE, makes me wish raccoons were safe as pets

makes me wish all animals were safe as pets

why cant we all just get along D:

Yeah, me too... I used to try and convince my folks, when I was a kid, that getting a raccoon (or an otter) would totally be a great idea. In retrospect it's a good thing they didn't listen. :P

I'll always dream of having my own little zoo of animals as friends (pets)

but yeah, it would be to dangerous

For an otter, you'd have to pretty much flood your basement in order to keep them sane, wouldn't you?

Yeah, I wasn't much for planning when I was a kid. I know of folks who have raised otters, but you do need a lot of space, patience, money, and a whole lot of spare time. :P

Raccoon, soon to be raccoon Jell-o.

All raccoons have a jiggly lime-flavored center.

That's the nicest raccoon I've ever seen ^_^

Yeah, he's a peach. :3

does it let anyone touch it? :/ if it wasn't for the fact raccons are hell bent on tearing my face off I'd pet one T^T

Nope, just this particular keeper... they've built up a bit of mutual trust. Yeah, I've always wanted to pet a 'coon, but a wild one would just be too risky to approach. :P

That coon could easily pass for a cat in that position ;p

Well, there is a cat breed called the Maine Coon. Maybe this fellow thinks he is one. :3

...I have nothing to argue that with. :D

I'm sorry to post again, but what is raccoon fur like? Smooth and soft like a cats? Do they make happy noises while being petted/cared for? ^_^

I have to admit that the only 'coon fur I've ever touched has been on a pelt. From what I recall, it's a bit stiff, more like dog hair than cat hair. As for vocalizations, it depends on the individual critter... some 'coons make a sort of chittering noise when they're excited or happy. You're most likely to hear it when the 'coon is about to be fed (happy times!)

Groovy. :3

As mean as raccoons can be, they only get aggressive when approached (or rabid). My friend's bobcat, on the other hand, is perfectly willing to attack people. I remember the first time I saw her I was like, "Oh hey, cool." Then I hear, "Don't move, don't breathe, don't even look at her." Turns out she was seconds away from going for my throat. I don't visit much anymore.

Yeah, there are certain critters that just flat-out don't make good pets. Maybe someday someone will put in the effort to breed a domesticated raccoon or bobcat (takes about 20 generations, at least, is my understanding), but until then they have to be considered feral.

I get scared enough around angry housecats... not sure I'd want to be around a potentially ticked-off bobcat. :P

*kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss*

Keeeeeeeeeeeeess right onna nose.

Happy coonie. ~_~ Murrs

Happy coonie is happy and likes the brush particularly. :3

very cute :) and hes defientley in raccoon heaven just needs some shineys and hes all set :)

He does have some nice shinies, though he really seems to enjoy playing with shoes. :3

heeh ^^ reminds me of my ferret she likes socks

I always wanted a ferret as a kid... but they're not legal in California. :P

aww i knows that sucks i hope that someday they are :) there really great

Yeah, maybe one day they'll turn the law around. Until then, there's always cats. :3

true :)

No raccoons to be found in the UK? :P

Too cute! ^///^

I wouldn't actively search out a raccoon for a pet personally, but if I ended up fostering an orphaned one or one that is injured and can't go back into the wild w/o a high risk of dying, then the gloves are off. :)

I'm verrryyy against people getting pets just because. We already have waaaayyyy too many cats/dogs/mice/etc without loving homes, exotic animals shouldn't even be our desire. First we need to stop breeding the current pets we have now. :)

Wisely put. There are way too many critters out there who need loving homes, and it's a shame that more folks don't have such a responsible attitude. Like you say, though, it's noble work trying to save/rehabilitate an orphaned or injured wild critter (that said, I'd prefer to leave that task up to the professionals... I'd be worried that I wouldn't be able to provide the proper care on my own, and I know of several local organizations that do outstanding work with wild birds and smaller mammals). :3

I'm hoping to adopt one in a few weeks. He's so cute and behaved.

Wow, best of luck. Hope it works out for you! :3 (Post pix, if you decide to do it.)

Aw! It sleeps like a doggie!

'Coons and dogs have more in common than they'd probably care to admit. ;3

Omigosh thats so cute is that you grooming it its so cute :3

Heh... not unless I've turned into a lady. Nope, that's Merlin's official keeper giving him his daily morning rubdown/scritches. Wish it was me, though. ;3

well its adorable

Not often does a raccoon appear to be so very relaxed (and domesticated!) that they're willing to succumb to anything involving thorough hands-on brushing treatment... this is certainly an impressive and sincerely adorable photo! Raises my overall appreciation and heartfelt devotion to raccoons in general. <3 Raccoons are not little bears on crack like some often presume... they are in fact awesome!

Most definitely agreed. They've long been one of my fave critters, and it's always a treat whenever I get a chance to observe one. This particular fellow is indeed unusual... not domesticated, per se, but his willingness to be a "lap coon" and allow himself to be groomed is not something you see every day. ;3

So damn lucky, I'm jelous<sp?>.

Me too... a pet 'coon was always one of my boyhood daydreams. This fellow isn't a pet, though - he lives at a local animal park.

what a beautiful creature :)

Most definitely agreed. :3

Jealous.

Yah, I keep thinking to myself, "One day..."

Of course, there's no way my home could survive a raccoon. :P

Raccoons are beautiful, and have so much personality. Very misunderstood creatures :/

They've got a bad rep they don't entirely deserve. It's probably the whole "rooting around in your garbage and maybe stealing your sandwich if you're not looking" thing, but honestly I can't imagine being upset at one of these guys even if they did pinch my PB&J. :3

very very beautiful piccy -- there's one very happy coony ^^ - and love your points. Coonies are always looked down on, would love for raccoons to one day be seen as the clever fluffballs they really are

Well, thank you kindly. :3

Yah, I think they get their bad rep, ironically, for all the ways in which they've gotten really good at living alongside us... they've got our number, so to speak, and I guess that bothers some folks. It's like they're too clever or something. ;3

You may wanna add "recycle bins" to that list of things that make raccoon life shitty.

Must say, this is a very clear picture, too. Very well done.

Thanks much! Raccoon proof garbage cans... it's only going to prompt the little guys to start evolving engineering skills. ;P

*crys*this is so truuuue!
if i was reborn as a animal with all my memories from my past life i would jouney home to my freinds and fammily, tell them its me 'Austin' and enjoy the worth of my my bed and videogames *sniffle*

Sounds like the makings of a decent short story, actually. :3

There are breeders that sell pet possums too. I wonder how THAT works out
I'd get a raccoon, but they aren't such good pets. I'll stick to a skunk

I'd want a raccoon, but not sure if they're legal in the UK. My dogs are good with other animal, mostly, it's just a case of keeping him busy and in the garden.

my hart is melting

Awww! Is so cute....

That's supermegatera cute. I wish I have this cute raccoon too.

Daww, he's so adorable!