Comment by gwd

3 months ago

I remember reading somewhere once that baby raccoons are actually quite cuddly and tame; but that when they go adolescence, they have a hormone shift that makes them aggressive enough to be unsuitable as a pet. In the story a woman who had raised a baby raccoon was attacked by it after it grew to a certain age.

Judging by the murderous sounds you hear all night here in the summer, I would not want to be cornered in a dark alley by a gang of adolescent raccoons.

  • >Judging by the murderous sounds you hear all night here in the summer, I would not want to be cornered in a dark alley by a gang of adolescent raccoons.

    Well if you ask me adolescent raccoons are a big problem in many of our cities, I'd be worried about such a case myself.

One of the hallmarks of domestication is retaining pre-adolescent behaviour in adulthood, for example dogs barking.

Puberty blockers?

If we can set aside ethics, it would be interesting if the result was a truly good life long pet. They are so smart.

Wombats are the same. Cute and cuddly when little and one day just snap.

I've heard the same thing from my mother, whose uncle had a baby raccoon as a pet. Once he got older he became mean and would yank on her hair for no reason.