[Flying Goat]

Ahem... It appears my Baby Gurl has met a gentleman coon somewheres... She's been rather scarce lately (altho she is a diurnal (daytime) coon instead of nocturnal).

Now I know why. She came to me this morning while I was milking goats & wanted attention, but when I petted her, she growled...

Let her into the house a bit later & she made straight for the bedroom (good thing the garden doors were closed). It took 2 sugar cookies & a couple pieces of sausage to lure her out from under the bed. During our little tussle, I noticed she has pulled the soft fur out of her belly (I presume to line a nest) & she's got quite a little pot belly...

Looks like we're gonna be inundated with little masked bandits soon... Hope they still let me into the shed so I can get to the goat feed!

Any other raccoon fans out there?

Yeah......my Jack Russell Terriers! But they like coons in the BAD way.........I love goats too!

[Flying Goat]

I have a 12 yr old Jack Russel bitch, a mastiff/rotty male, an Australian Shepherd & a Great Pyrenees female...

The Pyr belongs to the coon. The coon grooms her & loves on her & rides her, etc. We don't have to brush that beautiful white coat at all!

Neighbor stopped by last nite & said he had to stop in our drive once to watch, as the coon was sitting astride the Pyr, grooming her tail & rear feathers... He just couldn't believe it!

I got lots of honks & waves from neighbors on the way to town when they saw me raking up pecan leaves with a coon on my shoulders!

That sounds so cool!!!! man would I like to see a pic of that! Our JRTs aren't mean,they just hunt varments,and don't get to hunt on their own.Funny you said Aussies,we have had 2 of them,and I am thinking about taking in a red merle pup about 6 months old. I think she will get along fine with the crazy JRTs. Plus,I would really like to learn about herding with the Aussie. Have one friend with a flock of suffolks that we can practice on,come on SPRING!!!!

[armedoldhippy]

coons are cool animals, but they can carry rabies for MONTHS before they get sick & die from it. can't be vaccinated either, from what i've heard, aint sure.

[PoopyTeaBags]

my grandma used to raise coons... the babies are adorable...

[Flying Goat]

Originally Posted by armedoldhippy

coons are cool animals, but they can carry rabies for MONTHS before they get sick & die from it. can't be vaccinated either, from what i've heard, aint sure.

Very true, Armed! Poor little Cassie came to us about 2 days after birth, hairless & left in a parking lot after the den flooded during a huge rain overnight. Momma Coon had apparently tried to evacuate the babies & lost Cassie between dens.

My daughter (who works for a vet) fed her with a syringe for a week... Once we realized the little critter was going to survive, she handed her over to me to care for.

At 1 month of age, we had Cassie tested for various types of worms, viruses, etc., all of which were negative. At 6 months, we did vaccinate her for rabies with the cat/dog serum.

Because I'm her mother, she is always very gentle with me, altho her claws are non- retractable.

She's returned to her "nest" in the futon mattress out in the shed. Interestingly, she keeps rats & mice out of our grain storage area...

Anyone interested in a pet raccoon should SERIOUSLY do their homework. These animals live a long time (20+ years) & get large (35+ lbs.). They cannot live in a cage situation, as this breaks their spirits/minds & they turn mean.

We allow Cassie to come & go as she pleases. She eats dogfood with the dogs in the mornings & drinks a bit of milk from the goats as well. She also loves cornbread & especially crayfish, which we keep in a kiddie pool near the back door...

Coons are not for everyone, to be sure... But they can be so enchanting when we have company around the fire pit & she comes up to make friends with our guests...

Nobody else out there with pet coons? I was hoping to find someone who might consider adopting one of the babies, should that become necessary...