How to care for a raccoon at home

If you are tired of a quiet and measured life, the raccoon-raccoon will help brighten up the routine. Little fluffy fidget has a cute face and a wayward character, which not everyone can cope with. It is important to note that the content of a raccoon at home is quite troublesome. Unlike a cat or dog, pets of this kind literally stick their noses everywhere. With regards to food and living space difficulties should arise. The main thing is to decide whether you can tame a naughty little animal.

Features of the content of a raccoon at home

Experienced zoologists are unanimous in stating that keeping domestic animals at home is a series of difficulties. This is especially true of those who are planning to have a pet in an apartment or a small house.

However, breeders do not attribute raccoons to wild creatures, since this species of animals is rather domesticated. To the question “Can I keep poloskun at home?”, We can safely answer - yes. Nevertheless, it is important to adhere to the basic rules of care and maintenance, which we now talk about.

1. Unlike cats, dogs and even ferrets, raccoons require 5-7 times more attention. They need to constantly play, you will have to monitor the animals for at least 18 hours a day.
2. It is important to understand that the domestication of raccoons is a long and exhausting process. Even if you lead another little animal, not the fact that he is fully accustomed to the owners. Until the new guest will trust you, it will take a long time. Animals bite hurt, so the process of habituation will take place not without holes in the fingers of the owners.
3. Raccoons belong to night pets, they will not change the usual routine at the whim of the owner. Unlike the ferrets, who adapt to the person, the poloskuny are more temperamental. This suggests that as soon as you fall asleep, the raccoon will begin to lead an active lifestyle. He will jump, jump, climb into remote places.In this case, actions are usually accompanied by "ugukanem", like a bird drill. It is at night that the raccoon makes stocks on a “black” day, so it is especially important to put food and other things away from hard to reach places.
4. For the reason that was mentioned earlier (raccoons painfully bite) it is not recommended to keep pets in the apartment or house where small children live. The kid can scare the animal, so that the latter will begin to show aggression. As a result, you will get a crying child and an intimidated raccoon.
5. As for shkodnichestvo poloskunov, they prefer to scratch the wallpaper, spoil the upholstery of furniture, linoleum, curtains, etc. For this reason, raccoons are brought into the house or apartment, which does not represent much value in terms of repair. You can also give the animal a separate room with bare walls by installing its cage and house in the room.

Important!
Breeders do not recommend getting a raccoon to people who have not experienced animal maintenance before. The pet requires careful control from the side, it is necessary to be present in its life, the animal must be trained. However, if you previously contained a dog, a ferret or a cat, you can decide on a similar adventure.At first, the behavior of the poloskun can be shocked, but over time you will get used to it.

Home improvement for raccoon

It is important to remember forever that raccoons require a lot of space, despite their relatively small size. For poluskun need to make more space than for a dog breed shepherd or Dalmatian. If the last is enough soft stove in the corner of the room, then the raccoons need a maze, a house, a space for games, a kind of mink. Before you start a raccoon, equip him home.

1. Cell. Even if you are counting on free maintenance, which involves finding a raccoon in all rooms of the apartment, buy a cage for your pet. Aviary will be especially useful in those moments when the owners leave the apartment or can not sleep because of the fact that poloskun wanders from corner to corner.
2. House. If desired, you can equip the cell cavity with a kind of house, as long as it is not made of foam plastic, fabric and foam rubber. Prefer plastic stove beds, which are designed for cats and dogs of small size. It is desirable that the house was covered in the form of a mink.Raccoons love darkness, so they often hide while sleeping. Place food and water bowls near the house.
3. Taz for rinsing. The main aspect that distinguishes a raccoon from other animals is that it likes to rinse. Take care of the basin with clean running water, which will be located next to the house. You can put a small piece of cloth in the container. Do not deprive the animal of natural needs, rinsing in raccoons in the blood.
4. Tray. Equip the far corner of the cage tray. Teach your pet to defend the need in a special place, and not where he pleases. Such a move will help to avoid the "min" when you let out a pet to run around the apartment.
5. Toys Raccoons are very playful and cheerful creatures. For a full existence, they need to have a large number of toys. Give preference to products made of fabric, but without a padding material. If a raccoon swallows it, there is a risk of intestinal blockage and, as a result, death. In the pet stores sold toys rattles for parrots, cats. Do not buy products made of dyed rubber and silicone.Since raccoons are very intelligent and curious creatures, get a cube consisting of several sections for the animal.

What to feed a raccoon

Raccoons are omnivorous animals, they can not be fed, whatever they like. The meals of poluskuns aged up to 6 months should be threefold, further - 2 times a day.

1. In the black list of products salted, pepper, flour and too sweet dishes. You can not give the raccoons sweets and other treats, once a week you can pamper your pet with a spoon of honey. In poluskunov starts upset gastrointestinal tract, if they accidentally eat canned fish and sausage. Of course, these products have a place to be on the table of the owners, but you have to hide them well so that the animal does not find a loophole.
2. For full life, a raccoon needs good nutrition. The basis of the diet consists of cereals and legumes, give your pet oatmeal, millet and buckwheat. The menu should be made in such a way that the animal consumes lean meat every day (turkey, chicken, veal, beef, pork pulp). You can skip the meat through a blender, and then mix it with porridge (minced meat).This dish is very loved by poloskuny raccoons.
3. Do not forget to include in the diet fish and sea cocktail, most importantly, pre-conduct a heat treatment (cooking, stewing). Fish can be mixed with muesli, nuts, fresh and stewed vegetables, fruits. Several times a week, feed polishkun with legumes, indulge in a small slice of whole-grain bread, quail eggs, hard cheese.
4. It is allowed to feed a raccoon with special food developed for pets of this kind. Optionally, you can purchase premium food designed for large breed dogs. However, experienced veterinarians do not recommend this. It is better to stop on natural feeding, provided that you give the animal a course of multivitamins 2 times a year.

Important!
During the rut in raccoon there is a decrease in appetite, apathy, aggressiveness. The animal can lose weight from 0.8 to 1.5 kg., Do not be afraid. The same is observed in the transition from spring to summer and from autumn to winter. When the pet's organism adapts to the climatic conditions, the raccoon will begin to eat and gain weight back.

How to train a raccoon

To teach the animal to order, use the best practices. The first step is to make the raccoon respond to a nickname. Further, the important teams are "home!" And "no!". Consider the main aspects in order, we select the main thing.

1. Nickname Come up with your pet sonorous short name without the content of the sounds "H", "W", "C". Call him a nickname as often as possible, while gently stroking your pet during feeding and refer to it accordingly. Raccoons memorize a name after a month, in some cases earlier.
2. "It is impossible!". Some zoologists claim that raccoons do not lend themselves to such a team. However, experienced owners claim the opposite, it sounds quite real. Decide for yourself whether you will say “No!” Or “No!”. Repeat the command in a formidable voice in those moments when the raccoon does something forbidden. Do not beat the pet with your hand, drive it away with a cloth or newspaper.
3. "Home!". This command will be an excellent rescue if you decide to go with a raccoon to the street. Also “Home!” Refers to those moments when you urgently need to drive your pet into a cage, and he resists.To properly carry out the procedure, take the carrier, put a treat in it, repeat “home” until the pet goes inside. After the animal begins to obey, repeat the previous manipulations, but without delicacy.

It is quite difficult to care for a raccoon at home, since the animal belongs to obstinate pets. Do not start poloskun in an apartment with small children. Allocate a separate place for the raccoon, set the cage, tray, bowls of water and food. Teach the animal to respond to the name, train your favorite commands "can not!" And "Home!".

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