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Kuckuniwi is now 6 months old and is a very
important part of our family. She does not live in a cage or enclosure, she wanders the house with us. The only time that
Kuckuniwi is ever in a cage / enclosure is bedtime / time out or if we are out. Obviously this is for safety reasons. Fortunately
in our house there is nearly always someone in so that she spends very little time in her enclosure.
Kuckuniwi is litter
trained so we have no problems with cleaning up after her. So far we have found her to be non destructive towards
furniture ect. To us it is just like having a Cat / Dog around the house.
Raccoons as Pets
Giving a home to a Raccoon should not be taken lightly. They are
a full time job and need lots of behavioural training, exercise and playtime. A Raccoon needs lots of stimulation so if your
idea is to cage it all day by itself while your out at work then please think again. That is not fair on these animals.
A Raccoon can be extremely aggressive and destructive if not managed correctly. I know of some very experienced handlers
that have been badly injured by a Raccoon so please do not make the decision to have a pet Raccoon lightly. Part of managing
this agreesion / destructiveness is to interact with them for large periods of time.
As mentioned Kuckuniwi came
to us at two weeks of age. Her eyes and her ears were still closed. At 6 weeks of age she appeared more like a Raccoon and
training began. A Raccoon whether a baby or an adult is extremely inquisitive and will get into everything.
Your favourite
ornaments need to be moved, medications, chemicals in fact anything that you think wil be harmful to a Raccoon needs to be
removed.
To be honest we were treading blindly when we started to train Kuckuniwi. We used a lot of strong verbal
commands and time outs as part of this training. If Kuckuniwi wanted something we did not want her to have, we would say no
in a firm and loud voice. If the behaviour continued she would be placed in her enclosure for a short period of time. Over
time Kuckuniwi began to obey these commands. More training included getting her to go to her bed. It was a case of putting
her in it and saying '' bed ''. Over a short space of time Kuckuniwi began to recognise the command and now
will go to her bed on command. All good behaviour was rewarded with a happy voice and a small treat.
As mentioned Raccoons
can be very aggressive and the actual damage they can cause can be quite nasty. They have extremely sharp teeth and claws.
Even playtimes can inflict scratches. Aggression became apparent at quite an early age and was mainly related to her wanting
something. This appears to be the case with the majority of Raccoon owners that I know or have talked to. If a Raccoon wants
something they want it, end of story.
This behaviour was checked by exactly the same method, firm and strong commands
and time outs. This behaviour was not a problem when she was small but when bigger it could be a masive problem, so needed
nipping in the bud at an early age. Kuckuniwi very rarely becomes aggressive now and the occasions when she has have
been out of fear. Luckily her aggressive outburst are all easily managed through her training and no injuries have occured.
Socialising and Playtime.
Socialising Kuckuniwi began at a very early age. She was introduced to the cats and dogs etc
more or less a she came through the front door. We felt that the dogs and cats need to get get used to her first and as Kuckuniwi
grew and became more aware of her surroundings the dogs / cats would just be accepting of her. This has worked out perfectly
with no problems whatsoever. All the animals get on well together and indeed eat / sleep together by choice.
Playtimes
can be fun with a Raccoon. Kuckuniwi enjoys some rough and tumble and indeed seems to need it. There is a distinct difference
between play and aggression and not once has the playtime turned into aggression. Although only playing Kuckuniwi can
scratch quite hard, just like a cat would. Some days you look like you have pulled your arms through a rose bush. Biting can
be hard also but she has never punctured the skin. I do believe Kuckuniwi needs this play fighting as she normally instigates
it and it is easily stopped by a loud '' No ''.
Kuckuniwi has lots of toys to play with. She loves
chasing balls, especially if they make a noise. Plenty of cat toys are used which are bright and noisy, she will play for
hours with these. Another toy we use are the ones you can put treats into. She loves to work out how to get the treats out.
Kuckuniwi just like a puppy loves to play fetch. Roll a ball along the floor and she will run after it bringing it back to
us.
Raccoons are extremely intelligent and no problem is to much for them to solve. We live in a house that has
french doors to the rear garden. In the summer we like to have the doors open but obviously with Kuckuniwi this year it was
not possible without her escaping. We placed an internal half door on the inside of the french doors that would allow airflow
through. Kuckuniwi sat in front of the door and you could see her looking around the room. A few minutes later her epic journey
began !!!!. First onto a stool, onto a computer chair, onto the computer table, onto the tv and finally a jump from the tv
to the top of the half door. If there is a way there is the will, believe me.
Diet / Feeding.
Raccoons are omnivorous and being such eat a wide and varied diet.
We feed Kuckuniwi many foods which
include
Dog and cat kibble, apple, pear, peach, banana, mango, papaya, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower,
carrots, peas, sweetcorn, sweet peppers, prawns, raw eggs, boiled eggs, baby dinners ( jar ).
Video.
Below are a few links to some
fun videos of Kuckuniwi. please click and have a look.
Kuckuniwis Playtime
Kuckuniwi and the Invasion of the Puppies
debonaireexoticanimals@yahoo.com
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