these cute critters are in a class all by themselves ,& are my favorite rehab animal, if you do happen to find orphans, the best thing to feed with is a regular baby bottle & nipple with the hole made just a little larger, they seem to favor kitten milk replacer over puppy ,some will refuse to eat unless it's kitten,,feeding babies can be very frustrating & takes time for them to adjust , you may sometimes have to hold their mouth around the nipple carefully to get them sucking, or try rubbing them gentelly on the back, while the are feeding,this simulates mother cleaning them while they nurse & you should hear a purring sound when you do this, as before with other animals it's best that you don't use terry cloth as bedding , the loops on the material can wrap aroung the toes causing the circulation to be cut off, which require amputation , old baby blankets or the like are reccomended ...after each feeding you must stimulate them to make bowel movements, a wet paper towel wiped front to back a few times usually does the trick,you only have to do this until they are going on their own , sometimes they will go anyway this is ok , but you should continue until they are a little older..for older babies, that are up moving about good on their own, i suggest puppy chow or similar dog food, you can wet it a little at first until they get their teeth in good, but as soon as possible let them eat it dry cause it's good for the teeth,, they seem to also like grapes,cheese,sardines,dry cereals, there's really no limit to what they'll eat including anything you have around the house,, they are by far the easiest to make an attachment too.. you hear they'll turn on you , or get aggressive, but keeping them is like being in jail for us , & when they become sexually mature this can be a very troubling time for them cause they want a mate, ...never leave a racoon unattended they will get into stuff you would least expect them too, i make the mistake of feeling sorry for them by keeping them caged & let them roam about my house , this is ok , & will not affect their release, as long as your watching them ,... provide them cat toys or the like to keep them entertained ,they can be worse than young children , & i would suggest you buy some of the outlet plugs also as this is one of those things they like to mess with, when their eating well on their own it's time for some release training, they should be at least 6 months for release ,
& have the idea of catching food on their own , this is fairly easy to teach, as they would learn from copying mom,fill a shallow container, large enough for them to get in,ad some minnows ,& sit back & watch, this is not only fun for them but a good learning activity, giving them crickets is fun too, you can also turn over some rocks for them, let them watch you, & they'll go after the worms or anything crawling underneath, they are fast learners & will want to "play" often,it's also a good idea to limit their time with other pets you have , cause they will quickly adjust & want to be "friends" this can mean life or death for them cause of coon hunting dogs,..... rabies can also be a worry for you.. ive never had a animal with rabies, but to be safe, for the first 10 days you have them , don't allow them to scratch you or bite, this is the incubation period for most mammals, & after 10 days the animal is not very sick or dies, then your safe, good luck, & anything not answered here can be e-mailed to me, i'll get back with you quickly as possible. tiff |