Herbert Hoover wasn't the only one who thought raccoons make great pets.
Most people think of raccoons as devilish, garbage-eating jumbo-rodents. Or, one may think of popular animated characters like Meeko, Pocahontas' cunning sidekick. Either way, it's unlikely to imagine them playing fetch or eating marshmallows out of your hand.
But that's not stopping some daring animal lovers from welcoming raccoons into their homes.
There are a host of reasons why raccoons should remain in the wild and not at the foot of your bed. According to Bill Dowd, founder of Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, there are many dangers that come with owning a raccoon. Since they become sexually active at just six months, they become aggressive early in their lives. Not to mention the unpracticality their rarity affords them; some vets won't treat raccoons, and finding someone to babysit your odd pet if you take a vacation may be difficult.
It also is wildly unethical to take a wild animal out of nature and bring it into your home.
However, some people just can't settle for any ol' furry companion from Petco. Luckily, those people aren't alone, as the internet allows every marginalized-pet owning group their own little corner.
The most famous pet raccoon on the internet is Tito, who lives in South Carolina with his owner, Mitchell. His day-to-day life is well-documented in a variety of adorable and entertaining YouTube videos, from a snack eating contest (he loves whipped cream), to a trip to the pool (in which he floats on a dog.) We caught up with Mitchell over email and got the full scoop on what it's like owning a raccoon.
Of course, the first question was why get a raccoon?
"I didn’t actually go out of my way to get a pet raccoon. While I was working in pest control, Tito was found in someone’s attic. Unfortunately, the homeowner didn’t want anything to do with him and was going to put him down, so I took Tito in," Mitchell said.
Now, nearly two years later, Tito is thriving.
As a society, our view of raccoons is heavily influenced by the media, which usually depicts the creatures as trash eaters and reckless. However, they're very smart animals, according to Mitchell.
"They have the capability to solve problems and overcome obstacles many other pets could not," he said. "Although they walk on all fours, their front paws have the dexterity of people hands. Having those fine motor movements gets them in a ton of trouble!"
Mitchell isn't going to let the stigmas around the "trash pandas" stop him from caring for Tito, despite people not exactly understanding why he has a raccoon as a pet.
"People may say it’s 'unnatural', but if you think about it, any domesticated pet we have today was a wild animal at some point," Mitchell said.
Though there are obvious risks in owning a raccoon, Mitchell still believes Tito is a great pet for him.
"I think it’s all of their awesome qualities that come together to make such an amazing critter whether it’s their personality, cute looks, or crazy hands. A raccoon is unlike all other pets."
Here's Tito hanging out with some baby Pygmy goats:
He even does ASMR, a hobby most millennials on social media can appreciate:
Though we're positive that owning a raccoon will never be mainstream, it's safe to say that one man's trash-eating-animal is another man's treasure.
Topics Animals
