He's Finally Here

Well, the big news arrived yesterday! I got the call from Mike, at Keystone Exotics, that my little guy was ready when I was. I got off the phone, and thought for a second, and it was decided. I would go to pick him up that evening. By 3pm, my younger brother, Jesse, my daughter Kylee, and I were Sunbury, PA bound. It took 2hrs and 11mins to get there. Mike already had the babies in a carrier, and waiting for me. When he handed me my little ball of fur, my heart imediatly melted. My little kit was well worth the wait, and all the research. I gave Mike the rest of my money, and he handed me the papers. I now leagally own a 5 week old, male raccoon.

I'm still debating on a name for the little fellow. Names are something very important to me, and I can't settle on something too cliche or common. Afterall a name follows you, your whole life.

My little guy has a very healthy appetite. I did end up putting him on KMR, as Mike informed me the babies weren't doing as well as he had hoped on the formula he was using. There are specific measurements of formula to give a kit at certain ages, but after working with baby animals in the past, I pretty much go by feel. I definatly do not reccomend this to people who are new to caring for baby animals. They can over- eat very easily. Right now I am feeding him at 6:45am, 10:45am, 2:45pm, 6:45, and 10:45. Then he eats nothing through the night. He slept wonderful last night. Just heard him russle around a bit. This morning he was raring to have his breakfast. I am still stimulating him to potty a bit, although he goes some of the time on his own. I just want to be sure he's getting everything out.

To stimulate a kit, you must take a warm moist paper towel, and rub the genitals and anus, as the mother would after feedings. When the babies are very young, this is the only way they can go to the bathroom, as they get older though, things start to work on their own. Sounds gross, but hey, it's part of life.

Well, I better get off here now, but I will probly post again tonight, or tomorrow morning. Right now just snuggle time with my little guy. Can't get him off my lap by the way, he's definatly well on his way to being a mama's boy. I hope to get a video up shortly.

Racoons of Many Colors...

When most people think of a raccoon, they usually picture your average grey coon, with a little black mask and ringed tail, but what most don't realize, is that raccoons surprisingly come in many colors! Yep, it's true!

As in all species there are albinos.  Albino raccoons are pretty common, especially in the breeding world. Lots of people seek these as pets, since they are so "unique" looking.

Raccoons also come in red, or cinnomin. This confuses some people, who believe these to be albino, due to the lighter color, but a true albino has no pigment what so ever. If there is any indication of a mask on a raccoon, then it is not truely an albino coon.

Here's the perfect example of a coon that would be mistaken for an albino, but notice the very light mask across his eyes?

Another neat color that some breeders are going for now, is black raccoons. This gives them a very bear like appearance, which is desirable to some folks.

 

Found this wonderful example on www.bluejaybarrens.blogspot.com.

So obviously there isn't a huge selection of colors to choose from, but if you're considering a raccoon as part of the family, you don't have to just go with a run of the mill coon. Plenty of breeders offer a these very different little ones. Personally I chose a "typical" coon, but down the road I just might consider something a little more bizzare. 

A Veterinarian In Pennsylvania

Locating a vet that is willing to see exotics pets can be very difficult. Not many vets are willing to treat pet raccoons for many reasons. I called lots of places, that told me they would only see a raccoon in an emergency situation, but that they did not see them for common check-ups, or spaying and nuetering. So since I finally tracked down a vet willing to see raccoons, I thought that I would share it with you.

Ani-Care Animal Hospital

2740 S Queen Street

Dallastown, PA 17313-9541

Phone: (866)930-1959

Fax: (717)747-1462

Email: anicareanimalhospital@yahoo.com

I was told by them that they are willing to provide care, as long as I can provide proof that I can legally own my raccoon. So I would just need to provide my permit. They also said that neutering will cost the same as it would for a small dog. Hope you can find this info helpful!

Date Quickly Approching!

As of friday, I spoke to Keystone Exotics again. Mike told me he thought it would be better if he kept the little ones one more week, to be sure that they are thriving, before I come and pick mine up. Although I am very eager to choose my little guy, I am thankful that Mike wants to give me a healthy kit, and that this will give the little ones just a tad bit longer to develop some more personality. This is also giving me extra time to mentally prepair for my coonie. I picked up my litter pan and litter from walmart. Nothing snazzy, just a plain litter tray, that only cost a dollar, and same with the litter. I also got some baby food, high quality kitten food, and a cute little collar. (Oh yeah, seriously, he needs some accessories!) He will be such a cool kit, in his little camo collar.

I also picked up some KMR, although, when I spoke to Mike, he said he will be showing me some formula he has found to work better for his babies. So once I find out more on this, I will share the info with you as well.

Last line of thought, is choosing my kit. Not sure how many males there is to choose from in this litter, but hoping I have at least a few options. I plan to look for the more laid back, and hopefully larger of the kits. Everything I have read, implies that if the baby is hyper and overly playfull, it usually grows into a high energy, mischeivious adult. I hope in taking the more quiet male, that I have a more laid back, calm adult. I suppose we shall see.

Well, check back next sunday. As of now, that will be my pickup date. I will be checking in with Keystone Exotics midweek to confirm. Untill next time, God bless.

Getting Ready for Baby

So, today I realized that it's time to sit down and make up a list of all the things I need to get before picking up my little fur ball. I'm so excited I could burst. It's all I want to talk  about, and I think that's making everyone around me eager for me to have him, so I'll finally shut up about it. Hahaha. Any how here is the list I've prepaired. These are only supplies for the next few weeks, keep in mind. This list isn't including stuff for when he's older.

Baby Coon List:

-KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer)
-Baby bottles (Regular children's size)
-Recieving blankets (Used from thrift stores are great)
-Kitty litter and litter box
-Medium pet crate (Only to be used when baby is small and less active)
-Some small toys
-Microwavable heating pads (For bed time
-Jars of baby food, and baby cereal (For weaning, which is just a few short weeks away)

So check back Friday evening, because that's when I will be calling Keyston Exotics for a pick up date confirmation. I will be sure to check in after the call!

Update!!!

I have very exciting news! Looks like this weekend or next, I will be a proud raccoon mama. So ready to start this journey. I cannot wait to finally have some interesting updates for all of you. Stay tuned because there should be some pretty epic stories in the very near future. 

Checking in...

Sorry it's been so long since I have done a post, but I am still alive. Very busy lately. An update since my last post, is that I spoke to our breeder a few months ago. At the end of this month, he'll be pulling the females away from the males, and checking them. Any that have nipples showing are pregnant, and ones that don't, he'll leave with the males a little longer. Wont be long till I'll be going to pick out my little guy, just about a month or so. Super excited!