Max and Allie

Max  and Allie

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Raccoons

Another pretty day here in Tally town. I have been around raccoons over 30 years. I love them.
Some of the strangers I would watch out for and others I am so close to I can doctor them when they get injured. They get into fights with each other and with things that want to eat them.
They are fierce fighters.
They are also very friendly and when they know you very well they can be loving. The old ones dance when I go out to feed them. In the beginning I use to think they didn't live more then 3 years. I never had one around more then that. As time went by I had them around longer and longer. Now I have one that will 8 years old this coming May.

During winter they only come out at dark thirty. In the summer when it starts getting hot, they come out before noon. It gets too hot to sleep during the day.

All pictures I have of them are taken in the summer time. A well feed coon will have 3 or 4 babies each year. The babies will stay with their mother almost a year. Some mothers allow their daughters to stay longer, but she will definitely run off her sons during the end of winter.
If the winter is a mild one they run them off at the middle of winter. Some mothers run off their daughters too , other do not. So last month the only coons that I feed were females. By the middle of march the strange males started showing up. It is mating time. It is a very violent time. But if a son comes back all females will fight them to run them off . That is there way of keeping from inbreeding.........
I have wanted to talk about the coons for awhile now and since it is breeding time it is a good time.
Have a good week end!!!
Love you all, Bambi, Happy, coons & Fern

13 comments:

  1. Hi Fern! That was an awesome posts. I am still afraid of raccoons. I always associate them with desease, but I must be wrong. I think you are so nice to feed them and to take care of them but you must know what you are doing! Your weather is beautiful and your magnolia tree is gorgeous!
    Have a great week and thank you for sharing your raccoons with us!!!!
    xxoo
    Deborah

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  2. I simply adore raccoons!!

    Woo Wooo
    Shiloh, Shelby, and their Mom
    GonetotheSnowDogs.BlogSpot.com

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  3. What a wonderful person you are to take such good care of them. I'm surprised that your Bambi doesn't chase them off. Have a wonderful weekend Fern.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  4. Great post! Thank you! We just started getting them in our yard last summer. Haven't seen any this year but I think they are sneaking in at night because all the kitty food is gone by morning....

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  5. Thanks so much Fern, they have always fascinated me and what you know is incredible. Ever thought of writing a book about your experiences?????

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  6. Hi Fern
    Coons are cute but I am scared of them. Thats neat that they let you take care of them and that you love them so much. Who knew that Coon could be like that?

    Paw knocks
    Jazzi

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  7. Thanks fur sharing your rakhkhoon pals with us!

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra & Khousin Merdie

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  8. Wow! We didn't know half this stuff about raccoons, Fern! Thank you for this post!

    Love ya lots
    Maggie and Mitch

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  9. Oh I love the pictures of the raccoons. The information was very interesting. I don't know alot about raccoons but yours look like they are sweet. I think it's really neat that you take such good care of them.

    By the way I love quilts too. I would love to learn how to make one. I have a nice one that I bought in Gatlinburg,TN. They have a craft street area where people sell their crafts and I bought my quilt from a very nice lady there.
    Have a nice weekend.

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  10. Thanks for all the racoon info...I love watching the raccoons on our deck at night.
    They sccop up the birdseed in their little paws!
    Hugs to all,
    Kit

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  11. Yes I would love to make a quilt by hand. My neighbor Sue, she's about 75 yrs.old told me I should start out with something small so I would not get discourgered. I need to buy the stuff first though. Your help would be appreciated. I hope you are able to get a picture of the fox. Maybe you should hide behind some curtains and try to take the picture that way. Anyway hope you get it.

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  12. Hi Fern,

    Thanks for all of the raccoon info - we didn't know that.


    XOXO
    The Rocky Creek Scotties

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  13. Hi Fern....Racoons are such clean little creatures alwayw washing their hands and their food. You are so good to them,
    Madi and Mom

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