Update on Jag..Both eyes opened!!

Indie still isn't sure if he's friend or foe, but, he attempts to play with him. Jag has stopped growling and hissing at Indie, so it's cool. I expect in a month they will be playing hard together. Indie is too rough a player for the dog or cats here, he might meet his match in a big onery Coon.

Now that he can see, he REALLY enjoys exploring his environment. He's wobbly and shaky, but, he keeps getting stronger every day. And he IS strong, boy! He's very tactile, as most Coons are.

I found a great cage for him at a yard sale. It's an old Parrot cage and it's big and strong and sits on a stand with wheels. It keeps him out of trouble when I can't watch him. He climbs the bars like a monkey, does chin ups and screams like a banshee when he's hungry. He could wake the dead. His former silence can be attributed to his dehydration and starvation. I now realize how close to death he was. He's back on the road to good health now and turning into a real Raccoon.

 

There he is after a good feed, belly full, bath over and just cuddling. He loves to cuddle, but, first he likes to climb and sniff me. He chortles, chirps and purrs. Very vocal. He also scratches and bites, also normal. My neck and chest take the worst of it. He gets excited and calming him down is not easy  because he's very strong for a baby and my hands are weak. But, eventually, he'll get worn out and I wrap him like a burrito and put him to bed. He's adorable there, the way he holds on to my thumb for comfort.

He has a lot of stuffed toys and he loves them. Sometimes he wraps his 'arms' around them and snoozes. I got smart and bought a shit load of old towels and bedding at yard sales and I cut them into baby size squares. Now if he has an accident in his cage I can just take that small part of bedding out and throw it away. His cage stays nice and clean. The old diaper genie comes in handy. He's eating so well now. But, the way he eats isn't normal, in fact, it's sort of gross. He does a big mouth bass imitation and I drip it in. After two ounces, we stop and have a break and then he gets another ounce or two, spilling not a drop. He does suckle a bit now, but, then he stops, like it hurts him or he's so impatient to get full, I'm not sure, but, he likes that drip method. It's quite gross, but, whatever works. 4 ounces is a lot. Geez. It won't be long until he's weaned, he's teething. He has two sharp teeth in the bottom and I can feel top ones coming. He started playing today, he likes a little light wrestling. He's going to be a fun one. I am so glad he's acting like a real Raccoon. Poor baby, such a hard start in life. I wish people who think it would be fun to have a pet Coon would come over here and watch what it takes to care for one. It's hard dirty work and he's difficult to handle even at this age. But, knowing he has a chance to go back to the woods some day makes it worth it for me.

BTW, I have a mama Coon and a litter under the house. The outside Coons get confused and concerned when the inside Coon starts screaming for me. Sometimes Jag wakes up her litter and I'm sure she doesn't appreciate it. I wish I could smuggle him into the outside nest, but, I couldn't take that chance. Mama Coon might take him in and feed him, or, she might be pissed at the interloper and hurt him. Who knows? I like to think all my outside Coons are nice, fairly gently creatures, but, I don't trust a mama Coon. They can be crazy.