These are two baby 'coons (of five) who visit almost daily with their mother. I don’t have the heart to chase them away. Sometimes I make them special pancakes, which my hubby calls “cooncakes”. I warn him not to eat these as they are pretty strange tasting, with bits of leftover catfood, seeds and nuts, no sugar, hehe.
In this pic, she’s praying that her sister will leave some seeds for her…
Feel free to caption the pics as you like. The first one especially, needs a good caption.
Should I/ Can I delete this and re-insert it into the new Lounge forum? or will Sheldon be doing stuff like that?
I guess, this can just be moved by a mod.
They are really cute, I understand. But late we will hear you cry over damage and annoyance, won’t we? Nice of you to let them grow up with you but a little risky to feed them specifically.
Enjoy them while they are young!
(I like almost all animals)
That vividly brings up the memory of an evening at camp.
I had brought a case of V8 with me. And I had just finished one, and went to throw it in the outside garbage bin.
I stood about 3 feet away from the garbage, and tossed the can in…at the very second the can left my fingers…a baby racoon poked his head out of the garbage, and the can hit him square in the face.
I felt so bad. He was the camps little mascot…a little baby racoon, that was very familiar with everyone…
It was like that split second moment when you shut your car door, but notice the keys are still inside. There is nothing you can do to stop it, so all you can do is bite your lip and curse silently to yourself…
Thanks for sharing…
I’ve been doing this for 12 years, and so far - no trouble. There are fishers in this neighbourhood (one got my fav cat this spring), as well as coyotes, not to mention cars that step on the gas when they see a critter on the road, godsavethecruel b-tards.
ANYHOO…I’m here to enjoy nature, not to fear it or chase it away. If I wanted to do that, I’d move back to the 'burbs…lots of paranoia there, glad to have left it behind.
You really shouldn’t feed them. You draw them into human population (I’m assuming you live in at least a somewhat populated area since you call it a neighborhood, if not that does apply to my neighbor) and you get them to lose their fear of humans.
When the animals are used to eating around humans and don’t get enough food (there’s never “enough” because more come until there is not enough and they have to look elsewhere) they go looking for food. The humans try to chase them off or kill them. The animals without fear stand their ground. Someone gets bit. Genocide is declared on the offending species.
I don’t think I need to explain the problems if one of those fearless animals becomes rabid.
And when you draw in multiples and they fight over the food you increase the chances of one rabid one spreading it.
You’re like a lion who pets gazelles. Fun for the lion but not so much for the gazelle that loses its fear of lions because of it.
As far as the cruel b-tards, are you sure that’s me for protecting my garden and fruit and not my neighbor who draws the coons out of their natural habitat and into population and forces them to go looking at my food?
I’m fairly sure it’s not me since I’ve never killed one in the woods although I’ve watched many families of coons going about their business.
I enjoy nature too but I go out into it to enjoy it.
Mike is right, but oh they are so adorable!!
OH. MY. GOODNESS!! 
How adorable!!!
Mike, I live on the edge of a beaver pond, which is the wildlife’s refuge. I suppose the guy before us, who built this house, should have built it closer to a city, or perhaps at the edge of a highway…but he didn’t, and we bought it from him.
So, we are in the racoons’ neighbourhood, not vice versa. And raccoons visit bird feeders.
I suppose you’re going to tell me next that I shouldn’t feed birds either. I know few people, even cityfolk, who don’t!
Next you’ll say that the entire planet is for humans and all the wildlife should be placed in zoos, or destroyed (especially the rabid ones). Why do so many people think that raccoons are all rabid? I haven’t seen a one in my entire life, and I’ve had many visit.
Maybe people should stay in cities, keep their doors locked, build high fences, have house alarms. Good luck with those wild humans though!
ok, ok, that said: I [I]know [/I]we shouldn’t feed raccoons for all the reasons you stated. But I do live in the wilderness. It’s crazy, but I love it. There are a modicum of people living here, mostly old hippies, farmers, and retired city folk. I call it a ‘neighbourhood’ because we stay in close contact with our neighbours, needfully so. It’s not really, officially, a by-the-book ‘neighbourhood’.
When people constantly encroach on wildlife territory, what are the animals to do but come to take our stuff? I don’t blame them - sympathize, really.
And I guess perhaps you didn’t notice, but I’m Canadian, a very peaceful one, who has lived more than 60 years now. I don’t take offense at you young folk, scrapping for a fight, intent on ‘scolding’. Many young 'uns have that bad habit.
There is still tons of wilderness up here, but sadly, we are fast encroaching on it too. Sadness.
Native birds are OK because invasive species are taking over their habitat. The native birds actually do need our help. Feed them with feeders and food that targets those species and keeps other things out.
Why would me saying to keep wild animals wild equal there should be no wild animals? I’m saying the opposite. It’s you who is trying to turn wild animals into pets which is not much different than putting them into zoos.
I also didn’t say all coons are rabid. I said when you draw a crowd and one of the crowd is rabid the disease spreads. I can go out any night and hear the coons fighting at my neighbors. Spreading disease by drawing a crowd is why they made feeding whitetail illegal in Illinois because of CWD.
I’m not that much younger than you. I grow and hunt most of my food. I never had a coon problem in my garden until my neighbor gave up her dog rescue and started feeding the wild animals. Because I hunt my food I spend a lot of time in nature, yes they’re cute sitting in your bird feeder, they’re even cuter fishing in a creek or following their mother along a tree branch into their hollow. Put on some camo and go into nature to see nature.
You can search “don’t feed wild animals” and find all kinds of reputable sources, from all over the world and all walks of life saying it’s not good for the animals.
Yes we are encroaching on the wildnerness, and when I see pictures of coons feeding out of bird feeders or garbage cans that’s what I see.
It’s okay to agree to disagree and move on. 
I’ve seen all manner of urban and suburban raccoons and not one displayed the slightest fear of humans, I don’t think feeding them really makes a difference in that regard.
I have a friend who I consider mildly insane for getting close enough to baby skunks in his yard to take photos lol. I agree with Woodi’s commentary…
I think the caption on the first pic should read:
“Can y’all please make this platform a little wider…we’re growing coons y’ know?”
They’re adorable!