Building Trust With a Raccoon

The raccoon who was trying to bite me less than two months ago has begun to allow me to pet him.  He needed time to get to know me and my intentions, and to distinguish me from the other volunteers.  I believe that volunteering an extra day for over a month now has helped greatly in this familiarization process, allowing him to adapt more quickly. 

When I started volunteering again in November, he would not leave the den box that he shared with another raccoon unguarded.  He would attack my hand even as it was approaching the entry way.  Occasionally, he would pace along the shelf towards the opposite side of the room, which would allow me to quickly scan the den box, but I rarely had enough time to change out the blanket, never mind sanitizing anything, since he would hastily return if I entered his home. 

I tried to convey to him that I had no intention of hurting him; that I just wanted to clean up, but fear got in the way.  It was difficult to maintain constant composure as he approached and I anticipated an attack, ready to back away.  I’m sure that this did not ease his skepticism of me.  Yet, I was hopeful that in time, he would become accustomed to me and relax a bit.  I also thought that perhaps by witnessing my friendly interactions with his companion, he would come to understand that I wanted to be close and share my love, and that I could indeed be trusted. 

Trust did in fact build, as after a few weeks had passed, we seemed to develop some kind of understanding regarding the cleaning of the den box.  He was still uncertain of me and tried to bite when I came to close to him, so he opted to remain at the opposite end of the shelf while I cleaned.  I was still a bit uneasy, as I did not want to risk having half of my body inside the den box when he would decide that that was too much and come over to let me know.  So I stuck to cleaning the front portion of the den box and laying down a fresh blanket.  I would close the door hatch, which covered half of the entry way, and tell him that I was finished.  Shortly after, he would return to the den box and oftentimes stay there with his companion.

A few weeks later, he began to regularly bathe just outside of the den box entry way, and sometimes at the opposite end of the top shelf, particularly when I was cleaning the den box.  Occasionally, he would pause to observe what I was doing, perhaps, so that he could better understand me.  I would make small talk with him as I went about my work, to which he seemed receptive.  Sometimes, all of that work would exhaust him, so that he would curl up in his bathing spot for a quick snooze.  Thinking back on that behavior now, he demonstrated even greater trust to allow himself to be asleep and vulnerable outside of his den box.

One day, I told him that I would happily pet him if he would not try to bite me.  That is what I hoped to achieve, although neither of us had yet reached that degree of trust.  I could not read his intentions and after being attacked so many times, that was all I expected him to do when I was too close.

At some point during that month, I started to remove my glove to let him familiarize himself with my scent, which I thought might make him feel more at ease.  I wanted to create a more realistic and trusting connection, showing him the real me.

Last week, the rehabilitation owner questioned if I was providing the raccoons with adequate attention and interaction, as they are education animals.  I expressed to her my uncertainty regarding the one; and I was surprised to learn that he actually would allow people to pet him, on occasion, and particularly, liked underneath his chin to be scratched.  With this new knowledge, I decided that I would give him another shot.

This week, I was able to give him a few quick pets before he wandered out of my grasp.  I even put myself in a vulnerable position, putting my trust in him, in which I allowed him to sniff my head.  However, I was not quite prepared for face to face, as I could do with the easy-going raccoon.  Yet, I did have to be careful not to lose my glasses to their toy supply.  Occasionally, he would still try to bite my hand, but this action was not as aggressive as before, and was, instead, similar to a cat's warning bite or swipe, when it tires of or becomes annoyed by the attention that it is receiving.  I was even able to fully clean the den box, though he still went off to his corner while I did so.  Yet, he did not attack when he approached, while I was still working in the den box.  He seemed more curious than concerned about what was going on.