This post from about 2 weeks ago did kinda poorly. Maybe it was too grumpy, maybe it's just because it didn't apply to any of you, but I thought I'd follow up with their follow up, as this should show what a problem it is.

Not all of these (17) may not be unique individuals, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were.

Keeping them as one would a pet, they can't learn all the survival skills they'd need should you decide to release them later. They won't build social bonds and will likely be killed by other raccoons, or they will have to fend for themselves during winter, and they won't be afraid to come near humans, so people will often treat them as if they were rabid. If they bite you or your child, they most definitely will be treated as potentially rabid, and be euthanized immediately, even if they are perfectly healthy. States do not mess around with rabies.

Rehabbed animals will learn from their own kind, and leave with all the skills they need, a step-family, and a clean bill of health.

From Werling Wildlife Rehab Center

If you gave us a raccoon in the past two weeks that you raised as an illegal pet this summer, he or she is in this group. They are making friends, learning valuable life skills like fishing, foraging, and nesting, and are well on their way to wilding up. They've all had at least one of the vaccines in the series, been dewormed, had flea treatments, and had health inspections. Later this week is vaccine #2 for most of them, and vaccines #3 and #4 will be 2-3 weeks after that. That is the earliest we will begin evaluations for release, as they will only be considered once they have mastered skills, are fully vaccinated, and show appropriate fear of humans.

Today's raccoon menu: whole eggs hidden up high (to simulate raiding bird nests), dirt and leaf boxes filled with worms and crickets (foraging behavior), fish and shrimp in their pool (fishing skill development), as well as whole apples and squash hidden in puzzle feeders (mental stimulation). Raccoons are extremely intelligent and will pick up on skills quickly when they see others perform a behavior, so we expect they will master raccooning in no time.