Picture the scene: while spending a relaxing evening in your home, you notice ten pairs of eyes looking up at you through your front window. As you approach, you recognize the furry bandits: raccoons. Immediately, you open the door and greet your visitors, eager to give them food, attention, and cuddles.
This scenario may sound far-fetched for most, but for Ron Graham, it’s more than just a scenario—it’s a description of his everyday life. The 57-year-old Cornwallite has had a lifelong passion for caring for raccoons. In this interview, Ron tells us about his unique experience with these amazing animals.
When did you start caring for raccoons?
I’ve always had a passion for animals, whether it was dogs, squirrels, foxes, or even bats. When I was about 16, I lived in an area where there was a forest behind my house. Someone brought over a couple of raccoons because they knew my family liked animals. The raccoon’s mother had been hit, so my brother and I raised the babies in our yard and we eventually released them at the bird sanctuary. We’ve been raising raccoons ever since.
Can you tell all of the raccoons apart?
Yeah, they all have different faces with different markings. Their behaviours tell a lot too. They’ve all got different names as well. We’ve had Bonnie and Clyde, right now we have Baby, Coonie, Screech, and Willow.
What’s involved in caring for them?
The first thing I do is wash them, check them for ticks, and make sure they’re not sick. Then I give them fresh food. We typically get them when they’re really young, and the babies feed every three hours. So the first month is pretty tough. My wife and I take turns getting up in the middle of the night to feed them. At first, we have to feed them cat replacement formula, and once they get off of that at 6 weeks we give them dog food and sometimes fruits, vegetables, and eggs. We also have to keep them warm when they’re young, so I keep a warm water bottle in their bed. Most of the time we keep them in a box and they’re not allowed to roam free in our house, but when we’re watching TV we let them roam around and cuddle with us. As they grow up they become more adventurous and they eventually work their way outside. I leave them in a cage outside with the doors open so they can come and go as they please. They’re reintroduced that way into nature so that they can go at their own pace, and eventually, they just quit coming around.
Do they ever return for a visit?
In the fall, they come every night around 6 o’clock so that they can eat and get ready for winter. They come in all together, they’ll sit there and eat, cuddle with me, play with me, and let me brush them. Then once they’re done, they go into the bush again. They sleep for most of the winter, but they’ll get up during the winter on warm days and come for a visit. They’re not hungry at that time, they’re just lonely. I’ll start seeing them more regularly in the spring, and they may come back with their babies or by themselves.
Do you have a favourite memory of any of your raccoons?
When I was in my 20’s I had a raccoon named Rocky, and he would drive around Cornwall with me on my motorcycle. He lived outside, and every time I’d go to start my motorcycle and go for a ride he’d run up and sit on the gas tank, ready to go. I would drive all over the place, on the highway, in the city, and he’d follow me everywhere. It was pretty cool. Seeing people’s faces when we drove past them on the highway, it was incredible.
Is this your full-time job?
Caring for raccoons is one of my biggest passions, but it isn’t my only job. I’m a licensed trapper and run a trapping business. I also teach part time at the St. Lawrence College in the social work department. I recently made the decision to leave my role as Executive Director at Big Brothers Big Sisters, and started as Program Supervisor at Inspire Community Support Services.
Are raccoons better than other animals?
If you’ve never held a raccoon or cuddled with a raccoon, you just don’t know. They’re a lot friendlier than cats and dogs. I’ve released lots of raccoons and every year they come back, either with other raccoons or their babies and they still remember me. It’s a whole relationship with them. They’re like family members. Even my dogs will play with them.
Do you do any special activities with your furry friends?
We’ve taken them to the Tim Hortons drive through, and they come to work with me when they’re really young and I need to feed them. They drive around the yard and through the bush with me on my four-wheeler, and they’ll sit on my tractor with me while I’m cutting the grass.
“The neighbours kinda think I’m weird because I’m riding around on my pedal bike with a raccoon around my neck.”
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