I would second the previous posting and urge you to be *extremely*
cautious in adopting a raccoon. They _are_ very territorial, and defend
their territory against intruders, which means you too, especially during
breeding season. Raccoons are not social animals; they don't have
long-term "families" or "packs" therefore there is no reason for you to
become accepted as part of one, as in the case of dogs, and unlike cats,
who basically treat humans as their too-early-lost mother, raccoons don't
seem to be too easily confused on this point.
Raccoons are very intelligent, curious, and dextrous, (it means they
practically have hands and can use them well) and will get into
anything and everything and tear them apart for the fun of it. I have
had problems with raccoons ripping up pitcher plants in my back yard to
get the trapped protein inside. They eat anything and everything. I
took care of a friend's raccoon for about 10 days; it was a true
nightmare (and I really thought it would be fun!). It quickly learned to
unhinge the door of the cage it stayed in at night, and its favorite
"game" was pushing things off of shelves. The things it went for first
were all my plants. And when a raccoon is enjoying something and you try
to spoil the party, they can get very upset. Cute little "Rascal" (yes,
they named it Rascal...they weren't very creative) turned into 4 pounds
of snarling fur with teeth. Amazing how fast the "cute" wears off.
Their mood can change very quickly in such a situation, and you can find
yourself on the wrong end quite suddenly.
They may tolerate your presence, but they do not "tame easily" in the
sense of a cat or dog, and basically want to do their own thing when they
feel like it, and if that means dissecting your Sarracenia collection
then it's your bad luck! :)
(Baby raccoons *are* endearing though...so if you fall for one, I can't
say I blame you. But don't say I didn't warn you....:)