A Rabid? Little Visitor...

The Story (and it is long):
Jason and Jack leave to go to Jack's BB game. I am going to drop Sam off at a birthday party and then go to Jack's game. Jason thought I was leaving right after him, so he left the garage door open. Sam and I get ready to go about 20 minutes later and Sam heads to the car - I am grabbing last minute items in the house, including my camera. Sam comes running back in, slams the door shut and states, "I think I need to shut the garage door. There is a raccoon on the garbage can." (which, luckily, is outside the garage.) I bolt past him and close the garage door while thinking to myself, "SHOULD I shut the door? What if his has a friend and it's inside the garage???" Well, Sam and I run to the car and shut the doors. While getting to the car, I notice little raccoon footprints in the garage..(choice words said in my mind) and then wonder if it is the little one on the garbage can footprints or a different raccoon that is in my garage. Well, I am not up to being Sherlock Holmes, so I go ahead and open the garage door. The entire time I am watching the raccoon through the door in case it makes a move (thinking: what am I going to do if it does make a charge) So, my answer, I decide to honk my horn the entire time I am backing out of the garage.

That is when the above happens, the raccoon crawls down behind the can and hangs on the garbage can handles...like a little acrobat! Sam exclaims, "HE"S HIDING!" Thank goodness, I get the garage door shut, while still laying on the horn and thinking, he's not hiding, he is going to flip himself into the garage!! Well, the door shuts and the little guy crawls up on to of the can and gives us these cute puppy dog eyes....

So, we head off and all I could think of is the story the previous owners of the house told us. Two raccoons got trapped in the garage and caused 2000 dollars worth of damage. So in my head, I am thinking that one raccoon, if it is trapped in the garage, will cause about 1000 dollars worth of damage. (great rationalization skills!) Anyway, we get home and no damage, and no raccoon.

BUT, now I am worried that he has rabies...because raccoons are nocturnal...aren't they??? I have heard that if possums come out during the day that they are probably sick and to stay away from them..is that the same with coons? Do raccoons attack if they are sick?? Do I need to put out bird feed so the deer will come and they will scare off the raccoons??? I was so excited about moving out here to experience nature. Right now, I am not so excited about nature anymore... And do I dare say, I would take a rabbit any day over a rabid raccoon or a bird feed eating deer....