The Real Housewives of Potomac alum Monique Samuels has a new unconventional pet: a raccoon. She debuted the baby raccoon on her social media pages and showed videos of the seven-week-old creature struggling to walk.
Monique has been busy since she left The Real Housewives of Potomac after fighting her co-star, Candiace Dillard Bassett. She now appears on another reality TV show Love & Marriage: DC. She remains friends with her co-star, Ashley Darby, but doesn’t seem to have a relationship with the other women.
Now, the alleged animal lover revealed a baby raccoon, whom she called Bandit. She posted clips of the raccoon interacting with her children, pet dog, and getting rambunctious in a cage.
Monique Samuels reveals baby raccoon as a pet
Monique shared a few videos of her new pet on her Instagram Stories.
The essential oil-loving former Housewife shared adorable videos of her pet raccoon and revealed the baby animal was just seven weeks old.
She called the baby raccoon Bandit and showed the small animal as it attempted to walk with Monique’s other pet, a dog.
Monique is no stranger to having pets that many would find unconventional.
Monique previously had an African Grey Parrot featured on RHOP called T’Challa. She potty-trained the parrot and brought him along with her on cast trips during Season 5 of The Real Housewives of Potomac.
Unfortunately, T’Challa died in a “freak accident,” although Monique declined to provide more details. African grey parrots have a lifespan of 40 to 60 years in captivity, so the death was especially shocking.
Should raccoons be kept as domestic pets?
The former RHOP star’s choice of a raccoon as a pet is sure to raise some eyebrows. Raccoons are known as nocturnal mammals that enjoy an omnivore diet. The lifespan of a raccoon is short, at only three years.
Although raccoons could live longer in captivity, domestic raccoons do not live much longer than wild raccoons. Raccoons are highly-intelligent creatures and quite mischievous. They require plenty of space to roam and may chew furniture and cause destruction. It can be difficult to find a veterinarian for a raccoon because they are rarely kept as pets.
Raccoons can carry diseases like rabies and salmonella. Furthermore, it is only legal to own a pet raccoon in 16 of the 50 states. Monique has many resources at her disposal, thanks in part to her husband, former NFL player Chris Samuels, so she can likely afford the care and space required to ensure a happy pet raccoon.
The Real Housewives of Potomac Season 7 finished filming last week. It is expected to premiere this Autumn on Bravo.