URGENT, PLEASE HELP: options for juvenile "pet" raccoon

Hi everyone,

I've been caring for a raccoon- I think he's around six to eight months old=
 (not sure what the real gender is but I call him a "he"). He born in capti=
vity and was rescued 3 months ago from horrific living conditions where he =
had no substantive human interaction (presumably his captors would stop by =
and slop some food into his cage). He had already been taken from his mothe=
r at this point as far as I can tell (and weaned.) I'm trying to figure out=
 the right situation for him: a release somewhere he can be really safe and=
 still have food available, a sanctuary, or living in someone's home?

 I assume probably not the last one, but it seems like despite their best i=
ntentions a lot of sanctuaries can only provide raccoons with somewhat larg=
er cages, fresh air, and other raccoons, which I feel like isn't necessaril=
y that great when considering the risks that entrusting him to an instituti=
on for 15+ years of his life entail... I've heard some horror stories about=
 santuaries closing down or changing owners and animals being sent God know=
s where...

I figured that because of his background he would never be safely releasabl=
e into the wild and wanted to wait and either find the perfect sanctuary or=
 see if he could be happy in a human home (if spoiled to death with every p=
ossible enrichment, tons of space, freedom to wreak as much havoc as he wan=
ted, tons of time invested in his care...) This little guy has consumed my =
entire life and my partner and I are madly in love with him but want what w=
ill make him happiest, and, this might sound kind of hokey, but I feel like=
 he's telling me he wants to really be wild, not at a sanctuary, despite ne=
ver having been outdoors. Wild raccoons have such short lifespans, though, =
and people are just sadistic to them- I don't know if the survival rates fo=
r rehabbed raccoons are really very good.=20

More about this little guy: He's not neutered. He's still very wary of huma=
ns other than my partner and I, and although he has a bond with us, he's st=
ill not "tame" in the way a pet raccoon you'd see on Youtube is. He lets us=
 pet him, particularly if he's eating/we're hand feeding him, likes to play=
 the occasional game of fetch-the-ball or wrestle over a squeaky toy with m=
e, and isn't afraid of physical proximity (if he's motivated by treats, he'=
ll crawl all over us, and he sleeps next to my head on a pillow on the wind=
owsill- though the windowsill is his favorite spot regardless so maybe that=
 has nothing to do with me.) He is attached to me in terms of going to me f=
or reassurance and wanting a greeting (touching my fingers with his nose) w=
hen I come home, BUT that has taken a very long time, and we still can't pi=
ck him up.=20

He's extremely independent minded and skittish/standoffish compared to a tr=
aditional "pet" raccoon. He will take a treat from a stranger's hand, if he=
's tucked in a place he feels safe and the human stands back and just reach=
es out with the treat from far enough away that he can take it without bein=
g too close or exposing himself too much- he's definitely scared of them, j=
ust not terrified like he was as a baby when he got him.=20

I made inquiries at a couple sanctuaries in the past but they couldn't take=
 him or were a poor fit. What's freaking me out right now is that he's been=
 pacing by the window sill, sometimes for 30 minutes at a time, probably fo=
r hours a day. Recently he's started pacing faster and more frantically, an=
d panting, like he's overstimulated- he often just gets worked up and acts =
like he has a bad case of adhd and jumps back to pacing the windowsill even=
 if he was just doing something else. He'll pace, come out and do something=
 like eat treats, randomly run back and pace for a few seconds, come back a=
nd eat treats... We thought he might just be burning off extra energy and a=
 bit restless, rather than unhappy and seriously troubled by anxiety (wheth=
er boredom driven, trauma based, whatever), because he'd also happily and S=
UPER enthusiastically play every night with his toys, water, his jungle gym=
... especially when he was younger.

I bought him a giant rock fountain, like you'd see in a rich person's garde=
n, and I'm going to put that together tonight. He also has puzzle feeders. =
I'm absolutely desperate to do something to make him calmer and happier as =
soon as possible- I can barely stand even being in my room because his paci=
ng makes me so anxious, I've gotten depressed and can't focus my mind on an=
ything else but him. I've taken some time off of work so I can devote mysel=
f to him and finding him an ideal home as quickly as possible.

Thanks for bearing with me through this long message, and please please ple=
ase get in touch in you have any advice, perspective on whether a wild rele=
ase/soft release (where someone would still be living around who could keep=
 and eye on him/leave him supplementary food) would be appropriate and if s=
o, how to prepare him for that, or if you know of ANYONE who might be able =
to provide a place like that.

Noelle