Help! I Found a Raccoon!
Raccoons are a Rabies Vector Species (RVS). Any mammal (including humans) can get rabies, but cases are most commonly reported from Rabies Vector Species like foxes, raccoons, skunks, groundhogs and bats, as well as stray cats and dogs. You should avoid handling an RVS, but if it is absolutely necessary, always handle it with caution by wearing thick gloves. An RVS cannot be relocated in Pennsylvania if trapping. Please understand that an RVS does not mean it automatically is carrying rabies.
Remember: It is illegal to keep and raise wildlife
Myth: A raccoon has rabies if it’s roaming during the day instead of at night
If You Find a Raccoon That:
Is not fully furred, and its eyes are sealed shut
Appears sick or injured
Is lethargic, disoriented or has difficulty moving/balancing
Is approaching humans
Is found alone and is calling frequently
Has been in a dog or cat’s mouth
Has been hit by a car
Has parasites, including fly eggs (look like little grains of rice)
This is an emergency. Receive immediate support here or contact your local wildlife rehabilitator.
If You Find a Raccoon That:
Looks like a miniature adult and can evade humans
Had its den excavated, and the den location is known
This is okay! Young raccoons between eight and 10 weeks old will often wander away from their nests during the day with their siblings. It is okay for them to be alone for up to 24 hours. For more solutions to common problems with racoons in human spaces, visit this page.
How To Save Baby and Juvenile Raccoons
Young raccoons, or kits, are born with their eyes closed and with a light covering of grey fur. By one week, kits develop their black masks and tail rings. During this time, kits are helpless and will often call for their mother when hungry. At three weeks of age, their eyes and ears open, and kits will begin to clumsily walk around. Kits are rarely found outside their den unless a mother was disturbed while relocating her kits.
By six weeks old, the kits may begin to explore the area just outside their den. Between eight and 10 weeks old, kits will follow their mother from the den each night to forage. However, they may still be seen out of the den during the day with their siblings. Kits at this age are okay to be alone for up to 24 hours as long as they are not visibly sick or injured.
Mother raccoons typically have one litter of kits each year during April and May. Raccoons may have a second litter in late summer if they lose the first.
How To Re-Nest Baby Raccoons
If you find a raccoon kit clumsily walking around with their eyes and ears open, about three weeks old but with no mother or adult raccoon nearby, re-nesting may be necessary. Kits are rarely found outside the den unless a mother was disturbed while relocating.
Wear thick gardening gloves. Raccoons are a Rabies Vector Species and may bite even at a young age.
Check the baby carefully for injuries. Purple or red spots under the skin are a common sign of bruising after a fall. If the kits appear injured, contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately.
Do not offer them any food, water or formula. We want them to be hungry and call for their mom!
Keep the baby warm — it’s a priority! Fill a water bottle with hot water and wrap it in a towel. Place the wrapped water bottle securely in the box next to the babies. You may need to reheat the water bottle throughout the reunion process. You can also use heating pads, rice-filled socks or hand warmers.
Place the babies back in a safe location as close as possible to where they were found. If the kit’s eyes are still closed, gather and place them in a box that they cannot crawl out of but allows mom to reach in and collect them. Older kits may need to be contained in a laundry basket with a 5lb rock or weight on top–the kits will not be able to escape but their mother will be able to free them and relocate them.
Leave the area and watch from a distance. Mom will not come back to the area if she senses danger (humans, pets, etc.).
Allow time since they were found for mom to retrieve the baby. Raccoons are most active at night, so kits should be left alone from when they are found until the following morning so mom to retrieve them overnight.
Contact a wildlife rehabilitator for help if mom does not retrieve the babies. Keep the kits warm and secure, but do not offer them any food, water, or formula.
How To Save Adult Raccoons
At three months old, raccoons are fully weaned from their mother and can forage on their own. However, young raccoons remain with their family group into their first fall or spring.
Raccoons may occasionally forage or be active during daylight hours despite being a nocturnal species. Daytime activity is not an indicator of rabies. Raccoons are also excellent climbers and will often find a structure to climb and hide in during the day. Please know, raccoons rarely get stuck in a tree! They will also refuse to come down if there is human activity or other threats in the area.
If an adult raccoon is unresponsive to humans, overly friendly with humans, lethargic or has difficulty moving/balancing, it should be seen by a rehabilitator immediately.
For more solutions to common problems with raccoons in human spaces, visit this page.
Do you still have questions after reading the information above? Contact us or a local wildlife rehabilitator!
Have you found this FREE information helpful? Help support our work and expand our services by giving a gift.
Resources
Answering the Call of the Wild by Erin Luther. Toronto Wildlife Centre