“ Carnivore Concepts: Categorization in Carnivores ‘Bears’ Further Study.” International Journal of Comparative Psychology, American Psychological Association, vol. “ Spots, Stripes, Tail Tips and Dark Eyes: Predicting the Function of Carnivore Colour Patterns Using the Comparative Method.” Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. & González-Maya, J.F. 2016. " Procyon lotor (Northern Racoon)." The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Timm, R., Cuarón, A.D., Reid, F., Helgen, K. Response Properties and Classification of Slowly Adapting Fibers.” Somatosensory Research, vol. “ Sensory Innervation of the Raccoon Forepaw: 2. It’s a beautiful thing to encounter young wildlife, and by educating ourselves on their habits and life cycles, we are able to respect and appreciate wildlife from a safe, healthy distance." Pests in Gardens and Landscapes." University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Mother raccoons are best suited to be taking care of their young, so if there is any possibility of reuniting the baby with their mother, that is always the most preferable option. Only a professional should be handling wildlife, to minimize your risk of contracting diseases or causing injury to yourself or the animals. If the baby appears injured, malnourished, or harmed in any way, please call your local humane society or wildlife rehab center and describe the situation to them. Raccoons are nocturnal creatures, so we usually recommend waiting until one night has passed to allow the mother the chance to retrieve her baby during her waking hours. Keep your distance, and keep an eye on the baby. If it appears healthy with no visible signs of injury, it’s mother is likely closeby and will return to retrieve it. Just because a baby is found out in the wild does not necessarily mean it has been abandoned. When removing raccoons from an attic, garage or shed it’s important to ensure that the mother and babies are kept together. We’ve seen mothers go to extreme lengths, ripping at siding and shingles, and even damaging structural elements of a home if they are locked away from their babies. Raccoon mothers are tremendously protective of their young. What should I do if I find a baby raccoon? However, raccoon families have been found to stay together for up to a year before the babies move on and separate from their litter. For the first few climbing journeys, a mother will stay very close-by to protect her young in the event of a fall.īaby raccoons are considered weaned from the nest around 2-3 months after birth, meaning they are able to fully survive on their own without the help of their mother. At this time, the mother raccoon will take her babies walking around short distances away from the den, slowly building up to longer journeys, and eventually climbing. This is also when their fur begins to grow thicker, and their distinctive masks and striped tails begin to show.Īround 6 weeks after birth, the babies will begin walking. For the next few weeks, the babies are still immobile, but are able to shuffle around and physically see their surroundings, including their mother and each other. Since raccoons are nocturnal, these noises are also often heard at night, and can easily be confused with chirping noises made by birds.Īt the 3 week mark, the babies begin opening their eyes for the first time. Newborn raccoons will often chirp, whine, and mew for their mother while she is out foraging for food. While they are not able to do much, newborn raccoons are able to make quite a lot of noise. This is why it’s so important not to trap and relocate adult raccoons as you could inadvertently cause a litter of babies to be orphaned. During this time, raccoons are not able to open their eyes or walk, meaning they are 100% dependent on their mother's care. The newborn stage lasts around 2-3 weeks. Newborns are born with a pinkish-grey hue to their skin, light grey, sparse fur, and a faint mask on their faces. In our 30 years of wildlife experience, we’ve seen newborns anywhere from late February, and in some cases, all the way into mid July. Most people believe baby raccoons are only born in early spring, but this is not usually the case. With that in mind, what exactly does the early life of a raccoon look like? At Skedaddle, we hope that understanding the stages baby raccoons go through from birth to full maturity will also help us understand when it’s important to leave them be, and when to call a professional for help. With their impressive foraging and climbing skills, there is little need to rely on one another for survival. Raccoons are wildly independent creatures.
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