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Baby raccon at Witter wildlife Refuge
Photo by Author
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Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
BABY RACCOONS
All baby animals are cute and lovable but raccoons take affection to a whole other level. They are so animated and quizzical that they are a ball to watch. They are at least as smart as dogs or cats and posses incredible manual dexterity.
Like many babies they are totally helpless when they are born, both blind and deaf but very noisy. They are totally dependent on the mother the first few week of their life. They do not even leave the den for eight to nine weeks. Like a cat the mother will carry them if necessary to move them during this time.
Their are four wild animals including the raccoon (fox, skunk, bat) in the United states considered to be primary carriers of rabies and are classified as rabies vector species (RVS). Fortunately rabies in Arkansas raccoons has not been as widespread as other areas. Never the less a raccoon bite should be reported to Health officials and treatment provided. In order to determine if an animal carries rabies it must be destroyed and the brain tissue analyzed.
Besides rabies and distemper, Raccoons can carry a worm in their feces that can be deadly to people and other animals. The eggs of this worm are so small they can be inhaled or passed to people rubbing their eyes or handling food after coming in contact with raccoons. Once the worm gets into the human system it migrates to the brain and can cause death. Symptoms are generally not recognizable until it is too late.
After a young boy in California that died from the worm it was discovered rain water from the roof of the child's home washed the microscopic eggs into his sand box from nesting raccoons by the chimney.
Although deaths are rare from raccoon human contact t is very important to maintain good hygiene when working with raccoons. As rehabilitators we are encouraged to use “raccoon only” cages to protect other animals from this parasite. Washing hands and wearing gloves when handling raccoons or cleaning up after them is essential conduct.
Raccoons are unique to the New World. Other than a debatable link to the Asian Panda they have no realatives on other continents. Fossils suggest raccoons have been here for as long as a million years. Most adult raccoons weigh from 10 to 15 pounds but they can get as large as 60 pounds if overfed. The larger raccoons are more common in Northern states.
Their sense of touch is so developed it is thought to be as great or greater than their other senses. It is not true that they must wash everything before eating. If water is present they will dunk and soak their food but they go through the same handling motions before eating without water.
In the winter they might den up with as many as twenty other raccoons. Other than denning or raising young they are a fairly solitary animal primarily active at night.
Raccoons eat almost anything. They are not very good hunters eating mostly insects, earthworms, crawfish and minnows as a live food source. They eat fruit, corn, acorns, trash just about about anything else they can find. They do not truly hibernate but will spend days at a time in a stupor like, semi- hibernation state in winter. As much as 30% of their weight can be added by gorging themselves before winter.
Litter sizes can range from one to seven. They breed primarily in Spring but occasionally have Fall litters.
Playing and feeding wild raccoons is not encouraged. They are very intelligent and once you form a dependent relationship with them they are unlikely to forget.
I had a call from a lady in Eureka Springs asking if i could relocate some raccoons. “How many are we talking about?” I asked. She explained that there were 10 to 12 coming to her home every night looking for food. She had started out feeding a couple and before long she had a dozen.
I told her to simply quit putting food out and they would learn to look elsewhere. “We tried that” she said, “But they show up with rocks and knock on the windows”. I tried not to laugh as I pictured a gang of raccoons surrounding her house and rapping on windows. I reaffirmed that eventually they would go elsewhere if the food was withheld to which she replied “ I know, we try but by 4 in the morning we are so tired we give up and feed them so we can get some sleep”.
All animals like people learn to recognize patterned behavior. If you give in to them even one out of 10 times they learn it takes 10 nights of banging to get fed. If you feed wildlife it is best to do it away from the house and not let them associate you with their food or you too might have delinquents banging on your window for a midnight snack
If you have a pet raccoon it should be vaccinated for both canine and feline rabies. Remember that any wildlife pet in Arkansas must be kept by the owner until death. It cannot be sold, released, or traded.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
