Baby Raccoon-Palooza at WildCare
Spring and summer are, as you likely know, Baby Season for wildlife. These warm months are when most of our wildlife neighbors nest or den and hatch or give birth to their babies.
Of course, bringing new life into the world is a hazardous proposition, and far too often, something happens to separate baby animals from their moms. Fortunately, when a little one is orphaned, WildCare is here to help!
We always admit orphaned baby raccoons starting in mid-May, but we have admitted a surprising number of them this year -- we currently have 30 (as of June 13th) tiny chirping, chirring, cheeping, and purring baby raccoons in care, and more arrive every day.
It's a "Raccoon-Palooza" at WildCare! Meet some of these extraordinary babies in the videos below!
Raccoon Patient #25-1331
Homeowners found this youngster all alone in their yard. Where were his mom and his den mates? What had happened to separate this young raccoon from his family?
His rescuers had no idea why he was alone, and we will never know either, but once he was admitted to the Wildlife Hospital it was clear that he needed care. Although his eyes are bright, he was very subdued on intake, sitting calmly while Assistant Director of Animal Care Vanessa Potter checked his weight, examined his eyes and ears, and offered him some dextrose from a syringe.
Watch this baby's intake exam in the video below, and see the moment when he tastes the sugar and brightens up!
Raccoon Patients #25-1122 - 1124
This tiny raccoon and her siblings were born in a cozy den under a bathtub. The mother raccoon clearly considered the spot under the tub to be a good den site.
Unfortunately, the homeowners disagreed. Hearing the sounds of the newborn raccoons and not knowing what they were, they called an exclusion service that closed access to the den site. Of course, this left the baby raccoons alone and hungry.
Hearing the desperate cries of the baby raccoons, the homeowners knew they had made a mistake. They attempted to let the mother raccoon return to her babies, but something must have happened to her and she didn't come back. Raccoons are excellent mothers, and in this situation a mother raccoon will return to find and move her babies to a secondary den site if she can.
The baby raccoons were brought to WildCare, where they have gone into care with members of our trained Raccoon Foster Care team. Meet them in the video below!
Turn up the volume on the video below to hear the sounds baby raccoons make.
If you hear that sound coming from your subfloor or attic, you'll know that a mother raccoon is raising her young in that spot. Don't worry! It will only be a few short weeks before the babies are old enough to leave the den with mom. Once that happens, it is safe to seal up the den entrance. Call WildCare for more information and advice at 415-456-7283.
Please do NOT attempt to evict the raccoon family before the babies are old enough to leave the den! Too many of the baby raccoon patients at WildCare were inappropriately orphaned by botched exclusion attempts. Separating wildlife families is inhumane and often leads to death or injury.
If you have concerns about raccoons denning on your property, always call WildCare for advice and assistance 415-456-7283.
Raccoon Foster Care team member Shelly R. is one of WildCare's most experienced raccoon foster parents, and she is also a skilled photographer! See a gallery of her photos below.
Shelly currently has six baby raccoons in care. Although they came in as tiny neonates, but they are thriving in her care and over the past few weeks, they have developed into beautiful, active, and precociously curious little raccoons!
Shelly has her hands full with these six babies! They don't all come from the same litter, so the ages of these young raccoons vary slightly, meaning they receive slightly different quantities of the special raccoon formula we feed them.
To keep track of who is who, Shelly gives each baby a temporary collar, the color of which matches the bottle she uses.
Once these youngsters are weaned, their contact with humans will be almost nothing. They will move to an outdoor enclosure where they will learn the climbing and foraging skills a raccoon needs to survive in the wild.
Baby raccoons are incredibly charming, and providing their care is a highlight for the volunteers on WildCare's Raccoon Foster Care Team.
However, raising these incredibly smart animals to be wild, wily, and able to survive on their own requires significant training.
Please never attempt to raise a baby raccoon on your own! All orphaned raccoons should be brought to a licensed wildlife care center like WildCare where they will have the opportunity to grow up with their fellow raccoons, they will receive the balanced nutrition they need to thrive, and they will not learn to see humans as "friends."
Please help WildCare care for our influx of baby raccoons, and all of our wildlife patients! Donate now!