Toronto Wildlife Centre

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Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Raccoons

Due to the extremely high volume of calls that we receive at Toronto Wildlife Centre during the spring and summer months, at this time we can only respond to calls about baby raccoons from the city of Toronto.

Many babies are mistakenly believed to be orphaned when they have become separated from their parent. Before taking action, please use the FAQ below to determine whether the baby truly needs help. If it does, and you are the city of Toronto, click here. If the baby needs help and you live inside these areas, call our Wildlife Hotline at (416) 631-0662, and follow the prompts to leave a message for our Wildlife Hotline staff.

Until you can reach a wildlife expert, please keep the baby in a closed cardboard box in a quiet place. Do not give the baby anything to eat or drink other than a shallow dish of water, if it can drink from a dish. Please also provide the baby with a heat source such as an electric heating pad set on low under one half of the box, or plastic or glass bottle filled with hot water. Wrap the bottle in a thin towel and place it in the box with the baby (anchor it to one side so it will not roll). Change the bottle every 1-2 hours as it will cool down, but do not handle the babies as some can injure you.

1. How do I identify a baby raccoon from a juvenile or adult raccoon?

Raccoons are a familiar sight to most Ontario residents--southern Ontario alone is home to a population of over one million raccoons. These brownish-grey backyard visitors are easily distinguished from a young age by the characteristic black �mask� and ringed tail. Even at birth, a dark area over the eyes reveals where the mask will soon appear.

A small litter of raccoon babies.

A one day old raccoon.

A litter of juvenile raccoons.

If the animal you�ve encountered looks like these babies, continue reading. If you think you�ve found something other than a raccoon, click here.

In some cases, like in the pictures previously shown, it is obvious that the raccoon you have encountered is a baby. But because people often use the word �baby� to describe both newborn raccoons and juveniles that are already independent of their parent, it can be confusing!

If the baby is more than half the size of an adult raccoon (its body, not including the tail, is at least 14�/35 cm long), it can be considered a JUVENILE or ADULT raccoon. Choose the appropriate link below to continue.

I�ve found a baby raccoon that may be...

...sick or injured.
...curled up in an odd place.
...alone after an adult ran away.
...alone after an adult was removed.
...out during the day without an adult in sight.
...too young to be out alone.

I�ve found a juvenile or adult raccoon.

2. Assessing juvenile or adult raccoons: Does the animal need help?

Juvenile Raccoons
If the baby is with other littermates and/or is significantly smaller than an adult cat, it is probably this year�s young--a juvenile. (NOTE: Baby raccoons are born in spring, so this statement would only be true in late summer or early fall--a baby that is this size in spring or early summer is at least a year old and independent�see Adult Raccoons below).

To assess whether a juvenile baby needs help, answer the following questions:

It is able to run and climb well and get away from people?
Is it avoiding people (i.e. trying to get away when approached)?
Is it quiet (that is, not making any mewling/crying sounds)?

If you answered YES to ALL of the above questions, the raccoon should be assumed to be at a stage of independence where it may be ok even if something has happened to the mother (and in some cases the mother may be around anyway and simply not with the baby at the time when it is being observed). If you are able to, continue to monitor the baby over the course of several days or weeks. If the baby shows any sign of weakness, or becomes more human-friendly, it may need help. Call our Wildlife Hotline at (416) 631-0662.

Adult Raccoons
If the animal is the size of an adult cat or larger, it can be considered an adult raccoon. It is not normal for adult raccoons to be lethargic, unresponsive to the close presence of people (e.g. not moving away when approached or curled up on the ground), confused or disoriented, sleepy, or losing balance. All of these are typically indicators of sickness or injury, though sometimes it is misinterpreted as the animal being �young.� If you see a raccoon with any of these symptoms, do not attempt to handle it and call our Wildlife Hotline at (416) 631-0662.

3. I found a baby raccoon/baby raccoons that is/are sick or injured.

Signs of illness or injury in baby raccoons

Seizures (stiffening or rapid twitching of body or rapid blinking of the eyes)

Neurological symptoms such as leaning, circling, losing balance

Has been picked up or attacked by a cat (assume injured even if no other signs are evident)

Shock (the animal appears sleepy or non-responsive)

Closed eyes (except in cases of newborn babies, whose eyes may be sealed shut)

Any sign of blood or wounds

No use or impaired use of one or more limbs

Any fur loss

String, fishing line or other materials protruding from mouth or wrapped around any part of body

A foreign object stuck to the animal�s body (e.g., a can on the foot, a plastic container on the head)

A foreign substance (such as oil, grease, or glue) on fur

An animal that appears wet when it has not recently been exposed to water

Apparent blindness

Any swellings or lesions on the body

Missing part of any limb or tail (if the injury appears healed over and the animal appears to be functioning normally, call Toronto Wildlife Centre for further advice)

Any discharge from eyes, nose, or mouth

Bugs crawling on or flies swarming around the animal

An animal that is cold to the touch or unresponsive

Sides of body or belly appear �sunken,� ribs visible through the skin

Clickhere, if the baby shows any of the above symptoms. Otherwise, hit the back button to return to the previous page.

4. I found a baby raccoon/baby raccoons that is/are curled up together in an odd place.

Raccoons use a wide variety of den sites to rear their young, from a hole in a hollow tree to an attic crawlspace to a hole underneath a deck. Baby raccoons normally remain inside the protected den area until about eight weeks of age, at which point they begin to come out of the den on nightly forays with their mother.

Before taking any action, consider whether the baby may actually be in its den site. If the area is normally hidden away from human view (e.g., in a rafter or corner of a building) and the baby is curled up in some kind of nesting material (e.g., insulation, shredded paper or other material), it is likely that you have encountered the baby in its den while the mother is away. Leave it alone and monitor for the mother�s return.

If the baby is not in a likely den (e.g., is in an exposed area with no nesting material), it may be in need of help. It is possible, however, if the baby has been found recently (within one day), and does not appear sick or injured, that the mother is still around. In some cases, when a mother raccoon is forced out of a den, she may leave her babies temporarily while preparing to move them to an alternate site. If the baby is left out for a short time in the right circumstances, the mother will often return for it. Click here for instructions on how to reunite raccoon babies with their parent.

The baby was found yesterday (or before), or appears sick or injured.

5. I found a baby raccoon/baby raccoons that is/are alone in a den after adult raccoon was scared from the den and ran away.

Thankfully, raccoons are excellent mothers who are very dedicated to their young. If you have disturbed a den site and witnessed an adult raccoon run away from the den, then there is a very good chance that it was the mother and that she will return at nightfall to continue to care for her young. Leave the den site alone (or return it to its original state) and monitor for the mother�s return.

The mother has not returned--what now?

6. I found a baby raccoon/baby raccoons that is/are alone after an adult was recently captured and relocated out of the immediate area.

Sadly, this situation sometimes occurs despite provincial laws that prohibit the relocation of ANY wild animal more than one kilometre out of its home range. It is usually impossible for a relocated mother; even one relocated a very short distance away, to return to her young. Raccoons are highly territorial: any relocated raccoon is dropped unwittingly into the territory of another raccoon is often forced to fight for her life, and additionally is unfamiliar with the area. A raccoon baby left behind after a mother has been relocated will not be retrieved and adopted by another raccoon�it is definitely orphaned and in need of help. Do not assume, however, that a relocated adult raccoon was the mother of a baby found later unless the capture spot was very close to where the baby was found (i.e., inside or near the entrance of the den), as more than one adult raccoon can live in an area.

I�m not sure if the relocated adult was the mother.

The mother has not returned--what now?

7. I found a baby raccoon/baby raccoons that is/are "playing" in open area during the day with no parent in sight.

At about 8 weeks of age, baby raccoons begin to emerge from the den to practice their foraging and climbing skills. The babies are usually at least 12�/30cm long at this stage (not including their tail), and no longer �wobble� when they walk (if the babies seem younger or smaller than this, click here). They remain in their family groups until the end of summer, and though babies are often seen alongside their mother it is also not uncommon�particularly as they get older�to see them without her. Raccoons are not exclusively nocturnal but tend to be most active at night when there are fewer threats around. If the babies do not appear sick or injured and appear to be simply rooting around for food or playing with one another, leave them alone but check back periodically for the rest of daylight hours and then as often as possible through the night. If the babies remain in the area alone through the rest of the day and night, they are likely in need of help.

I�ve been monitoring the babies throughout the day and/or night and no mother has returned--what now?

8. I found a baby raccoon/baby raccoons that is/are out in open area who seem too young to walk normally (still "wobble" when they walk).

Although raccoons this young should normally be inside a den, they occasionally are found outside alone if the den has been disturbed or the mother is in the process of moving her babies from one den site to another. In some cases the mother raccoon may not return for the baby until after dark. If the baby shows no signs of illness or injury and has been found within one day, it should be given a chance to reunite with its mother. Click here for instructions on how to reunite raccoon babies with their mother.

The babies were found yesterday (or before), or appear sick or injured.

9. How can I tell if the Mother has returned?

If the baby was found in a potential den site, assess whether the mother is returning to care for her young by covering the entrance hole with something the mother would be able to move. This will act as a visual indicator to you to determine if the young are being cared for. Some suggestions are to:

Plug the entrance hole (the hole the adult raccoon is using to get into the den) with scrunched up newspaper, or tape a piece of newspaper overtop.

Tape a piece of newspaper loosely over the babies� nest (this may be preferable, for example, if the nesting material and babies are inside a box or other small cavity).

Once you have covered the hole with the visual indicator, you must now leave the young as you found them overnight and check again in the morning to see if the �cover� has been disturbed. A mother raccoon returning to feed her young will remove or rip through the barrier, and so it will be obvious by the next day whether she has returned.

If the entrance point to the den site is too large to use this method (e.g., the mother is denning in a carport or other building with a large opening), do a little detective work! Try laying down a thin layer of flour or sand in front of the entrance to check for the mother�s footprints going in and out. You may also be successful just monitoring visually for as it starts to become dark, though not seeing the adult is not a guarantee that she has not returned.

The mother has not returned overnight�what now?

10. How can I reunite a baby raccoon/baby raccoons with its/their Mother?

Raccoon babies found alone that appear healthy should be left for one full night after they are found (as well as during the remainder of daylight hours if found during the day) to give their mother a chance to retrieve them in the event that she is still around but has simply become temporarily separated from her young. If the baby is young enough that it would normally still be in a den (i.e., is 12�/30 cm long�not including the tail�or smaller, or is �wobbly� on its feet or not able to climb well, or is making frequent crying noises) follow these steps to help the mother to find her baby:

Step 1: Contain the baby in a box or bin that is too high for it to crawl out of (for most young babies a recycling bin will do). Click here for tips on how to contain the baby. Alternatively, you may place a laundry basket upside-down over the baby with something heavy on top to keep the baby from leaving the area.

Step 2: Give the baby a heat source by placing a heating pad on the �LOW� setting underneath half of the box/bin (you may have to run an extension cord to the area). If you are using a laundry basket, you can try wrapping a heating pad in a towel and corralling the baby with the laundry basket so that the heating pad is contained underneath it with the baby. The heat source is CRITICAL, even when it is warm outside�without a heat source the baby can become hypothermic. Not only can babies die from hypothermia, but mothers will typically not retrieve babies that are cold. If no heating pad is available, chemical glove warmers (sold in some drugstores as �hot pockets�) or microwaveable heat bags (seed/oat bags) may be used, though these need to be replaced frequently as they cool down.

Step 3: Leave upright containers open (no lid) in the area where the baby was found. If the baby is left during the day and there is no shade over the container, place a flat piece of cardboard over half of the container to give the baby shelter. This technique can also be used if it is raining lightly. (If it is raining heavily, the container should be moved to the closest weather protected area).

It is important that the baby be left as close as possible to where it was found and kept warm to give it the best chances of being found by its mother. If the container has to be left in an area with human traffic, consider putting a sign on the container saying that the baby is being left out for one night for its mother and asking passers-by to leave it alone. Indicate when you will be returning to get the baby if it is not found by its mother. If the area has a lot of activity, consider placing the babies back outside only after dark and once the activity has let up.

No mother has retrieved the baby�what now?

11. The Baby Needs Help!

Baby raccoons need specialized care to give them the best chances at survival in the wild. If you are in the city of Toronto, please call our Wildlife Hotline at (416) 631-0662.

When you call Toronto Wildlife Centre's Wildlife Hotline, you will have to leave a message as the call volume is often very high (we receive approximately 200 calls per day during our busy season). However, someone will call you back as quickly as possible during our open hours. We are open 7 days a week, year round, from 9AM to 6PM.*

Due to the overwhelming volume of calls we are experiencing at this time of year, we are unfortunately unable to respond to calls about or admit baby raccons from outside of the city of Toronto. Click here for more options.

*Please note that on December 24^th, 25^th, 26^th, 31^st, and January 1^st, hours are 9am to 4pm.

It�s after hours � what should I do in the meantime?

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