What to Do if You Find a Baby Raccoon
Finding a baby raccoon alone can be concerning, but being alone does not always mean the baby has been orphaned. Mother raccoons may leave their young while searching for food, and they can often retrieve a baby that has become separated or displaced.
Knowing what signs to look for can help you determine when to give the mother an opportunity to return and when the baby needs professional help.
Is It Normal to See a Baby Raccoon Alone?
Sometimes. Mother raccoons may leave their young in a den while they search for food, so seeing a baby without its mother nearby does not automatically mean it has been orphaned.
A baby raccoon may also become temporarily separated if its den is disturbed or the mother is moving her young to a new location. In these situations, the mother may return to retrieve the baby when the area becomes quiet and she feels it is safe to approach.
If the baby appears warm, alert, uninjured, and otherwise healthy, give the mother an opportunity to return whenever it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Do not assume a baby raccoon is orphaned simply because you do not see its mother. Keep people and pets away and observe from a distance rather than remaining close to the baby.
Does This Baby Raccoon Need Help?
The Baby Is Probably Okay If...
The baby is alert and responsive.
It appears warm, healthy, and well-fed.
It has no visible wounds, bleeding, or other signs of injury.
It is in or near a known den site and there is no evidence that the mother has died.
The baby has only recently been found alone and the mother may still be nearby.
It has not been caught, carried, or injured by a cat or dog.
If the baby appears healthy, keep people and pets away and observe from a distance. The mother may be nearby or may return when the area is quiet and she feels safe approaching.
The Baby Needs Help If...
It is injured, bleeding, weak, cold, lethargic, or unresponsive.
It has difficulty standing, walking, or moving normally.
It is covered with flies, fly eggs, or maggots.
It has been caught, carried, bitten, or injured by a cat or dog.
The mother is confirmed dead.
It has been alone for an extended period and is becoming weak or distressed.
It is repeatedly crying, wandering, or following people and there is reason to believe the mother is not returning.
A reunion attempt has been unsuccessful and a wildlife rehabilitator recommends intervention.
If the baby is injured, weak, or otherwise appears to be in distress, do not wait for the mother to return before seeking guidance. Contact Roanoke Wildlife Rescue or another licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.
What NOT to Do if You Find a Baby Raccoon
To protect both the baby raccoon and yourself, never:
Feed the baby or give it water, milk, formula, or other liquids.
Attempt to raise or keep a baby raccoon yourself.
Assume the baby is orphaned simply because you do not see its mother.
Take a healthy baby away before giving its mother an appropriate opportunity to return or retrieve it.
Handle, pet, cuddle, or play with the baby unnecessarily.
Allow children or pets to approach or interact with the raccoon.
Touch the raccoon's mouth, saliva, feces, or urine with bare hands.
Attempt to handle a baby that is acting aggressively, behaving abnormally, or is difficult to safely contain.
Relocate the baby to another area on your own.
If you must handle a baby raccoon for immediate safety or under the direction of a wildlife rehabilitator, avoid direct contact and follow the rehabilitator's instructions carefully. Even young raccoons are wild animals and can bite or scratch when frightened.
If anyone is bitten, scratched, or may have had direct contact with the raccoon's saliva, contact your local health department or medical provider for guidance. Raccoons are a rabies-vector species in Virginia, so potential exposure should be taken seriously.
Steps to Take
If the Baby Appears Healthy
If the baby is warm, alert, active, and uninjured, do not immediately assume it has been orphaned. Keep people and pets away and observe from a distance.
The mother may be nearby or may return when the area becomes quiet. If the baby appears to have been displaced from its den, contact a wildlife rehabilitator for guidance about attempting to reunite it with its mother.
If the Baby Has Been Displaced
If a den has been disturbed, a tree has been cut down, or the baby has been found away from its den, the mother may still be able to retrieve and relocate her young.
Keep the baby safe from people, pets, traffic, and other immediate dangers, and contact a wildlife rehabilitator for guidance before moving it to another location.
If the Baby Is Injured, Cold, or Weak
If the baby is injured, bleeding, cold, weak, lethargic, unable to move normally, or covered with flies, fly eggs, or maggots, contact Roanoke Wildlife Rescue or another licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.
Do not offer food or water. Follow the rehabilitator's instructions for safe containment and transport.
If a Cat or Dog Had the Baby
Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator even if you cannot see an injury. Bites, puncture wounds, and other injuries may be difficult to detect and can require prompt treatment.
Separate the pet from the raccoon and follow the rehabilitator's instructions about containment and transport.
If the Mother Is Confirmed Dead
If you know the mother has died, do not leave the baby waiting for her to return. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator promptly for assistance.
If there may be additional babies nearby, tell the rehabilitator where the mother and baby were found so they can advise you about checking for siblings.
Can a Baby Raccoon Be Reunited With Its Mother?
In many situations, a healthy baby raccoon can be reunited with its mother. Mother raccoons may return for a baby that has fallen from a den, become separated, or been displaced when a den site was disturbed.
Whenever possible, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before attempting a reunion. The baby's age, condition, location, weather, and circumstances can affect whether a reunion attempt is appropriate.
Give the Mother a Safe Opportunity to Return
If the baby is healthy and a wildlife rehabilitator recommends attempting a reunion, place the baby in a secure, protected container near the location where it was found, following the rehabilitator's instructions. The baby should be protected from weather and predators while remaining accessible to its mother.
Keep people and pets away and observe from a distance. Do not remain near the baby waiting for the mother, as your presence may prevent her from approaching.
The Mother May Move Her Babies
If a den has been disturbed or is no longer safe, the mother may relocate her young to another den. She may need time to retrieve babies individually, especially if there is more than one.
Do not relocate the baby to another property or release it somewhere you think would be a better habitat. Its mother will look for it near the original den or the location where it became separated.
When to Stop the Reunion Attempt
Do not continue waiting if the baby becomes cold, weak, injured, lethargic, unresponsive, or otherwise begins to decline. Contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately.
If the mother does not return during the reunion period recommended by the rehabilitator, contact them again for the next steps rather than continuing the attempt indefinitely.
If You Already Picked Up the Baby
If you have already brought the baby inside, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before returning it outdoors. Depending on the circumstances, a reunion with its mother may still be possible.
Do not feed the baby or give it water while you wait for instructions, and keep handling to a minimum.
What to Do While You Wait for Help
If a licensed wildlife rehabilitator advises you to contain the baby raccoon, keep it secure, warm, dark, and quiet while you wait for further instructions.
Place the baby in a secure, ventilated container or carrier that it cannot climb or push its way out of.
Keep the container in a quiet area away from children, pets, and household activity.
Handle the baby as little as possible. Do not pet, cuddle, play with, or carry it around.
Avoid direct contact with the raccoon's mouth, saliva, urine, and feces.
Do not allow the baby to interact with people or household pets.
Do not give the baby food, water, milk, or formula unless specifically instructed by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
Provide supplemental warmth only if instructed, and never place the baby directly on a heating pad or other hot surface.
Follow the rehabilitator's instructions for safe transportation.
Do not attempt to provide ongoing care while you wait. The goal of temporary containment is simply to keep the baby safe and reduce stress until it can be transferred to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
If anyone is bitten or scratched, or if raccoon saliva may have contacted broken skin, the eyes, nose, or mouth, wash the affected area thoroughly and contact a medical provider or local health department promptly for guidance. Tell the wildlife rehabilitator about the potential exposure as well.
Do Not Keep or Attempt to Raise a Baby Raccoon
If a baby raccoon needs help, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. Do not keep the raccoon as a pet or attempt to raise it yourself.
Baby raccoons have specialized nutritional, medical, housing, and developmental needs. Improper feeding or care can cause serious harm. Young raccoons also need opportunities to develop with other raccoons and learn the natural behaviors and survival skills they will need before they can safely return to the wild.
Too much interaction with people can cause a young raccoon to become accustomed to humans. This can interfere with successful rehabilitation and release and may create risks for both the raccoon and the public.
Virginia wildlife rehabilitation guidelines classify raccoons as a species with a high risk of carrying and transmitting rabies. Keeping or attempting to care for a raccoon yourself can put both you and the animal at risk. Unnecessary handling may increase the possibility of human or pet exposure, and delays in seeking professional help can complicate how a potential rabies exposure must be handled. In some circumstances, public-health officials may determine that rabies testing is necessary, which requires the animal to be euthanized because rabies testing cannot be performed on a live animal.
If you have already been caring for a baby raccoon, contact Roanoke Wildlife Rescue as soon as possible. Tell us how long you have had the raccoon, what it has been fed or given to drink, and whether any person or pet may have had direct contact with it.
About Baby Raccoons
Baby raccoons, called kits, are born helpless and depend completely on their mother for warmth, protection, food, and the skills they will eventually need to survive on their own. As they grow, young raccoons become increasingly active and curious, but they continue learning from their mother for months before becoming fully independent.
How Mother Raccoons Care for Their Young
Mother raccoons raise their young in protected den sites such as tree cavities, hollow logs, or sheltered spaces in and around buildings. While the babies are young, the mother leaves the den to find food and returns to nurse and care for them.
As the kits grow, they begin accompanying their mother outside the den. She helps them learn where to find food, how to navigate their surroundings, and how to respond to potential dangers.
Seeing a baby without its mother nearby does not necessarily mean it has been abandoned. She may be away temporarily or may wait until people and pets leave before approaching her young.
When Do Baby Raccoons Become Independent?
Young raccoons gradually spend more time outside the den as they grow, but they may remain with their mother for several months while developing the skills needed to survive independently.
Because age and independence can be difficult to judge by appearance alone, do not assume a small raccoon can survive on its own simply because it is walking, climbing, or eating solid food. If you are unsure whether a young raccoon still needs its mother, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for guidance.
Why Professional Rehabilitation Matters
Orphaned baby raccoons require much more than food and shelter. Licensed wildlife rehabilitators provide appropriate nutrition, medical care, housing, opportunities to develop with other raccoons, and preparation for life in the wild.
Rehabilitation also limits unnecessary human interaction. A young raccoon that becomes accustomed to people may lose important natural behaviors or begin approaching people for food, which can make successful release more difficult and create risks for both the raccoon and the public.
The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is not to tame a baby raccoon—it is to prepare the animal to live successfully in the wild.
Why Raccoons Are Important
Raccoons are native wildlife and play a role in Virginia's ecosystems. Raccoons eat a wide variety of plant and animal foods, taking advantage of what is available, and help move nutrients through the environment.
Like other native wildlife, raccoons are best able to fill their natural role when they remain wild. Helping an orphaned or injured baby receive appropriate rehabilitation gives it the opportunity to return to its natural habitat.
Frequently Asked Questions About Baby Raccoons
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Finding a baby raccoon alone does not necessarily mean it has been orphaned. The mother may be away searching for food, moving her young, or waiting for people and pets to leave before returning.
A baby is more likely to need help if it is injured, cold, weak, lethargic, repeatedly wandering or crying, known to have lost its mother, or declining while alone. If you are unsure, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator before removing a healthy baby.
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Often, a mother raccoon will return for a healthy baby that has become separated or displaced. She may wait until the area is quiet and people and pets are gone before approaching.
Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for guidance about whether a reunion attempt is appropriate and how to do it safely. Do not relocate the baby away from the area where it was found.
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No. Do not give a baby raccoon food, water, milk, or formula unless specifically instructed by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Improper food, formula, or feeding techniques can cause serious complications.
If the baby needs help, keep it secure and quiet and contact a wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible.
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Avoid unnecessary contact. Do not pet, cuddle, play with, or repeatedly handle a baby raccoon. Even young raccoons are wild animals and may bite or scratch when frightened.
If handling is necessary for immediate safety or containment, follow the instructions provided by a wildlife rehabilitator and avoid contact with the raccoon's mouth, saliva, urine, and feces.
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Contact Roanoke Wildlife Rescue or another licensed wildlife rehabilitator as soon as possible. Do not delay seeking help because you have already been caring for the raccoon.
Because raccoons are a high-risk rabies vector species, delays and unnecessary handling can complicate how a potential exposure is handled. In some circumstances, rabies testing may be necessary.
When you contact us, tell us how long you have had the raccoon and whether any person or pet has had direct contact with it.
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Separate your pet from the raccoon and contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator even if you cannot see an injury. Bites, puncture wounds, and other injuries may be difficult to detect and can require prompt treatment.
Because raccoons are a rabies-vector species, also tell the rehabilitator that a pet had contact with the raccoon. They can advise you about any additional steps that may be necessary.
Get Help for a Baby Raccoon
If you find a baby raccoon that is injured, cold, weak, truly orphaned, separated from its mother, caught by a cat or dog, or otherwise appears to need help, contact Roanoke Wildlife Rescue for guidance. We can help you determine whether a reunion with the mother is possible or whether the baby needs professional care.
Do not feed the baby, give it water, keep it as a pet, or attempt to raise it yourself. If you have already brought the baby home or have been caring for it, contact us immediately and tell us how long you have had it. Do not delay seeking help.