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Raccoon growl4/18/2023 ![]() ![]() All my raccoons loved dog biscuits and grapes and they can be very useful as bribes. Most will devour uncooked corn on the cob (and have a ball shucking it themselves) but this is not advisable if you will be releasing them in an area near corn farms. What one raccoons loves another may turn his nose up at. To this, you can add whatever meals, snacks and treats you wish. Once they are fully weaned (approximately 8-10 weeks), you should gradually work up from a soft gruel to a high quality dry dog kibble as the main staple. Vegetables and any of nature's yummies and yuckies (minnows, etc.). Up to dry dog kibble as the main staple, along with a variety of fruits, Off the bottle onto a gruel of formula, baby cereal, and canned kittenįood (I prefer Little Friskies Turkey for kittens). At six weeks I usually start adding a small amount of canned kitten food in with the formula.īaby raccoons will nurse for approximately 8 weeks and you can wean them To use iron fortified baby rice cereal with banannas. Up to taking at least 2 ounces or more from a bottle - start adding someīaby rice cereal into the formula, cut it down to 4 times a day. Use a cotton ball dipped in warm water, gently swap genital areaĪt 4 weeks (about a week after their eyes open), they should probably be You may have to manually stimulate them to eliminate for another few You may also have to burp them - just like you would a baby. You may find that rubbing or scratching their necks helps to stimulate them to nurse. You should always feed them belly down, not on their backs. Overfeed! Raccoons will overeat when nursing. Yet (animal nurser bottle, 4 ounce size, available at pet shop or a baby bottle with preemie nipple). Use an eyedropper (a bulb syringe really - you can pick it up atĪny vet's office or some pet stores) if they don't take to the bottle You should beįeeding them 5 times a day (that includes in the middle of the night) for the first four weeks. Formula should be heated to body temperature before feeding (100-102F). (You can substitute baby formula or even condensed milk in anĮmergency only situtation but NEVER regular milk!) If they are dehydrated when you get them, feed a rehydrating formula for the first 2-3 feedings and ease slowly into regular formula. At this age they are still young enough that there instincts take over and they become truly wild following their release.ĭON'T GIVE THEM MILK! They should be on kitten milk replacementįormula. I prefer to wait until they are at least 20-24 weeks. This of course would be subject to the season of the year and the readiness of the animal. For rehabbers, the appropriate age for releasing hand-raised baby raccoons back into the wild is 16 to 24 weeks. Other raccoons will defer to a female with babies in feeding situations. Raccoon mothers with babies enjoy a privileged position in the raccoon hierarchy for as long as the babies remain with the mother. By four months old, they will be completely weaned and somewhat independent. ![]() After about eight to nine weeks of age they begin eating solid foods in the wild and by 10 weeks they are traveling with their mother. They remain in their birth den until they are about seven or eight weeks old, at which point their mother moves them to a series of alternate dens. Seven-week-old babies will engage in active (and sometimes rough) fighting characterized by growling, squealing, biting, wrestling, and imitating adult defense postures. ![]() When five to six weeks old, most can walk, run, and climb very well. They will churr, growl, hiss, and give an alarm snort. The eyes open at about two to three weeks, the ears shortly thereafter. They can crawl in a spider-like fashion with all four legs in extension, but cannot climb or stand and support their full weight. When hungry, cold, or not in contact with another warm body, the babies will start chattering, whine or twitter like birds. Their eyes are closed and so are their ears (ear are pressed tightly forward to the head.) The head seems large in comparison to the rest of the body. ![]() Pigmented tail rings will either be present or will appear at about one week of age. They typically weigh three to five ounces and 4-6 inches long with 2-2 1/4" tail. Raccoon kits or cubs (whichever term you prefer, since it seems nobody can agree on one) are born very lightly furred, with a faint mask. Dealing with imprinting and other problems.Potty training raccoons/raccoon roundworm.If you have not done so yet, you are urged to read the information contained in my RABIES page. Everyone reading this should first be familiar with rabies, the raccoon rabies varient, and the precautions needed to prevent exposure to a possibly infected raccoon. This information is intended for novice raccoon rehabbers. ![]()
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