What do I do with a sick racoon that only comes out at night?

Question

I have a stray sick racoon that's been coming out only at 11-12AM. It also has a baby that wanders around my Front yard which we suspect is also sick. It comes all the way up to my portch and then goes around the back of my house until the next day. I suspect it's sick because it's coughing & hacking and limps on 1 legs. The baby however seems normal...I don't believe in shooting, so inhumane answers will not be acknowledged.

Answer 1

Sounds like the raccoon is injured or ill. The very worst things to do are to handle or feed. Raccoons do carry a disease that is spread among them and causes them to waste away. This is nature's way of naturally controlling the population, much the same as happens in the deer population. The raccoon may have rabies also. In some states, rabies outbreaks are severe this year, in particular, because of mild winter last year. It takes several days of cold temperatures to kill off the rabies virus. Before you take any action, it is best to call your local humane society, wildlife rehabilitation center or game warden. They should be able to tell you the options available in your area. A live trap with a little bit of tuna fish placed inside, will easily catch the female and youngster. Not a good idea to regularly feed wildlife or you will be creating other problems for yourself by inviting other unwanted guests. Bears, foxes, raccoons and coyotes are hard to remove from an area once used to being fed.

Answer 2

call animal control or fish and game...racoons are rabies carriers...you don't want to take a chance with this...they don't just get sick. the hind legs become paralyzed in the later stages of rabies, and they gag and cough as well. the baby could also be rabid if the mother had the virus while pregnant. i've had pet racoons before...under no conditions, attempt to hand feed it or handle it. and if you have dogs, keep them indoors as much as you can until this racoon is removed from the area.

Answer 3

Put some food that racoons like in a trap and if you get to catch it, take it to a vet. As for the baby you should catch it and takecare of it until the mother comes back. Great person you are, never knew people cared so much for animals.

Answer 4

Raccoons are generally considered nocturnal animals so the appearance only at night is not particularly strange. The coughing and hacking can be symptoms of one form of rabies. You need to contact your local animal control authorities with the problem. I would not advise trying to trap and treat the animals yourself, in any case.

Answer 5

You sound like a really kind person. I would suggest that you find a wildlife rehabber, check out this site to find one:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm
If you contact animal control, you might as well shoot the thing. They will put it down. If you contact a wildlife rehabber, they will do their best to get the animal back into nature. You might offer a donation, because these people are not funded they just enjoy helping animals. Most likely, you will have to borrow a live trap or two, and capture the mother and child. I am certain a rehabber will help guide you through this.

Answer 6

call the department of fish and wildlife for your area. if the animal is sick they will deal with it in a humane way. probably set some sort of humane trap. but it should be looked after so that it doesn't pass on whatever is wrong to other animals.

Answer 7

Your local community should have an animal control officer, either at the city, township, or county level. Call them to remove them. Raccoons carry rabies, which you may be seeing signs of in the adult, and females with babies are vicious, so keep away

Answer 8

As far as only coming out at night~raccoons are nocturnal animals. You might want to contact some local vets, some still work on wild animals.

Answer 9

Raccoons love milk, and cat food..You can set food out for her to strengthen her, and supplement the baby..Then Call your local vet, or shelter, and ask who does wild animal rescue in your area..A crew came from several hours away to save an injured eagle here last week..Every area has a wildlife clinic... It is illegal to pen her up or keep her caged..but you can livetrap her for transport...However, rescues do that for you..

Answer 10

Unfortunately, there is not much you can do. This happened to me as well. When I called both the vet and animal control, they told me to wait until it die and double bag it. Hopefully you have more options then I did, as it was not fun to watch. Good luck