1. Mama Raccoons Create a Welcoming Environment
Females begin caring for their little ones before they are even born. Raccoons maintain more than one den and may have as many as five or six, so they always have a place to sleep as they travel their home ranges in search of sustenance. When a female becomes pregnant, she chooses a den that can keep her kits safe. A soon-to-be mama may decide your attic is the perfect environment for her offspring. It is secluded, out of sight from potential predators, and protected from the elements. A mother can feel relatively safe leaving her babies in your attic while she heads out to forage. Other favored den sites include:- Tree hollows
- Underground burrows
- Basements of an abandoned building
2. A Mother Raccoon Teaches Her Kits How To Forage
For the first two months, the new mothers nurse their young. They must consume enough food to provide for their little ones, requiring them to leave the den more frequently in search of calories. While raccoons are primarily nocturnal, you may see a mother raccoon out during daylight hours looking for another meal. When the little ones are old enough to leave the den, mama brings them along on her foraging ventures to show them the ropes. Raccoons are omnivores. They know how to forage, scavenge, and even hunt (though they aren’t great at this). Their diets are incredibly flexible. They can, and will, eat just about anything edible. They often adapt their diets to changes in available food. Though they have flexible diets, mama raccoons still need to teach their young how to get the food they need to survive. She shows them what is easiest to get their paws on, but she also demonstrates how to get a hold of harder-to-access meals. Urban raccoons quickly learn that human gardens are bountiful, and most trash cans are easy to break into!3. Mama Raccoons Don’t Kick Their Little Ones out too Soon
Raccoons are generally solitary creatures. They may den together in the winter to keep each other warm. The other exception is for raccoon mothers. They stick with their little ones for a while. Raccoons are smart, and the kits learn how to fend for themselves early in life. However, a mother does not make her little ones leave the den before they are ready or until the next breeding season. Families often den together for a year. Males sometimes leave home sooner but may begin their independent lives by making a den not too far from their mother.Raccoon Families Require Care in Raccoon Removal
