The baby raccoons are called kits and they are born in the months of March and April during the spring season. They remain totally dependent upon their mother and drink her milk for their survival. They are weaned at the age of eight to ten weeks and thereafter, they can eat solid foods like adults. When they are around eight to twelve months old, they become independent.
How Long Can Baby Raccoons Live Without Food?
The baby raccoons drink milk from their mother after every four hours. It means that they are fed almost five times a day. So, a baby raccoon cannot survive even for a day without its mother. Sometimes the mother raccoon goes out during the day in search of food for long periods of time but they make sure to return in the night so that she can feed the baby and take care of it.
Can A Baby Raccoon Survive Without Mother?
Raccoons prefer to live alone when they are adults but they live with their mother and other siblings when they are babies or young. If a baby raccoon is younger than one year, the chances of its survival without the mother are very rare. It is because during this period it is the mother who takes all the care of the offspring including its feeding, shelter, and protection.
What Happens To Baby Raccoons Without A Mother?
As told earlier, a baby raccoon cannot survive without its mother. Even if the mother raccoon goes out for a long period of time, chances are that the babies may fall down from the nest when exploring the outside or some other new things that they are curious about. And the worst scenario is, if the mother does not return being killed or trapped, the babies will die out of starvation.
What Can You Feed A Baby Raccoon Without A Mother?
If you have found a lost or abandoned baby raccoon and do not know what to feed it, we have some suggestions for you. The best substitute for mother’s milk for a baby raccoon is the kitten milk replacement. It is easily available in the market and is widely fed to pet baby raccoons all over the world. Another replacement of mother’s milk for a baby raccoon is the Esbilac.
When Can A Baby Raccoon Find Its Own Food?
At three weeks, baby raccoons can stand up on their own. They start walking, running, and climbing at six weeks and also go out of their den following the mother. They are weaned at around ten weeks and then start to become independent and leave the den at eight to twelve months. Therefore, it can be said that they can find their own food from the age of about one year.
Final Words
People who have adopted a baby raccoon as their pet, have to be extremely careful about the diet and its timings. Until the age of six months, they have to be fed in a bottle after every four hours. The babies also have to be burped after every feeding just like the human babies. They have to be vaccinated properly and kept under regular health check-ups by a registered veterinarian.