Raccoons are adaptable animals and they can very easily settle down in almost any kind of environment. They prefer to live in heavy forest areas surrounded by trees, water sources, and plenty of vegetation. They like to build their dens in the large holes of trees and the hollow parts of logs. Raccoons can forage for food for up to eighteen miles from their den.
Will A Mother Raccoon Come Back For Her Babies?
Raccoons are very good as mothers and they take proper care of their babies. When you see a baby raccoon loitering alone, you may think that it has been abandoned. But it may not be true. Chances are that the mother raccoon has gone in search of food and will return soon. Being excellent mothers, they come back to the babies and continue taking care of them.
Why Mother Raccoons Leave Their Babies Alone?
The reason is very obvious. Raccoons do not have any babysitter or daycare services to take care of their babies like humans. So, the raccoon mothers are left with no other option but to leave their offspring unattended and go out in search of food or a new shelter. But the problem is that even if the mother raccoon finds a new shelter, she will only be able to carry one offspring at a time.
How Long Will A Mother Raccoon Leave Her Baby Alone?
Mother raccoons have no other choice but to leave their babies alone in the den and go out in search of food. She cannot return until she finds the food because without food she cannot produce milk for her baby. So the search often takes very long periods of time and she is gone for hours. Sometimes the mother goes out during the day and returns late at night.
How Long Will A Mother Raccoon Search For Her Baby?
As we already know, raccoons are very caring mothers and she will keep on searching for her babies until she can find them. A raccoon mother often goes out leaving her babies in search of food so that she can produce milk for the offspring. Upon returning if the babies are not found, it may take as long as forty-eight hours for the mother to retrieve all her baby raccoons.
Can Baby Raccoons Find Their Way Back Home?
Sometimes when the mother raccoon is gone for hours, the baby raccoon that has just learned to walk will step outside the den and get lost. But don’t worry, there is an uncanny way which may help the baby to return home. Similar to many other animals, raccoons have a special ability to find their way back to their original territory though it may take some more time for a baby raccoon.
Final Words
Baby raccoons may sometimes be seen to be moving alone even in the daytime. Do not think that it has lost its way back home or it has been abandoned by the mother. Although they are nocturnal animals, baby raccoons often tend to venture out of their dens as they slowly mature and learn to walk. This happens especially when the temperature inside the den becomes uncomfortable.
