If you have decided to adopt a raccoon as a pet, it is very important that you know everything related to its care, especially about its diet.
The raccoon is an omnivorous mammal, that is, it eats both meat and fruit and vegetables.
It is important that we know how to calculate the dose in each feeding, whether it is a puppy or an adult, because the raccoon tends to develop obesity in some cases.
Keep reading this article on our site to learn all about raccoon feeding.
Caring for a disoriented baby raccoon
Have you found a baby raccoon?
If you have found a young or baby raccoon it could be for various reasons:
- The mother has left and won't come back
- Her burrow has been destroyed
- The den is too hot and the little ones have come out
- The mother is moving all the pups to another location
- Predators have appeared
- Your pet has arrived with a baby raccoon
In any of these situations, it is best to wait for the mother to return for a while, keeping a safe distance. If it does not appear and you notice that the baby has its eyes open, we recommend you immediately call the forest agents who will take care of it at a wildlife recovery center.
On the other hand, if the baby raccoon has its eyes closed, it will probably be dehydrated or hungry. In this situation, you should provide it with some food to ensure its survival until you call the services.
Raccoons depend on their mother for 3 to 5 months, while she is growing and learning. They are weaned at 12 weeks of age, although they remain with their mother until they are a year old. They open their eyes at 8 weeks of age.
How should I care for a disoriented baby raccoon?
Get a soft cloth to pick up the baby. It is important that you use gloves to handle it (at 4 weeks of age it already has teeth) and that you do not get upset, because it will surely growl and shake in fear.
Wrap the little hatchling in a cloth and warm it up. You can use a thermal blanket on which you are going to put a towel and on top of it a cardboard box where the little raccoon will be found. It is important that you do not touch directly with the thermal blanket, as it could burn you. Set the temperature between 36ºC. Don't use frayed fabrics either.
Check that he has no injuries of any kind by looking at his whole body. If you find any wound, wash it with soap and warm water. Apply it all with a cloth, just like his mother would.
Look for external parasites such as fleas and ticks and remove them as soon as possible. If you find a large number of insects, it may mean that the abandonment or loss of the mother is real.
Go to a veterinarian as soon as possible to certify that she is in good he alth
Feeding a baby raccoon
Below we offer you information on quantities and care of feeding a baby raccoon according to its time, remember that you must use a bottle:
- Raccoon newborn, one week old. It will weigh between 60 and 140 grams and we will see the eyes still closed. The mask of the face and the rings of the tail will be hardly visible, it will not have fluff on the skin of the stomach. We'll get kitten rearing milk, available at any pet store. It will need to receive between 3 and 7 centiliters of food (5% of its weight) 7 or 8 times a day (every 3 hours) including at night. The milk should be warm, being a little higher than your body temperature. At the end of the meal, you should wipe his genitals with a damp cloth so that he urinates just like his mother would.
- At two weeks the little raccoon should weigh between 190 and 225 grams. He will continue with his eyes closed and still will not show hair on his belly, although he will show fluff all over the rest of his body. At this time we will increase your dose to 9, 5 and 11, 3 centiliters of milk, also every 3 hours although we can reduce the intake to 6 times a day.
- With three weeks of life the raccoon will already weigh between 320 and 400 grams. It will begin to open its eyes progressively and the fur will finish developing. We will increase the dose between 16 and 20 centilitres.
During the fourth and fifth week we will continue to increase the dose you take in relation to your weight. We will always offer you 5% of your body mass in milk
At six weeks your weight should already be between 750 and 820 grams. We will begin to reduce her milk intake by giving her between 52 and 55 centiliters of milk four times a day and we will stop feeding her at night.
Between seven and eight weeks we will space out the intake time even more
- From eight weeks we will begin to offer him solid food which he will gradually accept. You can buy puppy dog or cat food. At first it will be difficult for you to accept but little by little you will get used to it. At this stage it is very important not to increase the doses of milk.
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Between 10 and 16 weeks the raccoon should already weigh two kilograms. The raccoon should already be used to eating solid food and for that reason we are going to remove milk from its diet. Get high-quality puppy food that will make up 2/3 of their total diet, with the remaining 1/3 made up of fresh fruits and vegetables. At this stage you will let him eat in abundance because it is a period of growth, divide his rations into two daily meals. It must have fresh and clean drinking water every day, in addition, you can make a small pool for it to cool off, which you will change regularly. At the time of weaning, the raccoon can be placed in a large cage dimensions containing a small wooden nest, for example. Clean it often and store it from the cold.
- From 16 weeks the raccoon is completely independent. If you are thinking of releasing him now is the time, leave the cage open (no food inside) and he will start to investigate. He may or may not come back a couple of times before leaving for good.
Feeding an adult raccoon
Raccoons will eat anything because they are omnivorous animals. Here is a list of foods you can give him:
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Food for cats
- Wet cat food
- Eggs
- Fish in general
- Carrot
- Peppers
- Banana
- Crustaceans
- Watermelon
- Corn
- Rice
- Apple
As you can see there are different types of food that you can offer an adult raccoon. It is important that you vary the type of food so as not to bore him and that you investigate to find out what his favorite foods are. Remember to never offer red meat and check their weight after 16 weeks to make sure they maintain a stable weight (they are prone to gaining weight).
The old raccoon will continue to eat the variety of foods that we have described above, although yes, we will have to reduce the quantity as he decreases his physical activity
