Are you sure it’s a baby raccoon?
Older baby raccoons are easy to identify — they look like mini adult raccoons.
Newborn baby raccoons have a thin coat of greyish-brown fur. Their “mask” and the stripes on their tails usually show up within a few days of being born.
If the baby raccoon you’ve found is bigger than a regular-sized house cat, it should be treated as an adult. Go to this page instead.
Get the baby raccoon contained
Please contain the baby raccoon(s) to keep them safe while you figure out the best way to help.
Smaller babies
Using gloves, put the baby raccoon(s) in a cardboard box or Rubbermaid bin with a soft towel or t-shirt. Babies cannot regulate their own body temperature (they depend on mom for that), so they must be given a direct heat source, even on a warm day or when indoors. Heat source options include:
- a clean sock filled with dry, uncooked rice, and microwaved for one minute
- a plastic bottle or jar from the recycling bin filled with hot tap water and wrapped in a tea towel or face cloth
- an electric heating pad set to “LOW” and placed under half of the box.
- several chemical hand warmers (e.g. Hot Paws) that stay warm for up to 8 hours
Do not give them any food or water – right now keeping them warm in a dark and quiet place is more important.
Larger babies
Larger babies can be lured into a cat or dog crate, or place a cardboard box or laundry basket over top of them. Put something heavy on top of the container to keep them in one place.
