Baby Raccoon Diet

Raccoons are wild animals and should remain in the wild, but sometimes babies are orphaned and left to fend for themselves. Choosing to care for a baby raccoon is a long-term commitment and can have harmful consequences to a caretaker and his family. Time and money must be spent to properly care for a baby raccoon. Learning how and what to feed it is important. Its well-being becomes your responsibility, once the decision is made.

  1. Infant Feeding

    • Infant raccoons, birth to five weeks old, are fed powdered kitten formula mixed with warm water, from a bottle or a tube attached to a syringe. Tube feeding should not be attempted unless a veterinarian demonstrates the practice to the caretaker beforehand. In general, they will consume 1 percent to 5 percent of their body weight in food. Make sure to massage and burp the animal after each feeding.

    Semi-Solid Food

    • Babies will graduate to mush, between four and six weeks old. Mixing a good grade of puppy chow with formula until it is the consistency of cooked cereal is the preferred technique. Smearing it on their paws or the sides of their mouths will introduce them to the new taste and texture when they lick themselves. You can also introduce the mash by placing it in a bowl for it to taste.

    Solid Food

    • Gradual thickening of the cereal is necessary between the ages of six to 10 weeks, when you can begin to introduce wild foods. Mice and small chicks are good starter foods, but 50 percent of their diet should remain cereal. Dry puppy chow with water on the side and additional wild foods, like crayfish, should be introduced between 13 and 15 weeks.

    Diet Maintenance

    • At 15 weeks old, the cereal should be discontinued and additional wild foods should be offered. Earthworms, small rodents, beetles, birds, bird eggs and bunnies are all suitable wild foods for raccoons. Dry kibble should be given only as a snack at this age. Puppy and kitten chow are not suitable as long-term nutrition because of its high protein content. However, Purina dog chow has been used to maintain good health for older raccoons.

    Warning

    • Raccoons are cute but they are dangerous. They harbor parasites, like ticks and intestinal worms. They also carry rabies. Raising baby raccoons is not recommended but if someone is determined to do so, she must frequently wash her hands and get rabies shots. Keep children and pets away from raccoons. If you find a baby raccoon, you can call the Department of Fish and Wildlife in your state for help.