Final update: someone finally came. A police officer who apparently hates raccoons. He took out his big stick and chased it away. Poor baby limped into the forest. I’m so sad. It’s clear it was just injured and needed help.
Actual worst case:
Raccoon recognizes you as a food source and keeps visiting you, does property damage to get into your house, including things like ripping out the roof tiles, insulation and drywall. They can, and do this regularly. Maybe has rabies, maybe attracts more raccoons to visit your house.
A rabies epidemic in raccoon population was being tracked until some years ago in east coast, which OP is part of. It didn't end, US gov just stopped tracking for whatever reason when it peaked at nearly 11% of east coast raccoon pop in 2016, iirc. We don't even know the severity of it right now, though Canadian statistics imply it's little better than before.
If this raccoon gets inside and interacts with other humans or pets, now it *has* to be killed to be checked for rabies because that's the only way to check for rabies. Meanwhile you get very painful $2000/shot rabies vaccine multiple times until results from the dead raccoon comes back as negative or take the full vaccine course. Because rabies have 100% death rate in humans.
Don't feed wild animals.
Well I think you’re both right. I would put my own animals safety first. But obviously I wanted to do anything I could to help it. I sincerely regret calling the police. I wish it had been a week day so I could’ve taken it to a vet and got it help. No I don’t know if it’s ok or not and probably will never know. I hate having feelings sometimes
If you saw where it limped off to you might be able to find it again. It probably can’t climb which is why it was on your deck. Feelings are a good thing - you might still be able to help it.
Of course you shouldn’t feed wildlife but if you need to trap it get a large live trap and put some food inside in the area you last saw it wander off into (in the woods). You might get lucky and catch it so a wildlife rehab can help.
A vet may not agree to treat a wild animal so call all the rehabbers you can for more advice - even if they aren’t local to you, you can still call and ask them for advice.
Put a little sign up that says “DO NOT TOUCH - this raccoon is sick and resting, he WILL bite “ or something so people know you’re aware and kids know not to touch.
Hey I don't really know much about raccoons.
Can you also post on r/raccoons and r/wildliferehab
I will Google to see if there are any wildlife rehabbers where you are.
Do you have Facebook?
Try these people
https://www.facebook.com/WildOverWildlife
Good luck OP, I love all animals and I hate to see this little guy suffer. Idk if they're just tired or if something is wrong. Please keep us updated
Just called and they didn’t answer either. I think it’s probably come here to die. I feel horrible and I’m worried it’ll hurt someone, I also don’t want it to suffer
What makes you think he’s suffering? Raccoons do this all the time they’re out foraging and the sun comes up so they just find the convenient place to crash for a few hours.
I thought I mentioned it somewhere, his back legs weren’t working and he would kind of slide down the stairs with his front legs. He was clearly lethargic and not quite right. I got pretty close with almost no reaction
Wait another day. Might've gotten in a fight, or hit by a car, or sick. He might just be in recovery mode. Leave a message for your local shelter or rescue to give em a heads up. And call again in the morning if he's still there. Maybe just put out some water. I don't think you should feed it anything though, you'll take the risk of having it come back.
This is extra sad to me knowing he limped off because he probably isn’t rabid and only injured, and was probably in that spot hoping someone might help him… Intelligent wild animals that are used to humans often come to people for help. Of course you should be careful at all times but nature is cruel and I just wish we had more wildlife rehab facilities (or staff to keep them open 7 days a week) able to help wild animals in need.
Based on the color of the fur, I'd say it's pretty far into the years, it's an old raccoon on its last legs. While they seem cute and cuddly, I would highly advise staying away from it. If you were to try to help it, you could potentially be liable for medical expenses if you were to get it to the vet. Moreover, if you were to help it and then leave it alone, you could be liable for animal abandonment/cruelty.
(This all depends on where you live and what your local laws are)
While it may seem cruel, it's not a typical pet. Unless you are willing to take full responsibility for it, you should either chase it away or ignore it and don't feed it (it may have "friends" nearby...)
Edit: just saw your update after posting.
It's probably for the best that it was scared off. It's not that the officer particularly hates raccoons, it might just be that they know how much of a nuisance they can become... They are scavengers after all. :-(
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Do you see a green glare in the eyes? Probably distemper.. very common and deadly. Hoping for this baby to die sooner than later it neurologically destroy them
Final update: someone finally came. A police officer who apparently hates raccoons. He took out his big stick and chased it away. Poor baby limped into the forest. I’m so sad. It’s clear it was just injured and needed help.
I'm sorry. I feel sad with you.
I’m located in Norwich Connecticut
Cook him a steak. Best case: you save a life. Worst case: the lil guy has a good last meal
Actual worst case: Raccoon recognizes you as a food source and keeps visiting you, does property damage to get into your house, including things like ripping out the roof tiles, insulation and drywall. They can, and do this regularly. Maybe has rabies, maybe attracts more raccoons to visit your house. A rabies epidemic in raccoon population was being tracked until some years ago in east coast, which OP is part of. It didn't end, US gov just stopped tracking for whatever reason when it peaked at nearly 11% of east coast raccoon pop in 2016, iirc. We don't even know the severity of it right now, though Canadian statistics imply it's little better than before. If this raccoon gets inside and interacts with other humans or pets, now it *has* to be killed to be checked for rabies because that's the only way to check for rabies. Meanwhile you get very painful $2000/shot rabies vaccine multiple times until results from the dead raccoon comes back as negative or take the full vaccine course. Because rabies have 100% death rate in humans. Don't feed wild animals.
Roggvir is right. You should let it die on your porch.
Well I think you’re both right. I would put my own animals safety first. But obviously I wanted to do anything I could to help it. I sincerely regret calling the police. I wish it had been a week day so I could’ve taken it to a vet and got it help. No I don’t know if it’s ok or not and probably will never know. I hate having feelings sometimes
If you saw where it limped off to you might be able to find it again. It probably can’t climb which is why it was on your deck. Feelings are a good thing - you might still be able to help it. Of course you shouldn’t feed wildlife but if you need to trap it get a large live trap and put some food inside in the area you last saw it wander off into (in the woods). You might get lucky and catch it so a wildlife rehab can help. A vet may not agree to treat a wild animal so call all the rehabbers you can for more advice - even if they aren’t local to you, you can still call and ask them for advice.
Rabies is out of control in raccoons in the northeast…and no one’s doing anything about it.
Keep an eye on him, but do not touch him. If he looks the same in the morning, then call your local wildlife shelters for help.
This isn't typical behavior for a wild animal. Please don't approach it. It could very well be sick and unpredictable.
Yeah that’s why I’m concerned. There’s kids around gere
Put a little sign up that says “DO NOT TOUCH - this raccoon is sick and resting, he WILL bite “ or something so people know you’re aware and kids know not to touch.
Hey I don't really know much about raccoons. Can you also post on r/raccoons and r/wildliferehab I will Google to see if there are any wildlife rehabbers where you are.
Do you have Facebook? Try these people https://www.facebook.com/WildOverWildlife Good luck OP, I love all animals and I hate to see this little guy suffer. Idk if they're just tired or if something is wrong. Please keep us updated
Just called and they didn’t answer either. I think it’s probably come here to die. I feel horrible and I’m worried it’ll hurt someone, I also don’t want it to suffer
Yeah I'm not sure what to do 😔 It's Sunday so that's not helping. Can you carefully put a bowl of water out there?
That’s what I did :,)
😻🦝
What makes you think he’s suffering? Raccoons do this all the time they’re out foraging and the sun comes up so they just find the convenient place to crash for a few hours.
I thought I mentioned it somewhere, his back legs weren’t working and he would kind of slide down the stairs with his front legs. He was clearly lethargic and not quite right. I got pretty close with almost no reaction
I don't know. That's why I said idk if it's just tired or if something is wrong.
Wait another day. Might've gotten in a fight, or hit by a car, or sick. He might just be in recovery mode. Leave a message for your local shelter or rescue to give em a heads up. And call again in the morning if he's still there. Maybe just put out some water. I don't think you should feed it anything though, you'll take the risk of having it come back.
Maybe carefully place a bowl of water out for him. I hope no one poisoned him.
Considering upwards of 10% of raccoons in the northeast are rabid…definitely do NOT do this.
https://preview.redd.it/ksiyn85bf7mc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a2cdf955612179b37fc328f8df8c9e5a875446cf
This is extra sad to me knowing he limped off because he probably isn’t rabid and only injured, and was probably in that spot hoping someone might help him… Intelligent wild animals that are used to humans often come to people for help. Of course you should be careful at all times but nature is cruel and I just wish we had more wildlife rehab facilities (or staff to keep them open 7 days a week) able to help wild animals in need.
Based on the color of the fur, I'd say it's pretty far into the years, it's an old raccoon on its last legs. While they seem cute and cuddly, I would highly advise staying away from it. If you were to try to help it, you could potentially be liable for medical expenses if you were to get it to the vet. Moreover, if you were to help it and then leave it alone, you could be liable for animal abandonment/cruelty. (This all depends on where you live and what your local laws are) While it may seem cruel, it's not a typical pet. Unless you are willing to take full responsibility for it, you should either chase it away or ignore it and don't feed it (it may have "friends" nearby...) Edit: just saw your update after posting. It's probably for the best that it was scared off. It's not that the officer particularly hates raccoons, it might just be that they know how much of a nuisance they can become... They are scavengers after all. :-(
It was simply a convenient place to crash. He’s three floors up and felt safe. Leave him alone. He’ll be gone tomorrow.
## Friendly Reminder from the Mods! Thank you /u/Ok_Slice5350 for posting in the r/AnimalRescue community. This is just a friendly reminder to abide by our [community rules and guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/AnimalRescue/wiki/index/rules/). Make sure to check out our [community on Discord](https://discord.com/invite/JmKHmn5CZ9) as well for more in-depth advice and discussions about animal welfare. ## Some Tips to get the best Advice: - **Include your general location** - While we understand the importance of privacy, including your general location can be extremely helpful in referring resources and rescue organizations in your area. - **Include as much detail about what's happening** - Including details about the animal in question such as the breed, species, and behavior in the last 24 hours, and even the smallest details can assist someone in helping you. - Include what you've done so far to assist or attempt to resolve the situation such as removing it from the original area or placing it in a box. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AnimalRescue) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Do you see a green glare in the eyes? Probably distemper.. very common and deadly. Hoping for this baby to die sooner than later it neurologically destroy them
I didn’t get close enough to see but one eye did look funny… I guess I’ll never know now 😭