Raccoons in The Winter

Raccoons in The Winter

Raccoons feed mainly at night. They eat fruit, nuts, berries, small animals and insects, and also will feed on pet food, garbage, and garden crops. This continues during the winter months, but the lack of natural food forces the raccoons to raid your garbage cans more often.
Female raccoons look for den sites in late winter. Litters of one to seven young are born in April and May. Young raccoons open their eyes about three weeks after birth, and often announce their presence with mewing, twittering or crying sounds. They nurse for about six weeks, then leave the den to follow the mother until September or early October when they disperse and establish their own territories.
Breeding season extends from January to June and occurs later in the South than in the North. Most litters are born in April and May, but young can be born as late as September. In the far Southeast (Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama), some young are probably born throughout the year. Cubs are born about 63 days after breeding. Litter Size ranges from two to eight and averages four. Weaning starts at about eight weeks, and by four months of age, most cubs are large enough to be on their own. Many family groups stay together through the young’s first winter.

Trapping of female raccoons during the may surely mean sure death for their cubs. So consider the Raccoons survival of the species if the coons aren’t interfering with human behavior. If raccoons have taken up a winter home in your dwelling try and make sure the wildlife removers take the female and the cubs as well as relocating them to a safe place. Contact Wildlife Busters if you want to provide a humane trapping company.