Woke up to this on the fence....

[LuvMyBirds]

Kept the big dogs in til animal control got here. How cute the lil one was, however I wasn't taking any chances. He showed no fear and that worried me a little. They were able to immediately capture and agreed just young so they were going to release in a wooded area.

 

[suncoast]

Aww, he's looks like he needs a friend. I wonder where Momma is.

Ginger

 

[Riley's mom]

What an awesome pic!! They are such great creatures. I love working with them.

 

[Anne & Gang]

awwwwwwwww what a little dollie kins...I do hope he will be ok by himself.

 

[birdlover82]

Aww. Look at his little face.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Oh so cute. Poor little guy. Yes, the fact that he wasn't afraid makes me think someone is feeding him or he was a pet or something. I hope he does ok.

 

[LuvMyBirds]

This why I was concerned he was friendly:

1. Look for random aggression in the raccoon. Raccoons that have rabies will often attack animals as well as inanimate objects such as trees, chairs or bushes for no apparent reason.
2. Be skeptical of a raccoon that seems unnaturally friendly. In general, raccoons do not typically approach humans and will only get near them when food is involved. If a raccoon approaches you or your pets, it may be rabid.
3. Look for signs of disorientation. Raccoons that are stumbling around, running into things or seem to be having trouble finding their way around may be infected with rabies. Rabid raccoons may also have paralysis of some of their limbs, making it difficult for them to successfully move around.
4. Stay away from raccoons during the day. Raccoons are nocturnal animals. There is a good chance that a raccoon that is wandering around during the day may be rabid.
5. Watch out for loud raccoons. If you hear a raccoon making chattering noises or shrill screams that are not caused by a threat from a predator, then the raccoon may have rabies.

So I really hope they meant they were going to release and not have tested for rabies

 

[GG.]

the chances that baby had rabies are pretty slim - it has been decades since there was a case of 'raccoon rabies' most of what you see is the cat strain

it is spring and that is a baby - Momma is awake at night, trying to find food, becoming exhausted at this point from nursing 3 - 6 babies and sleeping during the day

they are beginning to crawl and climb and are very curious - typically this is when they get into 'trouble' like this


unlike adults, babies sleep at night and play during the day, they don't become nocturnal until around a year of age


if they release nearby, Mom will find him and take him back in

 

[expressmailtome]

He looks cute on the fence!

Matt

 

[atvchick95]

they are cute, but they destroy so much stuff - my house knows the effects of that LOL

 

[Riley's mom]

This why I was concerned he was friendly:

1. Look for random aggression in the raccoon. Raccoons that have rabies will often attack animals as well as inanimate objects such as trees, chairs or bushes for no apparent reason.
2. Be skeptical of a raccoon that seems unnaturally friendly. In general, raccoons do not typically approach humans and will only get near them when food is involved. If a raccoon approaches you or your pets, it may be rabid.
3. Look for signs of disorientation. Raccoons that are stumbling around, running into things or seem to be having trouble finding their way around may be infected with rabies. Rabid raccoons may also have paralysis of some of their limbs, making it difficult for them to successfully move around.
4. Stay away from raccoons during the day. Raccoons are nocturnal animals. There is a good chance that a raccoon that is wandering around during the day may be rabid.
5. Watch out for loud raccoons. If you hear a raccoon making chattering noises or shrill screams that are not caused by a threat from a predator, then the raccoon may have rabies.

So I really hope they meant they were going to release and not have tested for rabies

I'm wondering if this info you have is typical of your area. If we would read something like that around here, we would laugh. They are out around here during the day all the time. And the ones that walk up to a person is not usually rabid, it's been raised illegally by someone, which is also pretty common around here. We have done 100's of raccoons in our rehab and we do send off the ones that have died that do not have obvious reasons why they would have passed, and none of them have come back rabid. Distemper? yes, Parvo? yes, cancer? yes, but not rabies. They really are comical creatures with loads of personalities.

 

[Gen120]

unlike adults, babies sleep at night and play during the day, they don't become nocturnal until around a year of age

wow, I had no idea about that, that is interesting! Thanks for sharing Gg! aww, poor little baby, he looks so scared. I hope he was able to find his mama.

 

[Bunkybird]

Yes, I would NOT approach him....unusual location for him especially during daylight hours~~ They are ALL over my house at night however, during the day, they should be sleeping.... I have NEVER noticed baby coons playing during daylight hours .... but I don't live in the city and maybe "city coons" are different?? Poor little guy....makes me wonder where his littermates and momma is?

 

[logo89]

Awww that is such a cute face. I hope he settles in to his new home.

 

[LuvMyBirds]

I guess I'm a little paranoid because rabies is on the rise in Georgia and Alabama. The last two years has seen a larger increase. We've had two rabid raccoons in this area in the last in the last couple of months. I wish the little fella well

http://health.state.ga.us/pdfs/epi/gers/Sept07GER.pdf

 

[Riley's mom]

We don't have a rabies problem here with coons, its bats. Now they are nasty little creatures. I don't do the bats but my other rehabber friend does and she got 2 of them in about 6 months ago and one of them bit her son. Turned out to be rabid, so he had to go through the shots. They aren't as bad as they use to be, and he was okay with them. He was just thrilled that he made the nightly news. I stick to the coons, possoms, seabirds, and birds of prey. I leave reptiles and bats to her.

 

[Ashley]

He is so cute

 

[akijoy]

Awwww, so cute! It reminded me of one of my favorite true books, "Rascal".

 

[saroj12]

cute!!
I used to "rescue" baby raccoons from the empty dumpster at my apt complex with a ladder i would set in and they would climb up and hop into the tree. i was afraid the garbage truck would dump them in an crush them But after i lost two ladders that slipped and fell in (not on the raccoons head I stopped that and took to calling the trash company to alert their driver. i bet there were at the crazy raccoon woman

 

[Rebecca in Israel]

What a simply adorable raccoon. They always look like bandits with their masks on!