How Many Babies Do Raccoons Have? (And When They’re Born)
This is one of the questions homeowners who share their homes with a nursery of raccoons are asking. Mostly because some of them may be too scared to go and count the number of baby raccoons in their attics, chimney, and other parts of their homes.
Even those that keep raccoons as pets are wondering how many baby raccoons to expect from their pregnant pets. Probably to make a budget for the number of baby raccoons to carter for and prepare ahead.
Whatever your reason for wanting to know how many babies raccoons have, alongside other information about raccoons. This article has been written for you. So, keep reading to find out all you need to know about breeding raccoons.
Contents
- 1 How Many Babies do Raccoons Have at a Time?
- 2 How Many Babies do Raccoons Have in a Litter?
- 3 How Many Babies do Raccoons Have on Average?
- 4 When Do Raccoons Have Their Babies
- 5 How to Tell How Old a Baby Raccoon is
- 6 Baby Raccoon Age Chart
- 7 How Many Times Can a Raccoon Get Pregnant?
- 8 How Many Baby Raccoons Survive?
How Many Babies do Raccoons Have at a Time?
Most times, mother raccoons can have between 2 to 5 babies at a time. Some mother raccoons have also been reported to birth up to 8 babies at a time. But 8 seems to be the maximum number of baby raccoons born at a time.
So, you should be expecting to have up to 8 baby raccoons or less. When your pet raccoon gets pregnant, make adequate preparations for about 7 to 8 baby raccoons. Even though they are most likely not going to be up to that number, it’s better to be adequately prepared than to be taken by surprise.
If you have a mother raccoon denning in your home, just bear in mind that she might be there with up to 8 baby raccoons. That means you might have up to 9 raccoons to contend with.
How Many Babies do Raccoons Have in a Litter?
A litter is a group of baby raccoons born at the same time by the same mother raccoon. Most raccoons that den in people’s homes usually have about 2 to 5 babies and up to 7 or 8 on rare occasions. So, a raccoon can have about 2 to 8 baby raccoons in a litter
How Many Babies do Raccoons Have on Average?
Going by the frequent number of 2 to 5 baby raccoons born at a time in the wild and in people’s homes. It is safe to say that the average number of babies mother raccoons can have at a time is less than 6. The number of raccoon babies in a litter only exceeds 5 on rare occasions.
In a nutshell, the most common sight of a nursery of raccoons is usually made up of a mother raccoon and about 2 to 5 baby raccoons. So on average, a raccoon births 2 to 5 babies.
When Do Raccoons Have Their Babies
The particular month of the year that raccoons give birth depends on the country. But in general, raccoons give birth in spring. If you live in places like Houston, you should be expecting to see baby raccoons around March and April.
For Detroit and Chicago residents, they can expect to see raccoon babies as late as late June. In any part of America where you live, just expect baby raccoons in spring.
Since the mating season for raccoons starts in winter, and the gestation period lasts for about 2 months. You can count about 2 months from late winter in your district and expect raccoon babies.
How to Tell How Old a Baby Raccoon is
You can tell the age of a baby raccoon based on its appearance and behavior. At a certain age, raccoons are expected to show some characteristics that are peculiar to that age. For instance, after a few days old raccoon has scanty light-colored hair, closed eyes, and ears, a large mouth, and weighs about 100g.
At about 1 week, a baby raccoon will weigh about 150g and still maintain the attitude of eating constantly. The head may look too large for the rest of the body and it tends to make bird-like noise when hungry. Its tail rings begin to appear at this stage.
A 2-week-old baby raccoon begins to get noisy, as it develops the ability to make sounds better. Between 3 to 4 weeks, baby raccoons’ eyes and ears open, they weigh up to 250g and grow to about 8.5 to 10 inches long. At this age, homeowners will find it difficult to live with baby raccoons because they get very vocal even at odd hours.
When a baby raccoon gets to 5 to 6 weeks, it weighs about 550g and grows to about 12 to 14 inches long. They also begin to walk around the den, run, and even climb. Between 6 to 8 weeks, baby raccoons grow teeth, get weaned, and play around.
Baby raccoons of about 9 to 12 weeks look very much like adult raccoons but a little bit smaller. They may weigh above 950g, especially the male baby raccoons that always weigh more than the females. Kits also begin to imitate all that the adult raccoons do.
Baby Raccoon Age Chart
When you meet an orphaned baby raccoon and you are finding it difficult to tell its age, even after reading how to tell how old a baby raccoon is. There is a standard baby raccoon age chart that you can apply to determine the age of any baby raccoon. You can refer to the chart below at all times.
| BABY RACCOON AGE | WEIGHT | BEHAVIOR |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week and less | 100g |
|
| 2 and a half week | 250g |
|
| 3 and a half week | 350g |
|
| 4 to 6 weeks | 550g |
|
| 6 to 10 weeks | 950g |
|
How Many Times Can a Raccoon Get Pregnant?
A raccoon gives birth only once a year, during spring. But a raccoon can get pregnant again the same year if she loses all her babies before the mating season is over. Meaning that when a raccoon gives birth very early and manages to lose all her offspring, she can mate with a male again and have another litter.
How Many Baby Raccoons Survive?
In the wild, a baby raccoon has just a 50% chance of making it to maturity. As it can die from disease, starvation, or fall prey to the bigger guys in the jungle. When a raccoon gives birth to 4 babies, only 2 of her babies are likely to make it past the first year.
