What Do Baby Raccoons Eat? Baby Raccoon Feeding Chart

Raising a baby raccoon can be fun and challenging at the same time because you can’t treat it like a dog or cat. A baby raccoon’s diet differs from that of a cat or dog.

Although, there are lots of similarities between other pets’ diets and a baby raccoon’s diet. A baby raccoon’s diet may include things that are not necessary for other pets. This is why you need to follow a special feeding pattern for your baby raccoon till he gets to the adult stage. 

If you have bought a baby raccoon or seen an orphaned or abandoned baby raccoon and want to help him. Or even have it in mind to buy a baby raccoon pet, keep reading to find out how you can cater to his dietary needs from babyhood to adult stage. 

What Do Baby Raccoons Eat And Drink?

When baby raccoons are born, they depend solely on their mother’s breastmilk for survival. Because they are usually born blind, and deaf, they cannot forage for food.

Moreover, their digestive systems are still too young to accommodate solid food within the first six weeks of their lives.

What do baby raccoons eat in your house? To ensure the survival of a baby raccoon, you have to play the role of his mother by providing milk for him. Since you can’t get raccoon milk from any store, it’s okay to get other kitten replacement milk formulas that can serve the same purpose. 

On the other hand, you can place him on homemade formulas of high-fat content.

What Do Baby Raccoons Eat in the Wild?

A baby raccoon’s diet depends on the environment and the type of food that can be found there. In the wild, baby raccoons stay in their mother’s den, surviving only on breastmilk.

After six weeks, baby raccoons get introduced to solid foods such as insects, and other smaller animals like mice and frogs, depending on what the mother can get from its environment. 

Even though raccoons are omnivores, baby raccoons feed mainly on other animals that their mothers kill and give to them after weaning.

As the baby raccoons grow stronger and follow their mother on foraging trips, they begin to eat other things like fruits and nuts. So long as the baby raccoons are with their mothers, they gradually form the same feeding pattern as their mothers, even before the adult stage.  

What Do Baby Raccoons Eat At Night?

At night, baby raccoons can get hungry, just like every baby. In the wild, their mothers are always there to breastfeed and cater for them even at odd human hours.

When your pet baby raccoon wakes up hungry at night, just feed him with the same milk formula that you give to him during the day. 

List Of Baby Raccoons Food

The list of foods that baby raccoons can eat is long because raccoons are omnivores. But for the first six weeks, the list is limited, as they feed exclusively on milk.

For the first six weeks of your baby raccoon’s life, you can give him any of the following;

• High-fat content milk
• Homemade kitten formula 
• Kitten replacement formula 
• Puppies’ formulas

After six weeks;

• Wet cat foods
• Insects like termites 
• Fish
• Clamps 
• Frogs
• Rats 
• Chicks
• Small meat cuts
• Fruits
• vegetables

When Can Baby Raccoons Eat Solid Food?

At six weeks, a baby raccoon in the wild gets introduced to solid foods. So, to help your baby raccoon enjoy a normal raccoon’s diet, introduce him to solid foods such as slices of soft fruit and insects from six weeks of age. 

You do not necessarily need to kill his hunter’s instincts by trying to make him a vegetarian when you stop feeding him with formulas.

Once in a while, give raw meat to your baby raccoons, such as rats and any other smaller animals that you can lay your hands on. 

When Can Baby Raccoons Feed Themselves 

The moment baby raccoons get introduced to solid foods, they start feeding themselves. So at the age of 6 weeks, your baby raccoon does not need you to feed it anymore, unless you observe that he is finding it difficult to feed himself. Then you can feed it like once in a day and allow him to help himself to food for the test of the day.

How Often Do Baby Raccoons Eat

The number of times you feed your baby raccoon depends on his age. The very young ones tend to eat very often, up to 7 times in a day when they are just about a few days old. The older ones require less frequent feeding times.

Baby Raccoon Feeding Chart

The quantity of milk required by your pet baby raccoon depends on his weight. A few days old baby raccoons require just a few millimeters of formula at regular intervals.

As the baby raccoon gets older and stronger, you will need to increase the quantity of milk you feed him. And also decrease the number of times you feed him. 

To ensure accuracy in feeding, the first thing to do is to check the weight of your baby raccoon. At all times, you are to give your baby raccoon about 5% of his body weight in milliliters.

If your raccoon happens to have a great appetite, you can increase it but ensure that the quantity does not exceed 7% of his body weight.

If trying to get the percentage of his weight sounds like rocket science, you can use the baby raccoon feeding chart below.

Weight In Grams	Quantity Of Formula In Milliliters  (ml)	Feeding Times Per Day
60 – 100	3 – 5	6
100 – 150	5 – 7.5	6
150 – 200	7.5 – 10	5 – 6
200 – 250	10 – 12.5	5
250 – 300	12.5 – 15	5
300 – 350	15 – 17.5	4 – 5
350 – 400	17.5 – 20	4
400 – 450	20 – 22.5	4
450 – 500	22.5 – 25	4

Can Baby Raccoons Eat Cat Food?

Yes, you can feed your baby raccoon with cat food, starting with kitten formulas. And as the baby raccoon grows bigger, you can introduce wet cat foods gradually.

Because raccoons are omnivores, most baby raccoons will be able to eat any food that you raised your baby cat pet with. 

What Kind Of Milk Do You Feed Baby Raccoons?

When buying milk for your baby raccoon, keep in mind that real raccoon milk is rich in fat. And placing a baby raccoon on foods that are very close to their natural food is very important, to ensure normal growth.

So, when picking out milk for the baby raccoon, you might want to ensure that the milk has high-fat content and is also rich in protein.

To make a good formula at home, you can use powdered milk, egg yolk, and corn syrup. For ease of operation, you can get kitten replacement milk from pet stores. This formula can sustain the baby raccoon till he is old enough to eat solid foods.

Please bear in mind that the normal milk you get from superstores is bad for your baby raccoon.

Conclusion 

After reading this article, we are sure that you have the answer to your question. Remember to keep a baby raccoon hydrated by placing it on oral rehydration therapy (the one given to human babies) before giving it formula.  

Also, to build a bond between you and your baby raccoon, keep it warm and protected just like his mother would have done in the wild.