Please call our wildlife hospital hotline (541-441-7193) if you have found an injured or orphaned raccoon.

Understanding Raccoons: When to Help

Raccoons are highly adaptable mammals found throughout Oregon, living comfortably in forests, neighborhoods, and even city parks. They are mostly nocturnal, which means they’re active at night, but you might see them during the day if they are injured, orphaned, or searching for food—especially in spring and summer.

Found a Baby Raccoon?

Mother raccoons often leave their young hidden while they forage. Not every baby raccoon you see is orphaned!

Whenever possible, it’s best to reunite healthy babies with their mother, since she is the best one to raise them. Separating young animals too soon can hurt their chances of survival in the wild. If the baby is uninjured and the mother is alive, reuniting should be attempted.

Reuniting Raccoons

1. Prepare a Safe Container
   Use a tall bin the baby can’t climb out of, but the mother can climb into (e.g., a kitchen trash can or deep recycling bin).
   • This keeps the baby safe from predators while still allowing the mother access.

1. 1. Provide Heat
      • If it is below 80 degrees outdoors, add a heat source such as a heating pad set to low underneath half of the box, a warm water bottle, or bag of rice (nothing should be hot to the touch! If it hurts you, it will hurt the baby). If the baby does not have a heat source, it may die.
   2. Place the Container Near the Original Location

• Secure the container to the base or trunk of the nearest tree where the baby was found. Make sure it’s at least 4 feet off the ground to protect from ground predators. Mothers usually return to the exact spot where they left their young.

1. Leave the Area and Wait Overnight
   • Raccoon mothers are nocturnal, so they are most likely to return after dark. Avoid disturbing the area, and keep pets and people away.
2. Check the Container in the Morning
   • If the baby is still there and has not been retrieved, call Wildlife Images at 541-441-7193 for further guidance.

Injured Raccoons

If you come across an injured raccoon (e.g., bleeding, or visibly hurt, or acting unusual), it will need medical attention. 

When to Intervene

• Obvious wounds, actively bleeding/swelling/bruising
• Respiratory distress (barely breathing or labored open-mouth breathing)
• Neurological symptoms (head ticking back and forth, falling over, stargazing, etc.)
• Shivering or trembling
• The mother is deceased and baby is too young to live alone
• Mother was trapped and relocated
• Entangled in barbed wire/fencing/netting
• Hit by car
• Caught by a cat or dog
• Reuniting strategies have been tried and failed

Before attempting to contain the raccoon, please call our Wildlife Hospital hotline (541-441-7193) for further guidance. Only attempt to contain the raccoon if instructed to do so by clinic staff.

How to Contain an Injured Raccoon

• DO NOT HANDLE RACCOONS WITH BARE HANDS! THEY ARE RABIES VECTORS.
• Capture the raccoon with a live trap, large sturdy well-ventilated box, or kennel. You can use a broom or other long pole to usher the animal into the container.
• Wear thick, heavy gloves!
• Bring the raccoon to our wildlife hospital during patient intake hours (9am-4:30pm 7 days a week). We prefer if you call ahead so we can prepare for the animal’s arrival, and to ensure that our clinic is able to provide rehabilitation services.

***Do NOT offer food or water to an injured, sick, or orphaned animal unless instructed to do so by clinic staff. Many species require a specialized diet or formula, and young animals and birds can be easily aspirated without proper training and equipment.***