When Do Raccoons Have Babies?
Raccoon mating season occurs in late winter, usually from January to March. With the gestation period lasting roughly 60 days, baby raccoons are typically born between April and May. However, we have seen babies born as early as March and as late as June.
How Many Babies Do Raccoons Have?
A female raccoon only has one litter a year with 2 to 6 babies, called kits. Raccoons are born with their eyes shut and can’t see until they are 23 days old. They are entirely dependent on their mother at birth and for the first few weeks after. At three months of age, baby raccoons will begin to venture around the nest.
Raccoons in the Attic, Chimney, and House
While many animals will often work together as co-parents to raise their young, raccoons do not. Female raccoons are single mothers with no help from the male. In fact, a male raccoon will try to kill her babies to get the female back into heat. Therefore, new mother raccoons seek safe spaces from males and other predators to raise their young. Attics and chimneys are some of the most common places female raccoons will have their babies, resulting in unexpected headaches for homeowners.
Raccoons have very strong hands and can easily rip holes in siding, soffits, vents, and fascia. Once inside, they cause all sorts of damage to insulation, walls, ceilings, and woodwork. Raccoons also carry parasites and are one of the main carriers of rabies in Wisconsin. Unlike mice who can squeeze through small openings, holes created by raccoons are very large and hard to miss. Raccoons are also very loud. They sound like humans stomping around in your attic.
Signs of Raccoons
- Baby raccoons make a chirping-like cry (and like human babies, they cry a lot)
- Loud rustling and thumping sounds in the walls and ceiling, especially nighttime
- Damaged soffits, siding, or vents
- Pawprints on your home’s woodwork
- Seeing an adult raccoon on your property
Milwaukee Raccoon Removal
If homeowners notice any of these signs, it is best to contact your local wildlife professional – Advanced Wildlife and Pest Control – to humanely and safely remove nuisance raccoons. Our company specializes in humane wildlife removal in the Milwaukee area and southeastern Wisconsin. Our wildlife specialists safely remove and relocate the mother raccoon and her babies 30 miles away from your residence.
Our professionals can also repair any damage caused by the problem animal and install heavy-duty chimney caps or vent covers to prevent future wildlife problems. Have raccoons in your house? Give us a call today at (262) 242-4390, or send us a message.