The raccoon is one of the cutest species around the world and people show a lot of love towards this species. They are very adaptive and live with human beings most of the time. They need proper care on normal days when it is being kept as a pet in homes. In Oklahoma, we can easily find various raccoons living in different areas. People love to keep them as their pets. But in case any raccoon gets injured, sick, or suffering from the diseases, what are the precautions everyone must take to make sure their safety.
First of all, make sure that the raccoon is in the condition that it needs our help and needs to be rescued. Make sure that it is orphaned because most of the time they wander here and there but their mother is always with them. So make sure that it is orphaned. Take possession of and care for baby raccoons only when you are sure that their mother will not arrive. Another thing that you need to understand is that you cannot keep them as your pet but you can pick them up and bring them to the licensed rehabber. Raccoons are only abandoned by their moms when they are sick and suffering from injuries.
What to do if the licensed rehabber isn’t around?
First of all if in Oklahoma, the licensed rehabber is not around you need to put leather gloves on your hands while handling the raccoons as it can protect you against biting.
In case if you cannot find a rehabber then you need to care for it on your own to provide it the best chance for survival. There is some following suggestion that you should take when you are unable to contact the licensed rehabilitator.
- Keep them warm:
The first step is very significant that any orphan baby raccoon is kept warm. The normal body temperature of the raccoon is around 101 but babies are cooler than that. Because of the little hair, orphan baby raccoons have subnormal body temperatures so warming them is very important when they are cold. But they must not be warmed too quickly or at high temperatures as it could kill them.
- Feed them carefully;
Do not feed the baby raccoons until you are sure that they are hydrated because feeding them first can kill them. You can give raccoon fluids through a baby bottle with a nipple. Rehydrate it after every 3 to 4 hours. Do not feed it the cow’s milk or anything other than kitten milk replacement formula. After 8 weeks feed them the solid things or expand their bottle nipple hole. Feed it the puppy feed because it’s very good for it.
- How to keep them?
Cardboard box is good or in their starting days, you can keep them in the towel or blanket. Make sure that they should be kept in a warm environment. Then you can move them to a large outdoor pen when they start eating solids. Then place them into the box and clean that box every day.
- Health care:
When we talk about the health care of the raccoon than it is clear that most of the people are not veterinary doctors that can give them the proper medical treatment but when you are taking care of the raccoon then you should contact the veterinary doctor or take the raccoon to the veterinary store so that proper treatment can be done. Always do as the doctor suggests you to do to make the survival better.
- Release them into wild;
You can think about releasing it when the weight of raccoon is 14 pounds and at least 18 weeks old. To make the survival sure, release it to that environment that provides adequate survival facilities. It will be better if it is introduced to the habitat slowly. In this way, it will start adopting the environment and there is a greater chance for its survival. Mostly raccoons are brought from the wild for rehabilitation where their mother teaches with love that how to adopt the habitat. When you can follow all these instructions then you are free to release it into the environment where you picked.
Rehabilitation is not easy and it is not guaranteed success. Its mother can provide the best care.
What to do when you are not able to rescue?
When you feel that you are not able to rescue it than
- Contact the nearby Animal care in Oklahoma. If in case you are unable to make contact with the animal rescue then try to contact the animal emergency care
- Until the help doesn’t show up, keep on waiting and watching.
- When you contact the Animal rescue then tell them everything about the situation so they can take the actions immediately.
These are the ways and we can make survival possible for the raccoons by following these steps. We need to make sure that they are safe in the habitat they are living in.
