Rescuing Baby Raccoons - How to feed and raise coon babies
Like 6 Dislike 0 Published on 10 Feb 2014
Wild animal rehabilitation expert discusses HER experiences rescuing, bottle feeding, housing and raising orphaned baby raccoons until they were wild and old enough to be acclimated to the Louisiana forest.
***After we made this video several other wildlife rehabilitaters suggested not to use condensed milk, rather Goat's milk. I'll attach their advice below. ***
"I work with a professional wildlife rehabilitation center here in California, and you never, ever give cow's milk to raccoons, ESPECIALLY neonates--especially condensed milk! This dehydrates them and can give them horrible indigestion and pain. Please consider switching to a goat's milk formula for the first 6-8 weeks, and please don't treat them like pets if you plan on releasing them, they will go right up to humans and cars and they will be killed, and not humanly. After about 4-5 weeks, you should encourage exploration and play, but not with humans at all, watch only from a distance of 20+ feet. You want them to start fearing you and growling at you by 6-8 weeks."
EMERGENCY COON FORMULA:
3 cups goat milk
2 egg yolks
1-2 tbs Karo syrup
Mix well and Serve warm
Secondary Options:
Kitten milk replacers such as KMR or Esbilac
IMPORTANT NOTES:
*FREQUENT & MODERATE FEEDINGS ARE BEST.
*Create a 24 hour schedule of feeding times spaced 2-3 hours apart, approximately 8 times a day.
*Keep a feeding chart of how much each baby eats.
*Feed until belly is slightly round but not tight. DO NOT OVERFEED THEY WILL DIE.
Immediately after feeding, babies need to have their face and hands gently cleaned with a warm soft cloth.
***BABIES CAN NOT GO TO THE BATHROOM ON THEIR OWN YET!***
***YOU MUST HELP THEM GO POTTY BY GENTLY WIPING THEIR GENITALS AND RECTUM WITH A SOFT, WARM DAMP CLOTH UNTIL THEY REMOVE ALL WASTE. (SIMULATE THE MOTHER'S TONGUE)***
"Do not feed a raccoon too much cat food. Cats are 100% carnivores, raccoons are omnivores. Too much protein sourced cat food can give a rehabbed raccoon gout (uric acid disease)."