It might not be legal to do so in your state (many states
require on-site euthanasia or on-site release), but if you've
trapped a raccoon and wish to relocate it, you should keep a few
things in mind. First, bring the raccoon at least five miles
from the capture site, preferably ten. Otherwise, there's a good
chance that it will track its way back and cause the same
problems as before. Second, don't leave the animal in the cage
for too long - this is a stressful time and the animal becomes
dehydrated. You can give it water through a hose if it's been
trapped for a while. Don't bother with food, it's not interested
in eating. Maybe wet food, like orange slices, will do. Third,
be careful when handling the cage, and don't stick your fingers
inside the bars. Be careful when releasing the animal - it won't
attack you, because its primary concern is to get away as
quickly as possible. But don't compromise your safety by
cornering the animal when it has access to bite you, which it
would never do unprovoked, but would do out of self-defense.
You might also want to read these pages after you read the below
advice:
Raccoon Trapping Guide
- professional advice from me, with over 800 raccoon captures to
date.
How to Tell if a Raccoon
Is Sick - before you decide to relocate or not.
What type of area to relocate to? First of all, laws may
prohibit the release on public lands. As for what area is best
for the animal, that's a matter of debate. A lot of people think
the raccoon should be taken out to "the woods". Many people
suggest an undeveloped area with water sources nearby. Still
other people argue that animals caught in urban or suburban
areas are used to such environments and will fare better in such
areas - but they will probably cause the same problems they
caused in your area. I think that relocation is hard on animals,
no matter where they go. They are used to their home territory.
A wildlife rehabber wrote me this: "The only problem is that
we do not recommend that people take them off and release
them. We want them to stay in their own territory especially
with babies! We recommend they fix the whole and then release
them right there, The research shows that the survival rate
for the first 2 weeks in a new territory is poor. I can't
imagine it better with babies also. And if you remove someone
from there home someone will just move back in. I suspect this
is where people feel they travel miles to return home. I am
sure that some do but I suspect it is another animal moving
in."
What about baby raccoons? I mention on my home page
relocating babies if you have their mother. A rehabber gave me
this advice: "As far as releasing babies after the mother
bolts, I would not recommend that unless the babies are mobile
on their own and even then, if you have two traps of animals,
release the babies first, then the mother/babies. The tiny
ones are sometimes abandoned if the mother is inexperienced so
I would add that people should check the release site daily
until they are sure the babies have been retrieved. Encourage
people to leave the babies in their yard because the mothers
(both raccoon and squirrel) have alternate den sites already
in reserve. And then fix their house. Also, when leaving
helpless orphans as bait, they need a heat source. Double
bagged hot water (zip lock bags) or a jar of hot water that
the babies can move toward for warmth will usually work,
though monitoring is required to make sure the mother has come
back for them which can take more than a day if her alternate
is a long distance away. Raccoons take them one at a time and
usually move further away than squirrels. Squirrels also take
them one at a time but won't touch them if they are cold."
If you want to enlist the help of a professional, I believe that
most of the wildlife control operators listed on this wildlife
removal directory, which includes listings for 450 US
cities and towns, do a competent job. I've also compiled a list
of good raccoon experts in several major US cities, including Charlotte
- Fort
Lauderdale - Miami
- Seattle
- Portland
- Oakland
- Los
Angeles - San
Diego - Phoenix
- Dallas
- Houston
- Denver
- Cincinnati
- Baltimore
- Nassau
County - Jacksonville
- Orlando
- Tampa
- Boca
Raton - Chicago.
But before you hire anyone, be sure to read this guide and gain
a good understanding of the matter at hand, and ask whoever you
wish to hire the right questions, and be sure that they remove
the baby raccoons as part of their wildlife control solution!
What to do with a raccoon that has been caught - If you caught a
raccoon, most state require you to kill it or release it—you’re
probably not legally allowed to catch it in the first place. If
you do have the special licenses that allow you to capture a
nuisance animal, you need to make sure you follow local laws
about relocation versus termination. Raccoons are known carriers
of rabies, and because of the potential health risk of handling,
transporting, and relocating the animals, most states require
them to be killed if captured. If you have no mind for the
legalities of catching a raccoon, you need to make sure you
relocate it at least five miles away if you don’t want it to
come sneaking back into your home. The ideal distance is ten
miles for relocation, but if five is all you can do, it’s better
than nothing. Something to keep in mind when you’re trapping the
adult racoon in your house is that most of these critters in
human homes are females. They have left the forest to have their
babies in your building. If you’ve caught a female, you need to
scour the house to find her litter. While leaving them in the
house to starve is cruel, you’ll doubly regret the decision when
their remains start to decay, stinking up your home.
Read more about raccoons:
Are Raccoons
Dangerous to Cats, Dogs, or Other Pets?
What Equipment
Is Needed to Trap a Raccoon?
Is Raccoon Feces
Dangerous/Toxic to Touch or Breathe?
Should I Feed a
Baby Raccoon I Found?