WE ARE CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING ADMISSIONS FOR THIS SPECIES. PLEASE VISIT ANIMAL HELP NOW TO FIND A WILDLIFE CENTER THAT IS ACCEPTING THEM NEAR YOU.

Have you found a BABY raccoon?

Raccoons are often orphaned unnecessarily when a homeowner hears activity in their attic and hires a pest control company to remove them. Often the company will trap the parents and relocate them, overlooking the babies, and the homeowner will hear the babies crying within a day or so. If you have raccoons in your attic, please call us at 713-468-8972. We can advise you on passive methods that will compel the raccoon to relocate on their own, taking any babies they have with them. If you find a baby raccoon on its own, call us at 713-468-8972 for further assistance.

Have you found an INJURED or ILL adult raccoon?

PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH THE ANIMAL. Adult raccoons are very dangerous and are a rabies vector species. Call your county’s Animal Control agency for help with an injured or ill adult raccoon.

Temporary Care Instructions for ALL Animals:

  • TWRC recommends that you wear gloves or use a cloth barrier when handling wildlife.
  • Prepare an appropriate-sized cardboard box by poking air holes in the top and placing a soft cloth (T-Shirt, towel, paper towels) in the bottom. DO NOT put the animal into a plastic bag.
  • Place the animal into the prepared box and tape the box shut. For injured adults, place the box on its side next to the animal and use a stick, broom, or rolled-up newspaper to gently push the animal into the box.
  • Do not give the animal any food or liquids. Feeding an animal an incorrect diet can result in injury or death. In addition, rescued animals can get wet from liquids and become hypothermic and/or spill food on their fur/feathers, potentially causing damage.
  • Keep the animal in a warm, dark, quiet place. Darkness makes the animal feel more secure. If the animal is a baby, the box can be placed half on and half off a heating pad set on low. If the animal gets too warm it will move to the other end of the box. Do not place adult animals on a heating pad.
  • Leave the animal alone. Human noise, touch, and eye contact are very stressful to wild animals and can result in shock or even death. This is especially important in the case of injured or adult animals.
  • If an animal has been caught by a cat or dog, please call TWRC immediately at 713-468-8972. Even if wounds are not visible, the animal needs medical intervention as soon as possible.
  • Keep children and pets away. BE CAREFUL! An animal that is hurt or frightened may bite.
  • Call TWRC at 713-468-8972 as soon as possible!

General Information about Raccoon in the Houston Area

Raccoon (Procyon lotor) are nocturnal (mostly active at night), but will come out during daytime rarely if they are chased or there is low food availability.” follow by the sentence, “They got their Latin name, “lotor”, meaning “the washer” because they are known to wash their food prior to eating it.

They are most active in spring, summer, and fall, and will sleep in their dens for most of the winter. Reproduction begins in late winter. Females, or sows, usually give birth to 1-6 baby kits in the spring. Mothers are very protective of their young until they separate after about a year. At TWRC Wildlife Center, we see baby raccoons come in heavily from March - July.

Raccoons can carry several bacterial diseases and parasites that can be transmitted to humans and pets through a bite or the ingestion of raccoon waste. Some diseases that can affect humans and pets include: leptospirosis, salmonella, roundworm, and rabies. A raccoon’s life span is about 2-3 years.

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