Skedaddle Milwaukee: Can You Spot A Pregnant Raccoon?

Raccoons are popular in Milwaukee’s cities and towns (thanks to shrinking natural habitats and enticing spaces), which means that residents deal with these animals on a daily basis. But there are some seasons that experience more raccoon issues than others. Two such seasons are raccoon mating and nursing seasons. This is when raccoons become more active and visible, leading to their intrusion on many properties along with the destruction of physical property. During these times, raccoon removal is an important service that many Milwaukee residents have relied on.

Mating and Nursing Seasons for Raccoons

An examination of reproductive behavior among raccoons will help you to determine whether a raccoon being observed could potentially be pregnant. Mating activities among raccoons take place in the first five months of the calendar year (January-May) with most of the activity taking place in January to March. After that, the kits remain in gestation for 65 days leading to births during the spring or even summer. Milwaukee residents should, therefore, look out for pregnant and nursing raccoons during these seasons. Raccoons that are nursing are known for being particularly aggressive as they go to extreme lengths to protect their young.

How to Identify a Pregnant Raccoon

  Knowing whether a raccoon is nursing or pregnant is important to any removal process because if babies are isolated from their mothers permanently they are unlikely to survive. Mother raccoons will also try to return to the site from which they have been removed if the kits are left behind. You can start by figuring out whether the raccoon being observed is a male or female. There are some signs that indicate that a raccoon is a female. One is the size of the animal. Adult raccoons typically weigh between 20-30lbs, but females tend to be smaller than males. Additionally, a female raccoon’s face is usually smaller than the broader male version. The female raccoon is also more likely to move in a family group than a male raccoon. If you see a raccoon being trailed by kits, then it is very likely to be a female. Even though female raccoons habitually stay in groups, they isolate themselves from others when they become pregnant. They wait until after their kits become independent to rejoin their raccoon groups. A raccoon that inhabits your attic is probably a pregnant or nursing female since females often seek out safe warm dens to deliver and raise their kits. Another sign of a nursing raccoon is daytime foraging. Raccoons typically forage during the late night to very early morning, under the cover of darkness. Raccoons that are nursing kits though, will occasionally be seen out and about during the day seeking food. Nursing raccoons also become aggressive more easily than males.

Let the Experts Handle Your Raccoon Issues

  Our technicians are trained and experienced in identifying raccoon dens, nursing mothers and kits. They are also exceptionally adept at gentle and humane raccoon removal. With Skedaddle on the job, you won’t need to worry about a mother raccoon returning to your attic to nurse her kits as both mother and kits will be strategically removed and allowed to continue their lives in an alternate but suitable locations.