We have a lot of stray cats in my neighborhood so I always leave out a bowl of food and water to make sure the kitties are eating and drinking. However, for the past few weeks around sunset I have seen a large raccoon come out to finish the cats food!
I never see the raccoon during the day,so I decided to do some research and find out where raccoons go during the day.
In this article we will see Where Do Raccoons go during the day,what they do in the day and how often can you see one during the day.
Where do raccoons go during the day?
Experts found that during the day raccoons go to one of multiple “hiding spots” called dens where they sleep. Although, sometimes raccoons come out during the day if they need more food of there is too much commotion around one of their dens. But raccoons are primarily nocturnal, so usually they sleep the day away.
A few days ago, the raccoon started coming to the cat bowl in the middle of the day! I started to get worried that something might be wrong with her, and the idea of a sick raccoon sharing the stray cats food bowl made me nervous.
It turns out I had nothing to worry about, but if you are experiencing what I went through and have as many questions as I did you came to the right place!
This article is going to cover everything you need to know about what raccoons do during the day, during the night, where they sleep, and signs of rabies you should look for.
During the day, raccoons normally go to a hiding spot and sleep. Raccoons are territorial, and usually have multiple “hiding spots” called dens in their territory where they sleep.
Raccoons are smart to have multiple dens so they have a “plan B” if something happens to or around one of their hiding spots. A raccoon might come out during the day if there is a lot of noise or commotion around their hiding spot.
They will come out and relocate to one of their other dens so they can sleep in peace. Raccoons are very creative with their hiding spots and will claim a lot of different places as their den depending on where they live.
If you want to know more about places where raccoons sleep you can read the section Do Raccoons Sleep During the Day later in the article.
Continue Reading: Why Do Raccoons Come Out During the day
Do Raccoons Come out During the Day
Yes! Raccoons do sometimes come out during the day! There are multiple reasons a raccoon might come out during the day. The first reason I mentioned earlier; sometimes there is too much noise and commotion around a raccoon’s den, so they will come out and move to one of their other hiding places to sleep.
Raccoons might also come out during the day to look for food. This is especially true for raccoon mothers with young. Sometimes Mama raccoons have to adjust to feeding themselves and their babies, so they will come out during the day to get more food to feed their family.
Raccoons might also come out during the day if they have an easier time finding food in the daylight.
Do Baby Raccoons Come out During the Day
Baby raccoons do sometimes come out during the day with mom, especially if mama coon has made a habit of coming out during the day. Once the babies are big enough to start learning the skills they will need as adults, they begin coming out of their den and following mom around.
They watch her find food and copy her so they can learn how to do it themselves. If the family did not find enough food the past night, it is very common for the mother to bring her babies out during the day so everyone can sleep with a full belly.
What to do if you see a Raccoon During the Day?
First, do not panic. Seeing a raccoon out during the day does not necessarily mean there is something wrong with it. Second, keep your distance and leave it alone. Just because a raccoon might not have rabies does not change the fact that it is a WILD ANIMAL.
If there is a raccoon that keeps visiting your yard constantly there are various raccoon repellents such as these that work great to keep raccoons away.
Raccoons can still be aggressive and bite, as well as carry other diseases. Just leave the raccoon alone unless it is showing signs of rabies or being aggressive. I will cover the signs of rabies in a later section.
Continue Reading: What to Do If a Raccoon Approaches You
Are Raccoons Nocturnal? Why?
Yes raccoons are primarily nocturnal. There are several reasons why some animals are nocturnal and others are not. During the night there are less predators, different types of prey, less competition, it is easier to avoid being noticed, and obviously nighttime is significantly cooler than daytime.
All of these reasons contribute to why raccoons evolved into nocturnal animals.
What do Raccoons do During the Day
There are a few reasons raccoons come out during the day. I mentioned earlier that raccoons will come out during the day to move to a different hiding spot or to find more food.
If there is too much noise or commotion around a raccoon’s hiding spot, it will move to one of its other hiding spots to sleep in peace. And if a raccoon did not get enough to eat at night, it will come out during the day to look for more food. See here What Raccoons eat.
If a raccoon has an easier time finding food during the day than it does at night in the area it lives, it might regularly come out during the day. It all depends on the area and how much food is available.
Also read: Do Raccoons and Possums Get Along
If you see a Raccoon During the Day, Does he have Rabies?
Not necessarily. It is a myth that seeing a raccoon during the day means it has rabies. There are specific warning signs you should look for to tell if your local raccoon has rabies;
Signs of Rabies
- Staggering/Can’t walk straight
- Seems oblivious to surroundings (does not react to noise, movement, etc.)
- Aimlessly wandering around
- Discharge from eyes and/or mouth
- Hair on face appears wet and matted
- Making high-pitch noises (raccoons are usually very quiet)
- And unfortunately, self-mutilation
Do Raccoons Sleep During the Day
Yes. Raccoons are primarily nocturnal and sleep during the day. Sometimes they will come out during the day to find a new hiding spot or more food, but most of the time raccoons sleep the whole day away in the safety of their den.
Do Raccoons Sleep in Trees During the Day
Raccoons will sometimes sleep in hollow trees during the day, but they do not like to be exposed. A raccoon will most likely not just climb a tree, pick a branch and doze off for the day, but if absolutely nothing else is available I can imagine they will take what they can get.
None of the experts I got information from have observed raccoons sleeping on tree branches, but some have seen them living in hollowed out trees and logs. Read our other article where we show If a Raccoon can even climb a tree.
Other Places Raccoons Sleep During the Day
Where a raccoon sleeps depends on where it lives and what hiding spots are available. In more urban settings raccoons will make lots of different man-made places their den, including sewers, attics and crawl spaces, barns, sheds, abandoned vehicles, chimneys, below homes, and under wood piles.
In more natural environments, raccoons will make their homes in hollow logs or trees, under rocks or brush piles, and they even repurpose abandoned burrows that once belonged to other animals!
A raccoon picks out or makes multiple dens within its territory, and all of its dens are located in a place where the coon can easily access food and water.
