Raccoons are common in nearly any neighborhood, city, or part of the country because of how adaptable they are. They need food, shelter, and water and can make do with some surprising forms of shelter.
That being said, as common as they are, many humans and homeowners are not familiar with the behaviors and habits of raccoons. This might be because many of us are trying our best to avoid them, but either way, knowing a little more about these creatures may help avoid them. If you are looking for some raccoon prevention tips be sure to check out nycraccoon.com for more information.
Now, here are a few raccoon habits that may surprise you and help you figure out how to best keep them out of your home or area.
Raccoons are introverts!
It may come as a surprise to many homeowners, but raccoons are shy! You may be shocked to hear this because they are the ones to invade your space and not the other way around. While that may be true, they are just simply looking for a place to keep warm and out of inclement weather. Trust us, they will do their absolute best to keep as far away from humans as they possibly can. They like to be alone unless they are female and have just given birth to young raccoons. So, most of the year, you will find an adult raccoon on its own. During winter, they may band together to help keep warm. If you have discovered a band of raccoons in your attic during the winter, you can find some wildlife removal tips and options at wildliferemovalnewhampshire.com.
Raccoon hands are never still. They have almost human-like hands!
While science would not classify any of a raccoon’s fingers as opposable thumbs, they do have five fingers just like we do. They have been said to have almost as good of a grasp on things as monkeys do! Their fingers are extra-long and extremely flexible, so they can easily grasp things and catch fish without even looking! If you catch a raccoon by a river looking for food, they will be looking straight ahead while they stick their arms in the water to catch a fish. No eyes are necessary.
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Raccoons (kind of) hibernate.
Raccoons do not hibernate in the normal sense of the word. They do not tuck themselves away for the entire winter like bears are known to do. However, they do go into a state that is known as torpor. This state allows them to peacefully sleep for a couple of weeks and then venture out to find food and replenish themselves for their next sleep span. If you have raccoons in your attic or basement during the winter, you may not even hear them for a couple of weeks because of this!
Raccoons are awake during the night.
They are nocturnal, so they sleep during the day and venture out in the nighttime to scavenge for food. As soon as the sun sets, raccoons will leave their home or dens to look for food and water. This is why you will often find raccoons around trash bins and dumpsters during the night. If you have raccoons in or around a part of your home, you are most likely to hear them move around when the sun has gone down. There are exceptions to this! If a female has babies, she may venture out during the day to look for food for her young.
Raccoons, like many animals, have different habits and behaviors that are surprising to humans. Knowing a raccoon’s sleeping/awake cycle and how it is different from ours can help homeowners detect wildlife that has invaded the home.
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