Suburban Raccoons

We have been doing some research to try to find out what the signs are for a raccoon when they have rabies. We wanted to include on this website some of the rabid raccoon signs and symptoms. What we found was a little surprising. We will cover these in a few paragraphs. The signs and symptoms were somewhat confusing and varied a bit depending on which web site you looked at. The bottom line is that if you see an animal acting differently than what you would normally expect, treat them with care and keep them at a distance. Normally wild animals keep their distance. Raccoons are usually nocturnal so if you see them during the day, then something is not right with these animals.

We found one site which listed a few symptoms that may indicate that raccoons are exhibiting rabid raccoon signs, These symptoms are not just related to raccoons although this is the focus of this website. Also, rabies can take two weeks to many months to manifest the infection so you cannot always tell if a wild animal is infected or not. The same applies to your pet. If you feel that your pet has tangled with a wild animal, the safest approach is to visit a vet and take the appropriate precautions.

Rabid Raccoon Signs

Here are some of the things to watch for rabid raccoon signs:

• Unprovoked aggression (“furious” rabies which is a fast-acting rabies infection). Some animals may attack anything that moves, or even inanimate objects as well as humans and pets.
• Unusual friendliness (“dumb” rabies). Wild animals are never friendly, especially with humans. Avoid these animals and make sure that your children are also informed as to how to act when around these animals.
• A raccoon or any other animal may stumble, fall, appear disoriented or uncoordinated, or wander aimlessly even during the daytime which is very unusual for raccoons.

• Paralysis, often beginning in the hind legs or throat is a clear sign of infection, and people and pets should be kept clear of these infected animals. Paralysis of the throat muscles can cause the animal to bark, whine, drool, choke, or froth at the mouth.
• Infected animals may exhibit vocalizations ranging from chattering to shrill screams which is very unusual
• Some nocturnal animals may become unusually active during the day, walking down a road for example in suburbia or walking over to get a drink in a pool. The author has seen both of these conditions and felt that it was a good idea to stay well away from both of these situations (remember, some daytime activity is normal, especially when nocturnal animals are feeding their young).
• Raccoons walk as if they’re on the very hot pavement which was the example we saw of a raccoon walking down the middle of a suburban road in the middle of the day. Very unusual.

Watch Your Kids

Most people would recognize the above rabid raccoon signs, however, children and young adults may not be as cautious. Warn your children to avoid these situations. Pets are a little more difficult to deal with unless they are on a leash. Many cities now require that dogs for example must always be on a leash if they live in suburbia. They can be controlled in this manner. However, if they are running free, and you think that pets may be exposed to rabid raccoons or other animals you may want to put them on a leash. Or keep them inside where they can be protected.

The other thing we read about rabid raccoons and rabies is that as the population increases rabies become more prevalent. As the population declines through death from rabies the incidence of rabies also declines. There is less exposure to other animals and the disease appears to decline until the population increases again. This is true or raccoons, foxes, and many other wild animals that are subject to this disease.

Please feel free to leave your comments about your experiences with rabies or other rabid raccoon signs.

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