A backyard mystery is solved. Every night our tube birdseed feeder was half full. But every morning the same feeder was empty. We had our suspicions, of course. Then one evening we caught the culprit in flagrante delicto. Our photo shows our masked bandit–a raccoon–climbing up a tree stake to raid the feeder.
Was it a crime? We hadn’t in any way communicated that the food was for birds only. But there was also the case of the vandalized suet feeder, whose construction clearly indicated that only creatures with beaks were invited to partake. Though we lack firsthand evidence, we can think of no other local animal that has the intelligence, dexterity, and strength required to pull up the top of the feeder, slide out the screen sides, and make off with an entire suet block.
We don’t blame raccoons. They were just doing what raccoons do. We did take out the tree stake to save our birdseed for the birds. But we also now stock a low platform feeder that raccoons and other critters can visit.
The birdseed incident spurred us to do some research about this entertaining neighbor. Our word “raccoon” is thought to be derived from Algonquian, and its namesake is a popular subject of Native American stories, cast as an expert at disguise and secrecy, as well as a personal and clan totem.
For some current information about raccoons we turned to Karen Oconnor of Dexter-based Help 4 Wildlife. A Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator licensed by the Michigan DNR, she is currently in charge of seven raccoons and nine squirrels. She’d take care of more raccoons if space and resources allowed.
She told us that raccoons are generally nocturnal, but sometimes a mother with her kits, or a larger first-year raccoon, can be seen hunting for food during the day. Another daytime sight–sadly–are kits who have lost their mother. Raccoons have adapted well to suburban and even urban life. They will eat almost everything from plants and berries to tasty garbage.
Raccoons have litters of two to five kits in a season spanning March through July. For that reason, it is illegal to live-trap a raccoon at any time from February through July. If a raccoon has become an unwanted pest, there are other ways to get it and its family to move on. Help on this issue can be found through help4wildlife.com or hshv.org, the website of the Humane Society of Huron Valley.
Oconnor says that raccoons are very intelligent and are known for their good memories–they will not forget where food is and how to get it. They are both resourceful and playful. Raccoons use their paws the way we use our hands and have great dexterity.
Raccoons’ life in the wild–whether the wild be woods or suburbia–cannot be easy. Their lifespan is under three years. Raccoons in captivity may live up to twenty years.
Raccoon rabies is a problem along the eastern seaboard, but a successful vaccination program in Ohio has stopped its westward spread. According to Oconnor, raccoons in Michigan are not known to carry rabies. If that changes, they will be placed on the Michigan DNR’s do-not-rehab list. Raccoons can get distemper, which can lead to their falling from trees, running in circles, and having seizures; they do not survive this disease. Also, like some other wild species, they can carry roundworms. Oconnor recommends wearing gloves when gardening and covering sandboxes at night to keep out poop deposits from raccoons or any other animals.
Raccoons are not aggressive by nature but will defend themselves if threatened. Once our seed-eating raccoon realized our camera was pointed at him, it ran away.
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This article has been edited since it appeared in the October 2015 Ann Arbor Observer. The punctuation of Karen Oconnor’s name has been corrected.
