I'm sure others more knowledgeable than I will respond, but I'm remembering a stepdaughter's experience with a pet raccoon. I completely understand and applaud your desire to keep and nurture this baby, but raccoons are wild animals. They do not make good pets, no matter how much loving handling they get from infancy.

My stepdaughter's raccoon was adorable at first--so smart and full of funny antics--but as he grew he got quite destructive. This is the pattern of most wild animals.

Did you ask the wildlife center about bringing her in now? Perhaps if they take her while she's young they can at some point return her to the wild.

You have my sympathy and support, but I'm afraid if you keep her it won't have a good outcome.

I cannot answer a single question you have, but it sounds like you are doing a wonderful job. I would try not to overdo the carrots. Baby needs a balanced diet. Are you able to post a picture? Maybe Marilyn will check in and can help with your questions.

Are you sure it's a "she?"

I just want to urge you to put her back and keep an eye on her, and see if the mama will come back and get her. It is okay to raise a baby raccoon, if it is an orphan, but they really do need to be raised with another one. If you can find a wildlife rehabber, that would be the best thing.

She needs milk like Esbilac. Do not give her regular milk or human baby formula. Don't give her carrots. A little something for a treat...like a bite, might not be bad, but she is going to develope diarrhea if you aren't careful. They can be very messy and carry a lot of parasites that you don't want to be involved with. You can give her some dry kitten food....like Kitten Chow...that would be better. Also if she is eating well...a little fruit like a couple of bites of banana or apple. You don't want to give her a lot of fruit, either.

It is against the law here to keep a raccoon as a pet. I think you can be fined up to $1500. If you don't know a rehabber...get ahold of Parks and Wildlife...or whatever it is called in your state....the game wardens. They usually know and work closely with rehabbers.

Baby raccoons are very cute and sweet, but you don't want a raccoon for a pet. She needs to either be back with her mother....who would have retrieved her from the ground, most likely, because they do leave their babies during the day for several hours at a time. They move them almost every day, once they get to a certain size. If the baby was in good condition, that shows that it wasn't orphaned, most likely, and that the mother was somewhere around.

The reason they need to be raised with other raccoons, is so they bond with raccoons and siblings will stay together most of their first year.

Whatever you do....do not take the baby out somewhere, like in the woods, and leave it. It would be kinder to have it put down. Do not raise it and take it out and leave it, either. Raccoons are extremely territorial and they do not tolerate new raccoons in their territory. The raccoon would be lost and have no idea where to go.

I suggest taking her to the wildlife center now, and let her be raised with other raccoons by people who are used to handling them. I know you are attached to her, but this would be the easiest, kindest thing for you to do.

I'm sorry this is so disjointed. I am feeding 6 orphan kittens while trying to type this.

I agree with Marilyn, find a wildlife rehabber as soon as possible. In Tn it is also against the law to have a wild animal...My neighbor found one about 3 weeks ago, it was missing an eye and had severe infection in the other one. He brought it home and tried to save it, but sadly it didn't work.

I know the neighbors fixed a litter box for that raccoon. But do yourself a favor and find someone that knows what they are doing.

Judy your kindness to this baby is to be commended. I know you want what's best for this little one.
I would do exactly as Marilyn said and find a rehabber immediately.
Most likely the mama came back to get her baby and is crying for her just as you say the baby is crying for mama.

Our friends raised two orphan racoons.
They had the female spayed and the male neutered and both were vaccinated year for rabies.

The spent their lives in a big dog run.
At about a year they got aggressive and mean.
One died during the winter and the other was euthanized because it turned on it's mistress.

I've know other people who try to raise a raccoon as a pet but have had to put them down.

Lori

Sorry justr now getting back to post.Its been a long day.That I what we ended up doing,We called a local wildlife center and because we try finding the mother and we didn't find her.We heard another neighbor had seen a raccoon dead on the side of the road so we thought that could be the mother.So we talked to our local wildlife and they said they were hard to raise,So we went ahead and took her in,.They said they could bottle feed it and make sure she was kept right.We just did not want to just leave her in the yard near the tree she fell out of.They said they would check her out and see she was taken care of.I did find out you can buy a special permit to have one..But we did not want to go to all that,.So a happy ended for a cute little raccoon.

I was going to suggest a wildlife center, my SiL works for our local one and they have raccoons brought in all the time.
You did the right thing.

Thank you, Judy. That was the right thing to do.