Raccoons out in daytime are rabid? - True / False? (1 Viewer)

[LINUS]

Heard this one the other day.

Myself & a buddy who both live in areas that were rural but getting slowly more urban were having dinner & beers, and the subject of raccoons came up.

I'd mentioned how as kids when really opportunistic raccoons found where we fed our outdoor cats, and we'd always have dirty water dishes where the raccoons would wash their muddy paws.
It was the country, and only would happen 3-4x/month - no biggie.
In those days we were fairly rural, houses were easily no closer than 1/10-1/4 mile to each other & average lot size was measured in full acres.

Now, since we have subdivisions on 2 (and land cleared on a 3rd property boundary) - that all widlife was funneling through a certain path where there's water in all but late Summer, deer were changing their 'routes', I hadn't seen a bear in a few years, etc.

He commented that if you saw raccoons out in daylight, they were rabid - no 2 ways about it.
He said they are so strictly nocturnal that the only way you'll see one in mid-day is if it is rabid.

I get they are nocturnal, but with urbanization I just figured we had "city" raccoons that were adjusting / learning how to scavenge the trash bins.
People bring their bins out on trash day, and they sit until that afternoon when people get home - typical suburbs & I just chalked it up to opportunity is king.

What's the Mud collective know about this one?

Are they adapting or are they 100% rabid if you see one in daylight?

 

[Gun Runner 5]

@Godwin is the resident critter expert.

 

[Godwin]

Healthy, non-rabid raccoons are often active during the day. I've seen them along streams, crossing the road, sitting in trees.


Raccoon Outside in the Daytime - Is it Rabid or Dangerous?

 

[LINUS]

Healthy, non-rabid raccoons are often active during the day. I've seen them along streams, crossing the road, sitting in trees.


Raccoon Outside in the Daytime - Is it Rabid or Dangerous?

Thanks for that - I thought that was the answer but my buddy acted like he really knew, and honestly all I had was my own experience (slim at best).

Esp since we now have organized trash collection when prior we were the normal "dump run" -zoned area, I had chalked it up they just found that daytime food source all lined up on peoples' curbs.
Raccoon buffet IMO.

 

[Helipilot]

Just my personal experience but I have seen several in the daylight, mostly young ones, but by and large the large ones are most commonly seen at night. I live on acreage and back up to 160 acres of mixed forest. The local Popeye's chicken restaurant has them day and night in the garbage bins out back. Those guys are fat and unafraid of humans.

 

[Keowee]

Totally normal to see them in the daytime. I did kill one last summer that showed symptoms of being rabid. He walked up to my garage door and stopped to stare at me.

Just sick looking, slow and having trouble walking.

 

[73fj40lc]

I guess that from a racoon’s perspective, “ Fawk yaw, I can be out anytime I want. WTF you my parents or something?”

 

[hatchethead]

Agree with the sentiment so far. A raccoon seen in the daytime (esp. morning) is not necessarily rabid. If they approach you during the day, then there's likely a problem.

 

[gilamonster]

Also, think about construction going on. I regularly see coyotes, coons and skunks trying to find a new place to hide when I'm walking my dog in the mornings. Lots of construction going on around here destroying their homes.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Coons are a fascinating creators IMO. I've seen them during the day and night alike, probably in equal amounts. My fondest memory is of how curious they are. When I was a kid back at the ranch in East Texas, my cousin and I would find a hollowed out downed tree and cut up a piece of aluminum can and push it in a hole through the bark/wood. Never saw where the coon/s was during all the prep but within 5-10 minutes of finishing our little trick and walking out of the area where we could just see the tree a coon would always come in and try to get the piece of can out of the tree.

I've had them come within 10-15' of me, look me up and down, jabber at me and then haul ass up a tree and jabber some more. But, never had one attack or be aggressive towards me.

Last year when a tornado come through and uprooted about 160 acres of the property they were no where to be found and this section is where they were at all the time in the past. But after checking over other parts of the ranch they had just moved to a "safe" zone. One of the hands said they were out all the time during the day and very active now, he'd see two or three of them together on a regular basis. My uncle said they were just coming together to rebuild their new infrastructure and to get the new area to their liking.

J

 

[ferg]

Anyone ever seen an orange raccoon? Spied one last night out at the deer corn. I know in the pics it looks a lot like a cat, but it's a raccoon.