Raccoons are nocturnal animals, which mean that they will most likely sleep during the day, or stay really low until it is dark. Then, they will go outside, play and try to find a source of food or water. This also means that humans do not encounter raccoons that often. They only get to see what the raccoons did the previous night.

Torn garbage bags, pet food gone missing and animal waste in your yard are just a few of the indications that you have been visited by a raccoon family or gang.

Rabid Raccoon

While it is possible that if you see a raccoon during daytime can have rabies, it is not the common situation. Raccoons do many additional tasks during the day, so it is very likely that you see one. Especially mother raccoons are often up and running during the day in the quest for additional food for their babies. So, this is not a strong indication that the raccoon you just saw has actually rabies.

How Can You Tell

There are many things that will indicate a raccoon has rabies. First of all, you will notice that the raccoon walks improperly, falls down or runs in circles. If you spot any signs that the raccoon is sick in any way, possibly it has rabies. It is so easy to see that you won’t have to keep wondering if the raccoon you saw is sick or not.

Raccoons will have the most unusual behavior if they are actually sick. Most raccoons with rabies are usually very lethargic, so you will find no difficulty in determining the nature of a particular raccoon.

Daytime Habits

Raccoons are so close to human existence that they will often change their way of living in order to benefit from human presence. If, for example, you feed your dog every morning in the yard, raccoons will pick up on that and pay you a visit in the morning to see if they can steal some food as well.

Human behavior often changes the animals’ behavior as well. If you are the main source of food for a raccoon, then he will prefer to stay awake during the day in order to ensure that he has enough food.

Precaution Measures

If you encounter a raccoon during the day, do not try to approach it. Don’t try to feed it or touch it under any circumstances.

If it seems bizarre to you or his behavior is odd, you need to call the local police station as soon as possible. They will come immediately to help you identify any possible problems, or even shoot the raccoon if that is necessary.

The body will be sent to the health center in order to determine if the raccoon was actually sick and what he was suffering from. Do not try to eliminate any possible threats on your own. Just stay protected and call the authorities.

Read the How to get rid of raccoons page for helpful information and to learn more about Is a Raccoon That Is Active During The Daytime Rabid?