The snoring Raccoon

For the last few years I had the privilege of sharing my house with a mama raccoon. She lives under the house, and the rest of us are inside the house. She comes out after her babies are grown enough to start their life training. The mama introduces the babies to the entire neighborhood, and teaches them the life skills they’ll need. They all get fed in my back yard at the beginning, and then mama forces them to go further and further away for food. I believe she does this for three reasons; one, she doesn’t want to share her food source with them after they’re all grown. Second, she wants the babies to learn how to find food in different locations, so they won’t be dependent on just one source. Third, she has to alienate them. After all, they are her future competition for survival.

Each time she has a litter of 4 to 6 babies. Last time there were 5. I have actually videotaped them while eating food in my back yard, but it doesn’t have a very good quality. You can see it below. Mama is the one to the farthest left.

 All of these babies are gone now. Last time I saw them, was about a month ago when they tried to get some food, and their mama came charging after them to make them leave. She must have been in heat or something. She acted so viciously I had to run inside to stay out of their family feud.

It seems like the mating season is over. The mama is back to her regular place awaiting the arrival of her new litter. I can hear all the commotion she makes under the house trying to make herself comfortable. She seems to have settled under my bedroom this time; right under my bed. The funny thing is that I can hear her snore at night. Sometimes she gets so loud that it wakes me up in the middle of the night. If she doesn’t stop I have to thump my foot on the floor to wake her up, but most of the time that doesn’t work. I have learned to sleep with a snoring raccoon under my bed. I can’t wait until she has the babies, and they are all grown. Sigh… things that I have to put up with……