sleeping beauty.MOV

Wild raccoon sleeping, yes, sleeping, on top of the fence. There is nothing wrong with the raccoon. She is part of a group of raccoons who eat at my wildlife buffet this time of year while raising their young. They have grown quite comfortable around me over the years. Apparently, nursing and raising 3 to 5 kits is exhausting work as the moms are frequently seen taking short naps or rest breaks on the lawn and in the flower beds, but this is the 1st one I've seen sleeping on the fence.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• raccoon
• raccoons
• wildlife
• Heidi
• DreamOfSpring

[anneinsc]

We were worried that coyotees may have reduced our raccoon population this year. We have only seen one baby so far. But hopefully we may have more babies soon! Yesterday afternoon and this morning I had a little mama come for a snack! Hopefully she will be back soon with the babies.

[scutle2]

@anneinsc

Hi, Anne. I agree with your earlier assessment that nursing Mom's arrive early because they are so hungry. It's a sure sign of kits out there somewhere. Kits are born helpless w/eyes closed. It takes 2mo or so for them to be old enough to come to dinner w/Mom. As to the small # this yr, sometimes the Matriarch/leader will run others out of the area to save food for her own babies, so maybe they weren't harmed by coyotes at all. Hope not.

[tcs1366]

how precious... that was like the one i have that was sleeping on the 4x1 railing... nice coon nap. did you ever find out who that one was?

[scutle2]

@tcs1366

Hi Tcs! No, I didn't. She wasn't one of the better known ones, not one I would recognize. Either a yearling, one of the unnamed ones, or just one of those from prior years that I no longer recognize. What's weird is that she was lying up there on the fence during the time when the buffet was actively open and while others were eating. It almost looks as though she was up there specifically to block the way and keep others (or maybe one specific one) out. That's the entrance spot.

[anneinsc]

We were scared that something was wrong the first time we saw something like this! She was actually hanging across a limb in a tree! We now look for "early diners" as a sign of new babies. We had one that would even sleep on our gril right outside our door in the afternoon! They are so much fun to watch!

[scutle2]

@anneinsc In spring and early summer when the raccoon moms are nursing and very hungry, many actually sleep on the mat outside my back door in the late afternoon while waiting for me to arrive with their dinner. I think they are positively adorable. I wish I could get a photo or video of them sleeping on the mat but they always detect my presence and get up when I get close to the door (It's a glass door, so I can see them.) Sleeping Beauty was sleeping on the fence while I was serving dinner.

[tcs1366]

@scutle2

>>It almost looks as though she was up there specifically to block the way and keep others

Oh -- wouldn't that be just like them!! Too funny.