🌿 NYS DEC Licensed Wildlife Removal📞(516) 447-4673

Baby Raccoons — What You Need to Know

⚠️ Baby raccoon season in New York: late March through May. Never attempt removal during this period without a professional assessment — separating a mother from young babies can cause serious problems.

Raccoon Breeding Season in New York

Raccoons in New York typically give birth from late March through May, with peak activity in April. Litters typically contain 3–5 kits (baby raccoons). The mother nurses them for about 16 weeks before they begin foraging independently. This is the most common time we receive calls about raccoons in attics — pregnant females seek warm, protected spaces to give birth.

Why You Cannot Just Remove the Mother

If we trap and remove the mother while babies are young (less than 8 weeks old), the babies will die in your attic and create an odor and pest problem far worse than the raccoon infestation itself. Responsible wildlife professionals wait, use reunification techniques, or carefully relocate the entire family together.

Our Baby Season Protocol

1
Assessment: We determine whether babies are present and their approximate age.
2
Reunification (when possible): We create conditions that encourage the mother to move the babies herself to a safer location outside your home.
3
Careful family relocation: When reunification is not possible, we carefully remove the entire family — mother and babies together — and relocate them per NYS DEC regulations.
4
Sealing: Once we confirm all animals are out, we permanently seal all entry points.

I Found Baby Raccoons — What Do I Do?

If you find baby raccoons (with eyes still closed, or unable to walk well), do not handle them. Keep pets away. Call us immediately — we will advise on next steps based on your situation. Baby raccoons that appear abandoned may simply have a mother nearby who will return at night.

Raccoon Family in Your Home?

Our experienced technicians handle baby raccoon situations humanely and effectively. Call for an assessment.