Raccoons are no longer animals that can only be found in the wild, they live amongst humans in rural, urban and suburban areas. Many people don’t see raccoons that often because they are nocturnal animals, however, if you’re awake when raccoons are awake, you may spot one.

If you manage to spot a raccoon, you may be wondering “what to do if you see a raccoon at night”, this article looks into it 

If you see a raccoon at night the best course of action to take is to close up your windows if you’re inside and the animal is outside, closing openings will keep these animals out. Alternatively, you can try to scare it off by making yourself look like a predator if you’re outside with it. 

What to do if you see a raccoon at night?

Raccoons are usually very docile animals but they can become aggressive if threatened. Knowing how to act around a raccoon will keep this animal from attacking you.

This is what to do if you see a raccoon at night: 

Close windows: 

If you’re in the house at night, and you notice a raccoon outside at night, the first thing you should do is close up all the windows and doors of your house. This will ensure that the animal cannot get into your home looking for food and shelter 

Back away:

One of the best things to do if you’ve crossed paths with a raccoon is to simply back away from the animal. You’d need to back away very calmly as to avoid startling the animal. Backing away slowly keeps the animal from becoming anxious and attacking you.

Leave it alone: 

Raccoons will usually leave us alone if we leave them alone. If you cross paths with a raccoon do not interact with the animal, do not try to feed the animal, and do not try to pet the animal, just let it be.

If this animal is not doing anything to you or your property, it will leave soon enough if you leave it alone,   

Make yourself large and scary: 

Raccoons have many natural predators, they see humans as predators as well.

Acting like a predator will make the animal back away, do this by raising your arms, standing up, shouting, and waving your arms. These animals have excellent night vision and will clearly see you acting aggressively, they will leave once they see this behavior. 

Spray the raccoon: 

A raccoon may or may not respond to the above, some raccoons may even come closer to you. If this happens you may need to spray the animal using a garden hose. This will scare the raccoon and make it retreat. 

Cover yourself:

Do this if the raccoon starts to chase you. Raccoons have very sharp and long teeth and claws. If this animal starts to chase you, and manages to attack you, it can really injure your skin and body. Wearing long items of clothing will help keep you protected from scratches and bites. 

Contact wildlife authorities: 

If your local pest control company operates at night you can contact them to come and take care of your raccoon problem. These professionals will swiftly and safely get rid of your raccoon problem so you don’t have to 

Can raccoons see at night?

Yes, raccoons can definitely see at night, they can see at night but they can’t see too well during the day. These animals have huge pupils, these huge pupils allow as much light as possible to enter the animal’s eye and this allows them to see. 

Do raccoons attack at night?

Raccoons aren’t really the type to attack if not hunting for food. These animals are quite docile animals who avoid confrontation. However, if a raccoon does decide to attack, then it is more likely to attack at night because this is when raccoons are usually awake.

Raccoons are technically able to attack, they have sharp and long claws and teeth, and they can see at night giving them the upper hand over animals who can’t see at night, but, raccoons still prefer to avoid confrontation 

Do raccoons attack during the day? 

Raccoons may or may not attack during the day. If the animal feels that you’re threatening it then it will attack you, if the animal has nowhere else to go and feels cornered by you then it will attack you.

If the mother raccoon notices that you’re getting too close to her babies then she will attack you as well.

Rabid raccoons will attack you for no apparent reason, rabies causes raccoons to lose their fear of humans and become aggressive.

All of these attacks can happen both during the day or at night but since these animals are usually asleep during the day, fewer attacks by raccoons happen during the day. 

Is it bad to see a raccoon during the day?

Although these animals are nocturnal, seeing them out and about during the day should not be cause for concern. Seeing raccoons out during the day is similar to seeing humans out during the night. 

Seeing raccoons out and about during the day happens more than we think.

A raccoon may be out during the day because it didn’t manage to find enough food at night while scavenging, the animal may have been woken up by a predator, the raccoon may be a young raccoon looking for its mother or it may be a mother raccoons looking for her young. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, steps that you should take if you see a raccoon at night are to close windows and doors if you’re inside, back away from the raccoon, and leave the raccoon alone.

You can also make yourself look bigger and scarier as well as spray the animal with water to scare it.

These animals have no preference as to when they attack, they simply attack when necessary whether it’s during the day or night.

Seeing them out and about during the day is more common than many humans think. Their ability to see at night enables them to attack at night. 

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other raccoon related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Raccoon In Backyard At Night, What Do Raccoons Eat In The City?,