While raccoons are small cute looking creatures, they can be quite aggressive and violent. Unlike most animals, raccoons typically do not hunt to avoid entering into a fight and would do whatever to avoid fighting. Despite that, they would sometimes fight with each other for some reasons. Here’s why do raccoons fight with each other.
The Short Answer…
Even though raccoons mostly avoid fighting, they barely fight for some reasons like food, protecting and defending themselves and their babies, securing a mate during the mating season. Their fighting usually isn’t quite violent and does not go for long and very rarely fights to the death.
Why Do Raccoons Fight with Each Other?
While raccoons are vicious critters, they are generally peaceful animals and avoid fight in most cases unless they are very aggressive or are attacked. In contrast to squirrels, bears, and birds, raccoons often withdraw fight from the dominant one, unlike other animals which fight with their dominant rival including fighting for food and resources and fighting for mating with a potential female.
For Food & Water
From fruits to chocolate to animals, raccoons eat almost anything they get just like squirrels. Generally, they prefer easy meals without hunting and fighting back like leftovers and from trash bins. But if they didn’t find those they will opt for the difficult ones but does that includes squirrels and rabbits? Find out here.
If they’re unable to find food, they will start attacking other small animals like rabbits, cats and even dogs. So with limited resources of food, they will fight with other raccoons if they try to steal their food. However, they may also fight over things they like, for example shiny things.
To Protect Themselves & Their Babies
Generally, raccoons are not battlers but if one of them attacks another, it will probably be defensive and fight to protect himself or his family including when they are attacked by other animals or people. Though raccoons are not territorial and do not fight over territory, they mostly defend themselves and their babies when breeding.
From when the female raccoon delivers its babies, they become extremely protective and would fight to death if any other raccoon tries to hurt their babies or if they feel threatened by other raccoons or even other animals. And similar to pigeons, male raccoons also play a role in protecting their young and guards them when the female is out for food. Although male raccoons fight a lot in the breeding season, they don’t help female raccoons to raise their babies.
At this point, both male and female raccoons are quite attentive and careful and wouldn’t let anyone approach or come near to the nest and their young except themselves no matter which animal it is or humans. They are protecting like never before and would easily attack if someone is near to them or their young that leads to some people think raccoons are violent, attractive, or a battler.
However, if you want to get rid of raccoons or any other animal, you should probably do not do it at this time or either call a professional to do it for you. Other than that, you can always use these steps to do it.
To Secure A Potential Mate
In the months of January and June when mating season happens, just like any other animal, raccoons choose a potential mate. However, due to the high number of males, they compete with each other which ends up in a fight. Usually, young raccoons which are newly sexually matured won’t compete with the older ones. And the older the raccoon is, the more powerful it is, and the dominant will eventually mate with the female.
But if there are more than one older raccoon or a raccoon that wants to compete, they will probably turn into fight finding out the most dominant one. That makes the winner mate with the female. If you don’t know, male raccoons try to mate with multiple partners but the female mates with only one male.
During this, raccoons come in contact with other male raccoons and animals and the fight starts.
Here’s a video of a raccoon fighting during mating season.
Severe Disease
If a raccoon is affected by a severe disease like rabies, it will reluctantly involve in fighting with other raccoons without any reason just like a mentally ill person. But other raccoons will try to escape from it but if they doesn’t manage to do it, they will fight with it that will affect and transmit the disease.
During the disease the animal becomes overly aggressive and can hurt other animals and humans as well by biting them or scratching them. An obvious symptom is the aggressive behavoir and abnormal movements like moving around in a circle or moving back and forth.
A survey in 2018 reveals that approximately 30.3% of raccoons are reported with rabies. If a raccoon with rabies bites or scratches, chances are it will transmit the disease. If you encounter with raccoons espically with a sick ones, move away and escape from it as far as you can. However, if you are planning to remove it, you should never attmept to do it on your own and call the professionals for handling it.
For Nesting Places
As raccoons have more than one den, mother raccoons make nests high up on the trees, ground burrows or in the brush piles near food and water for their newborn like Attic. When other animals like birds or other male raccoons try to invade their nesting site, they fight for it to secure their nests. This fight is so brutal that sometimes ends up killing one another without any mercy.
Do Raccoons Dispute?
Raccoons are not antagonistic in nature and are social animals that hunt and live in a group and do not start a fight but if they were attacked they know how to safeguard themselves when they are in contact with their rival.
When they find themselves under a threat, they’ll try to escape from the situation. But that doesn’t really mean they aren’t defensive. Raccoons are equipped with sharp teeths and cutting claws that can rip off the skin of their enemy whether it is raccoon, human, cat, dog or any other animal. Their sharp claws and canine teeth tear their opponent into parts.
How Do Raccoons Fight?
When raccoons feels threatened, it will defend himself by fighting back using its solid claws, they nibble its rival and gnaw and bites with its teeth. They will make lots of sounds, warning each other before they start the fight. And if none of them withdraws from it, the fight will begin by moving near and scratching with its claws but ends up biting brutally each other.
Some defensive clues to seem out for square measure the fur protrusive up straight into the air, thrashing of the tail, elevated tail, rounded back, and ironed down ears. once a raccoon is frightened or preparing to guard himself, you’ll observe all of these defensive bodily responses. They additionally typically leap up and down repeatedly. once raccoons stick their fur up, it’s their means of making an attempt to seem larger, and thus additional discouraging.
What Sounds Do Raccoons Make When Fighting?
Raccoons fights sounds more like cat fighting and makes complex sounds. They produce some odd and horrible sounds like snarling, screeching or growling. And as they nocturnal, they fight up at night along with making these sounds. If you live near raccoons dens then these sounds will keep you awake all night long. Here’s what sounds do raccoons make when fighting.
Do Racoons Fight With Humans?
Yes, only for a certain circumstances.
Occasionally raccoons enter into houses and forage food into trash bins, compost bins. Meanwhile, if they see someone, they will probably run away assuming humans as a large predator. But if the raccoon is under attack or feels defensive, they’ll produce different sounds when they are scared so you may know when they are going to attack you.
Many urban raccoons are used to human presence and will not interfere with you. Other raccoons will hiss at you but run away. Generally, they will not attack you or any other human and even your pet and your property. But if you seem to do so, you should still do not interfere or attempt to fight with it.
Raccoons are rabies vectors species that means they are at high risk of carrying and transmitting rabies, roundworm, rabies, baylisascaris. Rabies can kill humans and the symptions do not appear until the virus has spreaded completely. So if someone come into contact or fights with, an scratch or bite can affect the person and transmit the disease to it. Even touching raccoon may result in affecting with disease, so if you have a raccoon problem or see a racoon, its best to pass it to experts.
Why Raccoons Fight With Humans?
Raccoons are afraid of humans and escape and do not engage in fighting typically with every creature. But if they feel they’re in danger, under attack or approach its nest or its young, they will attack you in defense of himself or its family. Like if you throw something at it, abuse or try move it away in a violent manner, it is likely to attack back to protect himself.
What To Do If A Raccoon Attacks You
If a raccoon is aggressive and is attacking you, a family member or damaging your property, you would definately need to protect yourself.
- When it comes to raccoons, wear a thick safety gloves and clothes preferably so scratches and bites do not penetrate.
- Put a helmet (Motorcycle helmet) if you have. If you don’t wear a mask, thick boots, thick gloves, a jacket.
- Cover yourself completely as raccoons are small agile animals that can jump from very high from ground and as well as from height without being hurt.
Here’s a detailed video to it
How to Get Rid of Raccoons Fast?
There are many tips and tricks which people use and yet complains of not working it whereas in fact, there are only 3 ways you can get rid of raccoons very fast and effective.
- Get Rid of Their Food & Water Source: You might say I have put no food for them but guess what? There are more than enough food for them. Its actually the food that attracts them, but what are they? Believe it or not, raccoons favorite food place is trash cans. If you place trash cans outdoor, you are basically inviting raccoons to your house. You can use a lock lid cans to secure your bin or you can also place the trash indoor. The same is with compost piles.
If you have a fruit tree, you do not really need to get rid of your tree but only make sure no fruit is laying around on the ground that would be an easy meal for raccoons. And do not leave chickens coop, food outside at night. - Get Rid of Their Shelter: Raccoons need a place to sleep during the day they also need at certain times of the year to nest. However, raccoons have multiple dens and nests and makes nest where it is near to the food and water. One of the most popular place which raccoons often nest and make dens is your attic. If you have an attic, you may clean up and close the way for raccoons to enter into.
Make sure all your softin areas, crawl spaces and places similar to it are clean and closed and have no gaps and place where they can nest or get into. If you have a palm tree, or thick areas, that needs to be trimmed up, that would be where they can nest. If you don’t have food and water source at the first thing, and then nest places, they won’t be able to nest and keep there.
Do Raccoons & Cats Get Along?
Usually, yes. Cats and raccoons get along and eat from the same plate but cats tend to be more aggressive as compared to raccoons and sometimes end up fighting. Even if they are seems to get along fine, its still better to keep them seprate.
Raccoons are always searching for food so if a raccoon has been visiting a cat sometimes, the cat will be fine sharing its food with him. However, cats can irritate raccoons causing them to be violent. So can raccoons kill cats? Yes! They can kill cats when they are under attack or feel threatend. Their conflict mostly occurs on food so a raccoon can kill a cat and eat your lovely little pet.
When are Raccoons Most Vigorous?
As raccoons are nocturnal, they are most active and powerful during night. And that’s when they engage into fighting, making sounds and all their activity but most people haven’t seen raccoons or seen very rarely and thinks how do they fight and if they even fight.
Conclusion
Raccoons are wild animals and cannot be treated as a pet animal and one cannot keep a raccoon in the house as we keep cats or dogs. Their nature is different particularly vicious. They might be peaceful animals but they can attack anyone in defense of themselves. More importantly, they carry and can transmit lots of disease.
Jb
Thank you. This was very helpful. We live in an Urban area that has undergone alot of recent change. The cats & racoons shared food in a workable harmony. Yes, they back down from the cats which is fascinating. Couldn’t figure out why one of the adults was attacking the teens to the point the smaller one was limping. Guess I’m going to have to reach out to service and try to find them a new home.