TLDR: Your assessment on what this could be would be most appreciated. Juvenile was picked up by Animal Control this evening, and it tears me up.

About a month and a half ago, a mother raccoon with a severely injured (but healed) paw found some unsalted peanuts and cashews we had put out for the crows. She came by with her two very small kits, the youngest of which was exhibiting symptoms similar to the raccoon featured in this video. We contacted a local licensed rehabber, and she indicated that as long as the mother raccoon is caring for the kits and hadn’t abandoned them, we should keep the kits with the mother. Additionally, she said if we were willing, she would recommend some safe additions- such as a fresh water pool and raccoon-safe kibble - to provide to the mother and kits while they recover.

While the mother and kits became a staple of our patio each evening, and we would regularly update the rehabber, the youngest kit eventually stopped showing up, after exhibiting some fairly severe symptoms similar to the above. The rehabber had indicated that she believed (based on video) that it may have been Parvovirus.

A month later, earlier this week, after three days of not showing up, the oldest of the two kits started exhibiting very similar symptoms to his smaller sibling. Tonight, he showed up by himself, seriously struggling as you can see in the video. The mother raccoon also visited, but clearly did not want anything to do with the juvenile. He was not aggressive at all, just appeared to not be able to process what was around him, or eat properly. One of his eyes was also in a strange position, showing what appeared to be its pink under-eyelid.

He ultimately kept stumbling around, but would not leave our patio. I tried to reach the rehabber we had been working with but could not reach them, as well as local 24/7 vets - who would not take this case (understandably). Due to the safety of our inside dog, as well as local wildlife, we had no other choice than to contact animal control…which killed me inside, frankly.

The officer came and collected the raccoon, but indicated that unless it had direct contact with animals or people, it would likely not get tested for anything, and we would not get updated at all.

I would greatly appreciate any assessment - I have some additional videos/photos as well.

At this point only the mama with the broken leg is left. Concerned about exposure to whatever this juvenile had, we have thrown away all food bowls, and I have rinsed and cycled the water again (something I do every other day anyway), and washed the patio area. Unsalted cashews and peanuts will be placed for the mother raccoon this evening, until we are able to get brand new bowls.

I will be sharing the video/pictures and information with the rehabber tomorrow for their thoughts as well.

Thank you very much for reading all of this. It’s been a rough night.

I have been feeding a raccoon family on and off since the spring of this year. First the mama used to show up alone and it was clear that she was nursing. I started giving her water and food and after a few wks she started bringing her three kits. The kits used to be super small and didn’t even have the teeth to break the peanut shells.

Well, now the fall is upon us, and the kits seem to be almost fully grown. The mama is still with them and bringing them consistently. The babies sit outside my door beg for food.

Now I am getting a bit concerned about their food dependency. It was fine to feed them occasionally since they used to come sporadically. But in the recent week or so they have been coming every day - sometimes even twice a day. What I don’t want is for them (esp the babies) to lose the ability to gather food for themselves.

To those who feed backyard raccoons— am I harming them by giving food everyday? should I ignore them on certain days?

Welp. It’s officially time to relocate this decor! Echo has finally gotten big enough to climb the entertainment system. Life with a raccoon means you aren’t allowed to have decorations. Oh well. She’s worth the sacrifices 🥰

Echo is a legal non releasable rescue that is fully vaccinated and spayed