Mississauga's numerous parks, streams, and wooded areas provide the perfect environment for raccoons willing and able to thrive alongside humans. There's water, food, and plenty of shelter in all seasons but there seems to be increased activity in spring and fall. Let's have a closer look at why that is and how understanding raccoon behaviour during spring and fall can help prevent your home from being invaded.

Why Do Raccoons Become More Active in the Spring?

Mating Season (Late Winter to Early Spring)

• Love is in the air for raccoons in the late stages of winter (January and onward)
  
  
• While solitary during other parts of the year, raccoons are more sociable and can be found in groups when it's time for competing for and selecting a mate.
  
  
• Male raccoons will posture and compete for the affection of females, going as far as fighting and tossing each other around. The ladies will watch and judge - and eventually choose the father of this year's litter.
  
  

Nesting & Denning Behavior

• House Hunting
  Early spring is the time where expecting females will put great effort into finding the perfect place to safely birth and raise their kits. 
  
  
• Common Nesting Locations in Urban Areas
  Attics, chimneys, spaces under porches and decks, garden sheds, and other outbuildings are among the favourite spots for a growing raccoon family.
  
  

Protective Mother Raccoons

• Increased Territorial Behaviour
  Like mothers of all species, female raccoons will be fiercely protective of their den and their babies and not tolerate disturbances.
  
  
• Signs that Your Home is Hosting a Raccoon Den
  You may hear scratching and thumping between the hours of 10pm to 5am.
  Raccoons are very vocal animals and common sounds you may notice include chitter, chirps, whistles, growls and hisses.
  The smell of urine and feces can be an indication of a raccoon latrine inside your home.
  
  

Why Raccoon Activity Increases in the Fall

Preparing for Winter

While raccoons don't hibernate all winter, they do enter phases of torpor. This is similar to hibernation but only lasts for days or perhaps a week at a time. During torpor, the animal's body temperature and metabolic rate decrease, so prior to winter raccoons will need to prepare. During this time increased sightings of raccoons are to be expected.

• Increased Foraging
  Building fat reserves before the cold months is vital for survival.
  
  
• More Aggressive Scavenging
  When the natural food supply winds down, raccoons will be even more determined to get into garbage bins, gardens, and compost piles.

Searching for Warm Winter Dens

Particularly if mother raccoon had invited herself into your attic or elsewhere in your home, she knows a good thing and will do her best to stay where she is or reclaim her space, should you have had her evicted. Mind you, that doesn't mean that a single gentleman raccoon can't also discover your home and decide to move in.

• Common Winter Den Locations
  Popular denning locations include hollow trees, attics, chimneys, garages, garden sheds, and under decks or porches.
  
  
• Break and Enter
  Now is the time to thoroughly inspect your home for any and all vulnerabilities that raccoons can exploit. Pay close attention to siding and roofing.
  
  

Young Raccoons Leaving Their Mothers

• Young Ones Leaving the Den
  Newly independent (mostly male) raccoons may be out searching for new territories. By the time fall comes around, the kits have grown up and are fully self sufficient. However, they often stay with their mother for their first winter - there is strength in numbers. More bodies produce more heat and make winter more survivable.
  
  
• Increased Sightings
  While the young ones that were born here will travel a fair distance in search of a new home range, others born elsewhere will have arrived here, looking to establish themselves.