Sleeping Habits of Raccoons

Nocturnal Behavior

• Raccoons are nocturnal. They sleep in dens during the day, and humans rarely see them before dusk. At night, they leave their dens to search for food such as fruit, eggs and birds. Raccoons are omnivorous and have a varied diet. Although they usually hunt in areas such as the banks of streams, raccoons also forage in urban areas, particularly in areas where they have access to garbage. Raccoons are able to see well in dim light, but they also rely on acute senses of touch, hearing and smell to help them hunt for prey at night.

Sleep During Winter

• Raccoons do not hibernate. However, those that live in cooler climates sleep through the coldest period of winter in a state known as dormancy. In the summer, raccoons consume large quantities of food to build up fat stores that will provide a source of energy for them throughout the harshest portion of winter. During dormancy, raccoons may lose up to half of their body weight by burning fat stores. Unlike hibernation, dormancy does not alter an animal's temperature, heart rate or metabolic rate; unlike a hibernating animal, it is easy to wake a raccoon during its winter sleep.

Sleeping Environments

• Raccoons sleep in a variety of dens, in rock crevices, caves, tree hollows, sewers, buildings or in abandoned dens that once belonged to other animals, such as foxes. Raccoons often use dens in caves during winter, as they provide greater insulation than some other types of den. Female raccoons also like to use tree hollows and underground dens to protect their young from the danger of being exposed to potential predators.

Sleeping in Groups

• Groups of female and young raccoons share a den while they sleep. Male raccoons, however, prefer to sleep alone in their own den. When the severe winter weather begins, female raccoons and their young settle down in a den together, ready to begin the period of dormancy. This enables females to look after their offspring for the first winter and also allows them to conserve body heat. In severe winter weather, raccoons may share dens with other raccoons or even with other species, such as skunks.