Is it normal to be afraid of raccoons?

Question

For some reason the raccoons that crawl around here at nighttime really spook me. I'm afraid of being attacked by them out of the blue. Is my fear mostly just a phobia, or is there really a threat of being ambushed by a raccoon or worse off, a group of them? And if attacked, what should I do to defend myself?

Answer 1

Its not reasonable to be afraid of them. They are harmless and afraid of you.

Just try and run up to one while he is looking. He will leave pronto, but he may come right back if he senses you are bluffing. He is after food. I was camping some years back with my small son. He happened to have a toy saber light sword that flashes light and makes noise. Some coons were getting into camping stuff in search of food. I put on my shoes and chased them down the road in the darkness swinging that sword. They ran like crazy (both of them). About 50 yards form camp I stopped and started walking back. They came right back to camp on my heels. I had to put the food in my truck. You could hear their chirping noises half the night as they rummaged around looking to see what they could find. No harm done.

Answer 2

lol. it is normal :]

what you can do to defend your self is always have something around you like a bat so you can whack the life out of them.

Man there are so many people out there that are so afraid of BUGS. Even butterfly's lol! It is completely normal :]

Answer 3

I do not know if it is normal but it is certainly rational.  Raccoons can be aggressive and sometimes lunge to bluff. If you back off that encourages them in their belligerence.  If you stand your ground you may end up entangled with them.  Their skin is sufficiently loose and thick to let them turn "inside" their skin and bite and claw your arm even when you hold them by the scruff of the neck.  And they are fast, faster than Muhammad Ali.  They are ferocious fighters and often kill dogs that weigh several times their weight.  When they fight they seem to instinctively go for the back and get up to the head and scratch for the eyes and throat.They can carry rabies.  

If confronted make sure you leave them plenty of space to move away from you and not have to go over you to get away.

Once they are moving away from make a big noisy display to discourage their returning.  I would not try to hit them with anything I was still holding but you can throw things at them safely.

Answer 4

You have a phobia of an animal you don't know about. Healthy raccoons will not attack you unless you threaten them. You are not a potential meal for them (you are too big) and there is a high probability that the raccoon would be hurt by you. Animals don't have EMT's etc. to fix them up when they do something stupid so they tend to prey on things that they know can't hurt them. Breeding has NOTHING to do with rabies. Rabies is a disease caused by a  virus transmitted in an infected animals saliva.

Answer 5

if you have ever seen a raccoon in the wild they are mean creatures, i used to have them scratch at my roof all night and it scared me.  Keep in mind though a raccon almost never weighs more than 10 lbs so kick them or if they jump on you just through them to the ground, they cannot harm you (besides a few scratches)

Answer 6

Yes it is normal to be afraid.  They can be very dangerous if they are rabid or if it is a mother defending its babies.  Do not try to pursue, you have no idea at what point they will stand their ground.  They will move away from you when you come out at night and if they decide not to move further they will stand on their hind legs and make a hissing sound.  They usually only do this if you are getting too close to the young which have taken shelter in a tree.  If you see this, just back off a little and stand there, the young will gradually come down and they will all run away.  If you observe their behavior you will get to know them and lose some of your fear.

Answer 7

We have Raccoons visit us every single day.  We love 'em.

A Raccoon would NOT attack you even if you wanted it to.  They are far, far more afraid of you than you are of them.  Next time you see a Raccoon, walk toward it and watch it run away.

If you are still bothered by them, then stop putting out your trash where they can get to it.  Or, don't feed them.  Lock up your trash in the garage until trash day, or put it in a large latch box where they can't get access.  

Remember, you are much bigger than a Raccoon, and smarter too, so why be afraid?

Answer 8

it isnt that unnatural, raccoons will become highly rabid if they breed out of season, they are not however pack hunters but be careful if u happen to corner one