Raccoons—along with foxes (red and gray), skunks, and bats—are considered a primary carrier of the rabies virus in the United States. While any warm-blooded animal can carry rabies, these are the ones we call “rabies vector species.”

How likely is it for a raccoon to have rabies?

Rabies is very rare in North America. Some people could assume that stroking and feeding contaminated raccoons can place the family at a high threat of exposure to the viral disease. However, rabies transmission to individuals from raccoons is extremely rare.

Can you get rabies from touching a raccoon?

You cannot get rabies from the blood, urine, or feces of a rabid animal, or from just touching or petting an animal.