New Roommate...Freeloader

I've had a raccoon living underneath my shed for the last month or so. Initially I thought I should block the hole, but then worried if it's a mama raccoon she might have babies. She leaves around dust, 8-9pm, to begin her nightly adventures. In the middle of the night sometimes I wake up and can hear her drinking water from the little cement ground-level bird bath in the front yard. I re-fill it every morning. Around 5am she returns to the shed and squeezes herself through the hole.

Here she is the first morning I spotted her just outside the shed.

Tonight I went out into the garage and noticed the garden was a bit dry. I hadn't watered it all day and the afternoon became uncommonly warm. I turn the hose on, started walking to the opposite side where the lettuce is growing, but before I noticed I was face to face with her about eight feet away. She must have just exited the shed hole and I surprised her. Too close for comfort for both of us. She froze. I froze. I worried if she did have babies, she'd attack me. Instead she quietly turned around and went back under the shed. I turned off the water and went back into the garage where I have a view of the shed from the window. She carefully came out again, surveyed the area, stared right at me for what seemed like an eternity sizing me up to determine if I was a statue or a real threat. She looked around, never leaving the entrance to under the shed. And then the CUTEST, TINIEST BABIES CAME OUT! They were about five inches long. Three of them. A little shaky on their feet so I wonder if it was their first foray into the world. They explored and played a little then nursed all the while mama kept a look out, listening for movement. SO ADORABLE. I heard her holler at them and they squeaked a chatter in reply and disappeared back under the shed. It finally got too dark to see anything so I moved, went into the house, cut some pieces of apple, and heaved them into her direction. She ate.

So fun. Although I might regret this later when my fruit trees are ripe and all her kids are grown and hungry...