Raccoons in areas not encroached upon by humans typically sleep in tree cavities or in abandoned dens created by other species. Sometimes raccoons use human buildings as nesting sites, especially when they are giving birth or raising newborns. Attics and chimneys are favorite places to nest.
Raccoons do not dig their own dens, so they have even been known to sleep on the bare ground during the spring and summer. During very harsh winters, they may resort to nesting together with den-making species, such as skunks. Raccoons were once confined to the tropics; however, farmers' barns aided raccoons' range extension into the north by providing them shelter during the winter.
