This article is directed to those who aren’t actually aware as to what do raccoons eat. Raccoons are actually the medium-sized mammals with unmistakable facial markings giving a reflection of bandits mask. These species are endemic to North and Central America. Raccoons have also been familiarized in some parts of Europe and Middle East. They can grow up to 70 cm (28 inches), with the weight measuring at 9 kg (20 lbs). These species have been known to survive up to 3 years in the wild whereas under captivity, raccoons can live up to 10 – 13 years. These animals are available all throughout mountainous regions.
What Do Raccoons Eat
In general, raccoons are nocturnal however they are known to hunt in daytime in order to make full use of available food sources. The diet comprises 40% of invertebrates, 27% vertebrates, and 33% plants. The raccoons diet pattern is flexible. Raccoons are considered to be the most omnivorous animals let alone rodents. These animals primarily rely on worms, insects and other animals each year.
Read More: Where Do Raccoons Sleep?
Raccoons are very fond of eating walnuts, acorns, fruits and nuts, especially in summer and autumn season. These animals are also known to prey on birds, fish, amphibians, and mammals. Their frequent feed is bird eggs and hatchlings since small birds are too weak to defend against the raccoons. They can be choosy about their nutrients when the food is abundant. Other sources of their food include frogs, crayfish, rodents, carrion and fiddler crabs.
Read More: Where Do Raccoons Live?
Raccoons are not hesitant to dwell near human population in that they are often found in urban areas to easily access food, water and shelter. Due to habitat loss and human intervention, raccoons have been forced to migrate towards urban areas. For the same reason they tend to eat some garbage and other non-eatables such as latches, jars and cans.
Raccoons are also known to ingest corn, pet food, and poultry. They like to consume kittens, frogs, grains, insects, and cats. Raccoons are not considered to be skillful hunters; instead they fancy consuming what is simply obtainable. They also like to eat butter, peanuts, sweets, bread and simple fruits.
While they live in close proximity to humans raccoons are more likely to carry disease and parasites with them. Under exceptional circumstances such as being threatened, they can bite humans. People bitten by these species undergo disease like rabies. Therefore, if you’re thinking to keep raccoons as pets, you need to take utmost care and children ought to be kept away from them while feeding.
Read More: Do Raccoons Hibernate?
