Raccoons are intelligent, highly adaptable mammals known for their dexterity and masked appearance, allowing them to thrive in varied environments from forests to bustling urban centers. Their success in human-dominated landscapes stems from an opportunistic nature that allows them to utilize any available resource. Understanding the raccoon’s natural diet is the first step toward promoting healthy coexistence. This guide will clarify their biological needs, detail the dangers of certain human foods, and provide practical strategies for preventing accidental feeding.
The Natural Omnivorous Diet
The raccoon is a true omnivore, meaning its diet consists of a wide variety of both plant and animal matter, which shifts based on the season and local availability. In natural settings, their diet is heavily reliant on invertebrates, such as crayfish, insects, earthworms, and grubs, which they forage for using their sensitive forepaws. They also consume small vertebrates like frogs, fish, mice, and bird eggs, particularly when these food sources are abundant. Plant-based foods form a significant portion of their diet later in the year, including wild fruits, berries, nuts, and grains. Urban raccoons adapt by substituting these natural items with human-associated resources like garbage, pet food, and garden produce, which creates potential risks when humans introduce inappropriate foods.
Foods That Cause Harm
Many common household foods contain ingredients that are toxic or physically dangerous to raccoons. Foods containing methylxanthines, such as chocolate, coffee, and other caffeinated products, can cause neurological distress and heart issues due to theobromine, a compound raccoons cannot metabolize efficiently. Similarly, allium vegetables like onions and garlic contain compounds that can cause hemolytic anemia by damaging the animals’ red blood cells.
Certain fruits also pose a threat. Grapes and raisins can lead to kidney failure, and avocados contain the toxin persin, which can disrupt cardiac and respiratory function. Physical dangers include cooked bones, which splinter easily and can cause fatal internal injuries, and moldy food, which often contains neurotoxins that can trigger seizures. High-sodium and high-sugar junk foods also cause severe health issues like obesity, diabetes, and kidney problems over time.
Why Intentional Feeding is Detrimental
Directly feeding raccoons is advised against due to the negative consequences for both the animals and the community. Providing a regular food source leads to habituation, causing raccoons to lose their innate fear of humans and associate people with food. This loss of wariness increases their risk of injury from vehicles, conflict with pets, and the likelihood of being euthanized as nuisance animals when they become too bold.
Intentional feeding also causes unnaturally high population densities, which facilitates the rapid spread of diseases and parasites. Raccoons are a primary vector for rabies, and congregations allow for faster transmission of this virus to humans and pets. They also carry Baylisascaris procyonis, a roundworm whose eggs are shed in raccoon feces and can cause severe neurological disease in humans and other animals. Many local municipalities have ordinances prohibiting the feeding of wildlife.
Securing Common Attractants
The most effective way to coexist with raccoons is by eliminating access to accidental food sources on your property. Trash cans should be secured using bungee cords, latches, or heavy weights to prevent raccoons from tipping them over or removing the lids. Storing garbage inside a locked shed or garage until the morning of collection minimizes the time it is available during nocturnal foraging hours.
Outdoor pet food and water bowls should be brought indoors overnight, as these are easy meals that draw raccoons to the area. Bird feeders should be brought in at dusk or mounted on poles with baffles that prevent climbing access. Homeowners should also manage compost piles by avoiding the addition of food scraps and protecting vegetable gardens with fencing.