Raccoons are highly adaptable omnivores found in diverse habitats across North America and beyond. Their dietary flexibility allows them to thrive in various environments, from dense forests to bustling urban centers, by efficiently utilizing available food sources.
Wild Dietary Habits
In their natural habitats, raccoons are opportunistic foragers, consuming a broad spectrum of foods that vary seasonally. During spring and early summer, their diet includes insects like grubs and beetles, worms, and other invertebrates. As the year progresses, they increasingly rely on abundant fruits, berries, nuts (e.g., acorns, walnuts), and seeds for caloric intake.
Raccoons also eat small animals, especially those found in or near water, such as crustaceans (crayfish), amphibians (frogs), fish, and snails. While capable hunters, they generally prefer easier prey like bird eggs or small rodents. This varied diet helps them build fat reserves, essential for surviving colder months when food is scarce.
Scavenging in Human Environments
Raccoons readily adapt their feeding habits near human populations, expanding their diet to include readily available human food sources. They frequently scavenge garbage cans and dumpsters for discarded scraps. They also access outdoor pet food, raid gardens for produce (e.g., corn, melons), and target bird feeders for seeds.
While these human foods offer calories, they often lack the balanced nutrition raccoons need for long-term health. Easy meals can lead to dependency on human sources, altering natural foraging instincts. This shift can result in raccoons becoming heavier and exhibiting higher blood glucose levels compared to their wild counterparts, potentially leading to health issues. They are intelligent in accessing these sources, often remembering locations and methods for obtaining food.
Foods to Avoid and Dangers of Human Feeding
Certain human foods are harmful to raccoons and should never be consumed. Chocolate, cocoa, and coffee contain theobromine and caffeine, which can cause serious health problems, including increased heart rates, nervous system distress, vomiting, diarrhea, and even death. Avocados contain persin, a toxin that can induce vomiting, diarrhea, and heart issues. Onions, garlic, and chives contain compounds that can damage red blood cells, potentially leading to anemia. Highly processed foods, sugary snacks, and cooked bones are also detrimental, contributing to nutritional deficiencies, digestive problems, and dental issues.
Feeding raccoons poses serious dangers to both the animals and humans. It leads to habituation, where raccoons lose their natural fear of people and may become aggressive when seeking food. This dependency can disrupt their natural foraging behaviors and encourage them to congregate in larger numbers, increasing disease transmission risk.
Raccoons are known carriers of diseases transmissible to humans and pets, including rabies, canine distemper, and roundworm. Rabies, a fatal viral disease, is a particular concern, as raccoons are a primary terrestrial reservoir in many regions. Canine distemper, while not transmissible to humans, can cause neurological symptoms in raccoons that mimic rabies. To prevent these issues, secure trash cans with tight-fitting lids, avoid leaving pet food outdoors, and fence off gardens to deter raccoon access.