What Do Raccoons Eat? Everything You Must Know

Raccoons are very smart and one of the most adaptable animals, that live in almost every type of environment and can eat a variety of foods. If you are curious to know that what do raccoons eat, you’re not the only one who is thinking about it!

Raccoons are omnivores, means they are both eat plants and also animals. They change their diet according to the season, location, and availability of food in their habitat. In this article we’ll explore the diet of raccoons in detail.

Raccoons: The Omnivores

Raccoons , as we mentioned above are the versatile creature when it comes to their diet. They eat almost everything they can find. This makes them omnivores. Their main diet includes:

• Fruits: Apples, berries, and grapes are pretty common in their diet.
• Vegetables: Raccoons eat corn, peas, and other green vegetables.
• Insects: Beetles, ants, and crickets are like snacks for raccoons.
• Small Animals: They can also eat small animals like frogs, birds, fish, and even small mammals like mice.
• Human Food: In urban areas, they scavenge through trash and pet food.

Through this diet chart of raccoons, this can be clearly said that raccoons adapt to different environment, whether in the wild or in urban areas.

What Do Raccoons Eat in the Wild?

In the wild raccoons have many natural things to eat, We are sharing you their diet based on what is available in forests, fields or near water to let you exactly know that what do raccoons eat in the wild:

• Fruits and Berries: There are so much wild fruits that raccoons love the most like persimmons, blackberries, and cherries etc.
• Fish and Amphibians: If raccoons live near water then they rely on fishes, frogs, and tadpoles by catching them.
• Insects: They can find beetles, grubs and other insects under the wood or leaves to eat them.
• Eggs and Small Birds: Raccoons can easily climb tall tress, so in wild they eat eggs, and young birds by finding bird nests on the trees.

Their ability to adjust to their surroundings makes them to live in type of area in forest, they can live in shrubs, big forests, near a lake and any where in the wild.

What Do Raccoons Eat at Night?

Raccoons are most active in night so they are kept in the category of nocturnal animals like bats, foxes, owls etc. So it becomes very important to know that what do raccoons eat at night? Here is their nighttime diet list:

• Trash: If raccoons are in cities, raccoons often raid garbage bins in search of leftover food like pizza, fruit scraps, and many other.
• Pet Food: If you forgot to take the pet food inside home, then raccoons will happily enjoy it.
• Bird Feeders: In wild they climb on trees at night and reach to bird nests, and steal eggs or young birds. If in cities they search of bird feeders and the steal the seeds and nuts from that.

In night, raccoons take advantage of peaceful surroundings, making it easy for them to find the food while in wild or in cities.

What Do Raccoons Eat in Winter?

Winter is challenging time for every wild animal in term of food including raccoons because shortage of many of food sources. So, what do raccoons eat in winter?

During the cold seasons, raccoons slow down their activities(but not hibernate). They come out to find foods, especially choosing a warmer day. Here is a short list what they eat during winter:

• Nuts and Seeds: In winters, raccoons gather and store nuts like walnuts in the fall.
• Small Mammals: They often hunt small animals like mice when there is shortage of food.
• Leftover Fruits: Raccoons eat the wild fruits left on bushes or trees in winters.

Winter is also tough for raccoons, but their less active behavior in winters helps them to survive until spring.

How Do Raccoons Find Food in Cities?

Nowadays raccoons are very common in cities and towns, where they take advantage of human food sources. In urban areas, like Florida, have you thought that what do raccoons eat Florida? Here’s a list what raccoons eat in cities

Raccoons are common in cities and towns, where they take advantage of human food sources. In urban areas, what do raccoons eat? Here’s what raccoons eat in cities:

• Garbage: In cities raccoons find trash cans for any edible scrap, they can find, from fast food to vegetable peels.
• Pet Food: If by any chance pet food is left outside, raccoons will eat it and this is the most easiest meal for them in cities.
• Garden Vegetables: In urban areas raccoons search for gardens, because shortage of the food, and from there raccoons steal vegetables like corn, carrots, and tomatoes.

Even tropical places like Florida, raccoons have well adapted the urban life by eating mix of garbage, food leftovers, pet food, bird feeders, and many more.

Raccoons in Dreamlight Valley: A Game Version of Real Life

Dreamlight Valley is a popular game in which players can interact with raccoons and feed them. So for gamers it is mandatory to know that What do raccoons eat in Dreamlight Valley?

So just like in real life, raccoons in the game enjoy berries, which players can give to them as treats. This game reflects love of raccoons for fruits and sweet foods.

If you are interested in wildlife then you will also find Facts About Dingoes interesting.

Final Insights: What Do Raccoons Eat?

Raccoons are most adaptive animals because of their good skills at finding food, whether in the forest, in cities, or even near the beach. As we mentioned above that raccoons are omnivores that allow them to adapt to different environments easily.

So if you are thinking that what do raccoons eat in the wild, what do raccoons eat at night, or what do raccoons eat in winter, the answer is that they eat anything which is needed for surviving. Understanding what do raccoons eat helps us to know the various things about us in our surrounding and makes a human being able to understand the needs of other living creatures.

FAQs About What Raccoons Eat