The original, native habitat of the raccoon is North and Central America. After the acquaintance of Europeans with this animal, he settled in the Old World. The raccoon began to “penetrate” into the territory of Russia in the form of skins, which our ancestors called “genet furs”, similar to the fur of the genet, found in Southern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa and well known to them through southern merchants. The change in the name of the furs (instead of "genet furs" - "raccoon furs") and gave the raccoon its name. In the natural environment, it is rarely found in our country, since it has adapted only in areas adjacent to Belarus and in the North Caucasus, although attempts to expand its habitat continue.

The raccoon gained considerable popularity as a pet. There are even whole clubs of lovers of these animals. In this connection, many beginner "raccoon breeders" have a question: what do raccoons eat? To figure out how to feed a captive animal, let's first find out what it eats in the wild.

Raccoons in the natural environment

It is interesting that raccoons eat both plant and animal food in nature, and the seasonal change in diet is clearly visible. For example, in spring and early summer, they prefer to eat the following foods:

• frogs;
• snakes;
• fish;
• bird eggs;
• other animal food.

And in the second half of the warm season and in autumn they switch almost exclusively to fruits, nuts, acorns and berries. Before eating, they rinse their food in water, hence the name of the most common species - "raccoon-garlic". In temperate regions, raccoons hibernate in winter; in more southern regions, they are awake all year round.

Raccoons easily adapt to the neighborhood with a person: for example, they often dig in landfills in search of food. Immune to many diseases that are detrimental to other mammals. Many researchers note such qualities of a raccoon as curiosity and cunning. He boldly defends himself from predators, and if it is impossible to escape, he pretends to be dead.

Raccoon at home

Naturally, the diet of a raccoon in captivity will be significantly different from the usual. And with its maintenance, it is necessary both to take into account natural preferences, and to form new ones that will make it easier to care for it. Those who have been keeping them for a long time claim that raccoons eat meat at home, preferring chicken or any other bird, including raw. In addition, they can be given fish, eggs (not necessarily chicken), seafood. In order for the raccoon to get used to the owner, it is recommended to gradually teach him to take food from his hands, but we must not forget that this is still a predator that can bite a person by the finger.

Little raccoons can even be fed with baby food, and adults can be taught to be content with dry food for dogs or cats, but always high quality. As a reward for obedience, it is permissible to feed the animal with fruits or cookies - this is a treat for him! Experienced raccoon owners advise you to use this trick: hide some tasty things in your clothes and do not interfere when the pet starts to search your pockets in search of food. This, like hand feeding, promotes a good relationship with the raccoon.

But in any case, no matter how tame the raccoon may seem and no matter what homemade food he eats, we must not forget that this is a wild predator. If our beloved fluffy cats often prefer to “walk on their own”, then there’s nothing to say about raccoons: they will never become as tame as dogs or parrots. It is necessary to leave a fraction of personal mental space to the animal and never cross its border - and you will get a calm, agile and sweet pet.

The raccoon is a very interesting and funny animal. It is interesting not only to scientists, but also to ordinary people. For example, it is useful to know what raccoons eat, whether they can be kept at home, how long they live. To answer these questions, you need to read this article.

Raccoon life

Before you figure out what a raccoon eats, you need to remember where this animal lives.

The most common animals in But through points of release, the raccoon ended up in France. Gradually, the resettlement of the animal occurred throughout Europe.

Raccoons prefer to settle in old trees. If there are ponds or swamps nearby, the animal will consider that life is a success. Hollows of ancient trees will be a great place for an animal's nest, and water is just a gift for a raccoon. Coniferous forests and areas without water, these animals carefully avoid. In addition, they can also live in rocks, crevices, abandoned badger houses. They use ready-made caves, since these animals are not capable of digging the ground on their own.

Lifestyle

In nature, what a raccoon eats directly depends on the area of ​​\u200b\u200bresidence and lifestyle. In general, this And he gets out to hunt at night. At the same time, he examines about 1.5 km in search of food.

Raccoons are excellent climbers, so they search for food not only on the ground, but also on the branches of trees. The tricks that a raccoon is able to do will be the envy of any acrobat. The animal hangs on the branches, clinging to them with its paws, descends from the tree head down and does much more.

The raccoon hunts with excellent vision and sensitive vibrissae. Surprisingly, these sensitive antennae grow in this species not only on the head, but also near the claws, on the stomach, chest, and the inside of the limbs. This allows the animals to feel the movement of air or the vibration of the earth, which gives them an idea of ​​finding prey or, conversely, a predator from which they need to hide.

The raccoon is the only raccoon that hibernates in the winter. Sleep for 5-6 months directly affects the nutrition of animals.

Nutrition in nature

These animals eat very diversely in nature. Most often prefer invertebrates or crayfish. However, there are individuals who seek to feed on vertebrate creatures. Then it will be mainly rats, squirrels, shrews, amphibians. Very often, what a raccoon eats can also be a turtle.

The raccoon menu is highly dependent on the season. So, at the beginning of spring, at the end of autumn, animals tend to eat animal food. But by the second half of summer and autumn, the animal raccoon is trying to switch to plant foods.

The main food of the raccoon are frogs, insect larvae, snakes, crayfish, fish, crabs, bird eggs, rodents. From this list, crayfish raccoons are especially fond of. They are also unable to get past an earthworm or snail.

During periods of eating plant foods, the raccoon eats berries, fruits, nuts, acorns. The name - "poloskun" - the animal received because of the habit of washing all its food. Even living in captivity, the animal will certainly rinse the product, no matter how clean it is. However, this habit has nothing to do with cleanliness or cleanliness: a raccoon is quite capable of eating from garbage cans.

In summer and autumn, when various vegetables and fruits ripen, the raccoon eats grapes, nuts, acorns, apples, and corn with great pleasure. This is explained by the fact that such food is much more accessible than animal food.

Actually, keeping a raccoon in captivity is not difficult at all, especially at a young age. These animals are very charming, playful, quite clean. However, the animal is able to show self-will, excessive curiosity and stubbornness, which causes quite serious problems. In addition, with the onset of puberty, the good nature of animals decreases, they can become uncommunicative or even aggressive. Thanks to natural artistry and ability to acrobatic stunts, the animals become favorites of the whole family, with whom you can have fun. It is interesting that the animal seems to be aware of its cuteness and attractiveness, thus achieving excellent friendly relations with a person.

Feeding in captivity

If the animal is kept in captivity, there is practically no question of what the raccoon eats. He eats everything. And sometimes he eats far from being himself, he can get chips, slices of pizza, bread from the garbage, or even become addicted to

However, with the right approach to feeding in captivity, the raccoon eats grapes, nuts, apples, pears, and can even treat himself to a banana. He can be given grain mixtures, but always raw, boiled will be harmful to the wild animal.

An excellent motivation for taming raccoons can be the fact that when kept at home they live 12-16 years, while in the wild the maximum age they reach is 5 years. No matter how fierce the defenders of wildlife, they cannot but admit that raccoons live much better in captivity.

Raccoons are among the few wild mammals that have adapted to life next to humans. Some of the individuals living in natural conditions often come into contact with people. In recent years, more and more families have decided to adopt a raccoon as a pet. To ensure comfortable living conditions and a balanced diet, you need to know how to feed raccoons.

The raccoon is one of the largest individuals among the known species of its relatives. The mass of the animal can reach 9 kg, and the body length is up to 60 cm. In size, the animal resembles a large cat or a small dog with a long and fluffy tail of about 25 cm.

Raccoon

An interesting feature of the animal is its short front legs with fingers that are unusually developed and able to hold food and other objects firmly in their hands. It is in this position that the mammal often washes food, and then eats it. The animal received an explanation for its name “poloskun” precisely for the love of cleanliness and diligent washing of food before eating it.

Features of the behavior of raccoons

Animals are unusually active and mobile. Watching their cute faces, movements and habits is a great pleasure for both children and adults. By nature, raccoons are very sociable, they easily come into contact with people. If there are other pets in the house, then raccoons often find a common language with them and do not start a fight for territory or food. This applies to individuals that live in the wild, and to those that live in zoos, nurseries, apartments.

Not surprisingly, many families with children decide to have such a friend. Since many are faced with keeping such an animal for the first time, a logical question arises, how to make it as close as possible to the diet that it would receive in the wild.

Raccoons are extremely active animals. As nocturnal creatures, they stay awake most of the night. Everyone who wants to have this animal in the house should be prepared for the fact that at night there will no longer be the same peace and quiet in the house.

Given the peculiarities of the regime, as well as the recommendations of experts, the animal should be fed three times a day. The first feeding takes place in the morning, when the pet is preparing to go to bed. The second - in the evening (about 6-7 hours). The third feeding is carried out at 10 pm. The latest time you can feed the animal is midnight.

To keep a raccoon healthy, you need to strictly monitor the amount of food he consumes. In the wild, animals are in constant motion. At home, it is rarely possible to provide such space, so there is a high probability of gaining excess weight. This can adversely affect the health of the animal.

With the advent of severe winter cold in natural conditions, raccoons hibernate. If we talk about raccoons living at home, then you should not worry that they will hibernate for a long time. Domestic animals can oversleep in the coldest time for about a week. The wake-up call for him will be the feeling of hunger.

Even at home, natural instincts make themselves felt. Often the behavior of an animal is incomprehensible to humans. In order not to worry about the health of the pet, you need to find out what he eats at different times of the year.

Autumn-winter time

Moderate weight gain by winter is considered normal. Natural instincts encourage the animal to eat everything that is offered to it, gradually increasing the subcutaneous layer of fat. Interestingly, in the winter, raccoons eat very little, while intensively increasing their fat layer. To prevent the pet from gaining too much weight, the owners must carefully monitor its nutrition. Experts are allowed to cut in half. Although if the behavior of the animal shows that he is hungry, it is allowed to feed him with a small portion of food.

If the behavior of the animal shows that he is hungry, it is allowed to feed him a small portion of food.

spring-summer period

With the advent of spring, eating behavior changes again. His appetite is noticeably reduced, and metabolic processes, on the contrary, are activated, due to which weight loss occurs. In summer, you should not expect a good appetite from the animal. Many owners begin to worry about the capriciousness and pickiness of the raccoon in food, suspecting food poisoning or other problems with the gastrointestinal tract. However, this is also one of the natural instincts of the animal. Do not worry and try to force-feed your pet. With a free-spirited and independent nature, he may not respond well to overly persistent attempts to feed him.

In the wild, stingrays eat a wide variety of foods. They usually equip their dwellings in cozy hollows higher from the ground. The animal goes in search of food at night. For one such trip, a raccoon can overcome about 2 km. His food is:

• various large insects;
• lizards;
• amphibians;
• rats and other not too large rodents;
• bird eggs that the raccoon steals right from the nests;
• fish and crustaceans;
• nuts and acorns;
• berries and fruits growing in the wild.

In the wild, stingrays eat a wide variety of foods.

If people live nearby, then a raccoon in search of food can go to explore garbage barrels. There are many cases when these curious animals climbed into houses in order to feast on something tasty.

Feeding an adult can confuse a person, not to mention feeding a very small animal. After all, the cub requires increased attention and care. In addition to feeding, the baby is given a massage, a simple drink is regularly given. It is also important to monitor well-being and general health and development. When choosing a diet and serving size, you should focus not on the age of the crumbs, but on physical indicators, that is, whether the animal stands well on its paws, whether its eyes have finally opened, how well it orients itself in space.

Feeding the smallest individuals should start with a bottle

Feeding the smallest individuals should begin with a bottle. A perfect substitute for cat's milk. In no case should you give your baby cow, goat or other types of dairy products. They can harm the pet's gastrointestinal tract. After eating, as a rule, the animal sleeps soundly for about 3-4 hours. If he woke up earlier than this time, then the portion of food for him was insufficient, and if later, then it was excessive. A milk mixture with the addition of mashed banana is considered especially useful. Moderately sweet liquid has high nutritional properties, supplying the body with everything it needs.

How and what to feed an adult raccoon at home

Sometimes the pet itself tells the owner what he will eat with pleasure, and what food he should no longer offer. In the diet of the animal must be greens, an abundance of protein food and fiber. It is also important to provide an abundance of water. It is necessary to ensure that there is always enough clean water in the drinking bowl.

At home, many veterinarians suggest trying the following feeding schedule: make one feeding the main and two additional feedings. Minced meat or any other protein-rich food is perfect for the main meal. For a small snack, the animal can be given a small portion of small fish, vegetables and fruits.

It is allowed to feed the animal with the following products:

• fresh fruits and dried fruits;
• boiled vegetables;
• cereals;
• eggs;
• minced poultry, beef;
• seafood and fish, with the exception of red.

Useful for animals are nuts and dairy products. It is allowed to give kefir. As a snack, the raccoon will not refuse packaged food intended for cats and dogs, but he will not eat such food too often, as he loves variety.

What foods can not be fed

The following foods can be harmful to the health of the animal, so they should not be in his diet:

• any flour products;
• various sweets;
• spicy and salty foods;
• peppered dishes;
• smoked meats;
• food that has been fried.

Small dietary restrictions give a huge scope for the owner's imagination. Making a balanced and varied diet is not difficult. The main thing is that the health and appetite of the animal are good.

The raccoon is a small mammal that lives in the American open spaces. Only one acclimatized species lives in Eurasia - the raccoon.

Four species of raccoons are known: the most common raccoon, the raccoon-crayfish, Cozumel and Guadalupe. The raccoon is considered the largest animal, its body length is 45-65 cm, the tail reaches 20-25 cm, they weigh from 5 to 9 kg. The species are distinguished by their color, coat length, size and weight.

Raccoons lead a solitary lifestyle. They live in mixed forests near water bodies or swampy areas. They settle mainly in the hollows of trees or occupy other people's abandoned holes, since they themselves do not know how to dig them. Raccoons have also adapted to life near humans, settling in gardens, fields and on the outskirts of cities. The animals go hunting at night, but during the day they prefer to go gray in the den. In search of food, the raccoon comes out at dusk and searches for its prey within a radius of up to 1.5 km.

What does a raccoon eat?

The raccoon is an omnivore and its diet depends entirely on the time of year. Raccoons eat different foods in nature. The basis of nutrition are various insects, reptiles, bird eggs, rodents, fish, crayfish, crabs, lobsters and other small animals. Also in warm climates or in summer, raccoons prefer to eat fruits, berries, nuts, acorns.

Raccoons living close to people do not disdain to swarm in the garbage in search of leftovers.

Raccoons are well tamed and therefore they are increasingly being taken as pets.

The diet of the animal must be correctly selected, the life expectancy of the pet directly depends on this.

For feeding a raccoon, you should use the foods that he eats in his natural environment: eggs, fish, lean meats, fruits, various nuts, vegetables and cereals. Can be used in food and feed for cats and dogs, but only in special cases when the raccoon does not receive enough vitamins from the normal diet.

You need to feed the animal 3 times a day. In the morning at 8:00, in the evening around 18:00-19:00 and at night at 23:00.

Raccoons in captivity are most often very picky eaters. Therefore, their tastes are quite different, for example, one will be happy to eat fish, and the second will not even come close to it. In this case, you should study your pet's favorite treats.

You should not feed a raccoon flour, sweet, spicy, smoked, seasoned, sweet or salty.

The raccoon family belongs to the genus of mammalian predators. These animals gravitate towards hunting and forceful conflict resolution. In order to adequately join the food chain of the Earth's biosphere, nature endowed raccoons with a "bad" character, sharp claws and fangs. Having acquired a cute and charming rogue in a mask, a lot of questions arise, the first of which is how to feed a domestic raccoon. I propose to talk about this topic, and also touch on the question of what you need to know about raccoons, in general.

Nutrition for infants

The sooner you start accustoming a raccoon to your society, the more affectionate and kind this rogue will be when he becomes an adult. Of course, in everything you need to know the measure. For example, bailing a recently born baby, there is almost a 100% chance that the baby will die. There is a raccoon, there is no raccoon.

If the owner of the raccoon is experienced and knows how to feed the raccoon at home and how to care for him, then you can try to take a baby 1 month old. Caring for such small raccoons is fraught with many difficulties. Next to the crumbs you need to be inseparable, he wakes up every few hours and requires feeding and care.

The best option for a small raccoon is a 1.5-month-old slicker. His body is already considered to be more or less strong and he is able to master the man-made food for the raccoon gargle.

What do little raccoons eat?- Milk mixtures. Food is poured into a baby bottle with a nipple (sold in any pharmacy). If a monthly raccoon is nursed, then it is better to feed the baby with an ordinary pipette.

Cow or goat milk is used as milk mixtures. The product is diluted with a small amount of warm water. You can sweeten the mixture with sugar. In addition, high-quality condensed milk (condensed milk must be diluted) or dairy products for feeding cats can be used.

From the age of 1.5 months, the baby raccoon begins to try solid food. Grated banana, cottage cheese and quail egg are added to the milk mixture.

At the age of 2.5 months, a little raccoon can already eat from a bowl. Starting from 3 months, he himself begins to understand what domestic raccoons eat, what is good for him and what is not.

What do adult raccoons eat?

Adult raccoons are omnivores. Having reached puberty, the raccoon begins to show its true essence, the essence of a carnivorous hunter.

In the diet of a raccoon, it is imperative and certainly necessary to include:

• bird
• Meat (beef/pork)
• Fish (any, except individuals with red fillets)

Food of animal origin is of particular interest to raccoons in spring and summer. They can eat rarely if the food is rich in fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

What else to feed a raccoon, besides meat products? - In addition to food of animal origin, raccoons lean on berries, fruits, vegetables and nuts:

• Apples/pears/plums/apricots
• Strawberry/gooseberry/mulberry/grape
• Pumpkin / zucchini / gourds
• Hazelnut/almond/walnut/pistachio
• Various cereals (buckwheat, rice, etc.)

If you have a raccoon gargle, there should be no questions about how to feed this slicker.

In order not to spend money on fruits during the winter, you can prepare dried fruits according to the season. Raccoons love prunes, dried apricots and raisins. That is, you can get a dryer for fruits and prepare the necessary amount of feed during the harvest. Dried fruits are vacuumized and transferred to the refrigerator for storage. If you are faced with the question of what to feed a domestic raccoon, you can prepare 15-20 (kg) dried fruits without straining during the period of summer and autumn, which is enough for raccoons for the whole winter and spring.

Dependence of appetite on the season of the year

The taste preferences of raccoons directly depend on the period of the year. As practice shows, during the warm period of the year (especially in summer), raccoons have a weak appetite. Many raccoons seriously lose weight. If you notice that the pet is very thin, then do not be afraid. Appetite comes to raccoons from early autumn. From this period, raccoons rapidly gain weight. It is from autumn that you need to seriously think about how to feed a raccoon at home.

As a rule, in the fall, raccoons lean on vegetables and nuts, alternating a vegetarian meal with food of animal origin. For example, wild raccoons like to seriously trim the rodent population. By the way, check out the article.

By winter, the raccoon becomes well-fed. Its rounded forms begin to shine and shimmer in the Sun with shining fur.

What should be done in parallel with feeding?

Little raccoons need to massage the abdomen. There are cases when raccoons are not able to go to the potty. The raccoon's tummy can swell, which is why many crumbs die. That is, massage stimulates the passage of undigested waste through the intestines.

A little about wild raccoons

The life of savages is fundamentally different from the domesticated rogue. Wild raccoons are real opportunists. They are ready to crush, break and kill anyone who can be chewed by their fangs. The feed includes:

1. Birds
2. Turtles
3. Insects
4. rodents

Raccoons are accused of the complete extermination of the population of many species of insects. Raccoons are good at cleaning the area from poisonous spiders and snakes. That is why raccoons are artificially introduced in many parts of the world.