Types of raccoons
Scientists spent quite a long time deciding what type of animal to classify raccoons as. His image combines the gait of a bear and an external affinity with dogs and cats. The fur of the animal was called “Genette” for its similar color. For its unusual habits associated with washing food before eating, the raccoon animal is nicknamed “gargle”. As a result, we had to separate these animals into a separate family.
There are only 4 species, two of which are endemic - Cozumel and Guadalupe. The American raccoon, or striper, is the most common, and the crayfish lives exclusively in the jungle.
It’s unlikely that anyone will answer what a raccoon eats
Are you planning to have a pet raccoon at home?
These cute animals have long ceased to be exotic and have become popular pets. How to feed them so as not to worry about your pet’s health more than your own? We study the features of proper feeding of such fluffy minke whales as raccoons. There are 4 types of raccoons in the world:
- raccoon,
- raccoon,
- Guadalupe raccoon
- Cozumel raccoon.
Gargles are most common in Belarus and the North Caucasus. By the way, they are so nicknamed for their unusual habit of washing food before eating it in water, that is, “rinsing” it.
Special signs
Those who have seen a raccoon at least once, even in a picture, will easily recognize it the next time they meet it. This animal has an interesting and memorable appearance.
It is not difficult to describe a raccoon. The pointed face looks like it's wearing dark glasses, and a prominent striped tail completes the look. The fur on the back is darker than on other parts of the body. A black stripe runs from the tip of the nose to the small rounded ears. There is a white edge around the animal’s “mask,” and the long hairs on its cheeks look like whiskers.
The body of a raccoon is from 45 to 65 cm, stocky and dense. Average weight is approximately 6-7 kg. The fluffy tail consists of alternating black and gray rings, its length is about 25 cm. The animal’s height is small - 35 cm.
The legend of "hands"
The five-toed paws of a raccoon are interestingly designed. They are equipped with sharp claws that allow the predator to deftly climb, even upside down. Their mobility is so high that the animal uses its paws like a human. What a raccoon eats, it eats while sitting on its hind legs, and with its “hands” it puts pieces of food into its mouth.
The Indians claim that the raccoon was once a person, so they do not eat its meat. According to legend, the swindler who fooled everyone around his finger went unpunished for a long time. The main Spirit did not like this, and he turned the villain into a raccoon. For good behavior, the animal was returned to “human” hands.
Infant nutrition
The sooner you start accustoming a raccoon to your company, the more affectionate and kind this sneak will be when he becomes an adult. Of course, you need to know when to stop everything. For example, if you take custody of a recently born baby, there is an almost 100% chance that the baby will die. There is a raccoon, there is no raccoon.
If the raccoon owner is experienced and knows what to feed the raccoon at home and how to care for it, then you can try taking a baby 1 month old. Caring for such small raccoons is fraught with many difficulties. You need to be with the baby constantly; he wakes up every few hours and requires feeding and care.
The best option for a small raccoon is a 1.5-month-old rogue. His body is already considered more or less strong and he is able to handle man-made food for the gargle raccoon.
What do little raccoons eat? - Milk formulas. The food is poured into a baby bottle with a nipple (sold at any pharmacy). If you are nursing a month-old raccoon, it is better to feed the baby with an ordinary pipette.
Cow's or goat's 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, you can use high-quality condensed milk (condensed milk must be diluted) or dairy products for feeding cats.
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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 small raccoon can already eat from a bowl. Starting from 3 months, he himself begins to understand what domestic gargle raccoons eat, what is good for him and what is not.
Habitat
Due to its high resistance to the influence of weather conditions, the heat-loving animal lives quietly in the southern regions of Russia, the Caucasus, and Primorye. However, its homeland is North America. From there the animal came to Europe - Germany, France, the Netherlands, where it is bred for valuable fur and hunting.
Where do raccoons live? They prefer a mixed forest with an abundance of old hollow trees. It is important for the animal to have bodies of water near its habitat - rivers, lakes, swamps. The small predator gets most of its diet from there.
Sometimes raccoons inhabit abandoned holes of other animals or hide in natural shelters such as rock crevices. The animal cannot dig a home for itself.
These animals are not embarrassed by their proximity to humans. They often raid gardens and houses in search of food. Small predators are exterminated for wrecking, which has virtually no effect on the population.
Predatory habits
Everything a raccoon eats is obtained at night. Nature has endowed them with acute vision, smell and hearing. In addition, the little hunter is helped by a special mechanism - vibrissae. These are ultra-sensitive hairs located on the head, paws and belly of the animal. They detect the movement of air masses that are reflected from various objects. Each antennae has many nerve endings. To obtain food, the animal uses only the nearby territory with a radius of about one and a half kilometers.
Raccoon paws are the main tool in hunting. They allow the animal to quickly hide from larger predators, deftly climb a tall tree, or hang on one “arm.” Any acrobat will envy his refined movements. If the striper does not have time to hide from the threat, it can feign death. Raccoons live for about five years.
Raccoon food
Not far from the places where raccoons live, there are reservoirs. The small predator deftly catches food or finds it along the coastline. Small crustaceans, insects, amphibians and reptiles fall into its tenacious paws. Even mice and turtles can become victims of a predator called a raccoon. Nutrition in nature is not only animal, but also plant in nature. This type of food is easier to obtain. Berries and nuts abound in the forests, and the little thief eats fruits and vegetables from people's gardens.
The raccoon thoroughly rinses its entire diet in water. This habit is not at all a sign of cleanliness; rather, it imitates the extraction of food.
What to feed raccoon puppies at home?
Baby raccoons that are 1-1.5 months old cannot yet eat on their own. They have not yet grown stronger and have not adapted to the environment. But this age is considered the most suitable for moving to a new owner.
The raccoon puppy needs to be fed independently, using nipples and bottles, or, as a last resort, a large-volume medical syringe without a needle attachment. What can be used for feeding:
- milk mixtures,
- cow or goat milk,
- a sweetened mixture of milk and water,
- diluted condensed milk.
After 1.5-2 months, the raccoon can already eat pureed food and begin to gradually transition to solid food. At this age, you can include in your diet:
- cottage cheese, starting with a minimum percentage of fat content,
- eggs, preferably quail - they are more nutritious compared to chicken,
- grated bananas.
Lifestyle
The animal has to obtain food in order to store fat reserves for hibernation. It comes closer to winter and lasts up to five months. In warmer climates, raccoons do not fall asleep, their activity simply decreases. The mating season begins in the spring, and babies appear two months later. Usually there are 3-4 blind cubs in a litter. Females feed them with milk, and by 6-7 months the babies can already hunt. At the age of one year, females begin puberty; males begin mating much later.
How to feed a raccoon
- You should know that raccoons experience seasonal changes in weight and a decrease in appetite - this is a completely normal phenomenon associated with the characteristics of their body. Towards the end of summer, the animal begins to eat up - to prepare for hibernation, winter time is a period of reduced activity, lack of appetite, and in the spring the rut begins. Depending on the time of year, changes occur in the animal's diet. In the spring he will need products of animal origin, and in the summer - plant foods;
- The list of recommended products includes: various vegetables and fruits, dairy and fermented milk products, porridge (oatmeal and buckwheat), fish (with the exception of red fish), nuts, muesli, poultry meat and other low-fat varieties of meat products. Flour products and sweets are strictly prohibited (but honey is allowed in small quantities). Also exclude salted, peppered, spicy and smoked products. Feed the raccoon 2-3 times a day;
- Be prepared to experiment, try different foods. Each animal may be suitable for different products; he himself is able to choose what he needs;
- Take care of treats - they can be given as rewards or to distract from unacceptable actions. Use cookies, dried fruit, dog or cat food (in kibble). The choice depends on your animal's tastes.
Unusual pets
Increasingly, people began to keep raccoons as pets. These cute animals are distinguished not only by their external charm, but also by their very difficult character. They are independent, intelligent and brave, so taming them will require some skill. If a raccoon lives in your house, then the absence of boredom is guaranteed. The rogue will definitely check all the cabinets and pull out goodies from them.
The predatory nature will not allow the raccoon to be kept together with small animals and birds, but it gets along well with cats and dogs. Communication with a predator is contraindicated for small children, because the animal bites and scratches strongly.
It is important to monitor what a raccoon eats, because at home it can uncontrollably absorb any food. If you follow all the maintenance rules, the life expectancy will be over 15 years.
Diet of adults
Sometimes the pet itself tells the owner what he will be happy to eat, and what food he should no longer be offered. The animal's diet must contain greens, an abundance of protein and fiber. It is also important to provide plenty 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 scheme: make one main feeding and two additional feedings. For the main meal, minced meat or any other protein-rich food is perfect. For a small snack, you can give the animal a small portion of small fish, vegetables and fruits.
The following products are allowed to feed the animal:
- fresh fruits and dried fruits;
- boiled vegetables;
- porridge;
- eggs;
- minced poultry, beef;
- seafood and fish, with the exception of red fish.
Nuts and dairy products are beneficial for animals. It is allowed to give kefir. As a snack, a raccoon will not refuse packaged food intended for cats and dogs, but it will not eat such food too often, as it loves variety.
The following foods can be harmful to the health of the animal, so they should not be included in its diet:
- any flour products;
- various sweets;
- spicy and salty foods;
- peppered dishes;
- smoked meats;
- food that has been fried.
Small dietary restrictions give enormous scope for the owner’s imagination. Creating a balanced and varied diet is not difficult. The main thing is that the animal’s health and appetite are good.
Adult raccoons are omnivores. Having reached sexual maturity, the raccoon begins to show its true essence, the essence of a carnivorous hunter.
The following must be included in a raccoon’s diet:
- Bird
- Meat (beef/pork)
- Fish (any fish, except those with red fillets)
Food of animal origin is of particular interest to raccoons in spring and summer. They may 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 eat berries, fruits, vegetables and nuts:
- Apples/pears/plums/apricots
- Strawberries/gooseberries/mulberries/grapes
- Pumpkin/zucchini/melons
- Hazelnuts/almonds/walnuts/pistachios
- Various cereals (buckwheat, rice, etc.)
If you have a gargle raccoon, there should be no questions about what to feed this sneaky one.
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 fruit dryer and prepare the required amount of feed during the harvest. Dried fruits are vacuum-sealed and stored in the refrigerator. If you are faced with the question of what to feed your domestic raccoon, you can easily prepare 15-20 (kg) of dried fruits during the summer and autumn, which will be enough for the raccoons throughout the winter and spring.
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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 lose serious weight. If you notice that your pet has lost a lot of weight, then do not be alarmed. Raccoons develop an appetite in early autumn. From this period, raccoons rapidly gain weight. It is in the fall that you need to seriously think about what to feed your raccoon at home.
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As a rule, in the fall, raccoons load up on vegetables and nuts, alternating a vegetarian meal with food of animal origin. For example, wild raccoons like to seriously decimate the rodent population. By the way, check out the article on how, when and how much raccoons eat mice.
By winter, the raccoon becomes well-fed. Its rounded shapes begin to shine and shimmer in the Sun with shining fur.
Raccoons become adults at one year of age. In order to identify your pet’s favorite dish, you need to carefully observe it. At home, raccoons love to play pranks and act up in order to be given something tasty.
Together with its owner, the raccoon can eat apples, cookies and pizza. As soon as the raccoon’s health begins to noticeably deteriorate, you should immediately contact a veterinarian. Under no circumstances should you give your raccoon fatty foods.
