Why Do Raccoons Wash Their Food?
There is some truth to the story that raccoons wash their food before eating it. A raccoon may dip its food in water before eating it, but this habit does not indicate cleanliness, for the water may be dirty. And raccoons will eat most anything, whether it is washed or not. Some people believe that a raccoon washes its food beca
If the McDonald’s Hamburglar had a spirit animal, it would be the raccoon. This masked bandit of the rodent world is notorious for its food thievery. Omnivorous raccoons eat plants and small animals, such as mice, and have adapted to living near humans. In the wild, they’ll dine on plants, nuts and fruits; in urban areas, they’ll sniff and steal food out of your garbage can, pilfer pet food and grab fish from backyard ponds. Have you ever taken the trash out at night, only to find it strewn across your yard the next morning? It could be the handiwork of nocturnal raccoons. In a study of farm-crop plundering by wild animals, Purdue University researchers found that deer and raccoons were responsible for 95 percent of the dam
