Facts About the Omnivorous Life of Raccoons

Raccoons are opportunistic feeders. This means they will eat almost anything, whenever and wherever they can get it. And with dexterous paws and a higher intelligence, they easily succeed at the task. Unfortunately, this style of eating brings wild raccoons to our front lines, tipping trash cans and rummaging through dumpsters in our local neighborhoods and city areas. So, what are they looking for? Well, just about anything, really.

Continue reading to explore some of the most common things raccoons eat, then use this knowledge to divert raccoon interest away from your property!

Raccoon Removal Service Indianapolis Indiana 317-847-6409
Raccoon Removal Service Indianapolis Indiana 317-847-6409

Raccoons are Omnivores

Raccoons are omnivores, just like us! They eat the entire food table, including vegetation, meat, fish, legumes, grains, and more. Their diets reflect their surrounding environments and depend on what’s available and what’s nearby. So, they will vary from region to region, and from species to species. Raccoons will even dig up lawns in search of grubs, empty bird and squirrel feeders, steal pet food, and demolish gardens in residential and city areas!

Plant Matter

Raccoons will eat all types of fruit and vegetables, as well as, starches, legumes, and even grains. This long list includes common foods, such as grass, lettuce, melons, berries, apples, acorns, seeds, nuts, corn, potatoes, peas, cucumbers, and much more. In fact, raccoons have come to rely on corn as a staple in their diets, and really love the taste of sweet corn!

Meats

Raccoons eat an alarming selection of meat and animals. Not only will they gladly eat fast food burgers and turkey sandwiches left in the garbage, but they also commonly eat young birds, bird eggs, duck eggs, turtle eggs, turtles, fish, crayfish, rodents, frogs, snakes, salamanders, grubs, spiders, and many other insects. They will even eat garage and dead animals so long as they are still somewhat fresh.

Pet Food

Also, raccoons that live near urban and suburban areas really love dog and cat food! They are known to go to great lengths to get inside garages and outdoor sheds for a taste of puppy chow! They may even raid horse feed and livestock feed.

Raccoon Removal and Control

If you have raccoon problems, you need professional raccoon removal and control services. Contact a local wildlife control company for non-lethal and humane raccoon exclusion and preventative maintenance. They have the tools and training to safely remove raccoons and prevent their return. To get started on your own, simply remove outdoor attractions like pet food, pet bowls, bird baths, and trashcans.

Do you have a nuisance raccoon problem on your property? Contact Modern Wildlife Control at 317-847-6409 for safe and effective animal trapping and removal services for raccoons in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding counties. We serve residential and commercial customers.

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What Do Raccoons Like to Do?

What Do Raccoons Like to Do?

Raccoons are unlike any woodland mammal here in Indiana. There is a reason why they are one of the most common nuisance critters in the state among both residential and commercial property owners. It is important to protect your property from nuisance raccoon activity and tampering if you want to preserve the structural integrity and safety of your investment.

Furthermore, raccoons are known carriers of several transmissible diseases and undesirable contagions like lice and mites. Perhaps by learning more about typical raccoon behavior, you can more clearly recognize why raccoons are attracted to your property and how they are capable of causing so much destruction.

Continue reading to learn what raccoons like to do in order to understand how to get rid of them for good in the safest manner possible.

Raccoon Critter Control Indianapolis IN 317-847-6409
Raccoon Critter Control Indianapolis IN 317-847-6409

Typical Raccoon Behaviors

Raccoons are very intelligent, demonstrating human-like characteristics of curiosity and problem solving. But this is not learned behavior; instead, raccoons are bred with these types of qualities, traits, and natural behaviors. Below are some principal aspects of a raccoon’s life, and what behaviors they display in each.

Fundamental Facts About Raccoons:

🦝► Raccoon Reproduction

Raccoons conceive in wintertime, usually later in the season. This way, their pups are born in the spring, when weather is warm, and the survival-rate is much higher.   They hide away and hibernate in warm dens or shelters through the winter but remain active in all other seasons. Mothers generally reproduce one to six baby raccoons, on average. They are extremely protective of their offspring as well. Most raccoon attacks reported have been from instigating or scaring a mother raccoon typing to protect her young.

🦝► Raccoon Social Habits

Once raccoons are 12 months old, they are no longer attached to their mother. They flee the coup, so to say, and become entirely independent. Although independent, raccoons remain in groups, up to five or six at a time, for protection against natural predators, and perhaps even companionship (although not proven). To communicate to one another, raccoons have a language of more than 200 sounds and 12 calls.

🦝► Raccoon Activity

Raccoons are nocturnal, so they rest in the day and then hint for food at night. They eat everything from fruit and nuts to small prey, fish, lizards, birds, and more. They are particularly fond of human food, which is why they tend to raid garbage cans on occasion. Because of over-development, these mammals have lost a lot of their natural habitat and are forced into our residential and urban areas for food and shelter. And for this reason, they are often deemed a nuisance animal in these areas. But not in the wild!

🦝► Raccoon Abilities

Raccoons are not just very intelligent and exhibit curiosity and memory just as humans do, they are also quite good with their hands. Their paws are hyper-sensitive to touch, and also very agile and dexterous. They have human-like hands that allow them to grasp, clutch, hold, pry open, climb, and much more. They can undo latches, locks, doorknobs, and more if the opportunity arises.

Are you interested in animal-proofing your property to get rid of raccoons and other unwanted critters? If so, you are the right place! Contact Modern Wildlife Control at 317-847-6409 for safe and effective animal trapping and removal services for raccoons and more. We serve residential and commercial clients in Indianapolis and all throughout Central Indiana.

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Modern Wildlife Control Indianapolis
Modern Wildlife Control Indianapolis