Last updated on September 27th, 2022
Raccoons are cute little creatures with big appetites. They love to snack on nuts, berries, and other fruits
In addition to being able to eat most types of food, raccoons are also known to scavenge for food. They will go out into the wild and pick through trash cans looking for leftovers or other items that might be edible, but do raccoons eat peanuts?
Raccoons do eat peanuts because they’re opportunistic feeders and will eat anything that they come across. They can be seen climbing up to bird feeders or scavenging under them to snack on edible nuts and seeds but they tend to avoid macadamia nuts since these are toxic.
Do raccoons eat the shells of a peanut?
Raccoons will discard the shells and only consume the nuts. However, if the raccoon is starving, it might bite into the entire peanut and consume bits of the shell along with the nuts.
A raccoon is quite intelligent, and you will find that if it steals a bag of peanuts from your home, it will make way to its den to enjoy the nuts in peace!
The creature uses its sharp paws and teeth to crack open and extract the nuts from inside the shell.
Are peanuts safe for raccoons?
Peanuts are healthy for raccoons. These legumes are relatively high in fat and can provide raccoons with the necessary energy to help them move swiftly.
However, peanuts are very small and if the creature swallows the peanuts without properly chewing them, it can eventually lead to choking.
When raccoons eat peanuts, the fat gets stored in their bodies, which they can use during winter when other food is scarce.
This can prove helpful for the creature as they do not hibernate and need a layer of fat to help them survive winter. The fat in their bodies acts as reserves.
Can you give your pet raccoon raw peanuts?
Raw peanuts have all the necessary nutrients of the nuts, and since these are not roasted or fried, you need not be worried about any added calories.
There is no need to give your pet raccoon roasted peanuts.
Instead, you can give it raw peanuts, preferably ones removed from their shells.
For example, you can purchase peanuts with brown jackets, but not the outer shells. These are raw peanuts and ideal snacks for your pet raccoon.
Can raccoons eat peanuts from a bird feeder?
It might not be a good idea if you plan to put peanuts in a bird feeder because raccoons are skilled climbers who can scurry up a pole quite swiftly.
The raccoon can identify the peanuts and break your bird feeder to reach the peanuts.
Hence, even if you put the bird feeder relatively high with the expectation that it is well out of reach of most animals, you can be assured that it will not be out of reach of raccoons.
To prevent raccoons from targeting your birdfeeder in search of suitable food, you must avoid putting peanuts in the feeder.
Or you can place some sort of mesh around the feeder that will still allow the birds to use their beaks to reach the food but will deter other creatures from reaching it.
Are raccoons bred in captivity given peanuts?
Pet raccoons, or the ones that are bred in captivity, can be given a variety of food items. This is because raccoons can survive on both meat and plant-based diets. But you must be careful about the food you give to pet raccoons.
Before making any changes to the meals given to pet raccoons, you should consult with a veterinarian.
However, if you are giving it a snack, you should closely monitor the number of peanuts you give your pet raccoons.
Can you give peanuts to wild raccoons?
To attract wild raccoons, you can lure them with peanuts. But be careful about luring them into your garden or backyard. If raccoons get attracted to your home, you will find it very difficult to get rid of these creatures.
Wild raccoons love to eat peanuts because it is a rare food item for them. Therefore, you can offer peanuts to wild raccoons.
Interested in learning more about the different animals that eat peanuts? Take a look at that article for more information.
Do raccoons like peanut butter?
Raccoons love to eat the sweet, crunchy peanut butter. If you have a leftover peanut butter sandwich, you can give it to your pet raccoon.
You will find that your pet consumes it with absolute joy.
Most raccoons find peanut butter to be addictive.
If you have a raccoon infestation in your home, you shouldn’t leave a jar of peanut butter lying around. These creatures will carry it away.
Sometimes, pest control personnel use peanut butter to lure and trap raccoons. Hence, peanut butter is a favorite of raccoons.
Are raccoons pests for peanut farmers?
According to the website https://www.almanac.com/pest/raccoons, like mice and squirrels, raccoons are also dangerous pests in peanut farming.
Since raccoons are excellent climbers and diggers, protecting a peanut harvest from a raccoon attack is often difficult.
Farmers often mention that when raccoons attack, they not only target the roots, thereby destroying the harvest, they will even chew away the leaves of the groundnut plant.
When do raccoons look for peanuts?
Raccoons are nocturnal creatures so they will look for food at night and if they come across any peanuts, they will take them back to their nest.
Additionally, you will often find peanut farmers complaining that some creature has dug up their groundnut plants at night.
Farmers often take precautions to protect their harvest by putting up lights in their fields to prevent raccoons from entering.
Nuts that raccoons do not eat
Macadamia nuts are toxic to raccoons. So if you have a pet raccoon, it is essential to remember that you should never give it macadamia nuts. These nuts can cause serious health issues for your pet raccoon.
Raccoons are scavengers, and they are expected to eat almost anything. But it is a myth because you will find that raccoons avoid particular food like onions.
Other than fat, what other minerals or vitamins in peanuts are helpful for raccoons?
Peanuts have biotin, copper, niacin, folate, manganese, Vitamin E, Thiamin, and phosphorous. All these are necessary for building tissue, repairing cells, and even building strong bones.
Peanuts are also an excellent source of protein. In 100 grams of peanuts, there are 26 grams of protein.
