Wondering what is biting off your strawberries? Raccoons are the most common animals that you will find biting your strawberries.
Even though a raccoon’s sense of smell is less developed, they are still attracted to the sweet smell that emanates from strawberries. However, they tend to avoid raw strawberries because of their bitter taste.
The other day I was surprised to see my friend feeding his pet raccoon a strawberry! Indeed, raccoons do not make for good pets, but my friend has had this one since it was a baby and always gives it different types of food to keep it healthy.
So, intrigued by the ability of the raccoon to eat strawberries, here is what I learned.
Do raccoons like strawberries?
Raccoons are omnivores and scavengers. Therefore, you will find them looking for food everywhere and eating anything edible.
Regarding strawberries, raccoons love to eat this fruit because of its sweet taste and the high sugar content doesn’t deter raccoons.
Can you give frozen strawberries to raccoons?
It would be best if you didn’t give frozen strawberries to your pet raccoon. Frozen strawberries have preservatives, which are harmful to raccoons.
When feeding strawberries to raccoons, fresh and organic fruits are the way to go.
If your pet raccoon has ingested frozen strawberries, and you see certain changes in its behavior, you should take it to the veterinarian immediately.
Do raccoons living in the wild eat strawberries?
If you are thinking about the raccoons in forests and wooded areas, you first need to know that they usually eat nuts, seeds, fruits, eggs, insects, and even frogs.
However, raccoons will rarely come across wild strawberries that are completely ripe and sweet. Wild strawberries are usually flavorless and have a tangy taste.
This makes the fruit inedible for the raccoons. However, if the creature comes across ripe and sweet wild strawberries, it will eat them.
Are strawberries toxic to raccoons?
Strawberries are not toxic to raccoons. However, if the animal eats strawberries with remnants of pesticide or insecticide, then the mammal can go into toxic shock.
Are strawberries healthy for raccoons?
Strawberries can be pretty healthy for raccoons. The vitamins and minerals in the strawberries can help your pet raccoon build a healthy immune system.
However, you must be careful about how many strawberries you give to your pet.
It would help if you only gave strawberries to your pet raccoon as an occasional snack.
Limiting the number of calories that your pet consumes in a day is essential for its good health. Hence, controlling the number of strawberries that it consumes is essential.
Can you give strawberries to a baby raccoon?
Yes, you can give strawberries to a baby raccoon, but it is essential to remember a few things when introducing the fruit to a baby raccoon. Strawberries usually have seeds in them, and it is challenging to de-seed the fruit. It is essential to ensure that the baby raccoon does not choke on any seeds.
How to feed strawberries to baby raccoons?
One of the methods of feeding strawberries to a baby raccoon would be to crush the fruit and then strain it. This will remove the seeds, and you can feed the mashed strawberries to the raccoon.
Otherwise, you can cut the strawberry into small pieces so the baby raccoon can easily chew it.
How will you identify that raccoons have attacked your strawberry plants?
Raccoons are nocturnal, and they come out at night in search of food. Say, for instance, your strawberry plants were healthy with several fruits on them one day.
However, the following morning you find that bites have been taken from the ripe strawberries. Then there is a high probability that it is the work of raccoons.
To be sure, you need to check the soil around the strawberry bed. If you find tiny footprints around the bed and bites are taken from the ripe fruit, you can be assured that it is the work of raccoons.
Are raccoons considered a dangerous pest by strawberry gardeners?
Yes, strawberry gardeners consider raccoons to be dangerous pests.
Raccoons can easily identify the location of sweet fruits and when the strawberries in your garden begin to ripen, it emanates a strong smell.
The raccoons can quickly identify the smell and will be drawn toward it.
As they like sweet fruits, you will find that a raccoon attack in the strawberry patch in your garden can destroy the plants and reduce your harvest significantly.
Do commercial strawberry farmers face problems with raccoons?
With habitat loss, raccoons are forced to look for food in suburban areas and farms.
As a result, you will find that raccoons often attack strawberries, corn, and other similar fields in search of food.
Commercial strawberry farmers often mention that if they do not take proper precautions, they can lose an entire harvest to raccoon attacks.
How to protect your strawberries from raccoons?
One of the easiest ways to protect your strawberry plants from raccoons is to build a fence around the patch.
Ensure you cover the top so the raccoons cannot climb over the fence to enter the patch.
You can also spray pesticides to keep the raccoons away from your strawberry patch.
If you are looking for an organic solution, consider surrounding your strawberry bed with onion, garlic, or alliums like a leek. The pungent smell from the alliums acts as a deterrent to raccoons.
Why do raccoons return to strawberry beds even after putting a fence around them?
Amateur gardeners often mention raccoons continue to attack the plants despite fences around strawberry beds.
When you put up a fence, it is necessary to cut the branches.
Trimming the extended branches is essential because ripe fruits are also on these branches.
Can you get rid of raccoons permanently to protect your strawberry plants?
Yes, you can get rid of raccoons permanently, which can be necessary if you want to ensure that your strawberry plants are safe and you get a good harvest.
You can use motion-activated sprinklers, and ultrasound devices to remove the critters permanently or to at least keep them at bay.
In addition, it would help if you secured the trash cans to prevent attracting raccoons. Otherwise, you can permanently use raccoon repellents to keep them out of your garden and backyard.
Interested in learning more about what animals eat strawberries? Check out that article for more information.
Further reading:
Havahart – How to Keep Raccoons Out of Your Yard?
