Raccoons are incredibly intelligent and adaptable animals that have learned to thrive in urban and suburban environments. Their distinctive black masks and dexterous front paws make them a familiar sight as they rummage through trash cans and forage for food.

If you’ve noticed raccoons in your neighborhood, you may be wondering: do raccoons eat bananas?

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: yes, raccoons do eat bananas when given the chance. Bananas are a sweet, convenient snack that raccoons will happily eat if available.

In this roughly 3000 word article, we’ll take an in-depth look at raccoon diets and feeding behaviors to understand why they are attracted to bananas and other human foods. We’ll cover what raccoons naturally eat in the wild, what they gravitate towards in urban areas, whether bananas are truly healthy for them, and how to discourage unwanted raccoon feeding in your yard.

The Natural Diet of Raccoons

Omnivorous Opportunists

Raccoons are extremely adaptable omnivores, meaning they eat both plant and animal matter. They have very varied diets that allow them to take advantage of many readily available food sources. Raccoons are true opportunistic eaters that consume almost anything they can get their little hands on.

Although raccoons prefer eating meat, they consume a wide variety of fruits and vegetables too. Common foods in a raccoon’s diet include insects, rodents, frogs, fish, eggs, grains, nuts, fruit, seeds, and human trash or pet food.

Their flexible diets allow them to thrive in urban and rural environments.

Foraging Behaviors

Raccoons employ some clever foraging tactics to locate food. They have very dexterous front paws that they often douse with water and rub together to heighten their sense of touch. This allows them to expertly manipulate objects and identify food items.

In the wild, raccoons forage for food both day and night. Urban raccoons have adapted to being more nocturnal to avoid contact with humans. They search garbage cans, compost piles, gardens, sheds, attics, and other areas near human homes for anything edible.

Seasonal Variations

A raccoon’s diet changes based on food availability and seasons. In spring and summer when fruit and vegetables are abundant, over 50% of their diet may consist of plant material. They feast on berries, nuts, acorns, corn, and other readily available plant foods.

In fall and winter when plant food sources are more scarce, raccoons eat more meat and fish they catch, carrion from dead animals, eggs, grains, and food from human sources. Their winter diet may consist of up to 90% animal matter.

Spring/Summer Diet Fall/Winter Diet
50%+ Plant Matter Up to 90% Animal Matter
Fruit, Nuts, Seeds Rodents, Fish, Carrion
Berries, Corn, Gardens Eggs, Grains

To learn more, check out this Animal Planet article on raccoons’ diets.

Why Raccoons Are Drawn to Human Food Sources

Raccoons are highly intelligent and adaptable animals that have learned to take advantage of readily available human food sources. There are several key reasons why these mesopredators are so strongly attracted to areas of human habitation and waste.

Easy Calories

Foraging through human trash and leftovers provides raccoons with an abundant supply of calories compared to scavenging in the wild. Accessing scraps from trash cans, compost piles, and outdoor pet food bowls is much less work than hunting prey or foraging natural foods.

Urban zones also allow raccoons to save energy as they often den inside roofs and attics, unlike their rural counterparts who must expend more effort creating dens in trees or underground burrows. With convenient shelter and so many calories within paw’s reach, suburban areas with careless trash habits can become a veritable raccoon paradise.

Lack of Natural Food

In addition to easy access to human foods, urban sprawl and development have decreased natural habitats and food sources available to raccoons. As uncultivated green spaces and woodlands disappear, there are fewer opportunities to forage native foods like insects, plants, frogs, bird eggs, and other prey.

Raccoons’ historical territories once contained up to 50% more vegetation and water resources. The invasive mesopredators have adapted by shifting more efforts towards taking advantage of human dwellings and refuse.

Sense of Smell

A raccoon’s keen sense of smell, up to 40 times more powerful than a human’s, allows them to adeptly locate any discarded food waste carelessly left accessible. They can pick up scents from over a quarter mile away on the ground and even farther when elevated.

This impressive olfactory prowess gives them an edge when seeking out trash bins and other smelly waste receptacles that humans may not even realize contain tempting leftovers. Raccoons’ nimble paws then allow them to unzip bags, pop lids, and access the morsels within.

Are Bananas Healthy or Harmful for Raccoons?

Bananas as an Energy Source

Bananas can provide raccoons with a quick source of energy from the natural sugars they contain. The simple carbohydrates in bananas are easily digested and absorbed, leading to a rapid rise in blood glucose levels.

This can give raccoons an energy boost and help sustain their high metabolism (Gilardi et al., 1999). One medium banana contains about 30 grams of carbs and 110 calories, making it similar to other fruits in calorie density.

However, the glycemic index, a measure of how quickly blood sugar rises after eating a food, is higher for bananas than most other fruits due to their starchier consistency (Atkinson et al., 2008). In moderation, bananas’ fast-acting carbs can benefit active wildlife like raccoons without drastically spiking blood sugar.

Risks of Unnatural Sugars and Starches

Although bananas contain natural sugars, they are still high in simple carbohydrates compared to the diverse foraging diet raccoons thrive on in the wild. Overconsumption of bananas could promote unhealthy weight gain, insulin resistance, and tooth decay in raccoons over time (Stulnig et al., 2002).

The starch content may also lead to digestive issues if raccoons eat large quantities. According to wildlife rehabilitators, bananas should only make up a small portion of a balanced diet for captive raccoons, with foods like meat, eggs, insects, nuts, and other fruits rounding things out (Brinkman, 2017).

Focusing too heavily on bananas or other sugary foods can train raccoons to seek these options over more natural foraging. In urban areas with access to trash, bananas may contribute to raccoons becoming conditioned to inappropriate food sources.

Potential for Spreading Disease

One risk with all human food is the potential for spreading infectious diseases if tainted items make their way into wildlife populations. For example, researchers found nearly half of raccoons sampled across Florida carried Baylisascaris procyonis, a roundworm prevalent in raccoons that can cause neurological issues if transmitted to other species (Kazacos et al., 2013).

Improperly composted food scraps containing raccoon feces could spread the parasite to new areas if raccoons consume contaminated waste. However, the overall risk is low, as most urban raccoons likely already harbor common raccoon pathogens.

Properly composting food waste before feeding wildlife can reduce risks. Nonetheless, moderation is recommended when offering any human foods to raccoons.

How to Deter Raccoons from Eating Bananas in Your Yard

Remove Food Attractors

The most effective way to deter raccoons from eating bananas in your yard is to remove any possible food sources that may be attracting them in the first place. This includes keeping your yard and gardens free of pet food, fallen fruit, accessible compost, garbage, and any other edible scraps.

Raccoons have a very keen sense of smell and will scout out your property if they catch a whiff of anything tasty.

Be sure to pick up any ripe or rotting fruit from fruit trees and the ground. Bunches of bananas should be covered or picked before they ripen on the tree. Compost bins should have secure, latched lids, and any fallen compost should be promptly cleaned up.

Ask neighbors to follow similar practices, as raccoons have large territories and will travel far for a free meal.

With no food attractants available, raccoons are less likely to frequent your yard and discover your banana trees in the first place.

Secure Trash and Compost

Like removing food attractants, keeping trash and compost locked up denies raccoons access to potential food sources. This is important because raccoons that begin frequenting your property for one particular food item will likely discover others.

Raccoons are very dexterous and intelligent and can easily open unsecured bins and lids.

All trash containers should have tight fitting lids. Trash should be put at the curb the morning of collection, not the night before. Compost bins should have secure lids that fasten from the outside. Rotating locking compost tumblers or bins are a great option.

Make sure compost lids are raccoon-proof, since they are strong enough to lift or tear off weaker lids.

Use Repellents

There are a number of commercial animal repellents available that may deter raccoons. These contain various combinations of ingredients like predator urine (coyote, fox), dried blood, spices, capsaicin, garlic, etc.

Repellents are typically applied by sprinkling the powder or granules around the area you wish to protect. Some also come as ready-to-use liquid sprays.

Movement activated sprinklers can also be effective at scaring off raccoons in the moment. The sudden spray of water startles them, and they’ll associate that area with an unpleasant surprise. That said, their persistence in obtaining food often outweighs their wariness, so repellents should be used heavily and reapplied frequently.

Install Barriers

Physical barriers are the most effective options for deterring raccoons from accessing bananas and other fruit trees. Sheet metal guards wrapped around the trunks of trees prevent raccoons from being able to climb them.

Make sure the metal extends at least 2 feet from the ground and is secured top and bottom.

For keeping raccoons out of gardens, a fence needs to be at least 3 feet tall with a 6-inch L-shaped mesh secured to the top pointing outward to prevent raccoons from climbing over. Electric fencing or wire mesh buried a few inches underground can also prevent access by digging underneath.

Trapping and relocating raccoons is generally not an effective solution, as they have excellent memories and navigation skills. They will likely find their way right back to a familiar food source. Plus, relocation can spread diseases and upset local ecosystems.

The most humane and effective solution is to control the food sources attracting raccoons to your yard and block their access points.

When Raccoon Feeding May Be Appropriate

Rehab and Rescue Situations

There are certain situations where feeding raccoons may be necessary, such as when caring for injured or orphaned animals in wildlife rehabilitation centers. In these cases, licensed rehabilitators provide food and care with the goal of eventually releasing the raccoons back into the wild (The Humane Society).

Care is taken to avoid having the raccoons imprint or become too habituated to humans.

Rescue centers may also take in abandoned baby raccoons, called kits, that require bottle feeding and gradual introduction to solid foods like fruits. Veterinarians and rehabilitators are able to advise on proper diet, nutrition, and portions for juvenile raccoons in temporary human care.

The ultimate goal is helping them learn skills to survive in nature.

Supplemental Winter Feeding

In cold northern climates, responsible homeowners may leave out small amounts of food during the winter to provide supplemental support for wild raccoons (The Humane Society). High-quality foods like unshelled nuts, seeds, corn, and fruits can be provided in moderation when natural food sources are scarce.

However, feeding should never replace self-foraging behaviors.

Winter feeding may help counter starvation and exposure risks for raccoons facing extreme weather conditions or shortages of their typical prey. Supporters point to the survival benefits it offers to vulnerable yearlings and mothers needing nutrition for winter births.

Critics argue it risks creating dependency and unnaturally high populations the environment cannot itself sustain.

If undertaking winter feeding, use extreme care, monitor for aggressive behavior, and adjust volumes to supplement natural food sources rather than replacing them. Work to transition animals back to self-foraging as early spring approaches.

Conclusion

Raccoons are fascinatingly adaptive creatures that will eat just about anything to survive, including human foods like bananas. While bananas won’t seriously harm healthy raccoons, letting them become habituated to eating unnatural human foods can encourage nuisance behavior and spread disease.

With some simple prevention measures, you can enjoy watching wildlife from a distance, without supporting bad habits. Remove food attractors, secure waste and compost, install physical deterrents, and never purposefully feed wild raccoons.

If we avoid conditioning raccoons to rely on us for food, we can happily coexist together in our shared habitats.

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