Do Raccoons Wash Their Own Food?

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It often looks like raccoons are washing their food, especially seeing as they have food in their hands and repeatedly dunk it under the water in a washing motion. Believe it or not, this practice isn't considered to be washing by experts, but instead a form of sensory finding-out. It’s a way for the raccoon to have its finger permanently on the pulse, even when something else (such as food) is taking up their attention.



It's that dangerous out there in the wild that animals must keep their eyes open at all times.

If you take a peek at a raccoon that is nowhere near water, the animal would perform many of the same actions. That's why experts do not think that the animal is washing food at all. There are very sensitive pads on the raccoon’s paws, and these, when the animal feels around, help it to work out what is going on. The water is said to help their paws feel and sense more, so it just makes sense that they would dunk their paws and have a good feel around as they eat.

To be honest, most wild animals are rather dirty creatures, and they’re usually not that bothered about how clean they are, or how clean their food is either. Raccoons and other scavengers will happily eat something that has been killed in the road by a passing car. They really aren't that bothered about washing their food. The act is more of feeling-around for something, usually more food, than it is an act of cleanliness.

Go back to the Raccoon Removal page, or learn tips to do it yourself with my How to Get Rid of Raccoons guide.

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