Anyway, what raccoons do have is the same nerve groupings in their forepaws as primates, including humans. You see, raccoons don’t have the best vision, which is partly why you often see them tapping their paws on the ground rather than just looking right at stuff. Scientists used to think that’s because they were washing their food, but further study revealed that raccoons dunk things in water to make their paws more sensitive to touch. But that bowl was always filled with mud, sticks, and a bit of bird food or berries.Ĭurious, I looked it up and learned that raccoons often dunk their food in water before they eat it. The other, smaller bowl was mostly empty too. We noticed right away that, unlike squirrels, who behave like maniacs when they have to share food, the raccoons were very polite to each other, even go so far as to move out of the way so that somebody else could get closer to the good stuff.Īll of that snacking must have left the coons feeling parched because every morning, one of the two water bowls we leave out for thirsty critters was always empty. If you know how they think, you can get rid of them easier! Learn more about the raccoon’s diet and habits. Pretty soon a couple of them would scooch over to the bird feeders and start shoveling food into their mouths with both paws. Up the tree, they would go, and then they’d stare silently down at us for a while before getting bored - or maybe comfortable - with our wine-drinking and card playing or whatever. So when a family of raccoons started visiting our yard most nights this summer, we watched in wonder as they emerged from the sewer (Linden Hills’ sewers seem to be filled with raccoons) and trundled in a line down the path to the huge oak tree near our front door. This live-and-let-live mindset is plain old good karma to my husband, Mike, and me. So, no, I won’t tell you how to kill them.” But they’re cute and the outdoors belongs to them as much or more than it does to us. It’s just a few gopher holes and, no, I won’t tell you how to kill them.” Or, “Yes, squirrels and chipmunks do damage some plants and take bites out of tomatoes. Here is the thing: I love wildlife to the point where I know I drive some people mad when I’m all, “Oh, calm down. If not, now is your chance to RUN AWAY and read our article on how to grow perfect tomatoes. But that is what happened at our house this summer, and I want to tell you the story, partly because it’s disgusting and bizarre, but also because maybe you’re like me and you think it’s fun to learn interesting stuff about other living creatures. Yep, that’s right, they like to poop as a group, which is fine, I suppose, until the place they decide to call their toilet is already your front yard. Here’s a fact you might not know, and probably, actually, don’t want to know: raccoons like to defecate communally.
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