{"id":188284,"date":"2022-07-18T11:13:50","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T11:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/"},"modified":"2022-07-18T11:13:50","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T11:13:50","slug":"do-racoons-wash-their-foods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/","title":{"rendered":"Do racoons wash their foods?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy counter-decimal ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"display: none;\"><i class=\"ez-toc-glyphicon ez-toc-icon-toggle\"><\/i><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_racoons_wash_their_foods\" title=\"Do racoons wash their foods?\">Do racoons wash their foods?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_raccoons_wash_their_hands_before_eating\" title=\"Do raccoons wash their hands before eating?\">Do raccoons wash their hands before eating?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_raccoons_wash_their_food\" title=\"Why do raccoons wash their food?\">Why do raccoons wash their food?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_raccoons_wash_before_eating\" title=\"Do raccoons wash before eating?\">Do raccoons wash before eating?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_raccoons_wash_their_hands_and_food\" title=\"Why do raccoons wash their hands and food?\">Why do raccoons wash their hands and food?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#What_does_a_raccoons_do_before_eating_its_food\" title=\"What does a raccoons do before eating its food?\">What does a raccoons do before eating its food?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_raccoons_put_their_hands_in_water\" title=\"Why do raccoons put their hands in water?\">Why do raccoons put their hands in water?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#What_animal_washes_its_food_before_eating\" title=\"What animal washes its food before eating?\">What animal washes its food before eating?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_raccoons_clean_their_food_before_they_eat_it\" title=\"Do raccoons clean their food before they eat it?\">Do raccoons clean their food before they eat it?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_racoons_wash\" title=\"Why do racoons wash?\">Why do racoons wash?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_raccoons_wash_their_food_before_eating\" title=\"Do raccoons wash their food before eating?\">Do raccoons wash their food before eating?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#What_does_a_racoon_do_before_eating_its_food\" title=\"What does a racoon do before eating its food?\">What does a racoon do before eating its food?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_racoons_wash\" title=\"Do racoons wash?\">Do racoons wash?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#What_animals_wash_before_eating\" title=\"What animals wash before eating?\">What animals wash before eating?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_raccoons_wash_their_hands\" title=\"Why do raccoons wash their hands?\">Why do raccoons wash their hands?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_raccoons_dip_their_hands_in_water\" title=\"Why do raccoons dip their hands in water?\">Why do raccoons dip their hands in water?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_raccoons_clean_their_food_before_eating_it\" title=\"Do raccoons clean their food before eating it?\">Do raccoons clean their food before eating it?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#How_do_raccoons_get_their_food\" title=\"How do raccoons get their food?\">How do raccoons get their food?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_raccoons_put_their_hands_together\" title=\"Why do raccoons put their hands together?\">Why do raccoons put their hands together?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Are_raccoons_hands_sensitive\" title=\"Are raccoons hands sensitive?\">Are raccoons hands sensitive?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_racoons_like_to_get_wet\" title=\"Do racoons like to get wet?\">Do racoons like to get wet?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_raccoons_wash_their_food_before_eating\" title=\"Why do raccoons wash their food before eating?\">Why do raccoons wash their food before eating?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_raccoons_wash_their_food_before_eating_it\" title=\"Do raccoons wash their food before eating it?\">Do raccoons wash their food before eating it?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Why_do_raccoons_wash\" title=\"Why do raccoons wash?\">Why do raccoons wash?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-25\" href=\"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/do-racoons-wash-their-foods\/#Do_boars_wash_their_food\" title=\"Do boars wash their food?\">Do boars wash their food?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_racoons_wash_their_foods\"><\/span>Do racoons wash their foods?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Raccoons are famous for their tendency to wash their food, but <b>they&#8217;re not washing anything at all! Raccoons aren&#8217;t exactly the most hygienic animals; they&#8217;ll often dip their food into the same body of water they use as a latrine (communal toilet).<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_raccoons_wash_their_hands_before_eating\"><\/span>Do raccoons wash their hands before eating?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>They don&#8217;t. But there is one kind of furry mammals called racoons, which wash their food before eating. And it has been noticed that racoons refuse to eat if they cannot find water around. Even if they do, they don&#8217;t look too happy about it.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_raccoons_wash_their_food\"><\/span>Why do raccoons wash their food?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Raccoons wet their food <b>to gather more sensory information. Moistening the food helps raccoons further understand what they are eating. Unlike humans, who can rely on their eyesight, raccoons depend on their touch to gather the majority of their information.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_raccoons_wash_before_eating\"><\/span>Do raccoons wash before eating?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The short answer is <b>no. The longer, and more interesting, answer is raccoons spend a lot of time around water, where they search for food by probing the nooks and crannies among the pebbles and debris on the stream, river or lake.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_raccoons_wash_their_hands_and_food\"><\/span>Why do raccoons wash their hands and food?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Raccoons wet their food <b>to gather more sensory information. Moistening the food helps raccoons further understand what they are eating. Unlike humans, who can rely on their eyesight, raccoons depend on their touch to gather the majority of their information.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_a_raccoons_do_before_eating_its_food\"><\/span>What does a raccoons do before eating its food?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Raccoons use water in a manner similar to humans&#8217; use of light to enhance vision. <b>Water enhances the tactile nerve responsiveness allowing the raccoon to glean more information about the food. It does this by increasing the receptiveness of the nerve endings that are located in the raccoon&#8217;s paw.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_raccoons_put_their_hands_in_water\"><\/span>Why do raccoons put their hands in water?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When a raccoon dips its hands into water, <b>it can feel with perfect acuity. A raccoon will explore its food, memorizing and savoring its texture to learn about it and to be better able to identify and search for it in the future. Washing food, though certainly common, isn&#8217;t as universal as you might think.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_animal_washes_its_food_before_eating\"><\/span>What animal washes its food before eating?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cleaning Up Pigs aren&#8217;t the only animals that dunk or manipulate their food in water before eating it. <b>Raccoons, birds, and primates all do so. But not all these animals are truly washing their food. Some bird species simply moisten their food to make swallowing easier.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_raccoons_clean_their_food_before_they_eat_it\"><\/span>Do raccoons clean their food before they eat it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The short answer is <b>no. The longer, and more interesting, answer is raccoons spend a lot of time around water, where they search for food by probing the nooks and crannies among the pebbles and debris on the stream, river or lake.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_racoons_wash\"><\/span>Why do racoons wash?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Raccoons use water in a manner similar to humans&#8217; use of light <b>to enhance vision. Water enhances the tactile nerve responsiveness allowing the raccoon to glean more information about the food. It does this by increasing the receptiveness of the nerve endings that are located in the raccoon&#8217;s paw.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_raccoons_wash_their_food_before_eating\"><\/span>Do raccoons wash their food before eating?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Raccoons wet their food to gather more sensory information. Moistening the food helps raccoons further understand what they are eating. Unlike humans, who can rely on their eyesight, raccoons depend on their touch to gather the majority of their information.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_does_a_racoon_do_before_eating_its_food\"><\/span>What does a racoon do before eating its food?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Raccoons use water in a manner similar to humans&#8217; use of light to enhance vision. <b>Water enhances the tactile nerve responsiveness allowing the raccoon to glean more information about the food. It does this by increasing the receptiveness of the nerve endings that are located in the raccoon&#8217;s paw.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_racoons_wash\"><\/span>Do racoons wash?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Raccoons are famous for their tendency to wash their food, but <b>they&#8217;re not washing anything at all! Raccoons aren&#8217;t exactly the most hygienic animals; they&#8217;ll often dip their food into the same body of water they use as a latrine (communal toilet). Ick!<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_animals_wash_before_eating\"><\/span>What animals wash before eating?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cleaning Up Pigs aren&#8217;t the only animals that dunk or manipulate their food in water before eating it. <b>Raccoons, birds, and primates all do so. But not all these animals are truly washing their food. Some bird species simply moisten their food to make swallowing easier.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_raccoons_wash_their_hands\"><\/span>Why do raccoons wash their hands?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The short answer is <b>no. The longer, and more interesting, answer is raccoons spend a lot of time around water, where they search for food by probing the nooks and crannies among the pebbles and debris on the stream, river or lake.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_raccoons_dip_their_hands_in_water\"><\/span>Why do raccoons dip their hands in water?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When a raccoon dips its hands into water, <b>it can feel with perfect acuity. A raccoon will explore its food, memorizing and savoring its texture to learn about it and to be better able to identify and search for it in the future. Washing food, though certainly common, isn&#8217;t as universal as you might think.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_raccoons_clean_their_food_before_eating_it\"><\/span>Do raccoons clean their food before eating it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The short answer is <b>no. The longer, and more interesting, answer is raccoons spend a lot of time around water, where they search for food by probing the nooks and crannies among the pebbles and debris on the stream, river or lake.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_raccoons_get_their_food\"><\/span>How do raccoons get their food?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Cleaning Up Pigs aren&#8217;t the only animals that dunk or manipulate their food in water before eating it. <b>Raccoons, birds, and primates all do so. But not all these animals are truly washing their food. Some bird species simply moisten their food to make swallowing easier.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_raccoons_put_their_hands_together\"><\/span>Why do raccoons put their hands together?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When a raccoon dips its hands into water, <b>it can feel with perfect acuity. A raccoon will explore its food, memorizing and savoring its texture to learn about it and to be better able to identify and search for it in the future. Washing food, though certainly common, isn&#8217;t as universal as you might think.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_raccoons_hands_sensitive\"><\/span>Are raccoons hands sensitive?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Furthermore, although not very common, it is said that when raccoons are spotted in urban environments, they might rub their hands together as <b>to signal a particular need  most likely the need for food, as they hold their prey between their paws.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_racoons_like_to_get_wet\"><\/span>Do racoons like to get wet?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Raccoons have remarkably sensitive hands, with five long, tapered fingers and long nails. They lack thumbs, so can&#8217;t grasp objects with one hand the way we can, but they use both forepaws together to lift and then acutely manipulate objects.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_raccoons_wash_their_food_before_eating\"><\/span>Why do raccoons wash their food before eating?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When they wet a piece of food it <b>allows them to more accurately identify it. By just touching an item a raccoon extracts almost two-thirds of its sensory data. Raccoons use water in a manner similar to humans&#8217; use of light to enhance vision.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_raccoons_wash_their_food_before_eating_it\"><\/span>Do raccoons wash their food before eating it?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The short answer is <b>no. The longer, and more interesting, answer is raccoons spend a lot of time around water, where they search for food by probing the nooks and crannies among the pebbles and debris on the stream, river or lake.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_do_raccoons_wash\"><\/span>Why do raccoons wash?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Though it isn&#8217;t entirely clear, <b>one of the most prevalent theories about raccoons&#8217; food-washing behaviours has to do with their sensitive paws. Scientists think that they can gather more information about what they are eating because when they hold wet food, it excites the nerve endings in their paws.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_boars_wash_their_food\"><\/span>Do boars wash their food?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Not eating like a pig: <b>European wild boar wash their food Carrying food to water and either dunking or manipulating it before consumption has been observed in various taxa including birds, racoons and primates. Some animals seem to be simply moistening their food.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Do racoons wash their foods?Do raccoons wash their hands before eating?Why do raccoons wash their food?Do raccoons wash before eating?Why do raccoons wash their hands and food?What does a raccoons do before eating its food?Why do raccoons put their hands in water?What animal washes its food before eating?Do raccoons clean their food&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[622],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-188284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pet-care"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188284"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188284\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animalshelterz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}