Grapes are enjoyed by a variety of animals, not just humans. This food is easy to eat and is a sweet and delicious treat for many. Animals that enjoy grapes will go as far as raiding your garden in search of this food.

If you want to eat the fruits of your labor, and don’t want them to be lost to animals, you’ll need to know which animal to protect your grapes from. So, do raccoons eat grapes? This article looks into it 

Raccoons do eat grapes, grapes are a sweet, easy to access, and nutrient-rich food that raccoons will readily eat. Vitamins and minerals present in grapes include antioxidants, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin K, copper, potassium, manganese, and calcium   

Do raccoons eat grapes?

If a food exists, then raccoons will likely be able to eat it. These animals eat both plant and animal matter, they are omnivores. They can eat almost anything, these animals are opportunistic feeders. Though the bulk of their diet is plant matter 

Raccoons enjoy sweet foods, they eat a variety of fruits in the wild and also enjoy eating sweet foods while living in suburban areas. Fruits that raccoons enjoy include cherries, mulberries, plums, apples, peaches, and grapes  

Why raccoons love eating grapes:

Not only do raccoons enjoy the sweet taste of grapes, but they also enjoy that grapes are easy to find and convenient to eat as well.

If a raccoon wants to eat grapes in a suburban area, it simply needs to find a garden growing this fruit, sneak in at night (when they are out and about) grab some grapes, and leave. A similar process happens in the wild.

Finding grapes does not require the raccoon to exert a lot of energy. This process is relatively easy unlike hunting for live prey which needs to be chased and killed. Finding grapes is preferred as this process conserves energy which raccoons like 

Grapes have a juicy texture, this makes them enjoyable to raccoons. They also give raccoons a burst of energy after being eaten.

This fruit also delivers a variety of vitamins and minerals to raccoons namely: antioxidants, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin K, copper, potassium, manganese, and calcium 

These animals are able to eat a variety of other foods as well. This article looks more into what raccoons eat

How do you keep raccoons from eating grapes? 

Lights:

Raccoons are nocturnal animals, their eyes are used to being used in the dark and they aren’t fond of bright lights.

You can use this to your advantage by installing motion-activated lights around your grapevines.

When raccoons come close to the grapes, the lights will turn on and scare the animals away 

Citrus:

Raccoons may enjoy fruits but they do not like citrus fruits, in fact, they are repelled by all citrus fruits.

Use this to your advantage by leaving citrus peels or using orange essential oils around your grape trees. Raccoons will avoid the area 

Noise:

These animals aren’t fans of loud obnoxious noises, they will avoid areas with loud or obnoxious noises. Keep them away by placing a small radio on your grapevines, leave the radio on all night if you can.

Do not leave the radio on all day and night because raccoons can get used to it 

Electric fence:

You can install an electric fence to keep these animals out. You can install the fence around your property or only around your grapevines. 

Live traps:

If one or two raccoons are frequenting your grapevines you can trap them and release them. Using bait like commercial sweet baits, chicken, fish, or pet food will lure them in.

Once trapped, release them five or ten miles from your property. Note: Check with your local laws around raccoon trapping 

What animals eat grapes? 

Raccoons aren’t the only grape loving animals, a variety of animals and insects enjoy grapes too. Animals and insects that eat grapes include:

Birds: Catbirds, bluebirds, woodpeckers, tanagers, mockingbirds, robins and waxwings are some birds that eat grapes 

Mammals: Mammals like squirrels, deer, rabbits, and possums eat grapes 

Insects: Insects like grape flea beetles, climbing cutworms, grape leafhoppers, grape berry moths, yellowjackets, multicolored Asian lady beetles, and grape phylloxera insects eat grapes 

Conclusion

In conclusion, yes raccoons eat grapes, raccoons love grapes. Grapes are a favorite food of raccoons not only because they are sweet and juicy but because they are easy to access 

If you want to keep raccoons away from grapes you can leave citrus peels or citrus essential oil around the grapes, install a fence, leave a radio on around your grapevines at night, install motion-activated lights around the grapes, or trap and release the raccoon 

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other raccoon related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Do raccoons eat jalapeños?, Do raccoons eat hummingbird food?, Do raccoons eat humans?, Do raccoons eat chicken heads?,