Wild animal sightings have become very common in suburban areas, depending on where you live, seeing wild animals out and about can be a regular occurrence.

There are a variety of common backyard critters that live among us, these animals can become real nuisances to people. Thankfully, some backyard critters prey on others. So, do raccoons eat groundhogs? This article looks into it. 

Raccoons do not eat groundhogs, raccoons and groundhogs aren’t up at the same time so they likely won’t run into each other, groundhogs are also much larger than the small animals that raccoons usually eat.

Do raccoons eat groundhogs?

Raccoons have a taste for almost anything, they are omnivores so they are able to eat both plant and animal matter. Their taste for almost anything has earned them the title of being opportunistic feeders. They will eat almost anything put in front of them. 

Raccoons eat a variety of meats, meats commonly eaten by raccoons include fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and poultry. They likely will not eat groundhogs. Reasons why they don’t eat them inlude:

They’re difficult to catch:

Groundhogs aren’t the easiest animals to catch. These animals are able to climb, swim and crawl into their burrows to seek safety if they are being stalked. Only predators higher on the food chain will kill end eat them. 

They have different sleep schedules:

Another reason why raccoons will not hunt and prey on groundhogs is that they are not up at the same time. Groundhogs are up and active during daylight hours, they usually look for and eat food in the morning.

Raccoons, on the other hand, are up at night, they are nocturnal animals. By the time raccoons are up, groundhogs are asleep hiding in their burrows 

They take too much energy to catch:

Hunting groundhogs takes up a lot of energy, too much energy for raccoons. These animals would rather find food in the form of smaller and easier-to-catch meats. They also prefer to eat plant matter because plant matter does not have to be stalked and caught. 

They’re too large:

Groundhogs are also larger than many of the small animals that raccoons eat, hunting and catching a groundhog is just too much work for a raccoon. They prefer smaller animals because they can easily be overpowered

There are a variety of other foods that raccoons can’t eat. This article is a more in-depth look at what raccoons can’t eat

Do raccoons use groundhog holes? 

Groundhogs don’t fill their burrows up after being used, these burrows will exist for many years after the groundhog has used them.

Raccoons and other animals, like skunks and opossums, may become secondary users and use these burrows after the groundhog. Skunks especially like these burrows because they don’t have to dig them themselves 

Are groundhogs good for anything? 

All animals play a role in the food chain, groundhogs included. They act as consumers of a variety of plants and animals. Plants and animals that groundhogs eat include snails, grubs, and other insects, as well as the occasional baby bird, but groundhogs are mainly vegetarian.

These animals are also a source of food for other animals like domestic dogs, foxes, coyotes, and humans 

Baby groundhogs, who aren’t as well versed on how to escape, will fall prey to raptors like hawks, and owls. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, no, raccoons do not eat groundhogs.

Groundhogs are quite big compared to the animals that raccoons typically eat. Hunting and catching groundhogs seems like too much work for raccoons.

Animals that do hunt, kill and eat groundhogs are domestic dogs, foxes, coyotes, and humans 

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 geese?, Do raccoons eat grasshoppers?, Do raccoons eat green tomatoes?, Do raccoons eat geraniums?