The raccoon is known as the masked bandit. They are known by this name not only because they appear to have a black mask on their faces but because they are known for stealing food out of our garbage.

Raccoons will eat almost any food offered to them. But how about peaches? Do raccoons eat peaches? This article looks into it

Raccoons do eat peaches, these animals love that peaches are sweet, juicy, and easy to pick. Peaches do not need to be chased like live prey does. Peaches offer raccoons a variety of vitamins and minerals namely vitamin C, iron, potassium, antioxidants, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin, copper, and fiber  

Do raccoons eat peaches?

Raccoons are omnivores, they eat both plant and animal matter. A raccoon’s teeth are sharp enough to tear into meats, these teeth also allow the animal to grind up plant matter.

These animals will eat birds, plants, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, vegetables, and fruits, peaches included

Benefits of raccoons eating peaches:

Not only can raccoons eat peaches, raccoons love them. Just like many humans and animals, raccoons enjoy sugar. Sugar tastes good to raccoons and gives them a boost of energy.

Because peaches are fruit, they will deliver healthy sugars to raccoons while also offering nutrients to the animals. 

Peaches offer raccoons good amounts of vitamins and minerals. These fruits are a good source of vitamin C, iron, potassium, antioxidants, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin, copper, and fiber. 

How raccoons find peaches:

Raccoons relish peaches just as humans do, these animals have no problem picking peaches either.

Raccoons are very resourceful animals, they are very clever and determined as well. If they notice that you’re growing peaches in your garden they will make their way into your yard and pick them using their human-like fingers.

These animals also enjoy eating peaches because, unlike live prey, peaches do not need to be chased and caught 

How do I keep raccoons away from my peach tree? 

You may need to implement a number of methods to keep raccoons away from your peach trees, here are a few methods that will keep these animals away from your trees:

Clean up your garden:

Raccoons will not only come into your garden looking to pick the peaches off of your peach tree, they will also come looking for fallen peaches. To combat this, pick up and throw away any fallen peaches in your garden 

Prune your trees:

It is easy for raccoons to access peaches on low-hanging branches. To keep this from happening, cut any low-hanging branches that raccoons can reach when they’re standing on their hind legs (branches that are 36 inches off of the ground). 

Bird netting:

If raccoons can still access your peaches then try using bird netting on your trees. Bird netting is helpful in keeping raccoons away from your trees, it’s helpful in keeping other animals from your trees as well 

Light:

Raccoons are nocturnal creatures. They are up at night and do not like bright lights. To keep raccoons away from your peach trees, simply leave a flashlight on around your tree or use motion-activated lights around your peach trees at night 

Sound:

Not only are raccoons not a fan of light, but they are also not fans of loud obnoxious noises. If you can, leave a small radio on or around your peach trees, raccoons will avoid the trees if you do so 

Fencing:

Creating a fence, that raccoons cannot climb over, around your peach trees, is also a great way to keep raccoons away from these trees.

A raccoon-proof fence needs to be 2 feet wide and needs to be positioned 4 feet above the base of the tree. This will ensure that raccoons cannot jump high enough to get past it 

Traps:

Trapping and releasing the raccoon is an effective way of keeping the animal from coming back to your yard. You can use a live raccoon trap to do this. After trapping, release the animal 10 to 20 miles from your home. 

Note: If you choose to use traps to get rid of raccoons remember to keep children and household pets away from the traps. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, yes raccoons can and do eat peaches. Raccoons love the sweet and juicy taste of peaches. Peaches are a great source of vitamins and minerals for raccoons.

These fruits are loved because of their taste and because they don’t need to be chased and caught like live prey does

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 other animals?, Do raccoons eat petunias?, Do raccoons eat peanuts?