Trees are used and needed by all types of animals to survive, they provide food for animals in the wild, they provide shelter for other animals and they create the oxygen that all animals need to breathe.

You may see raccoons up in your trees at night and may be asking. Why do raccoons climb trees at night? This article looks into it. 

It is normal for raccoons to climb trees at night. These animals are active at night and will look for food in trees at night as well as escape predators by climbing up trees at night 

Why do raccoons climb trees at night?

Raccoons are nocturnal animals, this means that they are asleep during the day and are active at night.

If you’ve looked out in your garden and seen raccoons going up and down trees at night or if you’ve been in the wild and noticed raccoons moving up and down trees you may wonder why they do this. Here are reasons why: 

To look for bird eggs: 

Raccoons eat anything, bird eggs included. These animals are up at night looking for food.

If they notice that a birds nest is unattended and that the eggs are ripe for the picking, with no parent birds watching over them, a raccoon will make its way up to the nest and pluck an egg from the nest 

To be active: 

Raccoons are very playful and curious. They like to play around with each other and they are very curious about the world around them.

If raccoons are kept as pets they will be destructive in the house going up and down, they will climb up trees at night in the wild. These animals are full of energy and use it at night 

To get back to their den: 

If you notice raccoons climbing trees towards the end of the night, towards dawn, then the animal is likely going back to its den.

Raccoons are active at night and will retreat back to their dens at the end of the night to sleep. Hollows of trees are one of the many places that raccoons go to sleep 

Here are more places where raccoons sleep

To escape predators: 

Not all predators can climb or jump up trees. Raccoons are great climbers. These mammals will climb up trees in order to escape predators. This is one of the only ways that raccoons can escape predators and it is quite an efficient way to keep themselves safe. 

To eat from the tree

Not only do raccoons climb up trees to find bird eggs to eat, but they also climb up trees in order to find other foods to eat. Other foods that raccoons can eat from trees include fruits and nuts.

Raccoons eat a variety of foods, other foods that raccoons eat are listed in this article. 

How high up on trees can raccoons climb? 

Raccoons are amazing climbers, these animals can scale a two-story building with ease and have no problem climbing a tree to the very top.

There have been sightings of raccoons climbing buildings of over 20 floors. These animals can scale trees that are longer than 30 feet.

All a raccoon needs to climb is to use its sharp claws to dig into trees and secure itself as it climbs. 

How to stop raccoons from climbing trees? 

Use porcupine wire: 

Porcupine wire can be used to keep raccoons from climbing up your trees. Do this by applying the wire at the base of the trunk of your tree. Raccoons have very sensitive hands, they will keep away from your tree if it is surrounded by this wire 

Add spices to the base of the tree: 

Raccoons have a great sense of smell, these animals are deterred by spices. Spices irritate their nose and if they step in some spice, and then eat something afterward, the spices will irritate their mouths. Thus, they know to stay away from spices.

You can sprinkle some cayenne pepper at the base of the trunk of your tree to keep raccoons away. 

Use garlic on the tree: 

Garlic is a strong smell to both raccoons and humans. If you can stand your tree smelling like garlic then you can use this to keep raccoons away.

Garlic cloves, garlic powder, or garlic juice can be sprayed on your trees or placed at the base of trees to keep these animals away. 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, because raccoons are nocturnal creatures, they will be active during the night and asleep during the day.

They have many uses for trees, raccoons will climb trees at night looking for food, to get away from predators, as a way to play, and to get back to their dens before dawn.

You can keep these animals away from your trees by using porcupine wire, garlic, or spices at the bottom of your trees.  

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: Why Do Male Raccoons Eat Their Babies?, Can You Smoke Out A Raccoon In Attic? , What are raccoons good for , What time do raccoons eat?