Why do raccoons always wash there food before eating ?

I have ben watching thease critters eating for quite some time and every time thay roll there food in water, why?Why do raccoons always wash there food before eating ?
Raccoons sometimes dip their food in water, grasping it and rubbing it in a way that makes them look like they are ';washing'; their food. Do raccoons actually clean and wash their food? Studies have been performed to scientifically investigate this behavior. Characteristics of food items were considered such as size, texture, shape, and smell. Some of the food was even coated with sand. All experiments pointed to one conclusion, sometimes they place their food in water and sometimes they don't! But when they do place their food in water and make their ';washing'; motions, it has little to do with any of the factors mentioned above.





It is suggested by researchers that this ';washing'; behavior be called dousing, since raccoons may not ';wash'; their food, but they certainly dip it in water often enough (Lyall-Watson 1963). Why do raccoons sometimes douse their food? It has been suggested that they cannot salivate well and need to moisten the food. However, raccoons have since been shown to have normal salivary glands. It is thought that the dousing behavior is something that only occurs only when raccoons are held in captivity. Their normal foraging behavior, which sometimes includes searching stream banks and dabbling their hands in for food, is thought to become retarded when they are deprived of natural feeding conditions. While this is basically a theory and we may never really know why they douse their food, it does explain how the dousing often serves no real purpose. Sometimes they douse other things than food and to a ridiculous degree. One captive raccoon held at the London Zoo carried her new born to water and doused them so often she actually drowned them (Lyall-Watson 1963).Why do raccoons always wash there food before eating ?
idk- but its cute


i used to give mine a marshmellow and they wash it off-too cute
I searched your question, and it seems that raccoons don't actually wash their food. Although the real reason is unknown, scientists have hypothesized that it is done out of habit (innate behavior), and mimicking how they would behave in the wild.


In the wild, most of the prey they eat (such as frogs and fish) comes from streams and rivers. If they find food on land (in the wild), such as berries, they will eat it without dipping.





I hope this answers your question. Below are some websites you may like to visit if you want to find out more about raccoons.
Raccoons eat crustaceans, crayfish and the like that live or borrow in muddy riverbanks. When a raccoon catches food he rolls it in clear water to get rid of the mud. A raccoon catching a frog on dry land will not roll it in water. Nor does a raccoon getting into a garbage can bother to wash the food it eats. Cleanliness has nothing to do with this. Raccoons simply do not like eating mud.
To clean it, I would assume.
taste
They are clean?
They are not humans! (best answer ever!)
because they got it out of the garbage