i would take crisps out for starters add more fish , eggs, corn on cob, carrots -try them on different fruit and veg , make them work for their food , also a ready supply of water as some like to wash their food. - racoons are omnivore scavangers - as far as the portions i dont know if that is enough
I would cut out the sausage and ham as well and which parts of the chicken will you give and in which amounts. And it is impossible to assess as you leave out the quantities of most things, but my feeling is you might give too much meat and not enough veggies. Also I would make arrangements for weighing them regularly.
I think you really need to consult other zoos with regards to diets and husbandry instead of asking these questions on a site primarily composed of zoo enthusiasts with no practical experience. Some people on here are zoo people and some are private keepers of exotics. Most are neither. I'm pretty sure any reliable source will tell you items like crisps, ham, sausage and pate don't belong in the diet of zoo animals.
Where's the like button when you need it. Something to remember, a lot of the people handing out "advice" on here may be children with absolutely no experience.
He should have actually checked out this before getting the raccoons or any other animals and if I look at the level of questions I would even reconsider having animals as part of the business.
Although I agree this is a pretty poor place to get advice on things like nutrition, the diet plan is in need of redesign. This is the AZA care manual for procyonids, which I have been found to be very thorough in the past; give it a read, it should put you on the right track. Also have you considered talking to your local zoo? The larger facilities often have on-site nutritionists who should be able to give you a much better idea of diets and feeding plans. The animals come first, so don't hesitate to get professional help with their welfare. Good luck with it all.
Having worked with Raccoons in a UK zoo can I echo the sentiments of posters above and say please go and speak to some experienced keepers, as from this post and some of the others it does seem that you need a fair bit of help. I completely agree with the above comments that crisps and sausages for example really don't belong in any animals diet. It's many years since I worked with Raccoons so I can't give you the diet info you need, but it was mainly a commercial zoo feed. If you can't make contacts at a local zoo there are plenty of facebook groups for zookeepers-you will probably need to message the admin to get membership initially as they are usually closed groups but then you will find lots of people willing to share their expertise for the benefit of the animals. It may also be a good idea if you are planning on expanding your animal collection to seriously consider employing some experienced keepers that have the expertise you need.
Hello everyone. I totally understand everyone's comments and I fully understand that they need to be on a more strict and sensible diet. I am only reacting the diet they were fed previously to becoming my raccoons and I am trying my best to get advice on the right diet. That's why I'm asking on here for advice
