What do pet raccoon dogs eat?

Answer 1

Raccoon dogs are omnivores which feed on insects, mouse-like rodents, amphibians, birds, fish, reptiles, molluscs, carrion and insectivores. Among the rodents targeted by raccoon dogs,voles seem to predominate in swampy areas, but are replaced with gerbils in flatland areas such as Astrakhan. Frogs are the most commonly taken amphibians; in the Voronezh region, they frequently eat fire-bellied toads, while European spadefoot toads are usually taken in Ukraine. Raccoon dogs are able to eat toads which have toxic skin secretions by producing copious amounts of saliva to dilute the toxins.[9] They will prey on waterfowl, passerines and migrating birds. Grouse are commonly hunted in their introduced range, and many instances ofpheasant predation are recorded in the Ussuri territory. Raccoon dogs will eat beached fish and fish trapped in small water bodies. They rarely catch fish during the spawning season, but will eat many during the spring thaw. In their southern range, they eat young tortoises and their eggs. Insectivorous mammals hunted by raccoon dogs include shrews and hedgehogs and, on rare occasions, moles and desmans. In the Ussuri territory, large moles are their primary source of food. Plant food is highly variable, and includes bulbs, rhizomes, oats, millets, maize,nuts, fruits, berries, grapes, melons, watermelons, pumpkins and tomatoes.[2] In Japan, they have been observed to climb trees to forage for fruits and berries;[3][10] raccoon dogs use their curved claws to climb such trees.[11]

Raccoon dogs will modify their diets seasonally; in late autumn and winter, they feed mostly on rodents, carrion and faeces, while fruit, insects and amphibians predominate in spring. In summer, they eat fewer rodents, and mainly target nesting birds and fruits, grains and vegetables