Raccoons are curious and intelligent creatures that explore their environments looking for food. This can sometimes lead them to investigate hummingbird feeders in search of a tasty treat. So do raccoons actually get into hummingbird feeders to drink the sugary nectar? Let’s take a closer look at raccoon behavior and hummingbird feeder design to find out.
Raccoon Behavior Around Feeders
Raccoons are omnivores and opportunistic eaters that consume a wide variety of foods. This includes insects, rodents, eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and even trash or pet food left outdoors. Raccoons are known to investigate any potential food source they come across in their territory.
Hummingbird feeders can catch a raccoon’s attention because of the smell of the sweet liquid inside. The sugar water or nectar used in hummingbird feeders has an appealing scent and flavor to raccoons. They have a great sense of smell and can detect possible food sources from far away.
Raccoons are also excellent climbers and quite dexterous. They can climb trees, fences, poles, and other structures with ease to reach food, including bird feeders. Raccoons have nimble paws that are adept at manipulating and opening containers to get to the contents inside.
In addition, raccoons are nocturnal and do much of their foraging at night when hummingbirds are not active at the feeders. This provides the opportunity for raccoons to investigate feeders uninterrupted under the cover of darkness.
For these reasons, it’s common for raccoons to approach hummingbird feeders and attempt to get the sugary nectar inside if access is possible.
Raccoon Access to Feeders
Whether or not a raccoon can actually access the nectar in a hummingbird feeder depends largely on the feeder’s design and placement:
- Feeder height – Feeders hung very high on a suspended cable, pole, or tree branch are harder for raccoons to get to.
- Feeder construction – Sturdy plastic or glass feeders with sealed compartments are more difficult for raccoons to break into compared to more flimsy plastic bottles.
- Feeder openings – Smaller feeder holes sized for hummingbird beaks prevent raccoon access. Some feeders have “raccoon-proof” portals that shut when heavy animals try to get nectar.
- Feeder placement – Locating feeders farther away from tree limbs, fences, and other climbing aids can deter raccoons.
- Nectar volume – Keeping feeders only partially full with minimal nectar reduces motivation.
Raccoons are clever when it comes to obtaining food, so if a hummingbird feeder is easily within reach and lacks deterrents, they will likely figure out a way to drink the nectar inside. But a properly designed feeder set up with hummingbird access in mind can make this much more difficult for raccoons.
Raccoon Damage to Feeders
Even if raccoons cannot get into a hummingbird feeder, they may still cause damage in their efforts to reach the nectar. It’s common for raccoons to knock over, chew through, or scratch feeders even if their attempts to directly access the nectar are unsuccessful.
Possible types of raccoon damage to hummingbird feeders include:
- Knocking feeders down from poles or hanging cables
- Breaking plastic feeding ports or bottles
- Bending feeder hooks out of shape
- Chewing holes through nectar container
- Puncturing the base to drain nectar
- Scratching and damaging feeder surfaces
This kind of damage can make leaking, lost nectar, and costly feeder repairs a consequence of raccoon interest even if they never directly consume the liquid contents.
Preventing Raccoon Access
Here are some tips to deter raccoons and prevent them from accessing or damaging hummingbird feeders:
- Use feeders with weight-sensitive closing mechanisms or tiny access ports only hummingbirds can use.
- Hang feeders on high cables 10 feet or more above the ground with no overhanging tree branches.
- Install feeder poles in open areas away from climbing structures like trees, fences, and roofs.
- Keep feeder nectar levels low, especially at night when raccoons are most active.
- Bring feeders in overnight and hang them back out in the morning.
- Use deterrents like hot pepper spice, ammonia, or predator urine around feeders.
- Install motion activated lighting or sprinklers that scare away approaching wildlife.
- Set up night vision cameras to monitor feeder activity and identify problem raccoons.
Fortunately, a few simple precautions can usually prevent issues and allow hummingbirds and humans to enjoy feeders safely in raccoon-prone areas.
Conclusion
Raccoons are naturally attracted to the sweet nectar in hummingbird feeders, especially under cover of night. Whether or not they can actually access the liquid depends on feeder design, placement, and deterrents used. Even if they cannot drink the nectar, raccoons may still damage feeders in their efforts. But following some basic tips can typically keep hummingbird feeders safe from curious raccoons looking for an easy treat.
