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A raccoon dog is an individual of the canine or canine family, a predator. It belongs to the category of mammals. Omnivorous. Its closest relative is the fox, in connection with this it is widely known as the Ussuri raccoon fox. In addition, she received such names as raccoon, Ussuri raccoon. In some countries it is called mangut or tanuki.
Characteristic signs
Raccoon - a mysterious and unusual representative of the fauna, combining the features and habits of different, not similar animals. In external characteristics, it has great similarity with a raccoon-striper. They have the same cranial structure and brightly visible muzzle color under the famous "raccoon mask" of a bright dark color, similar in color and structure to the coat. The raccoon dog borrowed many of his habits from the fox. Domesticated, guards the house and walks like an ordinary domestic dog, and when living directly inside the house it is trained to go to the toilet in a cat's tray.
The size of an adult raccoon dog does not exceed the size of an ordinary simple dog. Their dimensions are approximately the same. The body is elongated, up to about 80 cm long, the tail is up to 25 cm long, the total body weight ranges from 4 to 10 kg.
The dark gray or brown-gray color of the fur of the Ussuri raccoon gradually turns into brightened shades of fur below. Rarely specimens are found. There are albinos in this breed with white fur. The coat of the Ussuri raccoon is very coarse, rather long, along the entire line of the ridge a bright strip of dark color, a short fluffy tail without any stripes and marks. By its complexion, it is a small animal, at the same time quite stocky, with short paws that move only on the ground, without climbing trees and bushes. Swims great. The cheeks give the impression of an ashen shade on them.
Habitat
Favorable conditions for their living and breeding is a humid climate. They inhabit places in lowlands, dense grown undergrowths, along the armholes of rivers, on the banks of ponds, meadows with high humidity, riverine forests, and marshy areas.
Lifestyle
Being unpretentious in nature, often raccoon dogs choose to find abandoned burrows of foxes and badgers, live in rocky crevices, are located between the roots of trees. In the absence of these places, they are content with open loungers near road roads, next to human settlements. It’s rare when they dig a refuge for themselves with their paws.
Dogs of this breed are active at night, getting out of their homes after dusk.They can become a victim of hunting for larger predators, mainly wolves, easily smelling its tracks and actively exterminating even strong stocky individuals of this breed, especially in the spring-summer period. The fragile small cubs of the raccoon dog additionally become easy prey for lynxes, foxes, street stray dogs. The Ussuri raccoon usually doesn’t come to grips with the enemy for their lives, and the ability to hide and pretend to be dead helps her to escape from their pursuit, which is often an effective method. The same method of protection is used by the raccoon dog and when a person appears - a hunter, who is also his enemy. The dead animal appeared on the way confuses the unlucky hunter, and meanwhile, taking advantage of his perplexity, the raccoon also comes to life instantly and was like that.
With the onset of winter colds and severe frosts, a decrease in the active life of the raccoon dog is observed by about 25%. A protective property of her body is provided for - hibernation, which continues during all frosty winter days, on average, hibernation lasts from 1 to 3 months. This feature distinguishes them from other dog breeds. During a cold winter with a moderate temperature, the raccoon does not hibernate, but remains awake, outlining periodically severe temperature changes in its shelter.
By the onset of spring, once thick coat is significantly thinning, becoming dull, which creates a feeling of untidiness and scruffiness of this animal.
Food
The raccoon dog’s diet is rich in variety due to its omnivorous nature. She explores various secluded territories in search of food, wanders in shallow places of forest ponds or explores the coast of the sea. According to the method of collecting feed is a typical collector.
The raccoon has underdeveloped fangs, flattened teeth. Her diet is very diverse. Being a predator by nature, it predominantly feeds on small mouse-shaped animals, trampling bird nests, eating eggs. Of birds, black grouse, pheasants, capercaillie, and hazel grouse enter its diet. Do not mind to diversify your diet with bugs and other various insects, frogs. Along with this, it is easily dispensed with simply food of plant origin: fruits falling from trees, berries, oats, millet, corncobs, various vegetable crops, onions and rhizomes.
In search of food, it can take 10 km a day, looking for food near ponds or among thickets of trees and shrubs. Unpretentiousness in food is expressed by the ability to consume even food waste or half-dead fish. They willingly rummage in garbage cans, ruining the cameo gardens. The constant search for food stops with the onset of winter, when too short paws of the dog that are not adapted to snow fall into it, creating difficulties in active movement. Therefore, the instinct of the dog before the onset of winter colds is the desire to fatten more, to gain weight and quietly hibernate.
Domesticated raccoon is also unpretentious in food, but to ensure the preservation of its health and activity, it is advisable to diversify the daily diet with products containing vitamins and minerals necessary for life and growth. It must be: meat, fish products, cereals and grains, vegetable crops. There are also specially produced dry dog foods containing all the necessary nutrients.
Domestication of a raccoon dog
Currently, the fashion trend has been raising a raccoon dog in the house. It takes root in direct contact with a person quite well, although it can sometimes be slightly aggressive and irritable, even able to bite.Despite this, it does not pose a serious danger to humans. It should be kept in the courtyard of the house, as in the room a not-so-pleasant smell will be clearly felt from it, in addition, the pet in the house will be hot and crowded.
For domestication, still very young puppies are taken from the female, growing in captivity, using artificial feeding. Only in this way it is possible to raise a domesticated raccoon dog, to capture an adult of this breed in the wild and not be able to tame it.
A puppy raised in captivity from a young age is often charming, cute, playful, amenable to training. Often an excellent guard dog grows out of it. In the cities of Japan, their taming and keeping in orphanages was a universal occurrence. The culture of Japan is known for legends and tales of tanuki, which are pets in many Japanese homes.
Grown up far from natural conditions, the puppy quickly gets used to the people around him, they can no longer adapt to life in the wild. He will always strive for people back, risking becoming an easy hunting trophy.
Periodic examination of the dog by a veterinarian is mandatory, in some cases they can be carriers of rabies virus.
Reproduction, life expectancy
In the natural wild environment, this mysterious and unusual dog does not live long, its age rarely exceeds 4 years. Domesticated, can live from 10 to 15 years, subject to good care of it.
Video: raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides)
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