Raccoon | Zoo Idaho

About Berta

Berta (Female)

Berta was born in 2014. As of 2025, she is 11 years old.

Berta is 18–20 pounds. That is similar to a beagle like Snoopy.

Berta was an orphan and came to Zoo Idaho in 2014. She was brought in with Harvey, who passed away in 2025. They were just kits when they arrived.

Berta enjoys all training and enrichment largely because she is very into food!
On special occasions, she gets a clear container full of water and goldfish. She likes to do a live hunt!
Berta likes to drop her food in moving water and then catch it.
She like to touch things! If a cleaning brush is set down, she rubs her paws all over it.

Berta once got a pool with painted fish on the bottom of it. She was mesmerized by the fish and rubbed them with her paws.
Berta will sneak phones and walkie talkies from the keepers. Once she gets them, she runs away in delight. "Who you gonna call, Berta?"
Berta likes to put her food in water. Keepers suggest this makes it more enjoyuable to touch and eat.
Berta does not like to swim, but she is a big fan of wading as long as she is not splashed.
Raccoons are bigger in the winter but eat more in the summer.

Training is used for brain stimulation but also for health checks.
Berta can "station" (go to a designated location).
She also knows "target," where she puts her paw or nose on a squeeze ball on a stick.
She is squeeze trained for injections. She isn't scared of it. She regularly goes inside of it, hoping for a treat reward.
She shifts dens and is working on shifting from exhibit to den.

Berta eats boiled eggs, fruits, vegetables, omnivore pellet food, and fish.

Berta likes grapes, which are used for training since they motivate her. She likes the fruit more than the vegetables.

The best time to see Berta is in the spring.
When it is hot, she is likely in her much cooler den.
Go to see her when it is cooler in the mornings or during feeding times from 1:00–3:00 in the afternoon. All the animals line up for their turn and are generally visible at this time.