What Animals Eat Strawberries?

What animals eat strawberries?

In this brief guide, we will answer the question, “What animals eat strawberries?”. We will further elaborate on which animals attract strawberries and what is the reason for their attraction.

What animals eat strawberries?

There are many species of animals who like to consume red strawberries and berries too due to which gardeners mostly find drilled or half-eaten strawberries. Animals that eat strawberries include:

Squirrels
Raccoons
Hamsters
Birds
Guinea Pigs
Insects
Marmots
Deer
Tortoises and Turtles

Let us now look at why these animals like eating strawberries

Squirrels

Squirrels are tiny yet energetic animals that taste different things throughout the day. Squirrels’ favorite food is fruits which they eat eagerly.

Squirrels like to consume each type of berries such as raspberries, strawberries, mulberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

The sugar content in strawberries is approximately 10 per cent when they are completely ripe. So, it should not surprise you why squirrels show attraction towards strawberries.

At the peak level of ripening, the cell wall of the strawberry starts to degrade which turns the strawberries juicy.

Strawberries are soft and sweet. So, it could be a reason for the attraction for squirrels. Also, squirrels live on trees. Therefore, they mostly feed upon fruits.

Raccoons

Raccoons are considered omnivores which mostly depend upon sweet corn crops for their nourishment. They also rely on strawberries, peas, melons, and potato plants.

It is a very challenging task for gardeners to keep away these animals especially after rainfall or watering the plants.

Repellent sprays are available in stores to keep them away from plants. These sprays are highly effective in areas having dry climates.

Rabbits

Rabbits are such cute animals. So, don’t let this cuteness fool you for their feed. Rabbits are considered very clever animals which could spend a very long time on your strawberry plant.

Rabbits not only feed on the strawberry but also consume other parts of the plant to balance their taste and sugar molecules of strawberries.

Rabbits are blessed with some specific teeth which could help them in eating wild and red berries. Rabbits particularly love to consume small-sized berries.

If you have a pet rabbit in your house, you can feed it with different berries such as raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries.

Birds

Birds also feed upon fruits and strawberries are their favorite fruit to feed. Bird species like blue jays, crows, and robins love to eat these juicy strawberries.

We love birds in our gardens and trees but when they start to destroy crops. We should do something to keep them away from fruits.

Guinea Pigs

Strawberries are a strong and favorite food supplement of guinea pigs. You could provide your pigs with 1 to 2 tiny strawberries once or twice a week.

Strawberries have a high content of nutrition for guinea pigs. So, more than one or two times will give some side effects for guinea pigs.

The top portion of strawberries is safe for guinea pigs’ consumption. So, don’t waste the top portion of strawberries while preparing a nice dessert for your loved ones.

Insects

Insects are very small in size and are invertebrates due to which they go unnoticed many times due to their tiny size. Despite their minimal size, they can destroy a maximum size of crops and plants.

Insects such as aphids, snails, earwigs, and slugs are some common insects that give the most damage to our crops and plants.

The most significant method of keeping these insects away from plants is to burn the shallow containers of beer at ground level.

These shallow containers will attract insects towards them and will cause their burning and in return will provide protection to plants.

You can apply insecticidal soaps to keep away insects but keep in mind, wash fruits thoroughly before eating to omit the effects of insecticidal soap.

Deer

The basic food of many animals are leaves and other parts of plants. They could also attract these juicy plants and will end in the destruction of these plants.

Strawberries give an extremely sweet taste on ripening. To protect plants from deer is to cover the plants with a mesh hardware cloth which should be 6 feet minimum.

This sheet of cloth will give a protective and a strong layer around the plant or you should select a short area for gardening such plants.

Other FAQs about Strawberries that you may be interested in.

Do strawberries have to be refrigerated

Is it safe to eat fuzzy strawberries?

Is it safe to eat fermented strawberries?

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we have provided an answer to the question, “What animals eat strawberries?”. We have further elaborated on which animals attract strawberries and what is the reason for their attraction.