Last updated on February 5th, 2022
Animals are very interesting creatures, and almost most species have their ways of living, prefer certain things, and do not resist experimenting.
But due to evolution, most species have developed a certain taste or preference of food habits, and thus most animals have a specific, per se “food palette”.
Some animals like sandwiches, strange, right? Jokes aside, some animals eat bread and not necessarily sandwiches.
Animals that eat bread:
- Pigs
- Alpacas
- Chipmunks
- Rats
- Elephants
- Chickens
- Turtles
- Hamsters
- Iguanas
- Ants
You’ve often seen a dog eating bread or rats or chipmunks around your house nibbling at some piece of leftover bread that was thrown in the garden. Let’s look at a comprehensive list of animals who like to eat bread.
Here are 10 animals that eat bread:
1. Pigs
Pigs are often domesticated and farmed and they have a history of eating voraciously more often than not, and that is a bad attribute that they have to their name.
Bread is a great economical source of food that can be fed to pigs. While pigs cannot solely rely on bread as the primary food source, it can be a filling food.
Like any other animal, Pigs still need a dose of daily fiber from forages like hay, vitamins, and protein.
The amount of bread that can be fed to a pig should be about 25 percent more than the amount of corn usually fed to pigs.
Beware that white bread can cause constipation to pigs, and hence, you should include a source of fiber in their diet.
2. Alpacas
Alpacas are mostly herbivorous animals, and whenever we think of alpacas, we mostly think of them eating plants as part of their natural diet.
Still, they can be seen willing to taste foods outside of their food habits – food apart from green plants, weeds, plants, etc. They also like eating foods that humans eat as well.
But we must also know that not all food consumed by humans is good for alpacas. Bread is one such food item that can be given to alpacas but in moderation.
Bread is beneficial as they contain protein, carbs, and vitamins that are good for alpacas’ health.
3. Chipmunks
Chipmunks are those cute little creatures who like to eat anything and everything as they do not have a delectable taste or palette that they want to stick to.
They like experimenting and trying out new stuff. They do like eating many things that human beings like to eat, including bread.
You might find a chipmunk in your backyard nibbling on all sorts of stuff.
Chipmunks should be fed bread in moderation as too much bread or sugar is harmful to the overall well-being of their system and causes harm.
They mostly prefer eating fruits and veggies but remember that they won’t say no to bread either.
4. Rats
Rats are often looked down upon for being voracious eaters who would do anything and everything for food, and they do not quite have a guilty conscience when choosing what to eat and what not to eat.
Rats almost eat everything that humans eat, and in fact, rats love to eat any type of wheat or grain-based food.
While you wouldn’t want rats to come to you for food or have a good night’s sleep inside your house, you could offer them some food, at least out in the garden or your backyard, where you don’t visit quite often.
5. Elephants
Elephants are known to have specific timings at which they eat their breakfast, lunch, and dinners.
While it is intimidating to even think about the generous amount of food that an elephant might eat, their diet is not as interesting as one would think.
These old souls are herbivores and would mostly eat green leafy vegetables and plants.
They are very special creatures, and one of their favorite food is bread. But bread is not always favorable towards the health and well-being of elephants if fed in large amounts.
Bagels are also loved by these creatures, but they can only be given under certain special circumstances.
6. Chickens
Chickens are mostly fed grains like rice and corn. However, they usually need a good dosage of protein regularly for ideal growth.
You might be stunned to know that chickens love to eat bread, and they can eat almost all sorts of bread.
Whether it is fresh or stale, chickens seem to enjoy almost any form of bread, and if it is whole grain bread, you will know that chickens love to nibble on those more as they love the yummy little seeds that they find inside of wholegrain bread.
But bread alone is not nutritious for chickens as they are not well-rounded nutritionally. It could be a great treat for chickens but shouldn’t be their daily food.
7. Turtles
Turtles are cute little reptiles that are just so pure and old in their ways, and that is exactly why everyone loves to have turtles as pets.
But as you would like to feed your turtle some other sorts of foods outside of their daily diets, you might think if turtles can have bread?
Turtles are creatures that do not have the right enzymes to digest foods eaten by humans, and while white turtles can and will eat bread; they should not ideally be given bread as it is not the healthiest food item that they should eat.
Your tiny little turtle might love to eat bread in its own sweet time, but it does not naturally produce the right protein in its body to break down these foods. This is also applicable to other dairy products.
8. Hamsters
Hamsters are also cute little pets that love eating almost everything, and while they have their preferences, they do not mind going out of their comfort zones.
Hamsters can eat small amounts of bread and white bread does not contain anything that is particularly allergic to hamsters.
Hamsters can be given bread once in a while, and if you own a hamster, you might sometimes catch it nibbling on your leftover sandwich crust.
It is completely safe but ensure that the bread is not a part of their daily diet.
Hamsters, just like other animals, cannot rely solely on bread as bread does not contain enough nutrition for their well-being.
9. Iguanas
A healthy iguana diet contains a lot of plants, flowers, and greens. They can also be fed fruits, but they should strictly abstain from meat as it is not healthy for them.
But they can occasionally be fed bread or grains.
Additionally, cooked rice, pasta, and whole wheat bread are often considered a good treat for iguanas.
Iguanas prefer having food cut into bite-sized portions for smooth and comfortable eating.
Slices of bread, if given in a large amount, can be harmful as iguanas cannot digest a lot of bread. Anything in moderation is advised.
But it is always advisable to stick to the diet that is applicable for iguanas and almost anything that vets or animal enthusiasts prescribe.
10. Ants
Ants are industrious creatures that are very specific about working hard to gather food. Many ants eat almost everything, and bread is one of those things that ants will happily eat.
The carbohydrate requirement for insects is high and bread or any fast-acting calorie intense food is necessary for ants to fuel their daily list of activities.
Ants are especially attracted to food that is on the sweeter side. Thus, they like feeding on bread as well as ripe fruits.
Milk bread and white bread will attract them more, but they also might be attracted to eating brown bread.
They not only enjoy eating bread but will also look for bread crumbs lying here and there around people’s homes.
If you ever find ants gathering together, you must know that you might have carelessly left bread crumbs on the surface.
Conclusion
The animals that eat bread are pigs, alpacas, chipmunks, rats, elephants, chickens, turtles, hamsters, iguanas, and ants. Bread is palatable for these animals and an excellent source of energy, but it should be fed to them in moderation.