What Animals Eat Carrots! (15 Examples with Pictures)

Last updated on November 5th, 2022

We know the first thing that comes to your mind is a rabbit nibbling on a nice and tasty carrot. However, you are here because you want to learn more about what eats carrots.

As you’ll soon find out, rabbits aren’t the only animals that like carrots. There are various creatures as well as cute baby animals that love to feed on these sweet orange vegetables. Let’s dive in.

Animals that eat carrots:

• Rabbits
• Groundhogs
• Squirrels
• Deer
• Horses
• Dogs
• Cats
• Lions
• Pufferfish
• Slugs
• Woodlice
• Ants
• Vegetable Weevil
• Nematodes
• Wireworms

List of Animals That Eat Carrots

1. Rabbits

When it comes to rabbits, it’s no surprise that this animal likes to eat carrots. Rabbits have to top this list as we easily associate these creatures with carrots.

This shy animal also likes vegetable greens included in their diets, such as turnip tops, radish tops, and carrot tops.

Wild rabbits love to feed on clovers, dandelions, and vegetables, including carrots, peas, spinach, etc.

An average rabbit weighing 5-6 pounds may intake about 1/4 cup of chopped and loosely packed vegetable greens every day.

Besides, rabbits have the ability to pass through openings that are smaller than their body size.

Also, rabbits love to take shelter under garden sheds, and they’re likely to choose a spot that’s close to their prime food source.

However, there’s a common myth that rabbits love to munch on carrots or other root vegetables day and night.

That’s not the case, as these species don’t naturally feed on these vegetables.

As mentioned above, rabbits prefer eating the carrot or radish tops more than the whole root itself.

However, you can occasionally offer these root vegetables to your bunnies in small amounts only as a treat.

2. Groundhogs

Groundhogs belong to the group of marmots, which are large ground squirrels that are known as woodchucks or whistle-pigs.

These woodchucks love to feed on various garden vegetables and fruits, including berries, lettuce, apples, corn, and of course, carrots.

Besides, these rodents also consume numerous insects like grasshoppers, snails, and grubs.

Moreover, groundhogs are known to feed on and damage plant seedlings, thus ruining the entire plant or stunting its growth.

The food list of groundhogs includes beans, peas, alfalfa, broccoli, clover, lettuce, soybeans, and plantain.

These notorious rodents are also known for devouring plant seedlings before they can even get the chance to grow.

Groundhogs breed during March and April after hibernation and they give birth to 2-6 offspring that are born within a month after the mating season.

Both the offspring and adult groundhogs are plant eaters and prefer feeding on different vegetation in the mid-spring when root vegetables like carrots grow abundantly.

Groundhogs also eat carrot greens because this is a food source that’s readily available during the mid-spring months.

Even if you protect your plants from the outside, such as by encompassing them with wire mesh and fences, groundhogs will fit in by squeezing through 3-4 inch holes.

Groundhogs are known for digging tunnels between gardens and lawn areas, however, to hide their places of shelter and den entrances, they’ll burrow several exits underground.

3. Squirrels

These furry critters are omnivorous mammals that are known for consuming young snakes, caterpillars as well as soft twigs, tree barks, and young stalks.

However, these creatures also feed on carrots too, along with other vegetables and fruits, including broccoli, grapes, strawberries, grapes, pumpkin, apples, sunflower seeds, zucchini, and a few others.

They’re usually living in trees but sometimes move down onto the forest floor where they find suitable habitats.

If you’re wondering whether carrots are safe for your squirrels, the answer is ‘Yes.’ These orange veggies are totally safe for squirrels to eat.

Carrots have numerous health benefits for squirrels, however, some of these critters prefer acorns and walnuts over these root vegetables.

4. Deer

It’s not always easy to keep deer away from your backyard garden, especially when there’s a dense land of vegetation nearby.

To make your job more difficult, deer will jump over fences and smaller physical barriers to enjoy a nice treat.

These animals normally consume fresh vegetables and other leafy greens, which include carrot tops.

Do you know you can easily spot whether the culprit is a deer simply by looking at the nature of the bite on a carrot?

A deer that bites carrot tops usually leaves behind some ragged edges.

Unlike deer, if you find that the carrot tops are cut smoothly on a diagonal pattern, then you can rest assured that it’s the work of a rabbit or a groundhog.

To keep deer away from your beautiful plants, you can try using an 8-foot fence.

5. Horses

Carrots are one of the most popular treats in a horse’s diet.

Owners can feed carrots to their ponies and stallions either in the form of small pieces or slices cut lengthwise.

Although horses love to eat carrots, they won’t usually have too many of them, since they prefer hay as well as other treats like wheat middling.

Carrots have several essential nutrients and vitamins that are good for the well-being of active horses.

However, whatever treats you’re feeding your horses, do so in moderation and always check-up with an animal nutritionist before making a change in your horse’s diet.

Also, refrain from feeding large pieces of carrots as your horse may suffer from choking.

6. Dogs

Our beloved furry pets can actually eat carrots because they’re seen as excellent low-calorie treats.

Carrots are rich in fiber and an essential compound called beta-carotene, which produces Vitamin A in your dog’s body.

So, dogs love crunching on this orange treat, and it’s also quite good for your dog’s teeth.

When feeding your pet dog carrots, you should slice them up into bite-sized pieces to avoid any risk of choking.

7. Cats

The most popular misconception regarding cats is that they hate carrots. However, this isn’t true.

In fact, cats actually enjoy eating carrots, however, they just won’t consume any in large quantities.

And rightfully so, they shouldn’t, as it may lead to them having stomach upset.

If you do decide to feed your cat this orange vegetable, ensure that it’s cooked carrot slices and that you don’t give too much at once.

However, before making a change in your feline’s diet, you should consult with a pet nutritionist to ensure that your pet’s dietary plan and well-being are covered.

8. Lions

Although lions can eat carrots, they rarely consume them. Instead, they hunt and eat wildebeests, zebras, and deer in the wild.

However, a lion will fall severely ill if it only eats vegetables to survive because its digestive system is not built to digest fruits and vegetables and extract their nutrients.

Interested in reading more about lions eating carrots? Check out that article we wrote for more information. 

9. Pufferfish

It is possible for pufferfish to eat carrots, but they rarely do so since they eat mostly algae, clams, mussels, and snails as part of their diet.

Pufferfish can survive on almost any kind of food, but carrots have not been reported to be harmful to the fish.

However, carrots shouldn’t be included in the diet of pufferfishes as it is not the preferred food of the fishes.

We wrote further on this topic in this article – do pufferfish eat carrots?

10. Slugs

It is almost impossible for slugs to burrow into the ground and eat fully matured carrots like gophers. Rather, slugs attack carrot seedlings and parts exposed above ground.

Hence, you will find that when they attack the carrot patch in your garden, the slug will eat the leaves halfway, and the young carrots will also show similar signs of being eaten halfway through.

In order to access the carrot flesh, these mollusks can dig a few inches into the ground but rarely will a slug stay with a carrot seedling and eat it completely.

If you are interested in learning more, we wrote an in-depth article on slugs eating carrots which you can check out over there.

11. Woodlice

It is possible for woodlice to eat carrots, but only if another animal bites away at the tuber first, at which point a woodlouse begins nibbling on the open area.

Woodlice don’t attack healthy plants because they are mostly known for consuming decaying plant matter

If your carrot beds have been infected with woodlice, you will need to call an exterminator to deal with the infestation, even if it is only concentrated in your garden.

Still interested in learning more about woodlice eating carrots from your garden? Check out that article that we wrote for more details.

12. Ants

Ants are amazing and hardworking little insects. They work hard every day, and they never complain. They’ll even sacrifice themselves if necessary. So it makes sense that they’d enjoy eating carrots.

Carrots are great sources of water for ants. They provide plenty of hydration without being overly sweet. Plus, there’s no sugar rush afterward. All of those benefits make carrots a great snack for ants.

Still curious about learning more on ants eating carrots? Check out that article we wrote for more details.

13. Vegetable Weevil

The larvae of the vegetable weevils are worm-like creatures feeding on underground carrots.

If you notice chewed carrot leaves, then that can be a sign of an adult vegetable weevil’s work.

Also, it’s worth noting that if the adult weevils are found above the ground, then it’s likely that their larvae will be doing damage to your root vegetable underground.

Needless to say that the damages done by vegetable weevils both above and underground eventually make carrots inedible.

To protect your root vegetables, you can use sticky barriers, which will prevent these harmful pests from moving around in your garden.

Another effective treatment for protecting your crops against vegetable weevil attacks is to soak the soil with beneficial nematodes, like Heterorhabditis bacteriophora.

You can easily get these at Arbico Organics or from your local garden suppliers both in sponge and powder formats.

Take the sponge in a bucket containing 2 quarters of water.

Next, squeeze the sponge to extract the nematodes you need and pour the mixture into your plant watering can.

Now, you can dilute the mixture by adding a gallon of water to the can.

Use this nematode solution to drench the planting area.

We advise you to keep the soil moist for about a week to allow the nematodes to establish well into the soil.

These are beneficial nematodes that would kill all the harmful pests like vegetable weevils.

14. Nematodes

There are a few beneficial nematodes that can protect your carrots by killing harmful insects or pests.

However, there are some nematode species, like soil-dwelling roundworms, that can damage your plants.

These roundworms can cause stunted growth in your carrot crops as they act as the underground pests of these crops.

Furthermore, these nematodes can also cause other damages to your root vegetables, such as warty swellings on the roots and wilting.

15. Wireworms

These light brown worms are 1 ½ inch long and are the immature form of the click beetle species.

These wireworms have harder bodies than the common larvae, and they feed on roots and seedlings.

Wireworms can also damage carrot seeds by boring holes into them which will prevent your carrot crops from growing healthy, thus making them inedible.

Yes, these wireworms can also bore quite well into carrots. And once they’re in full form and have established a stronghold in your vegetables, it’s almost impossible to treat them.

To protect your crops from wireworms, you can till the soil before planting the crops as it’ll expose all the existing wireworms in the soil to predators such as farm chickens and birds.

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