Last updated on November 4th, 2022
Who doesn’t like biting into a sweet fleshy piece of sweet pineapple? But the crown, the spikes, and the stiff leaves often act as a deterrent.
Animals that eat pineapples:
- Parrots
- Raccoons
- Rats
- Pigs
- Squirrels
- Monkeys
- Opossums
- Deer
Cutting and chopping a pineapple can prove to be quite cumbersome. I know it is for me, which is why I usually opt for the tinned version.
But it came as a surprise to me when I visited a pineapple plantation recently, and my friend told me that this tropical fruit is something that many animals love.
She takes extraordinary measures to protect her crop and ensure that the animals don’t reach the mature fruits.
It would be wrong to assume that the spikes on the fruit that can hurt you don’t deter animals like raccoons and opossums from destroying a harvest.
However, the rough leaves and the spikes aren’t enough to prevent the animals from munching on the pineapples.
List of animals that eat pineapples
1. Parrots
Most birds, especially those that survive on seed and plant-based diets, can be given pineapples. Even in the wild such birds are known to enjoy pineapples.
Farmers who grow pineapples often mention protecting their harvest from bird attacks, especially when the fruits ripen.
Parrots amongst birds love to eat pineapples. If you have a pet parrot, you can consider including pineapple in its daily diet.
However, you must consult a veterinarian to understand the consumption quantity of pineapples to be given to your parrot.
Birds kept in captivity need to be fed food that will increase their energy levels and it’s a delicious snack that can be included along with their daily diet.
Pineapples also contain essential minerals that can help in the absorption of vitamins and proteins. Therefore, it can help your parrot stay strong and healthy.
2. Raccoons
Raccoons are another creature that loves pineapples. Fresh pineapples are one of the favorite treats for these creatures.
In the wild, raccoons can smell ripe pineapples, and the rough outer skin or the spiky leaves don’t deter the critters from consuming the fruit.
Raccoons are incredibly agile, and they can easily remove the pineapple growing on the plant’s crown.
But in plantations, the fruits have to be protected from raccoon attacks. One of the reasons why pineapples are one of the favorite fruits of raccoons is the rarity of the fruit in the wild.
Pineapples are delicious and incredibly nutritious fruits but they aren’t readily available in all forested regions.
Being a scavenger, you’ll generally find raccoons near garbage dumps and compost mounds.
But these creatures have a strong sense of smell. Farmers tend to keep raccoons out of plantations by fencing the region.
If you have purchased pineapples and disposed of pieces of the fruit and the skin in the garbage, you will find raccoons scavenging around the pile as the strong smell of the fruit attracts them.
3. Rats
Rats like squirrels can wreak havoc on a pineapple plantation. The sweet smell of the fruit primarily attracts them.
Rats have incredibly sharp teeth, and they can easily bite through the hard outer skin of a pineapple.
The spikes in the leaves aren’t enough to deter rats from reaching the fruit either since they can easily maneuver around it.
However, if you have a pet rat and want to give pineapple to it, you must consult with your veterinarian about the quantity of pineapple you can give your pet rat.
Pineapple has a significantly higher portion of sugar than the food you would typically give to your rat.
Hence, it’s necessary to ensure that you control the amount of pineapple you give your pet so that it doesn’t have any health issues.
In the wild, pineapples are hard to find, and it takes nearly 13 to 18 months for a pineapple to ripen completely. Thus, rats don’t get access to pineapples quickly in the wild.
But if you’re thinking of making pineapple a part of the regular diet of your pet rat, it’s crucial to control the amount of fruit that you serve your pet while following the advice of your local vet.
4. Pigs
Pigs can eat pineapples, and the ones bred for their meat are often given a significantly higher amount of fruit to improve the meat quality.
Pigs need to eat pineapples to improve their digestive health. Pineapples contain enzymes necessary to keep their gut healthy while building a robust immune system.
Additionally, pineapples are full of minerals and proteins required to build strong bones and muscles.
When you feed pigs a healthy amount of pineapples regularly, you help the animal develop the ability to fend off different diseases.
Along with that, pigs find pineapple an extremely palatable food which makes them interested in consuming the food given to them.
By combining pineapples with the food given to them, you can help them increase the amount of food they consume.
5. Squirrels
Squirrels belong to the rodent family and are easily distinguished by their extended front teeth.
If you observe the food habit of squirrels, you’ll find that these creatures are attracted to ripe fruits and fresh vegetables.
Hence, it’s a wrong notion that squirrels only eat nuts. Nuts are preferred foods, but they love to sink their teeth into fleshy fruits like pineapples.
Hence, farmers who grow pineapples commercially have to be careful about these critters attacking their harvest of ripe pineapples.
This fruit is rich in minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins which makes it beneficial for squirrels to consume in small quantities.
The sharp teeth can easily tear the leathery outer skin of a pineapple, and the creature can easily access the fleshy part of the fruit inside.
If you have a pet squirrel, you’ll find that your veterinarian will sometimes advise you to give your pet small bite-size pieces of pineapples.
You should give your pet fresh ones, as canned pineapples have a significant amount of sugar that can be harmful to them.
6. Monkeys
Monkeys are primates, primarily herbivores, which means that they’re dependent entirely on a plant-based diet to fulfill their energy requirements.
Monkeys eat all types of fruits and pineapples, being rich in minerals, vitamins, and proteins is one that falls among their favorite fruits.
Monkeys can easily break open the top of the pineapple to extract the fruit inside. If you see a monkey eating pineapple, you’ll find that it can quickly devour it while avoiding the spiky skin of the fruit.
The hard outer surface or the spiky leaves don’t deter the animal from enjoying this fleshy fruit.
If you visit a zoo or an animal reserve for monkeys and other similar primates, you’ll find that they’re given pineapples along with other fruits.
This is because pineapples are rich in antioxidants, which help build the immune system of the creatures.
When monkeys are bred in captivity, it becomes necessary to provide them with nutritious food that will help them to fight various diseases.
This makes it necessary to give the creatures a steady diet of pineapples.
Along with that, the juicy and fleshy taste of the fruit makes it an excellent addition to the other foods given to the monkeys.
7. Opossums
Opossums are marsupials, and usually, they don’t mean any harm when they pay a visit to your garden. On the contrary, they can be beneficial as they eat slugs, snails, and other insects.
But if you’re planning to grow pineapples in your garden, then you need to be careful.
Opossums are omnivores and have an excellent appetite and a strong sense of smell. They can identify the scent of ripe and sweet fruits from a distance.
Moreover, the spiky leaves or the rough outer skin of the fruit won’t deter the animal from eating it either.
Instead, the opossum is one such creature that can break open the pineapple with the help of its forelimbs and extract the inner fleshy part of the fruit with its sharp teeth.
They don’t eat the skin and the other pineapple pieces; instead, they’ll only eat the yellow and ripe part of the fruit.
Opossums have a digestive system similar to any other mammal, and hence, they need to consume food that provides them with the necessary roughage to have a healthy gut.
Pineapple and all the essential vitamins and minerals provide the creature with the roughage that it needs to have a healthy digestive system.
8. Deer
Deer are opportunistic feeders but even though pineapples are a sweet and juicy fruit, they won’t eat it because of the outer spiky layer.
But if the pineapple breaks open, the creature will eat its soft and sweet flesh.
However, deer will occasionally eat pineapples because this isn’t a fruit that they regularly consume.
But you might find deer loitering around compost heaps in your garden at night looking for pineapple scraps.
We actually discussed this topic in an entire article which you can read more about here – do deer eat pineapple?
What animals eat pineapple?
The animals that eat pineapples are parrots, raccoons, bearded dragons, rats, pigs, squirrels, monkeys, opossums, deer, rabbits, sugar gliders, ants, chickens, and guinea pigs.
