Last updated on October 10th, 2022
If you think that only human beings find blueberries delectable, you are mistaken because several animals love to eat blueberries.
Animals that eat blueberries:
- Chipmunks
- Ducks
- Squirrels
- Guinea Pigs
- Rabbits
- Horses
- Moose
- Deer
- Fire Ants
- Cardinals
- Hamsters
But this often spells disaster for farmers who harvest blueberries. Imagine a farmer who has cultivated a whole field of blueberries, only to have it attacked by pests and animals like deer, squirrels, and rabbits.
While speaking to a friend of mine who researches humane ways of handling pests and finding organic methods of making crops pest-resistant, he told me that blueberries’ mineral and vitamin content attracts animals.
Animals consume this fruit for its innate qualities and sweet taste. Some of the animals that eat blueberries are as follows:
List of animals that eat blueberries:
1. Chipmunks
Chipmunks are often considered one of the major pests that can cause harm to your blueberry harvest.
Farmers cultivating blueberries often have to set up traps to prevent chipmunks from gaining access to their harvest.
However, the sweet fruit can attract hordes of chipmunks, and these rodents can significantly reduce a harvest.
Toxic baits can be dangerous for rodents, but you can use motion sensors and bright lights to deter the creatures.
In addition, the sweet smell of ripe blueberries attracts chipmunks, and they can chew away the fruits and the bush.
Therefore, farmers need to protect the blueberry plants and the harvest from chipmunks.
Unlike the usual habit of chipmunks to collect food for winter, in the case of blueberries, the creature does not collect the fruit. Instead, you will find chipmunks consuming the fruit directly.
2. Ducks
Blueberries are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, and Vitamin B6, and all of these make the fruit superfood not only for humans but also for animals like ducks.
Animal farmers raising poultry like hens and ducks often include blueberries among the food they give to ducks to help them build strong bones and a healthy immune system.
It can be given to ducks as a treat and can be nearly ten percent of their diet. In addition, ducks will often consume wild blueberries if they find these in the wild.
So blueberries can be a part of the regular diet of the ducks, but you should give them to ducks sparingly.
3. Squirrels
Blueberries belong to the Ericaceae family and are entirely non-toxic for squirrels. If you have a pet squirrel, you can give blueberries to your pet.
You can give your pet squirrel raw, frozen, or even cooked blueberries. It is a good idea to remove the tiny seeds inside the blueberries as these can be a choking hazard to your pet squirrel.
Squirrels need to have a varied diet, and when you include different types of food items in your pet’s diet, ensure that it gets an adequate amount of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugar, iron, magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, protein, and riboflavin.
Blueberries have all of these nutrients, and by including this in your pet’s diet, you can ensure that your pet squirrel gets adequate nutrition.
4. Guinea pigs
Guinea pigs make excellent pets, especially for young children. But feeding guinea pigs can prove to be quite challenging.
First, you need to ensure that your pet guinea pig gets adequate nutrition, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, and you can include them in the diet of your guinea pig.
But one thing you must remember is that the sugar content of blueberries is relatively high, resulting in mouth sores in your pet.
Therefore, you must monitor the number of blueberries you give to your pet guinea pig.
Nevertheless, blueberries are excellent to give your pet if you want it to have strong bones and a robust immune system.
5. Rabbits
Rabbits are herbivores, and they can consume mostly anything plant-based.
Moreover, rabbits love blueberries as they are sweet and natural foragers; they are quick to identify the smell of blueberries in the wild.
If you have a pet rabbit, it is not necessary to include blueberries in its diet, but you can give it blueberries as a delicious snack.
Blueberries are rich in Vitamin C, and it is necessary to monitor the amount of Vitamin C you give to your pet rabbit.
However, you will find your pet licking and eating it with joy when you give it blueberries.
The only thing you should remember when you give your rabbit blueberries is that they should be washed so that it doesn’t contain pesticide.
6. Horses
Horses can eat a variety of fruits, including different types of berries.
When horses are raised for equestrian purposes, their diet includes different types of food to ensure that the creatures get adequate nutrition.
The digestive systems of horses are pretty sensitive. Therefore, when you give blueberries to horses, they have to be washed carefully to remove any dirt, and they have to be free of any pesticides.
It is also essential to remove the seeds from the blueberries to prevent any digestive issues.
7. Moose
Moose are herbivores, and they have a varied diet. They can eat fruits off plants and even dig for food like grubs up to 40 cm into the ground.
They will strip the leaves from the plants to gain access to the fruits. However, they do not distinguish between the fruits on the plants.
Moose can feed on plants and fruits. In the wild, moose can thoroughly chew blueberry plants with the help of their rigid lips and teeth.
They will first strip the plants of the leaves and then chew the fruits. These powerful animals can eat the fruits, including the seeds, and you will not have much of the shrubs left.
Moreover, moose do not wait for the fruits to ripen as the creature can consume both the ripe and the raw fruits.
8. Deer
Deer are known to eat blueberries with absolute pleasure.
Farmers have to take precautions to protect their harvest from deer, as when the fruits ripen, the delicious and sweet smell of the ripe fruits attracts deer.
When bred in captivity, you will find that zookeepers give deer blueberries as the fruit is rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential for the animal to build strong bones and a healthy immune system.
In the zoo, you will find that deer are often given blueberries, including the stem, leaves, fruits, and all other parts of the plant.
For deer, you do not need to distinguish between the different parts of the plant as the creature can eat all parts of the shrub.
In the wild, deer love to eat blueberries, and they can quickly identify the plant by its sweet smell.
We wrote an entire article on this subject matter which you can check out over here – do deer eat blueberries?
9. Fire ants
Fire ants love blueberries, and they often visit the blueberry shrubs when the fruits ripen.
You will find fire ants on the twigs of the blueberry shrubs when the fruits are ripe, and this attracts other pests to the plants.
However, the ants themselves do not cause much harm to the plant, and you will not find the ants consuming a significant amount of blueberries.
Unlike other pests that can eat blueberry shrubs or rodents that can destroy a harvest, fire ants do not eat the entire blueberries.
However, farmers need to prevent fire ants from visiting the blueberry plants, especially when the fruits ripen and it is time for harvest.
10. Cardinals
Cardinals love to eat different types of berries. If you want to attract this bird to your garden, you can include blueberries in your birdfeed.
Cardinals are omnivores, and they love to eat different types of food. You will find that parent cardinals eat insects, seeds, and berries.
If you are a bird watcher and you want to take pictures of cardinals, then it is a good idea to include varied food in your birdfeed.
When you include seeds like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, you also ensure that the birds get a nutritious diet that they would not usually get simply by foraging.
Blueberries are rich in vitamins, carbohydrates, protein, and minerals. Indirectly you would be providing the cardinals visiting your birdfeed with all of these nutrients when you place blueberries in the birdfeed.
11. Hamsters
Hamsters love to eat blueberries, and you can include them in the diet of your pet hamster.
When you include blueberries in your hamster’s diet, the only thing you should remember is that you should give them in moderation because it is rich in carbohydrates.
You should also rinse it well and ensure that the blueberries are free of any pesticides.
Blueberries are not toxic to hamsters, however, you should also remove the seeds from the blueberries before giving them to your pet hamster.
It will prevent any choking hazard and reduce any chances of digestive distress.
When you give blueberries to your hamster, you should also consider that the fruits should be fresh.
What animals eat blueberries?
The animals that eat blueberries are ducks, squirrels, chipmunks, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, moose, deer, fire ants, cardinals, and hamsters. Blueberries are an excellent source of energy for these animals and even though it has numerous health benefits for them, they should be fed in moderation.