Last updated on February 5th, 2022
If you thought that humans alone love cherries, you are mistaken. Cherries are loved by animals as well.
I learned about this from a friend of mine who has cherry orchards, and he told me about the steps he has to take to protect his harvest from animals like squirrels and raccoons.
These creatures can wreak havoc on any cherry farm, and they will happily eat all the ripe fruits.
Animals that eat cherries:
- Deer
- Rabbit
- Guinea Pig
- Badger
- Possum
- Ant
- Raccoon
- Bearded Dragon
- Squirrel
These fruits are available in various regions across the globe, and in this article, you will come across different animals that include them in their diet.
Here are 9 animals that eat cherries:
1. Deer
Deer are known for consuming various types of fruits and vegetation. However, they usually do not distinguish between the fruits that you offer. But the sugar content of the cherries must surely make it very attractive for them.
Many animal watchers mention that one of the best ways to attract deer is to give them sweet, juicy, and ripe fruits.
If you have a cherry tree in your garden, you might find a deer straying into your backyard to consume the ones that have fallen on the ground.
The high sugar content of the fruit is essential for the deer as they need to prepare for winter when food gets scarce.
Additionally, the sugar content can help the animal develop a higher amount of fat, which can be essential for them to survive winter.
2. Rabbits
Cherries are preferred by rabbits primarily because of the sugar content of the fruit. But if you are thinking of giving cherries to your pet rabbit, you should remove the seed.
The seeds contain a small amount of cyanide which, if consumed, can cause harm to your pet. Moreover, you should control the number of cherries you give to your pet.
As your pet’s day-to-day movement is limited, giving it a snack with high sugar content might not be healthy.
In the wild, cherries are easily consumed and digested by rabbits as their movement is not restricted, and they can easily digest a more significant number of cherries.
3. Guinea pigs
Cherries are an excellent food for guinea pigs primarily because this fruit is packed with Vitamin C. Like the human body, guinea pigs too cannot produce Vitamin C naturally.
As a result, you will need to supply this vitamin through the food you give to your pet guinea pig.
Guinea pigs produce all the necessary enzymes to break down the cherries, similar to the vegetables you give to your pet.
Thus, you do not need to worry about indigestion when you regularly give cherries to your pet. However, it’s always better to err on the side of caution and feed in moderation.
Cherries will also give your pet guinea pig other necessary vitamins and minerals like Potassium, Iron, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, and Niacin.
All of these are necessary if you want your pet to have a robust immune system.
4. Badgers
Badgers are known to consume all types of berries and fruits. But they will eat the fruits that fall on the ground.
Badgers love to eat cherries primarily because of the sweetness of the fruit when ripe. However, they do not distinguish between red and black cherries.
Therefore, badgers will consume both black and red cherries in the wild. In some rarer cases, badgers will climb smaller cherry trees to consume the fruits on the lower branches.
If you are planting young cherry trees in your orchard, it is essential to protect them from badgers.
5. Possums
Possums eat almost anything, including fruits, vegetables and they also love to eat cherries. The primary reason for this is the high sugar content of the fruits.
Possums indeed enjoy sweet fruits, but they will avoid consuming these in excess. It is unique that possums can control their desire to consume cherries if they feel that the sugar is in excess.
Possums are not excellent climbers, but they can climb fences and short-height trees.
When it comes to eating cherries, possums will consume the ones that have fallen on the ground and the ones hanging on the lower branches.
Possums are also known to consume cherry blossoms as well.
6. Ants
Ants love the sweet cherries since they are known for being attracted to over-ripe fruits.
But farmers who cultivate cherry orchards mention that ants can be dangerous pests for plantations.
More giant-sized ants can boreholes into the cherry fruit and destroy a cherry orchard. Even black ants are known to climb cherry trees and consume the fruits.
The cherries that have fallen on the ground are usually carried away in pieces by ants and consumed before decaying.
To prevent these cherry tree pests from damaging their fruit, the cherry farmers use cooking oil to coat the trunk of each tree. This prevents the bugs from climbing up the trees.
7. Raccoons
Raccoons are known to consume all types of food and they can consume cherries just as voraciously as they do others.
These creatures are known for their excellent capability to find suitable food such as lawn grubs either during the day or at night, making them excellent scavengers.
Raccoons are the type of animals that can consume cherries at night because their eyes have a special coating that reflects light and gives them the ability to see in the dark.
However, they do not differentiate between the fruits or the nuts. Along with that, raccoons are omnivores, meaning they can consume plant and animal-based food.
As they are not picky eaters, you will find that raccoons are easily attracted to sweet fruits like cherries, pineapples, and watermelons just to name a few.
Baby raccoons can be given cherries, but you will need to remove the seed before feeding the fruit. The seed can be toxic to the animal and especially harmful for the babies.
8. Bearded dragons
Cherries contain high levels of both calcium and phosphorus which bearded dragons need for good health.
But when you give cherries to your pet dragon, ensure that you do not give them the entire fruit.
Instead, you should cut it and remove the seeds before feeding them because this will prevent any chance of them choking.
When left unattended, bearded dragons usually eat cherries whole and they may choke if too many go down their throat at once.
In the wild, bearded dragons often avoid larger cherries because of the chances of choking. Instead, they tend to consume smaller fruits.
But when you give cherries to your pet bearded dragon to help it build a robust immune system, ensure that you remove the seeds and cut these into smaller pieces.
9. Squirrels
Squirrels are excellent climbers, and they are known to consume all types of fruits and vegetation. They can climb cherry trees easily and consume the fruits.
Farmers cultivating cherries have to protect their cherry harvest from an attack of squirrels since these creatures love the fruit because it is sweet and can be easily bitten into.
On the other hand, if you want to give your pet squirrel cherries, remove the seeds before you give the fruit.
It will ensure that the seeds are not bitten into as they can prove toxic for the animal. Also, it is not necessary to cut the fruit into pieces before giving it to your pet.
Instead, you can give it whole after removing the seeds so that your pet squirrel can bite into the sweet fruit.
Cherries are a good source of vitamin C, which is essential to the immune system. Vitamin C also helps in the production of collagen, which is an important component of skin and hair for these creatures.
Conclusion
The animals that eat cherries are deer, rabbits, guinea pigs, badgers, possums, ants, raccoons, bearded dragons, and squirrels. The cherry fruit is palatable for these animals and is an excellent source of energy, however, even though it promotes healthy digestion, it should be fed in moderation.
