Anyone I know of love strawberries. It is an excellent addition to any drink or dessert you have.

That got me to wonder if there are any animals out there that share our love for strawberries. And, yes, there are many of them! So, what animals eat strawberries?

Many wild animals like raccoons, squirrels, and deer cause a ruckus when they try to steal and eat strawberries from homegrown gardens. These animals eat strawberries for various reasons; some treat strawberries as a source of nutrients, while other animals see strawberries as a sweet snack.

Below is a list of animals that are obsessed with strawberries as we are:

• Squirrels
• Raccoons 
• Deer
• Rabbits
• Marmots
• Turtles
• Hamsters
• Guinea Pigs
• Cats
• Bearded Dragons
• Birds
• Insects

12 Animals That Love to Eat Strawberries

Squirrels

Scientific Name: Sciuridae
Diet: Omnivore

Every time a squirrel is spotted, it is nibbling something. It may be a nut or a random snack it stole.

As an energetic little critter, the squirrel enjoys eating fruits and berries. That includes feasting on strawberries.

Strawberries are a sweet and delicious treat for squirrels. Once the strawberries ripen, the sugar increases, and no wonder squirrels are crazy about eating them.

Squirrels live on trees and spend a lot of time targeting various plants and crops. It includes visiting one’s garden and backyard.

If one does have strawberries in their yard, prepare for squirrels to visit. They will be more than happy to find tricks to make sure they snatch your strawberry treat.

Fortunately, there are some remedies to repel these squirrels.

Related: Animals That Eat Oranges

Raccoons

Scientific Name: Procyon lotor
Diet: Omnivore

Raccoons can be unwelcome visitors. They can visit not only one’s trash bin but also their yard.

Raccoons spend time searching and digging through places and spots they think they can find treats. Every time they do their search, they destroy crops and plants.

In the process, raccoons may also spread dirt and trash all over the place. It is a headache for any owner when confronted with such a problem.

Like squirrels, raccoons are also attracted to the sweet taste of strawberries. They will try to steal every strawberry in one’s yard.

One way to repel raccoons (and squirrels) is to apply repellant spray on the strawberries. However, you must maintain spraying these strawberries.

Another way is to use a wildlife net if spraying a repellant is not a choice.

Deer

Scientific Name: Cervidae
Diet: Herbivore

Deer are herbivores, meaning they are animals that eat plants only. However, they have a wide range of diets, including grasses, crops, acorns, forbs, woody plants, etc.

One of the fruits that make deer get excited is strawberries. They have a strong appetite and are happy to try any new fruit on their way.

Deer are quite a problem for plant owners near deer-infested regions. They enter yards and will eat every fruits and vegetable they can spot.

Some plant owners install cylindrical mesh around their plants to protect their strawberries. This method is usually practiced as deer cannot dig around the plant.

At the same time, there is also no necessity to spray any repellant spray against them. However, deer can return anytime as they are lured to try and snatch the berries.

Rabbits

Scientific Name: Oryctolagus cuniculus
Diet: Herbivore

If you have a pet rabbit, then strawberries are one of the best sweet treats you can give.

Even in the wild, rabbits love to eat strawberries, including the plant shoot. Their love for strawberries makes sense as this fruit contains fiber and nutrients.

However, rabbits shouldn’t keep eating them. Strawberries are also rich in sugar and can affect the rabbit’s teeth’ overall health.

Although not toxic to rabbits, strawberries should be fed to rabbits at a minimum. You can feed them strawberries a maximum of three times a week.

The green leafy part of the strawberry is also safe for the rabbit to eat. In fact, they love the small greens included.

Ensure to feed your rabbits strawberries only when they are at least three months old.

Marmots

Scientific Name: Marmota
Diet: Omnivore

Another animal that loves eating strawberries is marmots. These omnivore creatures mainly eat grasses, roots, mosses, and berries.

But, marmots are also more than happy to take strawberries from your yard. This giant squirrel will also destroy your crops in the process of stealing your strawberries.

In protecting your strawberries from marmots, you can use a mesh. Make sure to install a wooden cage around the plant first for extra stability.

However, this is not a long-term remedy. Marmots can dig underground and can grab your berries. You know it is bad news once you see a hole in your yard.

So, you also need to look after your plant now and then to keep away the marmots.

Turtles

Scientific Name: Testudines
Diet: Omnivore

Even when hiding on their shells, turtles cannot hide for long in the sight of a strawberry. This amphibian will race towards the fruit in no time.

Turtles also include strawberries as one of the fruits in their diet. They need to maintain their solid bones for muscular functions.

To achieve it, they consume strawberries for calcium. A strawberry contains 27 mg of calcium, a great way to start its calcium intake.

Turtles can consume strawberries perfectly fine unless they have an allergy to the fruit. But similar to every other pet, the number of strawberries to be consumed must be limited.

Strawberries are also high in sugar, so the number of strawberries to be consumed must be in proportion to the turtle’s size.

Hamsters

Scientific Name: Cricetinae
Diet: Omnivore

If you have a pet hamster, you can treat them with strawberries. Hamsters can comfortably eat them without choking.

Just make sure to chop the strawberries before serving them to your pet. And, you must limit the hamster’s strawberry diet to once every week.

You can feed them at least twice a week as long as you only give them a quarter of a teaspoon of chopped strawberry.

Strawberries are not an essential part of hamsters’ diet. This sweet berry is more of a treat for hamsters.

Hamsters can have all their necessary nutrition from their regular diet. However, make sure to keep your hamsters in a cage if you have a strawberry plant.

Chances are, your hamsters will dash towards it.

Guinea Pigs

Scientific Name: Cavia porcellus
Diet: Herbivore

Guinea pigs are another popular pet that loves to eat strawberries. Strawberries are a great fruit to include in this rodent’s diet.

Like hamsters, guinea pigs can only consume one to two small-sized strawberries a week. Strawberries are also safe for guinea pigs to consume.

This sweet fruit is an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidants. Guinea pigs need vitamin C as their body cannot produce it.

They mainly rely on the nutrients that their food will provide. So it is essential to consider fruits, like strawberries, in their diet.

Guinea pigs can damage their digestion tract when they overate on strawberries. Not only that, but they can also develop obesity due to the sugar content of strawberries.

Read Also: Animals That Eat Only Fruit

Bearded Dragons

Scientific Name: Pogona
Diet: Omnivore

The bearded dragon is probably the most exciting animal on this list of animals that eat strawberries. People who do not take care of them do not have an idea they eat fruits.

Strawberries are an essential part of the bearded dragon’s diet because of calcium. It serves as a natural calcium supplement for the bearded dragon.

Like other animals, the bearded dragon can only eat strawberries in moderation. Strawberries are sweet treats and can adversely impact the reptile’s sugar level.

Besides calcium, the bearded dragon does not get any other nutritional value from strawberries.

In preparing the strawberries for your reptile, clean them thoroughly. Pick smaller size strawberries to avoid choking.

But, if you do not have a choice, you can chop the strawberries instead.

Birds

Scientific Name: Aves
Diet: Omnivore, Herbivore, Carnivore

Birds almost eat everything they can peck. And all of them have a specific favorite they will always try to get.

Bird breeds like crow, robins and blue jays have the same favorite fruits. These birds are addicted to eating strawberries.

Besides tasting good, strawberry is a great source of nutrition for these birds. They do not need special preparation, as strawberries are soft to peck.

One can hang metallic tins around the strawberry plant to protect it. But this is a temporary fix, and the birds can still visit again.

Plant owners can also install mesh and chicken wire around the plant. But it also means that the owner will be exerting more time and effort during the harvesting season.

Insects

Scientific Name: Insecta
Diet: Omnivore, Herbivore, Carnivore

Another animal that eats strawberries is an insect. Due to their small sizes, they usually go unnoticed for some time.

It will be too late once you realize that the strawberries got damaged. Each insect consumes the strawberries in different ways.

Some insects eat a minuscule amount of strawberries, leaving tiny holes in them. Any bitten hole in the strawberry already indicates that it is rotten.

Besides insects, snails and slugs are also common strawberry pests. They cause significant damage to strawberries, making them inedible for humans.

The simplest way to prevent them from damaging strawberries is to watch over the fruits from time to time. Pick any snail or insect from approaching the strawberries.

One can also apply an insecticidal soap solution to the leaves.

FAQs on Animals That Eat Strawberries

Do Ladybug Eat Strawberries?

Yes. Just like other insects, ladybugs enjoy eating strawberries.

Ladybugs enjoy high-sugar content snacks, like fruits. If you keep ladybugs as pets, you can try feeding them re-hydrated strawberries.

Re-hydrated strawberries are sweeter than freshly picked ones. But, you can still offer your ladybugs fresh berries.

Although they love strawberries, ladybugs are still carnivores. They prey on tiny insects, such as aphids.

They are great to have around your home garden. Ladybugs ensure that no insect can destroy your plant and flowers.

But, if you have strawberries in your garden, ladybugs will probably start snacking on them.

How to Keep Animals Away From You Strawberry Plants?

The simple way to keep animals away from your strawberry plants is to spray repellents. It is usually adequate for a few hours.

You must spray the plants now and then. However, this is not always a choice for everyone.

Another way is to install a fence around your strawberry plant. You might need to exert more effort and money, but it is a physical barrier against animals.

The only problem you may encounter are animals that dig holes and insects. So, you still need to be on the lookout for these animals.

You can also mix the two remedies to increase your strawberry plant’s protection.

Conclusion – What Animals Eat Strawberries?

There are many examples of animals that eat strawberries; however, raccoons, squirrels, and deer are most likely to feed on these fruits in your garden. Strawberries are rich in fiber, which may have contributed to their popularity among various animals. It helps with their digestive process, especially since some animals have digestive tract problems.

As herbivores, they enjoy nibbling and snacking on various fruits and nuts. Well, as long as it is within their vicinity.

As for pets, they can eat a limited amount of strawberries. Consuming more than the prescribed amount can cause an increased sugar level.

Interestingly though, cats do not eat strawberries for their sweetness. Besides their fiber content, it seems that the cats would prefer to play with the strawberries instead.

Thank you for reading. We hope this article was interesting and fun to read. 

If you liked this type of post, here’s a recommendation of another popular read: What Animals Eat Flowers?