Animals that eat apples include pigs, horses, rabbits, possums, kangaroos, and more.
Apples have long been known as one of the healthiest foods around. For centuries, they have been used to feed both humans and animals. Many animals in captivity enjoy eating apples as they are both good tasting and they provide the animals with some quality nutrients and make them healthy.
What Eats Apples?
Here are some of the most common animals that eat apples.
1. Black Bears
| Scientific Name | Ursus americanus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | North America |
Even larger animals like bears enjoy eating apples. That is especially true for bears that are kept in zoos. In fact, apples are one of the preferred foods of bears as they will eat them in large quantities if they get the chance to. Just look at this group of rescue bears and how delighted they are when they are given a large package of apples to eat.
2. Elk
| Scientific Name | Cervus canadensis |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | western North America, especially in mountainous landscapes such as Wyoming’s National Elk Refuge and Yellowstone National Park |
Even larger wild animals like the elk will occasionally eat apples. That is, if they can get apples in the wild. Some elk might be kept in captivity where they are offered similar foods such as apples and they will happily eat them, too. You’ll often see zookeepers giving elk apples for a meal in the zoo.
3. Hamsters
| Scientific Name | Cricetinae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
As pets, hamsters are very popular. And their owners are wise to offer them apples for a meal, because hamsters enjoy eating them. They have sharp teeth that will cut through these apples easily. Other foods hamsters eat include grains, vegetables, and of course, grass and hay.
Related Article: 25 Animals Like Hamsters
4. Horses
| Scientific Name | Equus caballus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
As many horse owners know, horses eat and enjoy apples. Horses have relatively large teeth that are well suited to fruits and vegetables, so they will enjoy an apple now and then, too. Like pigs, horses can chew whole apples as they put them in their mouths and eat them with ease.
A medium-sized apple has about 100 calories, which provides a steady meal for a horse. Larger horses will eat more apples at once, but even a single apple can be a good source of food for a single horse as it will keep the horse satiated.
Related Article: Do Horse Smile?
5. Kangaroos
| Scientific Name | Macropus giganteus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | eastern Australia |
A kangaroo is a herbivorous creature. In the wild, it will enjoy a variety of different foods. The primary food for the kangaroo will be hay, which they will collect and feed it to themselves and their offspring. There are many different types of kangaroos and they all have different dietary needs, so the diets of kangaroos will vary significantly.
Most kangaroos are very fond of grass foods and hay, but some of the kangaroo species also enjoy eating fruits. For instance, kangaroos in zoos are happy to eat a variety of fruits – most of the time, they like eating larger fruits such as apples that they can easily chew on. Some kangaroos might even like to eat meat.
Related Article: Are Kangaroos Annoying Animals?
6. Mice
| Scientific Name | Mus musculus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
The small mice are very fond of apples. They are good at finding foods in the wild that are no use to other animals and eat them. For example, they might eat apples that have fallen from trees and are starting to rot. If mice are kept as pets, their owners will also offer them apples and mice will happily chew on them for a long time.
7. Parrots
| Scientific Name | Psittaciformes |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Australia, South America, and Central America |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Parrots are known for their versatility when it comes to diet. They are good at extracting different sources of food from their habitat, as they have large beaks. With their beaks, they can chew on even the larger and tougher fruits.
On occasion, they might find apples in the wild and eat them. But in most cases, parrots will only eat apples in captivity.
Related Article: Do Parrots Laugh?
8. Pigs
| Scientific Name | Sus scrofa domesticus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
Farm pigs are very keen on eating apples. They can chew them whole, as pig owners feed their pigs apples because these provide them with an excellent source of food. Not only that, but apples are highly nutritious and pigs enjoy them a lot, and apples are also quite cheap to buy.
In addition to that, many farm owners also own apple orchards, which provide them with a steady source of food for the pigs. In those cases, apples that are not eaten by humans are fed to farm animals such as pigs, so the farmers put all the foods they own to good use.
Related Article: Do Pigs Burp?
9. Possums
| Scientific Name | Didelphis virginiana |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | North American |
Possums live in warmer habitats of Central, South, and North America. In the wild, they have access to various types of food. They are primarily carnivores, as they eat insects, rodents, birds, and even dead animals. But they won’t say no to a quality piece of fruit which they often eat as a complementary food to their diet.
Possums are also relatively small; they might not be able to eat large foods, but they can certainly chew on fruits as they have sharp enough teeth to do so. Just one apple might be enough for several hours or even a day for a possum, so they will take advantage of such a food source if they find it available.
Related Article: Do Possums Eat Snakes?
10. Rabbits
| Scientific Name | Oryctolagus cuniculus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
Rabbits are small animals, but they have surprisingly sharp teeth. With these large teeth, they can chew on many tougher foods and fruits in particular, such as apples. While the primary source of food for rabbits will be hay and grains, they might also occasionally enjoy various fruits. Apples are high on their list of popularity when it comes to fruits.
Read Also: Do Rabbit Eat Mushrooms?
11. Wombats
| Scientific Name | Vombatidae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia |
A wombat is a smaller marsupial that live in Australia. It has small legs but surprisingly sharp teeth, so it can eat tougher foods such as fruits, too. Wombats are grazing animals as they will feed on native grasses and roots. They also enjoy eating sedges and trees, which are great sources of food for them because they are easily attainable.
Some wombats are also kept in zoos. There, they will be fed a slightly more varied diet. They have a preference for fruits that provide them with a lot of quality nutrients, such as apples, for instance. Smaller wombats might not be able to eat apples, so they are given softer fruits such as bananas instead.
Conclusion
The apple is one of the most versatile foods in the world. It is eaten by many animals – small and large, domesticated and wild. Generally, it is healthy for animals to eat apples, and in fact, they’re often fed to pets. They’re more universally accepted by animals than citrus fruits, and are widely eaten by birds, mammals, and reptiles
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