Many animals enjoy the sweet taste of pineapples, but not many can crack its hard shell.
Animals that eat pineapple include:
- Chicken
- Fruit Flies
- Gralha Azul (bird)
- Monkeys
- Parrots
- Pigs
- Possums
- Raccoons
- Rats
- Squirrels
- Tapirs
Many of the animals that eat pineapple on this list will eat it in the wild. These animals need to have strong enough jaws or eating features to break down the pineapple. However, some animals on this list are also farm animals that will enjoy eating pineapple, such as pigs or chickens, who can’t otherwise eat it.
Animals that Eat Pineapple
The sweet taste of pineapple is too inviting for these animals.
1. Chickens
| Scientific Name | Gallus gallus domesticus |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Worldwide |
Chickens can eat pineapples. Pineapples can provide a good source of vitamins and minerals for chicken, making them healthier.
Chickens are not picky creatures and will eat just about any scraps you throw them. And if you somehow get a chicken into your kitchen, there’s a good chance it will peck away at your pineapple!
Chickens will dive their beaks into the hard skin, but generally, they’re likely to eat slices or even the scraps sticking to skins that you have discarded.
2. Fruit Flies
| Scientific Name | Drosophila melanogaster |
| Type of Animal | Insect |
| Range | Worldwide |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Smaller animals like insects often feed on sweet fruits such as pineapples. This includes small insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and several other smaller insects that have easy access to these types of fruits.
Central among these are fruit flies, who are incredibly pesky during the summer months. If you don’t put your pineapple in the fridge, you might find you’ll get a fruit fly infestation, with the flies coming in your house to try to eat all your pineapples!
3. Gralha Azul
The Gralha Azul is another bird that likes to eat pineapples. Also known as the blue jay bird, this bird lives in the forests and jungles of South America, particularly Brazil.
You’ll easily distinguish this bird from other birds by its vivid blue colors. Usually, it will carry a combination of black, white, and blue, but the predominant color will almost always be blue. It’s a relatively large bird that has no problems eating large fruits such as pineapples thanks to its larger beaks.
4. Monkeys
| Scientific Name | Cercopithecidae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Monkeys love the sweetness of pineapples and will enjoy pineapples on some occasions. They are herbivores (at least, the majority of monkeys), so they will eat almost any type of fruit they can get in the wild.
The diet of a monkey can change based on the season. When pineapples start going ripe, which happens between April and May, monkeys will enjoy this type of food immensely. They’ll combine it with other foods – vegetables and fruits, some monkeys will also enjoy meat.
Related Article: 29 Animals Like Monkeys
5. Parrots
| Scientific Name | Psittaciformes |
| Type of Animal | Bird |
| Range | Australia, South America, and Central America |
| Diet | Omnivore |
Believe it or not, even parrots like a good piece of pineapple! This is particularly true of larger parrots that live in jungles, such as the macaw. Pineapple is a good source of food for parrots since it doesn’t contain any toxic materials that could harm the parrot, and it provides them with some good nutrients.
Some parrot owners also opt for feeding pineapples to their birds, as they consider it to be a good source of food that their parrots tend to enjoy. Thanks to their large beaks, parrots usually have no problems breaking the shell of the pineapple and eating it.
6. Pigs
| Scientific Name | Sus scrofa domesticus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
This might be a bit surprising to see, but pigs also enjoy eating pineapples. In captivity, pigs are often fed different types of fruits including pineapples, but in this case, the pineapples must be cut into pieces so that the pig can eat them more easily. Wild boars might also have a sweet tooth as they enjoy eating fruits from time to time.
Related Article: 9 Animals Like Pigs
7. Possums
| Scientific Name | Didelphis virginiana |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | North American |
A possum, or an opossum, is also an avid eater of pineapples. It is an animal that is endemic to the Americas, and as such, it will have access to a different variety of foods. They are omnivores; although they primarily prefer meat-based foods, they will also occasionally enjoy a good piece of fruit.
Opossums have sharp teeth which help them chew down on even the toughest foods, such as pineapples. These animals will enjoy pineapples as a treat, as they will have other types of foods as their primary sources of food – particularly meat.
Related Article: 13 Animals that Look Like Possums
8. Raccoons
| Scientific Name | Procyon lotor |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | North America |
As you may already know, raccoons are very opportunistic when it comes to their diet. They will eat almost any food they can find as they will scramble among human waste to find food. They’re also keen on rodents and insects, as they will combine these foods with vegetables and particularly fruits.
In captivity, raccoons are especially keen on fruits. If you’ve ever owned a raccoon or know someone who does, then you probably already know this fact.
Many raccoon owners will feed pineapples to their raccoons, and their pets will enjoy this food a lot. They have a sweet tooth, so they will enjoy eating pineapples as well as other types of fruits they are offered.
9. Rats
| Scientific Name | Mus musculus |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Worldwide |
Rats are similar to raccoons – they’re highly opportunistic when it comes to eating. So they are not very picky eaters, which results in the fact that they enjoy a wide variety of foods. Occasionally, this also means eating fruits.
Like raccoons, rats are also sometimes kept as pets. In those instances, their owners will feed them many different foods, including pineapples.
10. Squirrels
| Scientific Name | Sciuridae |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | Australia and Antarctica |
If you’re trying to figure out who’s been eating your pineapple, you might not need to look much further than the common neighborhood squirrel. Thanks to their sharp teeth, they have no problems breaking down the pineapple.
A squirrel is predominantly a herbivore, but it might also enjoy carnivorous foods such as smaller insects. It will thrive on various roots and smaller products of nature such as nuts, but it will also keenly eat fruits, which include pineapples.
11. Tapirs
| Scientific Name | Acrocodia indica |
| Type of Animal | Mammal |
| Range | southern Thailand |
| Diet | Omnivore |
A tapir is a large herbivorous animal that lives in the jungles and forest regions of Central and South America. Thanks to its habitat, the tapir has access to a different variety of fruits – including pineapples, which they also like to eat occasionally.
A tapir uses its long proboscis to reach fruits and vegetables in higher areas. They will also use it to eat pineapples and other types of fruits. Tapirs will enjoy a varied diet if possible, and pineapples will bring them some vital minerals and vitamins.
The tapir is considered to be vulnerable in its habitat. It’s threatened by loss of habitat because of deforestation as well as because of human predation, but there have been conservation efforts in recent years.
Conclusion
Animals that eat pineapples usually live in warmer habitats – or they are farm animals that enjoy the occasional fruit. When trying to figure out which animal is eating your pineapple, it’s worth checking the markings on the pineapple to see the sorts of teeth and claws might have been used, which can be a clue to who the culprit was!
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