Avocados, a popular fruit worldwide, attract a diverse range of animals, both in the wild and in domestic settings. While humans enjoy their creamy texture and nutritional benefits, various creatures are drawn to them for similar reasons, often due to their high fat content. Understanding which animals consume avocados and the potential effects on them is important for both garden enthusiasts and pet owners.
Wild Animals That Consume Avocados
Many wild mammals are opportunistic feeders and readily consume avocados. Squirrels gnaw open avocados, often damaging fruit in orchards. Raccoons and opossums frequently raid gardens and fruit trees for food, including avocados.
Coyotes also consume avocados; in some California areas, they can make up over 20% of their diet, especially from fallen orchard fruit. Black bears include avocados in their diet, sometimes comprising up to 23% of their food intake during avocado season. Foxes, such as red, gray, and kit foxes, will also eat avocados if the opportunity arises.
Birds are significant consumers of avocados, especially where the fruit is native. Toucans can swallow avocado fruits whole and later regurgitate the pit. The resplendent quetzal, a vibrantly colored bird from Central America, prefers wild avocados, consuming them whole and regurgitating the seed, playing a role in seed dispersal. Other bird species observed eating avocados include black vultures and crested caracaras, which may consume fallen or rotting fruit. Warblers, tanagers, and jays also forage in avocado trees, often for insects or nectar rather than the fruit.
Beyond mammals and birds, other wildlife can also be drawn to avocados. Armadillos, despite being primarily carnivorous, forage for fallen fruit, including avocados, to supplement their diet. Rodents like rats and mice also consume avocados. The rich, fatty fruit provides a valuable energy source, leading these animals to seek out avocado trees.
Avocados and Domestic Animals
The safety of avocados for domestic animals varies significantly due to a toxin called persin. Persin is present in all parts of the avocado plant—leaves, bark, skin, and fruit—though concentrations vary. Guatemalan varieties, including the popular Hass avocado, are more commonly associated with toxicity.
For dogs and cats, avocado flesh generally has low persin levels and is less toxic than to other species. While small amounts may not cause harm, it’s usually best to avoid feeding avocado due to other risks. The pit and skin pose a significant choking hazard and can lead to intestinal obstruction. The high fat content can also cause gastrointestinal upset or even pancreatitis in sensitive dogs.
Conversely, avocados are highly toxic and potentially lethal to birds, rabbits, horses, and ruminants such as cattle, sheep, and goats. In birds, symptoms of persin poisoning can appear rapidly, including weakness, depression, ruffled plumage, reluctance to perch, and respiratory distress. Severe cases can lead to heart damage, fluid accumulation around the heart and lungs, and sudden death.
Rabbits can experience jaw swelling, heart arrhythmia, and death from consuming avocado leaves. Horses, cattle, and goats may suffer from colic, gastritis, reduced milk production, or mastitis if they ingest avocado plant parts. Exotic pets like guinea pigs and some fish are also susceptible to persin toxicity.
Protecting Your Avocado Trees
Protecting avocado trees from animal damage requires a multi-faceted approach. Physical barriers like netting or mesh bags around individual fruits or entire trees are highly effective. Fencing can deter larger mammals, but must be tall and potentially have smooth or electric tops to prevent climbing. Wrapping tree trunks with sheet metal can prevent climbing animals like squirrels.
Habitat management also reduces attraction. Promptly removing fallen fruit minimizes easy food sources. Trimming branches that provide easy access from nearby structures or other trees also limits entry.
Repellents, such as commercial sprays or homemade solutions with chili or garlic, can deter animals by making fruit unpalatable. Hanging shiny objects like old CDs can visually deter some birds and small mammals. Timely harvesting of ripe fruit also reduces the opportunity for animals to consume them.