What Animals Eat Oranges?
A number of animals can eat oranges. However, one of the fruit’s biggest fans is the roof rat, a common pest of orange trees. Although the rodent likes a variety of foods, it has a very strong preference for oranges and avocados, according to Gardenguides. Retailer Wild Birds Unlimited lists birds that like eating the fruit too.
According to Gardenguides, roof rats that consume oranges from orange trees like the fruit so much they eat everything except the rind. The site says that any hollowed fruit is a big clue that a grove is infested with roof rats. Unfortunately, the leftover rinds can become dangerous if they are exposed to livestock, humans or pets as the rats carry such diseases as salmonellosis and typhus.
Wild Birds Unlimited lists birds that favor orange halves on its website. In the eastern U.S., orange-loving birds include such species as red-bellied woodpeckers, brown thrashers, scarlet tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, northern mockingbirds, orchard orioles, Baltimore orioles and gray catbirds.
Orange lovers in the western U.S. include western tanagers, bullock’s orioles, hooded orioles and gray catbirds. Wild Birds Unlimited suggests offering oranges in wire feeders that are made for holding fruit or suet or placing orange halves in hanging feeders.
According to What Can Dogs Eat, your dog can eat just about any fruit except grapes, which have proven to be unsafe. The site says that dogs can enjoy some orange slices if they are fed in moderation.