Do rodents eat insects?

Rodents eat different types of food, and this includes insects, vegetables and fruits. Rats are known to eat meat and fish, but rodents also eat cat and dog food. Rats will eat most anything, including scraps from human food, carcasses and road kill.

The insects that are known to make the skin crawl are a tasty meal to a good number of mammal species. Some rodents do prey on insects exclusively, and they offer a varied diet to these rodents. They also help people to reduce the number of insects around them and the diseases that can be transmitted by them to humans or to agricultural crops.

Some rodents are found in the taxonomic category known as Xenarthra since they have skeletal commonalities and they are known as insectivores. The anteaters can use their thin, long tongue that is drenched in sticky saliva in order to extract termites and ants. The armadillos are known to use their body armor and are also known as insectivores, while some species only eat ants. Aardvarks in Africa also eat termites and they have a sticky tongue to get them. These rodents may also use their strong claws to get access to the insects.

Hedgehogs are able to curl themselves into a prickly ball to dissuade their predators, and they are known to be highly insectivorous. Its meal includes moths, termites, millipedes, grasshoppers, caterpillars and beetles. To be able to get to these insects, the hedgehogs have curved claws that have been designed to dig and a good sense of smell and hearing. Since they prey on the pest species, the hedgehogs have been friends to the gardeners for a long period.

Hedgehogs are found in the taxonomic order known as insectivore, which encompasses all mammals that eat insects. They are able to eat enough insects to support a high metabolic rate. The Tenrecs found on Madagascar Island eat insects and larvae. There are a few species that have a specialized diet like eating earthworms only. The insects can make up a part of the diet of many omnivorous mammals. An opossum found in the marsupial species is also known to live on worms and insects.

The categorization of the rodents has a large number of animals like rats, squirrels, beavers and others. Many of the rodents have a flexible diet and they are able to adapt to different environments. The rodents who eat insects can also eat meat when they find leftovers from other animals. Go back to the How to Get Rid of Rats page or email us if you have any other questions about Do rodents eat insects?