Do deer eat watermelon? Tips for Protecting Your Crop
Sometimes we have some questions regarding deer, like, Do deer eat watermelon? In this article, we will try to understand the habits of deer and whether they like to eat watermelon.
The answer to this question is that deer eat watermelons, especially if the watermelon is ripe or sweet. Not only this, but deer also love to eat watermelon rinds.
Like various herbivores, deer also eat a variety of fruits like apples, grapes, and oranges. They also like to eat vegetables, leaves, and plant stems. So, if you have watermelons planted in your garden, it is likely that deer will find them and eat them. Deers like watermelons, but they usually won’t eat a whole watermelon in one go.
Is Eating Watermelon Good For Deer?
Watermelon is a very beneficial fruit in terms of nutrition, and a variety of vitamins and minerals in it add to its nutritional value, which is very helpful for humans and animals.
Watermelon contains many nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and lycopene. Watermelon contains about 92% water and is an excellent snack for animals living in hot and dry environments.
A variety of fruits and vegetables are safe and beneficial for deer. When it comes to fruits, apples and bananas are at the top, while in vegetables, carrots and sweet potatoes can also be fed to deer.
To learn more about what other foods deer eat, including peanuts, read our article Do Deer Eat Peanuts?
Do Deer Eat Watermelon Rinds?
Deer eat watermelon along with watermelon rinds, and watermelon rinds are very tasty and nutritious for deer. Deer eat watermelon rinds, especially in the summer and fall. But deer prefer the flesh inside the watermelon.
Deer may eat watermelon rinds when other sources of food are scarce but must eat watermelon rinds in moderation to avoid digestive problems.
How Can I Protect My Watermelon Patch?
If you want to protect your watermelon patch and prevent deer from attacking it, you must build a strong fence around it. You should use a wire mesh or electric fence.
If you put up a fence around your watermelon crop that deer can’t cross, they’ll get frustrated and go back. In addition to fencing, you can also use deer repellents like motion-activated sprinklers to protect your crops from deer attacks.
Keeping Deer Away From Your Farm:
If you have a farm, deer will surely approach it, which will make you think about how to keep deer away from your farm. There are many ways to keep deer away. For example, put a fence around your farm.
Fencing is a very popular and effective way to keep deer away from your crop or farm and is used by many people. But while erecting the fence, you have to keep in mind that the height of the fence is such that the deer cannot cross it.
You can also consider deer repellents or make your deer repellents at home by mixing water and vinegar, but you will need to reapply the deer repellents after a few weeks, for example, when it rains in your area.
Check out our article on How to Attract Deer to Your Property.
Deer Repellent Plants:
The following plants are highly disliked by deer. If you plant these plants around your garden, deer will not visit your garden.
- Lavender
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Thyme
- Chrysanthemums
- Marigolds
- Garlic
- Onions
Some flowers, like roses, are a common target of deer. Find out more in Do Deer Eat Roses?
If you hang soap on your fence or the trees in the garden, deer will not visit your garden because they hate the smell of soap.
Deer are afraid of human hair. If you hang bags of human hair around your garden, the deer will think that humans are nearby, and they won’t come into your garden.
Will Watermelon Plant Recover If Eaten By Deer?
When the shoots of watermelon plants are young and deer eat them, it adversely affects the growth of the young shoots. If deer eat the shoots of mature plants, they will tolerate it, but their growth may be stunted.
How to Prevent Deer from Eating Watermelon?
1. Fencing
To prevent deer from eating watermelon, install a 7-9-foot fence around your garden, as deer struggle to jump over it. However, since deer can still occasionally leap over such fences, an electric fence offers a more effective solution.
2. Netting
Netting over the plants can prevent deer from eating the watermelons, but if the netting has holes, deer can access the fruit. Ensure the mesh is hole-free to be effective.
3. Deer repellent spray
Use a deer repellent spray to protect your garden. The spray’s smell of rotten eggs, garlic, and cloves deters deer, making them avoid your plants. Applying this repellent helps safeguard your garden from deer intrusion effectively.
4. Deer-repelling plants
You can plant additional plants around watermelon that deter deer with their scent, such as herbs, lettuce, and onions.
5. Using soap
Deer avoids soap due to its smell. Placing soap near your watermelon plants or hanging it up will deter deer from approaching your watermelon plants.
6. Keeping the pet in the garden
By keeping a dog in the garden, you can protect it. The dog’s barking alerts you to issues and scares away deer, deterring them from entering.
Additional Options to Deter Deer That Eat Watermelon:
You can protect the fruits and vegetables in your garden from deer attacks by using different types of vegetables. These are the different types of repellent vegetables:
- Strong and smelly plants: Onions, chives, dill, leeks, mint, and garlic
- Sticky or fuzzy plants: Squash, cucumbers, pumpkins
- Root vegetables: Deer avoids eating root vegetables.
Do deer eat watermelons in ripe form?
Deer are herbivores and may eat ripe watermelons when given the opportunity. The sweetness and water content of ripe watermelons attract deer. In areas where food sources are scarce, deer often satisfy their hunger by eating ripe watermelons.
Do Deer Eat Watermelon Plants?
Deer use a variety of plants, including watermelon plants, to satisfy their hunger. Deer have browsing behavior, which is why they cause a lot of damage to crops, especially in areas where deer populations are high.
Most farmers fence their watermelon plants to protect them from deer, but if the deer are hungry, they will somehow get to the watermelon plants.
Do Deer Eat Watermelon Vines?
Deer avoid eating bitter and hard-textured things, which is why they don’t usually eat watermelon vines.
But in some situations, when deer are facing hunger and a lack of food, they may eat watermelon vines out of compulsion. If deer do not have a favorite food available, they may eat watermelon vines.
Do Deer Eat Watermelon Leaves?
If deer do not have a preferred food available, they may eat watermelon leaves. Deer will avoid eating watermelon leaves if other preferred food sources are available.
Do Deer Eat Watermelon Skin?
Watermelons usually have very tough skin and a very bitter taste, so deer usually avoid them.
They prefer soft fruits like apples and vegetables like tomatoes and avoid hard ones, but deer are opportunistic feeders and may eat watermelon skin if nothing else is available.
In areas where the deer population is high and food sources are available, deer can feed on watermelon skin.
Do Deer Eat Watermelon Rinds in Winter?
Watermelon rinds are readily available in the summer, so deer eat watermelon rinds. But watermelons are not usually found in the winter season, which is why there is less chance of getting their rinds due to a lack of watermelons.
Do Deer Eat Cantaloupe?
Cantaloupe has a very strong scent and a tough outer rind, which is why deer avoid it. But if deer have easy access to cantaloupe and are hungry, they may eat it.
Overall, if deer do not have other preferred foods available, they can meet their nutritional needs by eating cantaloupe.
Conclusion:
If you have watermelons planted in your gardens and fields, you may be in trouble because deer do not hesitate to eat them. Although watermelons aren’t a top deer food, that doesn’t mean they won’t harm them.
When given the opportunity, deer will eat the watermelon along with its rind. A great option for protecting watermelons from deer is to fence your watermelon crop. Another option is to use plants that deer dislike.
By following these precautions, you can save your watermelon crop and enjoy its sweet and juicy taste.
FAQs:
What animals will eat watermelon?
Is watermelon good for animals?
The red flesh found inside the watermelon is rich in very healthy nutrients. Watermelon is rich in potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A and is also an excellent source of B6.
Do goats eat watermelon?
Just like humans like to eat watermelon, goats also like watermelon. The texture of watermelon is very interesting, juicy, and sweet, making it very enjoyable for goats.
Do wild animals eat watermelon?
Coyotes are often known for catching small animals, but they also like to eat juicy watermelons, especially when the weather is hot.
What animal can crush a watermelon?
A hippo is an animal that can eat a whole watermelon in one bite.
