Sometimes it’s easy to overestimate your hunger when you are ordering food and you end up with some extra slices, pieces or portions when you are feeling full. Yes, you can freeze it until another day. However, some foods can’t be frozen and taste good a day after. For example, sushi.
Instead of throwing away your leftover sushi you may want to consider feeding them to your ducks.
Ducks can eat sushi and and they mostly love it. Nigiri sushi is usually made of sticky rice, wasabi and a topping. Toppings vary between fish, seafood, and vegetables. Ducks can eat most types of toppings, but there are however some you never should give to ducks.
You should never feed ducks avocado, egg, and green onion. Do not give them soy sauce, wasabi, or pickled ginger either.
Can ducks eat sushi?
Ducks can eat sushi. Or at least most toppings. There are, however, some that ducks shouldn’t eat. I will go through the most popular nigiri sushi toppings.
It is harder to know if sashimi sushi is ok to give to ducks since it contains multiple ingredients. Sashimi are the round rolls filled with different flavors. I would play it safe and only give ducks Nigiri sushi.
Table of popular sushi Nigiri and if ducks can or can not eat them
| English name | Japanese name | Can ducks eat it? |
|---|---|---|
| Avocado | Avocado | No |
| BBQ eel | Unagi | Yes |
| Cooked octopus | Tako | Yes |
| Cooked squid | Geso | Yes |
| Cooked shrimp | Ebi | Yes |
| Crab salad | Crab salad | Yes |
| Crab tempura | Crab tempura | Yes |
| Egg | Tamago | No |
| Flying fish roe | Tobiko egg | Yes |
| Green onion | Negitoro | No |
| Mackerel | Saba | Yes |
| Octopus | Tako salad | Yes |
| Salmon | Sake | Yes |
| Salmon roe | Ikura | Yes |
| Scallop | Hotate | Yes |
| Scallop with hot sauce | Spicy hotate | Yes |
| Scallop with mayo | Hotate mayo | Yes |
| Sea bass | Tai | Yes |
| Sea urchin | Uni | Yes |
| Seaweed salad | Chuka wakame | Yes |
| Smelt roe | Masago | Yes |
| Smoked salmon | Smoked salmon | Yes |
| Squid | Ika | Yes |
| Surf clam | Hokki | Yes |
| Sweet fried tofu | Inari | Yes |
| Sweet shrimp | Amaebi | Yes |
| Tuna | Maguro | Yes |
| Tuna belly | Toro | Yes |
| Yellowtail | Yellowtail | Yes |
🍊 Did you know ducks love to eat fruits? Learn more about what fruits like to eat here.
Avocado
Ducks can not eat avocado sushi. Avocados are toxic to ducks and will kill them. Avocados contain fatty acid persin and may lead to problems breathing. It may also accumulate fluids around the heart and lungs. Symptoms occur within 12 hours and death 1-2 days after. If you believe your ducks have eaten avocado, contact your veterinarian.
BBQ Eel (Unagi)
Ducks can eat eel and benefit from it. Eel contains a lot of potassium and phosphorus, which is important in the duck’s diet. Make sure not to feed entire pieces to the duck. Otherwise, it may be rejected since it won’t fit in their mouth.
Cooked octopus (Tako)
Ducks can eat cooked octopus. You have to chop it up before serving. Octopus are very rubbery, and ducks will have a hard time swallowing them.
Cooked squid (Geso)
Ducks can eat cooked squid. The squid is pretty rubbery even when cooked. If you wish to give your duck cooked squid sushi, you’ll have to cut it into smaller pieces. Otherwise, the duck may reject it.
Cooked shrimp (Eki)
Ducks can eat cooked shrimp. However, some shrimps may be too large for them to eat. It will help the duck if you cut it into smaller pieces. The flat shrimp may clog their throat, causing the duck to suffocate. You may want to consider offering it inside a bucket of water so the duck can swallow it more easily.
Crab salad
Ducks can eat crab salad. Crab salads are usually pretty spicy. However, ducks and other birds don’t have any receptors for spicy food. That’s why wasabi doesn’t affect them the same way as us.
Crab tempura
It would be best if ducks didn’t eat crab tempura. Crab tempura is fried crab and contains a lot of calories. You should overall avoid oils from fat and butter in a duck’s diet.
Egg (Tamago)
Don’t feed egg nigiri sushi in the duck’s diet. Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol and aren’t good for them. The egg combined with the rice is too many calories at the same time.
Flying fish roe (Tobiko)
Ducks may offer flying fish roe nigiri to ducks. The roe provides a good amount of nutrients, and the ducks love it. However, Tobiko in the style of sashimi usually is served with avocado, which you should never serve to ducks.
Green onion (Negitoro)
It would be best if you didn’t give the duck any Negitoro. The nigiri comes with tuna wrapped in seaweed. The toppings are usually green onions which is the reason you shouldn’t offer it to the ducks. Green onions may be harmful to the ducks since they contain thiosulphate.
Mackerel (Saba)
It is OK to give mackerel nigiri (Saba) to ducks. There usually is some vinegar on the mackerel, which may be harmful to ducks. I would cut it up into smaller pieces and feed it in a bucket of water.
Octopus (Tako salad)
Ducks can eat octopus nigiri. It is strongly suggested you cut it up in smaller pieces before serving. Octopus are very rubbery, and it might be pretty hard for the duck to swallow.
Salmon (Sake)
Ducks will benefit from eating salmon. Although salmon isn’t in their natural diet, it still is a fish – they will enjoy and benefit from it. Salmon has a lot of protein and vitamins and will keep the duck full.
Salmon roe (Ikura)
Ducks love the salty taste of salmon roe. Salmon roe provides good omega-3 fat, which helps with brain development. They are easy to eat. The only thing the duck may struggle
Scallop (Hotate)
Ducks can eat scallop nigiri sushi. The scallop provides a sweet taste but at the same a fresh taste from the sea. Scallops have a lot of Calcium which is important for ducks. Ensure the scallop isn’t too large and the duck can get it into its mouth.
Scallop with hot sauce (Spicy Hotate)
Ducks can eat the spicy hotate nigiri. It’s scallops with added chili on top. Ducks don’t have the same receptors as humans do and don’t feel any burning sensation when eating spicy food. Make sure it’s served in smaller pieces so it won’t cause a choking hazard.
Scallop with mayo (Hotate mayo)
Ducks can eat scallop with mayo sushi. However, try to remove as much of the mayo as possible before serving. Mayo contains a lot of calories, and combined with rice; it would be too many calories. The scallop, however, provides the duck with healthy omega-3 fats and lots of protein.
Sea bass (Tai)
Ducks love to eat sea bass. Sea bass is well-known for its translucent and pinkish-white flesh. It has a small amount of fat and has a lot of Vitamin B6.
Sea urchin (Uni)
Not all sushi lovers enjoy Uni nigiri. However, most ducks enjoy the taste of Uni as long as it’s served in smaller pieces and easy to swallow. Uni is the edible part of the sea urchin and usually is a staple at most sushi restaurants.
Seaweed salad (Chuka wakame)
Chuka wakame is seaweed nigiri is seaweed wrapped in more seaweed. Basically agar-agar. Ducks will eat and like it.
Smelt roe (Masago)
Ducks can eat Masago nigiri, and they enjoy it. The ducks very much appreciate the salty taste of the roe. It’s healthy for them and provides good fats.
Smoked salmon
Smoked salmon nigiri has a lot of vitamins that are good for ducks. It has Vitamin D, Potassium, Calcium, Cobalamin, and Magnesium. Ducks enjoy the taste but prefer if you serve them in smaller pieces to decrease the risk of them choking.
Squid (Ika)
Ducks love the taste of squid nigiri sushi. Squid is very tough to chew for us humans. Ducks don’t chew their food and swallow everything whole. It’s therefore important you cut the squid into smaller pieces for the duck.
Surf clam (Hokki)
Ducks enjoy the taste of surf clams. Surf calms have a sweet and fresh taste. Ensure to cut them into smaller pieces so it will be easier for the duck to eat them.
Sweet fried tofu (Inari)
Inari is rice inside a pocket made out of fried tofu. Although the tofu has been fried, I would still say it’s fine to feed your ducks with Inari. It would be best to cut it up into smaller pieces before serving it since otherwise, the pocket may be a choking hazard.
Sweet shrimp (Amaebi)
Ducks love the taste of shrimp. Amaebi is usually not in the duck’s natural diet since they are caught in the sea between Russia and northern Japan.
Tuna (Maguro)
Ducks love the taste of fish, regardless of the fish species are in their natural diet or not. Ducks enjoy the taste of tuna and will eat it. However, it would help if you tried to cut it into smaller pieces before serving them. Tuna has a good amount of Magnesium and Vitamin D, which is important for ducks.
Tuna belly (Toro)
Ducks will eat Tuna belly Toro Nigiri if offered to them. Toro is the belly part of the tuna where most fats are. Ducks will enjoy it and eat it up very quickly.
Yellowtail
Yellowtail is a bit of a confusing name. It’s a generic name for multiple fish species. However, ducks don’t mind the weird name and still eat the Yellowtail nigiri sushi. Ducks will benefit from a lot of protein from the fish and a low amount of fat.
Can ducks eat wasasbi?
Ducks can eat a small amount of wasabi, but I don’t think they would like it very much. Unlike humans, ducks and other birds don’t have any taste receptors notifying them when they are eating something spicy.
The small amount of wasabi usually hidden between the rice and topping is fine to to give ducks. However, the small pile some sushi restaurants sometime leave on the plate should be avoided.
🍗 Ducks love to eat human food. There are some human food you should never feed ducks. Find out which here.
Can ducks eat pickled ginger?
Pickled ginger is the beige stuff usually coming with sushi. The ginger is there to function as a palete cleanser. Since the ginger is pickled, you shouldn’t feed it to the ducks. The ginger has been in vinegar and salt mix for a long time. Both things not suitable to eat for ducks.
🐠 Ducks are omnivores and eat other animals. Do you want to know what other animals ducks eat? Click here!
Can ducks eat soy sauce?
You shouldn’t add soy sauce to the duck’s food. Soy sauce is extremely high in sodium which isn’t good for the ducks. A too high amount of sodium in the blood may lead to hypothermia and dehydration.
🍅 Did you know ducks like to eat vegetables? Check out what vegetables ducks can eat here.
Conclusion
Ducks can and like to eat sushi. Especially the sushi with fish as toppings. There are however some toppings you never should offer to them. Avocado is both toxic and lethal to ducks and should never under any circumstances be fed to ducks. Egg contains a lot of cholesterol and fat which is not good for ducks. Sometimes Nigiri is garnished with green onions. Ducks shouldn’t eat any type of onion or garlic since it’s toxic to them.
Some sushi have mayo as topping. Try to remove as much mayo as you possible can. Mayo has a lot of calories and contains both egg and oil which both are bad for ducks.
Most types of nigiri sushi is fine to feed ducks with. Especially the ones with fish toppings. However, it is important you cut the rice and topping before serving it to the ducks. Otherwise, it may be a choking hazard.
The small amount of wasabi between the rice and topping is fine to feed ducks with, however the small pile of wasabi you usually get should be thrown away.
The pickled ginger which is used as a palete cleanser should also be thrown away. If you have a compost it would be awesome there. The amount of salt and vinegar in pickled ginger is not good for ducks and should be avoided.
Most sushi places gives a small cup to dip your sushi in. Please, do not add the soy sauce to the sushi you are giving to the ducks. Soy sauce has a high amount of sodium which may cause hypothermia and dehydration.
Remember the following safety tips for feeding sushi to ducks:
- No avocado, egg, or onions.
- Always cut the sushi into smaller pieces.
- No mold or rotten rice.
- Don’t gamble and offer them sashimi.
- No soy sauce, wasabi or mayo.