Can deer eat bananas? (Answered)

If you ever wanted to spoil or treat the deers visiting your garden or give them something in the wild, you might have thought of giving them bananas. I discussed with my friends whether deers can eat bananas or if they would like it. I did some research and wanted to share the results.

Deers can eat bananas but shouldn’t be given daily. Bananas contain a lot of sugar but don’t provide all the beneficial vitamins and nutrients required in a deer’s diet. Avoid feeding them the peel, and make sure the banana is either cut or broken into smaller pieces before serving.

Bananas are rich in potassium, vitamin c, and vitamin b6, which are excellent in a deer’s diet. However, they need more nutrients than that. Bananas are excellent to combine with other foods with more nutrients the deers like. The best is to provide the deer with the food they have in their actual diet. That way, they don’t become dependent on you and other people to supply them with food.

Will deer eat bananas?

Deer will eat bananas if they are presented with them. The sweet taste and smell attract many animals, and deers aren’t an exception. Deer usually feast on oak acorns, ragweed, white cedar, and berries in their natural diet-so it’s understandable why they want to eat some bananas when it’s presented to them.

Can deer eat the banana peels?

If you give the entire banana to the deer, including the peel, they will eat it. However, that doesn’t mean they should. The banana peels aren’t toxic, but they are hard to digest for the deer.

The size of the peel is also pretty alarming since it takes up much space in the stomach while not providing the corresponding amount of nutrients.

If the deer feel full, they won’t be motivated to look for other foods and risk being malnourished.

🦌 Do you want to know how to get deer into to your backyard? We have made a resource for you for that. You might want to check that out.

Can deer eat dried bananas?

You shouldn’t offer deer any dried bananas due to the high amount of sugar. When the water is removed, the remaining is almost all sugar. The deer’s digestive system isn’t used to break down that amount of sugar and may lead to stomach pain.

What to feed deer instead of bananas?

Although deer will like the banana and eat it, it’s better to offer them something from their natural diet. You can provide the deers with nuts, seeds, berries, and other foods found in your local area.

Deers require 2-4 weeks to adjust to a new diet. So if you have fed the deers something else regularly, try to add the bananas gradually into their current diet.

The deer’s digestive system is used to woody vegetation and isn’t used to fresh fruits like bananas. It’s important to feed them carefully since the deer have a sensitive digestive system.

☀️ Ever wondered what to feed deer in summer? I wrote an article about that you can read here.

Safe ways to feed bananas to deer

Some ways are safer than others when it comes to feeding bananas to deer.

Feed bananas to deers in moderation

Since it requires 2-4 for deers to adjust to new food in their diet, you will need to add it gradually. Bananas aren’t found in their natural diet and require more time to add to their diet. Therefore, it’s important to add small pieces of bananas gradually. You can start by giving a tenth of a banana the first time, with their other food.

Feed the bananas mashed and mixed

When you feed bananas to deers, you must make it easy for them. The smaller the pieces make it easier and, it’s much easier if you mash the bananas first. When you mash the banana, you can blend in some deer feed to boost the nutritional value.

Feed the bananas on a surface above ground

To minimize the risk of pests getting to the bananas before the deers, it’s recommended to feed them above ground. Although it’s not pest safe, it helps the deers to find it easier and removes the smaller non-climbing animals from the equation.

You can feed them on a table, on a shrub, or why not put small banana pieces on twigs on a bush? Ensure they aren’t put on a pointy twig so the deer get hurt when eating the banana piece.

How many bananas can I feed the deer?

The amount of bananas you can feed the deers is determined by the other foods in their diet and if they are custom to bananas already. Bananas are “junk food” for deer and shouldn’t be given often. It’s the same thing with corn. However, since bananas contains more calories than many other fruits, you might want to consider feeding them bananas in the winter.

Bananas can be great to lure deers into your yard but shouldn’t be given often. If you want ways to invite deer to your garden I wrote an article about it. If bananas are new into the deer’s diet, I wouldn’t feed them more than a tenth of a banana each and always combine it with their natural foods.

🌽 Did you know there are other things to feed deers beyond corn? Find out what to feed deer instead of corn here.

Health benefits from eating bananas for deer

Bananas are high in potassium, vitamin c, and vitamin b6, which are great for deers to have in their diet.

Potassium in bananas for deer

Bananas are most known for the amount of potassium. Potassium is great for deer since it helps to regulate fluid balance, muscle contractions, and nerve signals. It prevents muscle cramps, stabilize blood sugar levels and blood pressure.

Vitamin C in bananas for deer

Vitamin C is found in most fruits, and it has many different important functions which will help the deer. Since vitamin C is an antioxidant, it helps to prevent and treat the common cold. It also helps to absorb the consumption of iron. A deficiency in vitamin c shows slow wound healing, a disordered digestive system, and fatigue. Too high consumption of vitamin c causes nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.

Vitamin B6 in bananas for deer

Vitamin B6 is important in the deer’s diet since it increases energy, improves memory, forms red blood cells, and stimulates the immune system. A too high amount of pyridoxine (Vitamin b6) can lead to a lack of muscle control o heartburn and nausea.

Nutrients in 100 grams of bananas

Nutrient (unit)	Banana
Weight standard (g)	100
Energy (kcal)	95
Energy (kJ)	396
Carbohydrates (g)	21.3
Fat (g)	0.1
Protein (g)	1.13
Fiber (g)	1.4
Water (g)	75
Alcohol (g)	0
Ashes (g)	1.1
Monosaccharides (g)	15.4
Disaccharides (g)	2.7
Sucrose (g)	2.7
Sugars (g)	18.1
Total saturated fatty acids (g)	0.03
Fatty acid 4: 0-10: 0 (g)	0
Lauric acid C12: 0 (g)	0
Myristic acid C14: 0 (g)	0
Palmitic acid C16: 0 (g)	0.03
Stearic acid C18: 0 (g)	0
Arachidic acid C20: 0 (g)	0
Total monounsaturated fatty acids (g)	0.01
Palmitic acid C16: 1 (g)	0
Oleic acid C18: 1 (g)	0.01
Total polyunsaturated fatty acids (g)	0.01
Linoleic acid C18: 2 (g)	0.01
Linolenic acid C18: 3 (g)	0.01
Arachidonic acid C20: 4 (g)	0
EPA (C20:5) (g)	0
DPA (C22:5) (g)	0
DHA (C22:6) (g)	0
Tiamin (mg)	0.15
Riboflavin (mg)	0.04
Vitamin C (mg)	9
Niacin (mg)	0.7
Niacin equivalents (NE / mg)	0.9
Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.31
Vitamin B12 (µg)	0
Folate (µg)	14
Retinol (µg)	0
Vitamin A (RE/µg)	2.2
β-Karoten (µg)	20
Vitamin D (µg)	0
Vitamin E (mg)	0.16
Vitamin K (µg)	0.5
Phosphorus (mg)	23
Iodine (µg)	3
Iron (mg)	0
Calcium (mg)	6
Potassium (mg)	330
Magnesium (mg)	27
Sodium (mg)	0
Salt (g)	0
Selenium (µg)	0
Zinc (mg)	0.2
Cholesterol (mg)	0
Whole grains total (g)	0
Waste (shell etc.) (%)	37

Conclusion

You can feed the entire deer family bananas: Fawn, doe, and buck. However, you shouldn’t feed too much since it’s hard for their digestive system to break the bananas down.

Bananas will provide the deer with potassium, vitamin c, and vitamin b6.

The deers can eat the banana peels, but it isn’t recommended since it’s hard to digest for them and not providing a good amount of nutrients.

When feeding bananas to deer, you should be aware of:

• Feed in moderation.
• Add gradually into their diet.
• Feed in smaller pieces or mashed.
• Feed them on a surface above ground.
• Mix it in with other foods from their natural diet.