Your Cart is Empty
Maybe you’re curious about how animals eat, or you found some gnaw marks on your house and are trying to solve a mystery. Regardless of how you got here, you might be surprised to find out how many animals gnaw. Tons of gerbils and rodent-like animals use their incisor teeth to consume food.
Here is a list of 10 animals that gnaw their food:
Below, we will go down the list of animals that gnaw their food and discuss their eating habits. Then, we will explain the difference between animals that gnaw on their food and animals that bite their food.
Typically, rodents gnaw their food. Their teeth are constantly growing, like human hair, and they need to gnaw in order to dull their teeth down. Because of the way their teeth grow and sit in their mouth, they usually gnaw on their food as well.
Animals classified as gnawing animals have two pairs of incisors on the top of their mouth. This video helps show what it looks like when an animal is gnawing and features one of our above-listed animals, the beaver:
As you can see, gnawing looks slightly different from chewing because of how the animal's teeth are set up. Additionally, most gnawing animals do it not only to chew their food but to prevent their teeth from growing outside of their mouths and becoming uncomfortable.
Now, let’s check out which specific animals gnaw their food.
Capybaras are large, rodent-like creatures that live primarily in the following areas:
They are the world’s largest rodent and can weigh up to 100 pounds (45.35 kg). Because these animals are semi-aquatic, they spend much of their time underwater.
Their most notable dieting habit is their tendency to eat their feces. They do so to absorb beneficial bacteria. In addition to their poop, capybara’s eat tons of grass and lots of other available fruits and veggies, like melons and squashes. The incisors on a capybara's mouth help them to gnaw plant matter and other food.
Beaver’s may be the most famous of all the gnawers because most of their depictions in cartoons show how they gnaw. With their big teeth, beavers gnaw on wood and food in the front and the back. They use their teeth to build dams and homes, cutting down wood to size.
Beavers use their gnawing teeth for both architecture and eating, using wood for both these endeavors. If you’ve never seen a beaver's incredible capabilities, this video shows a great example:
With their teeth and little beaver hands alone, beavers can construct entire networks for their habitats. Beavers are vegetarian animals and like to eat bark and build with it.
When people have a rat or pest problem in their home, it can often be identified by signature gnawing marks on wooden things in a person's home. Someone might find bites and indentations on their molding or furniture. Rats also gnaw, but most people don’t find this fact out in a fun way.
Rat teeth continue to grow like hair. Rat gnawing is less about eating or stimulation and more about supporting their teeth. To dull their teeth and keep them from growing out of their mouths, rats need to gnaw. Though it’s used for this purpose, they are still classified as “gnawers” when it comes to food because they use their incisors to consume the vegetation they eat.
Despite their soft fur, squirrels are animals that might damage someone’s property through their insistent gnawing. They are a part of the rodent family, which means their incisors can be classified as their primary way of eating, giving them the rodent “gnaw.”
Though they can gnaw on things inside of a home, similarly to rats, squirrels are usually known for gnawing on something else: cars. Many poor souls have gone out to their car to find that squirrels had gnawed on the wires, damaging something intricate to the function of the vehicle.
Groundhogs usually eat fruits and vegetables, making them pretty common garden pests. Most people think about groundhogs on two occasions: Groundhogs day or when watching the movie, Groundhogs Day. Groundhogs are also known to gnaw and use their claws when consuming their food. Like the above rodents, groundhogs incisors can grow an inch every 16 weeks. For that reason, they appreciate a good piece of wood to gnaw on.
Gerbils enjoy a diverse and varied diet, craving foods such as pear, melon, carrot, pumpkin, or even fennel. One of their favorite treats is pumpkin seed because it gives them something to gnaw on.
Hamsters and gerbils both made the list, but some people classify the two as the same thing. Gerbils are typically much larger than hamsters and have a longer tail, making them more comparable to rats than hamsters.
Though you might not typically classify porcupines as rodents because of their unique features, you may be surprised to find they’re in the same family as hamsters and rats. Porcupines also have teeth that continue growing–kind of like our hair continues growing throughout our lives–so they enjoy gnawing on things to help their teeth. Notably, porcupines enjoy gnawing on bones.
You might have already assumed that since gerbils are on the list, hamsters would be, too. You’d be correct.
Because they are rodents, their teeth are set up to make them gnawon food rather than chew it like a human might. Additionally, hamsters enjoy gnawing on wooden things to stimulate their brains and keep them from boredom. Sometimes, hamsters will even chew on their cages.
Guinea pigs are another gnawing creature. Typically, guinea pigs are kept as house pets. If you let your guinea pig on the loose, you might notice that they’re drawn to gnawing on wooden things. This is because, like the above rodents, their teeth grow a little bit each day. They gnaw on things to dull their teeth down to maintain their comfort. Additionally, they eat their food the same way.
Last but not least, we have the gnawing chipmunks. Chipmunks are small rodents that typically live in trees and are similar to squirrels. Chipmunk teeth are notable for cutting and grinding hard foods like seeds and bird eggs. Don’t let their small size and cuteness fool you; they are powerful gnawers, just like every other animal on this list.
Many animals use their incisor teeth to gnaw on food rather than chewing it. Rodents and gerbils are the most usual suspects, and sometimes you can tell what’s been stewing in your home based on the gnaw marks. All of these animals are vegetarians, making gnawing their primary technique for eating food. It’s essential to remember that a few of these animals gnaw on wood for stimulation, primarily hamsters and guinea pigs.
