Do Bats Eat Vegetables?

Bats are small mammals that live in many regions of the world. They have fur, produce milk and eat a diverse range of foods. However, bats do not eat vegetables. Understanding what bats eat will help you care for a pet bat or attract bats to your garden to support the health of your plants.

  1. Insects

    • Insects are the main food of 65 to 70 percent of all bats. These bats live all over the world, but typically do not live in areas that are extremely cold or hot. The typical insect eater will consume around 2,000 insects per night. However, bats that belong to the Pipistrellus genus may eat up to 3,000 insects in a single night. Insect-eating bats are smaller than other types of bats, and they help farmers keep their crops healthy by eating insects that eat and damage crops.

    Fruit

    • The largest types of bats are called megabats. These types of bats typically eat fruit and live in tropical regions, such as Southeast Asia, Africa and India. Many people call these types of bats fruit bats. Some fruit bats have faces that resemble those of foxes, and all fruit bats typically have large eyes and short ears. Fruit bats consume the juices of ripe fruits. They spread the seeds of the fruits they feed on as they travel, which helps disperse seeds to new areas.

    Nectar

    • Bats that feed on the nectar of flowers also feed on insects, since very few flowers are open at night. These bats will travel to many flowers when searching for food. When they drink the nectar, they tend to get the flower's pollen on their heads and shoulders. This pollen rubs off on other flowers, which pollinates the flowers as the bats continue to search for food. These bats live all over the world.

    Carnivores

    • Less than 1 percent of all bats are carnivorous. Like fruit bats, these bats are also megabats. However, they are larger than fruit bats. Carnivorous bats feed on other living creatures, and they eat a diverse range of animals, including frogs, small bats and fish. These bats have sharp teeth and claws, which help them catch their pray. Some bats can kill a small creature, such as a rodent, with a single bite.

    Blood

    • Very few bats are vampire bats. Only three known species of bats feed on blood, and they live in South America. These bats typically feed on the blood from cows, goats and sheep. They do not drink human blood. Vampire bats do not suck blood. They make small pricks in sleeping animals with their teeth and lap up the blood in the same way that a dog drinks water. Vampire bats require only 2 tbsp. of blood each day.