Emus and Ostriches don’t just look similar to them a lot. According to some, they share similar eating habits, too. So if we look at the flightless birds with more sensitivity, it could be possible that they have similar eating habits.
Ostriches are Omnivores in their nature. They devour plants, roots, insects, seeds, and arthropods. Therefore, if Emus consume the same foods, it can be stated that the flightless birds also have similar eating habits.
To determine whether Emus share the same tastes or not, we need to discover what they eat first. This is what Emus consume.
What are the emus’ diets when they are in the wild?
They are omnivores and consume meat and plants. As a result, they have moderately high requirements for protein (around 15 to 20 percent of their diet). In addition, since insects are high in protein, they eat nearly every non-poisonous insects they catch, such as cockroaches, ants, grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, flies, and a variety of larvae. They also eat arthropods such as centipedes, spiders, and millipedes.
Emus consume various plants, and they differ in their diet both during the season and regionally. However, acacia, Casuarina, and various grasses are believed to constitute the majority of their diet. They’ve been observed foraging 43 species, including an array of fruit, seeds, and shoots.
When there is a food shortage usually caused by drought, emus can travel hundreds of kilometers to search for rain. As a result, they can lose up to 50 percent of their weight while looking for abundant food sources and sources and could suffer hunger for several days.
If emus eventually come across food, they usually devour themselves for a long time until they build significant fat reserves. However, they don’t have a garden that can be used to keep excess food, as other birds do. Instead, they have a special organ that can handle huge quantities of food.
What Do Emus Eat?
Emus are fond of eating various species of insects and plants, making them omnivore animals. Their varied diet makes them relatively easy to house on farms and for use as pets.
They are also keen to eat because a large amount of food is needed to keep their bodies healthy.
Here’s a brief review of the food items needed to keep an emu healthy and content;
Water
Emus require plenty of water to keep hydrated and help to digest food. Emus can easily consume between 9 and 18 liters of fluid every day. They drink a little. However, they consume huge amounts in a single sitting. Therefore, it is essential to provide your emu with plenty of fresh water daily.
Plants
Emus can eat all kinds of plant-based foods. They enjoy eating fresh herbs and consume lots of vegetables and fruits. They aren’t afraid of eating fresh green grass, cereals, or hay. They will take a bite of leafy greens whenever they come across something that looks delicious.
Fruits and vegetables
Plant-based eaters love eating a wide assortment of healthy fruits and vegetables. They love carrots, cakes and cabbage, beets, onion, potatoes, apples, and virtually every other kind of fruit and vegetable humans like to consume.
Meat
Apart from insects, emus also get their protein from a different source of protein.
In the wild, they can capture small animals like snakes, frogs, lizards, mice, invertebrates, and frogs like land snails. If breeders and farmers maintain their farms or backyard, they can provide emus with chicken, eggs, chicken meats, bone meal, and other animal products.
Please keep track of their protein intake and ensure your diet is healthily and balanced.
Seeds and grains
Emus also appreciate a large selection of seeds and grains. In reality, they are considered to be efficient seed dispersers’. As they move about, their droppings are a source of seeds they’ve eaten and will then be dispersed naturally.
Some of the seeds and grains that emus adore are:
- Corn
- Sunflower seeds
- Peanuts
- Oats
- Hay
- Barley
- Bran
- Seeds of grass
- Pumpkin seeds
- Chia seeds
- Quinoa
- Rye
- Wheat
What Do Domestic Emus Eat?
Domestic Emus are a different situation. They are a healthy eater who enjoys nutritious meals and delicious treats every now and every two weeks.
About 80 to 90% of the time, the domestic Emus consume plant matter, whereas most of the time, they consume tiny insects and arthropods.
Certain domestic Emus are also eating bone meals, chicken eggs, rodents, lizards, and other animal products.
They are slightly different in their eating habits. It could be because the flightless bird species do not have access to plant matter or insects as readily as wild birds.
Bone meal
It is one that not many people have heard of. It is a bone-based meal that emus eat to eat a mixture of coarsely and finely crushed animal waste and bones from animals.
The same form of processed animal waste and bone products are utilized as plants’ organic fertilizers.
It is rich in calcium, phosphorus as well as various trace minerals. The nutritional requirements are met if bone meal is mixed with other regular meals and desserts.
Chicken eggs
In addition to the bone meal, eating chicken eggs is also strange. We’ve all heard that the bird that is flightless needs lots of protein to remain fit and healthy.
What could be higher in protein than eggs? Since animal and meat products aren’t harmful to Emus, They can consume eggs to meet their protein requirements.
Mice and Lizards
The domestic Emus aren’t fortunate enough to be able to see as many arthropods and insects as wild Emus.
They need to satisfy their need for alternatives there are. Lizards and mice are two choices they could easily locate in the natural environment.
They are forced to take them in to satisfy the necessity. In addition, if they discover other beneficial insects, like rodents, Emus also eat these.
Charcoal
Emus may require charcoal or stones to aid the digestion of food. But, finding a particular type of stone inside a home environment is almost impossible. Therefore, domestic Emus consume charcoal to smooth out digestion.
Do Emus Attack Humans?
Emus are known to attack humans. They can be extremely dangerous, and the sharp toe claws can cause damage to your property. These animals are also quicker than humans, which reduces the chance of running away from an Emu.
Although human deaths caused due to emus are very uncommon, they aren’t unattainable. Therefore, it is advised to stay away if you observe indications of aggression, particularly when encountering an emu out in the wild.
What Are the Emus’ Predators?
Emus are extremely large birds and the only other bird higher than them. They can be anywhere between 55 and 75 inches. This makes them the same height as people, though a lot is due to their necks and legs. They rely on the size of their bodies, their speed, and claws that can reach 4 inches to defend themselves from predators. So it’s no surprise that these birds can tear creatures to shreds.
But emus, in particular, the very young and old, are targets of some predators. As a result, these animals pose the highest risk for emus:
- Dingoes
- Wedge-tailed Eagles
- Foxes
- Snakes
- Monitor lizards
- Wild and domestic dogs
- Pigs
- Human beings
Of all the predators, dingoes, or wedge-tailed eagles, humans are the most dangerous and have the potential to kill an adult emu. Others may be lucky in killing an emu who is young or eating their eggs.
Like many animals in Australia, humans pose emus with a risk. In addition to the threat of hunting and agriculture, emus have been frequent victims of motor vehicles.
What are the things emus can’t have to eat?
There are plenty of options for a diet that emus hunt, but there are certain food items they do not eat. Therefore, emus do not consume chicken, birds, ticks, snakes, bark, possums, eucalyptus rabbits, or hot dogs. Certain of them could be predators on emus. This means that they could cause harm or injury to emus. Overall, Emus aren’t allowed to feed on chickens and other species of birds, fish, frog geckos, and geckos, as well as the gums, trees, small birds, or termites. Emus aren’t able to take chocolate; therefore, don’t feed them, humans!