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<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFact checked by Steven Lines, lifelong Hunter, and Outdoorsman<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIn this post, we'll cover:<\/p>\n
The bulk of a wild hog\u2019s diet is plant matter. They consume plants year-round, and their plant consumption can make up anywhere from 50 to 100% of their diet, depending on the time of year and location. Wild hogs can eat a wide variety of wild plants, as well as different parts of them. Everything from the fruits, stems, leaves, bulbs, tubers, shoots, and roots is fair for wild hogs. They can and will eat just about anything they can find, whether the plants are native to the area or not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This has to lead to wild hogs becoming a significant problem for farmers and their crops. Because feral hogs can eat any type of plant<\/a>, they are not picky eaters. They can also eat the plants at whatever stage of growth they are in, so no matter what time of year it is, the crops are not safe from the hungry jaws of the hogs. Commercial crops such as corn, wheat, oats, rice, hay, barley, and millet are favorites, and vegetables like yams, squash, potatoes, beets, lettuce, cabbage, turnips<\/a>, peas, beans, and soybeans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wild hogs are also known to hang around orchards to eat the fruit that falls from the trees, regardless of how rotten it might be. Everything from grapes, pumpkins, apples, oranges, berries<\/a>, watermelons, and even coconuts are eaten by wild hogs whenever they get the chance. Aside from commercial and farm-raised plants, feral hogs will, of course, eat native plants as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wild pigs consume animals much less often than plants, but they will do it year-round when the right opportunities arise. Everything from insects, worms, frogs, lizards, fish, and crawfish are consumed, as well as snakes. Wild hogs will also eat the larvae and eggs of these animals as well, given a chance. This helps to supplement their diet and allows them to thrive in just about any environment, regardless of the food source they have to rely on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, wild pigs are so prone to eat snakes that they are well known to hunt down and eat rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes are highly venomous and will strike when provoked. This proves how tough wild hogs are, and they will actively look for these snakes in warmer climates to get a bigger meal. In many parts of Texas, scientists speculate that rattlesnakes have learned to stay quiet and not rattle their tails (their warning signal) for fear of being attacked and eaten by the abundant wild hogs that roam the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other prey animals for wild hogs include snails, quail, earthworms, rabbits, squirrels, and young deer, cattle, and sheep. Wild hogs have even been known to feed on carrion, which is the remains of animals that have previously died. Of course, it is essential to remember that wild hogs will usually only eat plant material and will only resort to meat on special occasions. While they can and do eat animals such as snakes, it is generally only in rare situations when they are short on other food sources and want to take the risk of a meal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
