Skip to Content

Do Deer Eat Elephant Ears? (Explained)

Colocasia and alocasia are the two different types of elephant ear plants. They can be grown both indoors and outdoors. If you want to add some big plants to your garden, elephant ears should be your priority. They have bigger leaves that are not favorable to most aphids.

They grow big and fill up the surrounding areas with their big leaves. Although they are flower plants, the leaves are the main attractive parts. These leaves contain insoluble calcium oxalate, which is toxic to most animals.

Do deer eat elephant ears?

Deer don’t eat elephant ears; instead, they always avoid these plants and don’t try to go near them. The elephant ear plant contains insoluble calcium, which is dangerous for wild animals. So, when the animals smell or notice the elephant’s ears, they change their path.

There is no apparent reason why the deer avoid eating the elephant’s ears. But the look and taste might play a role here. If you look at the elephant ear plants, you will find large leaves unfavorable to the small deer. 

Since the deer used to eat small leaves and grass, they will not eat the large elephant ears.

Another reason might be the taste. The taste of the elephant ear leaves is not like the natural grass or the tiny leaves. The taste is something like spinach which is not favorable to deer. Do you think the taste and look of the elephant ears are the culprits?

Not exactly. There is one more reason, and that is the thorn. You will not see the thorns on the elephant ears, but you can feel them while touching the leaves. That’s the main reason why the deer avoid eating the elephant ears. 

They cannot chew the thorny leaves and can’t even digest properly.

So, it is inevitable that the elephant ear plants are deer-resistant and deer-proof. If you leave them alone and don’t use the fence or other repellents, the deer won’t come to your garden to eat the elephant ears. They keep away from these plants and will change their path if needed.

Elephant ears plants:

The deer can’t eat the elephant ears plants because of these plants’ sharp and strong surface. 

If the deer notices or finds any elephant ears on their way, they will not go that way; instead, they will change their path and go through a different path.

If they go near the elephant ears, the sharp leaves will hurt the deer when they touch those leaves. Therefore, the deer fear going between or near the elephant ear plants, let alone eating these plants. 

If they starve and can’t find anything, they still don’t come to eat the elephant ear plants.

Elephant ears bulbs:

Deer don’t eat elephant ear bulbs because of the sharp leaves. The taste and the looks are the main reasons deer fear elephant ear bulbs and plants. These flowers are not like the other natural flowers, which have a sweet or attractive smell.

The elephant ear bulbs are slightly toxic to deer health. But the health benefits or threats are not the primary concern here. Instead, the looks and taste change the game, which forces the deer not to eat the elephant ear bulbs. 

Are Elephant ears deer resistant or deer-proof?

Elephant ears are deer resistant or deer-proof. Elephant ears are resistant to damage from deer and appear to be repellent to deer. In general, deer will avoid herbs, members of the onion family, and other plants with strong odors. 

Additionally, they tend to prevent ornamental grasses with blades that are too sharp.

This sort of behavior is typically brought on by a deer’s inability to obtain adequate nutrition from other sources; when they are sufficiently starved, deer will eat almost anything.

Do deer like to eat elephant ears?

Deer do not like to eat elephant ears. There is a good chance that deer won’t eat the elephant ear plants you have. It is one of a few plants that deer will go out of their way to avoid if given a chance. 

If you want to encourage deer to visit your garden, limiting the number of plants you grow there is probably advisable. Of course, if you would rather not have deer around, these plants could serve as an effective barrier for them.

Because they are considered aesthetic plants, there is a possibility that some people will feel that this means they do not possess any true nutritional benefit for deer.

Ruminant animals, such as deer, have developed the ability over the course of evolution to thrive on food that is both simple for them to digest and rich in various nutrients.

Are elephant ears toxic to deer?

Elephant ears are toxic to deer. Because they contain calcium oxalate, sometimes known as oxalic acid, elephant ears are considered a dangerous plant, and it contains sharp crystals that, in sufficient quantities, have the potential to be lethal.

Ingestion by deer can result in gastrointestinal distress, and skin contact can irritate the skin. Deer that browse the forest floor are at risk of experiencing the same impacts.

Deer can face severe consequences from the insoluble calcium oxalate crystals found in elephant ears; when a deer decides to nibble on this vegetation, chewing or biting releases the crystals, which penetrate its tissues.

How to keep deer from eating elephant ears plants?

Although the deer don’t eat the elephant ears plants, you should make the garden deer-proof. If you don’t take proper steps to deter the deer, they will come and ruin the other plants. You will find hundreds of tips to keep deer from eating elephant ears plants, but the four ways are the best.

Let’s explore these four ways and try to keep deer away from your garden. It will let the elephant ear plants grow naturally.

Using Onion & Garlic: 

If you don’t have time to make a ginger and onion mixture to make a spray using boiling water and vinegar, you can use the whole onion & ginger. In that case, you need to slice these ingredients into small pieces and put them around the garden. 

These cloves will spread a pungent smell in the air.

The smell of the onion and ginger is highly unfavorable to the deer. You can put them around the elephant ear plants if you don’t have time. They will spread the smell and don’t allow the deer to come near the plants to devour them.  

Anti-Deer Repellent: 

Ant-deer repellent is another best way to keep deer away from elephant ears. After going to a pet shop and asking the seller to give you the anti-deer repellent, he/she will give you the chemically made spray. 

It will contain a pungent smell and a chemical taste that will work nicely. 

If you spray around the garden, the chemical air will deter the deer and not allow them to come to your elephant ear plants. Don’t forget that the chemical ingredients are not safe for the plants, not the deer. 

You have to carefully use it around the garden and try to avoid it if you have time to follow other tips.

Close the Garden: 

In most cases, we keep our garden open for a long time which is a bad practice. Maybe you have an open field and don’t have a fence around your garden. You need to plant more deer-resistant plants around the garden in that condition. 

You can put a fence around the garden and close the garden. Another way might be to close the garden and make a door for the entrance. It will also help keep your garden safe from deer and other wild animals.

Home Ingredients: 

If you have distilled vinegar at your home and you have time to make a mixture of water and vinegar, you can use it to repel the deer from the surroundings. You need to use the hot water and the distilled vinegar.

After mixing these ingredients, you can make the sprayer and use it around the garden. It will spread the pungent smell to deter the deer and save the elephant ear plants.

Will elephant ears come back after deer eat them?

Elephant ears will come back on most occasions after deer eat them. The amount of damage that Elephant Ears takes will decide whether or not they can recover. It is possible that the plant will not survive if all of its leaves are injured. 

There are still some leaves on the plant, they may be able to recover.

Final Thoughts

Since the elephants’ ear plants have sharp and large leaves, they are inedible to wild animals. For this reason, the deer don’t eat the elephant’s ear plants. They still don’t eat the elephant ear leaves if they starve and don’t find the grass or edible leaves.