How Much Bamboo Do They Chew?

The diet of giant pandas is primarily bamboo, bamboo and more bamboo. Since bamboo isn’t very high in nutrients, pandas have to eat it in HUGE amounts. The average panda eats somewhere between 20 and 40 pounds of it each day, according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. For a Giant Panda, at least half the day revolves around bamboo consumption and searching. If a panda is really famished, he can even eat upwards of 84 pounds of bamboo in just 24 hours, say experts at the San Diego Zoo.

Apart from bamboo, Giant Pandas also occasionally eat bugs, fruit, bulbs and other grasses. Once in a while, Giant Pandas even feed on the decaying remains of other animals, known as carrion. They have also been known to eat tiny rodents, musk deer fawns, birds and fish. You’ll see the pandas on the live cams being fed panda cake and fruit, with the little ones receiving supplements of formula.