This reduces the likelihood of potentially toxic mold. If you want to give squirrels a peanut treat – because they do enjoy the taste – shell and roast the peanuts first.So they can get moldy, and mold can poison the squirrel. But peanuts are legumes rather than nuts. They love them like we love fries … but it has no nutritional value and will just make them too fat to jump. This means squirrels shouldn’t be eating corn or sunflower seeds.You shouldn’t be feeding your squirrels excessive carbs. This essentially means they opt for high-energy foods with minimal itis.Because squirrels are omnivorous, their primary diet in the wild has protein, vitamins, and mineral salts.Here are a few more things you should dodge when you’re loading the pantry for your outdoor friends. So opt for squirrel feeders and avoid having direct contact as your feed the local rodents. But wild animals need to hunt and gather or they won’t survive. When an animal eats out of your hand, your heart grows three sizes. Occasional treats are fine, but the bulk of your squirrel diet should be protein-packed dishes that encourage them to exercise. Balance the foods your squirrels love with foods that are good for their health. Yes, they love certain things, but that doesn’t mean you should offer ice cream in excess. Flying squirrels are known to raid small nests eat newly hatched chicks.įeed your squirrels the same way you feed your children and your pets.So if they find wild eggs unguarded, they’ll feast. They enjoy wild berries in the fall (Osage oranges are a tasty seasonal treat).Hazelnuts, hickory, walnuts, and beechnuts are popular with squirrels.For wild seeds, offer pine and spruce in addition to low-calorie commercial seeds.It may help to provide ‘bone meal’ like cuttlefish skeletons (cuttlebone) for calcium.Kaytee’s Country Blend is made for pets but its fruity mix is great for squirrels too.Many squirrels have a sweet tooth so offer them crunchy, sugary veggies like carrots.For seeds, try Chuckanut Pumpkin seeds.Squirrels also enjoy fruit slices like apples, peaches, or pairs hung on a string.Fruits like strawberries are a big hit so if you grow them, your garden will be raided.They mimic timber with ground peanut and sweetcorn. Tons of forests grown from forgotten squirrels stashes. Shelled nuts – they love gnawing through those hard shells.Here are some foods that are gourmet for squirrels. Their meat is mostly in the form of insects and snakes, but they might dip into Fido or Fluffy’s dish if you raw-feed your pets. Being omnivores, they eat meat and plants, just like we do. Squirrel diets are a lot like human diets. But a pet squirrel can live up to 10 years. In the wild, squirrels rarely live beyond 4 years and half of them die out every year. They wean at about 3 months and start exploring. Their kits or kittens (baby squirrels) are born blind, deaf (their ears are fused shut) and hairless. Mommy squirrels breed mostly in December or January and are pregnant for about 6 weeks. And they can jump ten times that high – even the non-flying ones (Take that Superman!) They start having babies at roughly one year old and have two or three per litter. On average, squirrels are 15 to 20 inches from nose to tail. They often raid bird feeders and pet bowls for snacks.īut how do they get into those tricky corners? Well, their ankles can turn 180° on a whim, helping them scurry up walls and branches. Squirrels are omnivores, meaning they can eat meat, fruits, vegetables, and other plants. That’s if you’re allowed to feed them – it’s illegal in some places so check with the local authorities first. Most weigh roughly 1lb, but gauge their mass in pounds and check they have at least 1/7 th of that amount every day. But whichever species they are, squirrels eat their weight every week. Also, ground squirrels often include gophers, chipmunks, and other rodents. This makes their skin fan out into ‘wings’ that let them glide through the air. They spread out their limbs as they jump from tree to tree. Interestingly, flying squirrels don’t actually ‘fly’. Over 200 squirrel species exist around the world. The Latin scientific name is Sciuridae (in case you’re ever asked on a game show – you’re welcome!). In your mind, this cute animal is grey or reddish-brown with gray flecks. When you hear the word squirrel, you’re probably thinking of a small rodent with a luxurious fluffy tail.
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