Do Squirrels Eat Oranges? Are They Healthy For Them?
Do squirrels eat oranges? Are they healthy for them? Squirrels are furry little animals that love to eat food that tastes yummy and is full of juice. However, they cannot digest cellulose and need food that is high in fiber, protein, carbohydrates, and fats to stay healthy. Squirrels enjoy eating many different things, such as plants, nuts, seeds, fruits, fungi, and more! In this article, we will talk about whether or not squirrels like to eat oranges and if oranges are good for them.[acf field=”Schema”]
If they can’t find food they like, they can even tend to eat meat to survive or when faced with hunger. They are active creatures as they are running and finding food most of their time and hibernate fully at night. To keep them active and survive in a predatory environment, they need nutrients to keep them healthy.
Oranges are one such fruit that squirrels love to eat due to their citric taste. They are a healthy source of vitamins, fiber, carbohydrates, folate, antioxidants. All are healthy nutrients that squirrels need to be active and quick.
Oranges:
Oranges are sources of vitamin C, fiber, and other nutrients that keep squirrel’s health in check. They are made of primarily crabs and water with some proteins and fats. Despite being a sugary diet, oranges have a low glycemic index, meaning sugar mixes slowly in the bloodstream, which is a good thing.
Dietary fiber is essential for any living organism, and oranges are a good source of it. With numerous fibers, it improves the digestive system and controls cholesterol levels. Furthermore, oranges are known as citrus food, and squirrels love the citric taste, and that is why oranges have a sour taste.
As much benefit oranges have, they are not a perfect choice for being a diet for squirrels. As they are fragile creatures with sensitive digestive oranges may be deemed as not a good diet.
Can Squirrels Eat Oranges?
Yes, squirrels will eat oranges if provided as they will eat anything as long as it tastes good and is available. But is it necessary to include oranges as a diet for squirrels, then? Sadly the answer is no. As much as eating oranges is healthy for humans for squirrels, it can become worse as they have a sensitive digestion system.
Squirrel loves the citric and sour taste of oranges, but overall they don’t provide health benefits as a squirrel diet. Overeating candy is bad for us, same as that since squirrels have a sensitive system eating too many oranges is bad for them. Here are some nutrients that are in half of the normal Orange:
- Calories: 47
- Water: 87%
- Protein: 0.9 grams
- Carbs: 11.8 grams
- Sugar: 9.4 grams
- Fiber: 2.4 grams
- Fat: 0.1 grams
Squirrels need to be fed those things that can help them keep their bodies healthy and active, and oranges are high in sugar which is contaminated food to squirrels. They will eat anything, even from the garbage for squirrels, but you should take care of their diet and feed them nuts, apples, sweet potatoes, etc.
Can New-born Squirrels Eat Orange?
Feeding even a small amount of Orange to baby squirrels is dangerous as you will have to take it to the nurse after feeding it a bite. Baby squirrels shouldn’t feed baby squirrels anything solid until they are more significant than six weeks. Instead, you should feed them with rodent food like nuts, seeds, broccoli, apples, sweet potatoes.
Can Squirrels Eat Orange Peels?
A squirrel can eat oranges, but not their peels, they hate them as they have a bitter taste, and it is tough for them to digest. Just like us humans, squirrels like to eat the orange after peeling it off. They love the savory taste of orange and throw the peel away after enjoying it.
For Extra Reading: Eastern Grey Squirrel
Can Squirrels Eat Orange’s Seeds?
No, they hate Orange’s seed as they are bitter, and squirrels hate the way they taste. Furthermore, Orange’s seed contains a small number of cyanide compounds that can kill them if overeaten.
There is no need to provide them with Orange’s seed as it has zero benefits to their health and tastes bitter. Squirrels hate the way Orange’s seed tastes. They will go through it out after one taste.
Can Squirrels Drink Orange Juice?
No, it would help if you didn’t give squirrels any fruit juice. Their daily routine should include water, and it is enough for them to stay hydrated. Giving them access to freshwater daily is just enough for them, helping them stay hydrated and healthy.
Keep Your Oranges Safe
If you are the owner of a garden and have oranges trees, then you will find squirrels quite disturbing. And squirrels will rush through your garden and destroy every fruit until they are satisfied, so to stop them from doing so, you can do these things:
Build Other Kind Of Trees or Bushes:
You can build bushes, grow plants, and other kinds of trees like maple, oak, hickory for squirrels to build a nest and play on them. They may leave your orange trees alone and lurk around other trees, bushes, and plants.
Use Repellants:
You can use commercial repellants to keep squirrels away from your garden. The most famous repellent is a hot sauce that keeps squirrels away and is tasty. Few repellants are there made explicitly for squirrels. You can also use them.
Use Cage, Steel wire, Mesh:
You can build a cage around the garden while using steel or plastic mesh wires around the plants and trees to keep the squirrels away. Putting a metal collar around the tree about 2 feet above can prevent squirrels from climbing and reaching the fruits, and you can use wire mesh to keep them from jumping or climbing the metal collar.
Conclusion
Squirrels can eat oranges, but there are no health benefits to include them in their daily diet, and they are high in sugar, so with squirrel sensitive digestion system, it is terrible for them to eat a large amount. It is not recommended to feed your squirrels Orange daily occasionally; you can feed them a bite or two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1:Are oranges bad for squirrels?
Squirrels love to eat oranges, and they are not toxic, but there are no health benefits to add them to their diet. So, it is best to keep that food in their diet that benefits their health and only feed them oranges occasionally.
Q2:Can squirrels eat citrus fruits?
Yes, squirrels will eat any fruit as long as it is tasty, either be citrus or some other.
Q3:How do I keep squirrels from eating my oranges?
You can add other kinds of trees like maple to keep squirrels away from oranges or use repellants, and you can put a metal collar of 2 feet around the tree to stop squirrels from climbing and reaching the fruits.
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