Do Squirrels Eat Vegetables And Fruits? Food You Should Avoid?
Squirrels are rodents that have more appeal to homeowners than other rodents such as mice. The fluffy and large-eyed rodents sometimes give you the pleasure to watch them. If you are like us you would definitely love to feed them but here is a question: what we should feed squirrels that are best for them. The best food to feed them is a balanced diet. You can feed them a diet that contains vegetables, fruits, nuts, lentils, and other suggested food items. If you saw them eating burgers and candies, it does not mean that is the perfect diet for them and should keep it up.
Do Squirrels Eat Fruits And Vegetables?
Many people wonder if the squirrels eat fruits and vegetables. The answer to this question is yes, squirrels do eat vegetables and fruits with great pleasure. This is because the squirrels are not fussy eaters and they eat anything available to them. When we feed them fruits and vegetables, they eat them without any hesitation.
They love to eat mushrooms, corns broccoli, squash, asparagus, and green beans.
In fruits, their favorite ones are apples, peaches, apricots, avocados, and melons.
We have often seen little cute creatures shoving a peanut in its mouth and running towards their nest but peanut is not a healthy food for them. Squirrels are omnivores but primarily they are herbivores. Most of them are vegetarian and fruit lovers. They are not picky eaters but they love to eat mushrooms, squash, and broccoli.
This is the reason squirrels come into the garden. Squirrels eventually eat all types of fruit. You name it and they will eat it. Squirrels like apples, strawberries, watermelons, kiwi, peaches, grapes, figs, and whatever you think.
However, if you let the squirrels enjoy too many fruits, they might not absorb the calcium. So it is not recommended to let them eat plenty of fruits.
Fruits should be fed as a treat once a week.
Squirrels also eat birds, eggs, and insects if the food is not available. Before feeding squirrels, you must consider whether it is safe for them or not. The squirrel needs a balanced diet containing fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and lots of calcium.
Squirrels are very adaptable and they get used to their environment and available food quite often.
They are good in forage and love to root around the undergrowth morsel.
What Do Squirrels Eat And What To Avoid:
These tiny creatures eat everything they find, although they are wild their taste has developed due to human invasion in their natural habitat. They eat almost everything which looks edible for their survival. As humans are encroaching on their environment, the food supply has become easy. When people start feeding squirrels first, they don’t know what food is good for them and what is not. Obviously one wouldn’t feed them anything that is harmful. you cannot even feed them that can be considered as junk food or that is equivalent to junk food.
Squirrels are quite picky about their foods and they want to have multiple food options.
What Food Do Squirrels Eat :
Squirrels are omnivores . They enjoy a variety of foods. The food they enjoy is
Nuts
Seeds
fruits
Veggies
fungi
Grains
Roots
Bulb
Barks
NUTS:
As we all grow up we are a little bit told about the squirrels that eat nuts. Nuts are their favorite food. If you see them in your backyard, you will frequently see either they are eating nuts or stashing them. Shelled nuts are more good for their teeth growth and they gnaw on them with their teeth. The reason why these nuts are healthy and beneficial to them is that they give them chewing exercise and provide proteins, fatty acids. Squirrels also receive dietary components from nuts. Squirrels eat almost every type of nut but their favorite nuts are
Walnuts
Hazelnuts
Almonds
Beechnuts
Pinenuts
Macadamia
There are some nuts to avoid, these are
Sunflower seeds
Dried corns
Oak seeds
Raw peanuts
Cashews
Squirrels are happy to eat nuts with or without however shelled nuts gives them exercise and sharpening of teeth.it is worth considering that peanuts are poor in nutritional value and salted peanuts should always be avoided.
Nut Squares And Balls:
You may have heard about squirrels Nut balls. These are made up of a special recipe created by squirrels nutritionists or squirrel rehabilitators.it is almost a super potent vitamin supplement that is made especially for squirrels. You must know that squirrels in captivity have different nutritional needs. you don’t need to feed square balls or nutballs to squirrels.
Fruits
Fruits are the second most favourite food for squirrels after nuts. You may have noticed squirrels climbing the fruit trees and enjoying juicy fruits. Their ecology offers a variety of fruits but which one is appropriate should be considered. The fruits which are healthy for squirrels are:
Apple
Grapes
Watermelon
Strawberry
Apricot
‘Papaya
Pineapples
Pears
Bananas
Cherries
Grapefruit
Blueberries
Lemon
Pomegranate
Crabapples
Cranberries
Cantaloupe
Peaches
Avocado
Fruits that should be avoided
Figs
Prunes
Fruit juices
Plums
Raisins
Persimmon
Dates
Vegetables:
Vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals and should not be missed in their daily diet. Squirrels also enjoy eating vegetables and eat a variety of them.
The best vegetables for squirrels are:
Green beans
Parsley
Radishes
Turnip greens
Zucchini
Chicory
Lemon
Olives
asparagus
There are some vegetables that do not fulfill all nutritional needs and should be avoided. These are
Onion
Garlic
Palm’s heart
Sprout
Eggplant
Yams
Cereals:
Squirrels naturally love the cereals and nuts incorporated in them. Many squirrel owners feed them cereals in their backyard.
Cereals are typically loaded with high sugar which boosts their energy and helps them to find more food themselves.
What You Should Feed To Baby Squirrels:
If you have taken care of baby squirrels earlier, there will be no difficulty in raising them but if you are new then there will definitely be some questions related to them like what do baby squirrels eat? how to feed them. For a newborn baby, there is no solid food. you have to feed them with formula milk. Firstly check if the baby is hydrated or not. If you find a baby dehydrated, feed him Pedialyte. For Pedialyte, you don’t need to invest money. You can make it in your home. Till the 8th week, you cannot shift them to solids but can introduce a few things to them with milk. The best formula milk available is esbilac formula and is easily available in pet stores. For feeding, you can use droppers, syringes, and feeders. It is recommended to clean the syringes after every use and change them every second day. For making formulas, always use warm water. Do not feed baby squirrels with cold formula.
Do Red Squirrels And Grey Squirrels Eat The Same?
Yes, red squirrels and grey squirrels eat the same things but the only difference is about their memory. grey squirrels have a good memory but red squirrels are a little forgetful. red squirrels bury their food for winter and forget the place whereas grey squirrels take the advantage of their memory and find the stash.
Related questions:
Is there anything they do not eat?
You must be thinking that is there anything that squirrels do not eat or they do not like. Fortunately, there are a few things that squirrels do not prefer and do not eat. For example, raw onion and raw garlic are something squirrels do not like instead their smell deter them. They do not like hot peppers such as jalapeno, serrano peppers.in fact, peppermint spray is used to deter squirrels from entering the garden and eating prized vegetables and fruits. garlic spray is also used to deter hungry brazen squirrels. There are some things that squirrels should not eat like dairy products, junk food, candy chocolate, and high sugar processed foods. However, a squirrel is a busy animal so it needs a large amount of food for a healthy life. Squirrels enjoy healthy servings of nuts, fruits, veggies, and cereals to keep active and healthy.
But they are not picky eaters so they can eat anything for their survival such as insects, fungi, seeds, birds eggs, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1:Can squirrels eat potatoes?
Yes, squirrels can eat potatoes and they eat potatoes. whatever you will provide to them they will get curious to eat it like potatoes. but if you feed them white potatoes, they are not as healthy as sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are high in oxalates, starch, and fats and can cause serious health issues. you should feed them dark-colored potatoes such as Yukon gold, ruby crescent, and purple Viking.
Q2:Can squirrels eat watermelon?
Squirrels love to eat watermelon. The benefit of eating fruits for squirrels is that it provides a sugar boost and gives energy for scrambling and foraging goods all day. but it is not a healthy snack for them and most other animals.
squirrels can eat all parts of the watermelon right from the flesh to the seeds but they should consume it occasionally as a treat. If you feed them daily it will be harmful to them.
Q3:Can squirrels eat cranberries?
most of the squirrels love fresh cranberries and they are available throughout the year. Cranberries are very good for the urinary system. But you cannot feed them more than two. squirrels also get the benefit of getting vitamins from these berries. Fresh cranberries are good options but you can also feed them frozen. the best thing about these two varieties is there is no sugar added to them. Some people feed mix them with other food and feed them
Q4:Can squirrels eat zucchini?
Zucchini are natural food but the squirrels love them anyway. Other rodents like mice and rats also eat zucchini.
Q5:Do squirrels eat kale?
Squirrels eat a variety of vegetables and every garden owner knows that. If the squirrels get a chance on green leafy green vegetables or lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula, they will chow them down.
