#Squirrel food skin

So gray squirrels often steal red squirrels’ winter food stores and eat that too. But they are also good at sniffing out the nuts and seeds buried by red squirrels, who struggle to remember where they hide things. Gray squirrels are very good at remembering where they hide nuts and digging them up in winter. Rabbits (small rabbits and young rabbits).Birds (small adult birds and baby birds, including baby chickens).They are more likely to do this when: nuts are scarce an animal is weak, dying, or dead the opportunity arises or a female squirrel is pregnant and needs more protein than usual.īelow is an alphabetical list of the alternative protein sources that squirrels like to eat: Squirrels like to eat insects, worms, small animals, birds, amphibians, and eggs for protein. Squirrels enjoy snacking on pine nuts from pinecones, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, safflower seeds, and sunflower seeds. Squirrels like to eat seeds because they get vitamins, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats from seeds – everything the seeds contain to start and feed a new plant. Pine nuts from pine cones (these are actually seeds, not nuts).Here is an alphabetical list of the nuts that squirrels like to eat: Squirrels that are fed will often stare at people and beg for nuts and other treats to eat. Nuts form a big part of any squirrel’s diet and a squirrel’s body is designed to climb trees, collect nuts in cheek pouches, and eat or bury these nuts in their territory. Squirrels love all nuts, especially acorns. Nibbling on hard nuts and their shells wears down a squirrel’s front teeth, which never stop growing. Squirrels like to eat nuts because they get protein for muscle growth and healthy fats for energy and weight gain for cold winter months. Maple (Japanese, red, and sugar maples).Squirrels often strip tree bark off to drink the sweet, sugary sap running below the bark.Ĭlick here to find out how squirrels damage trees and why.īelow is an alphabetical list of the trees that squirrels like to eat from: Squirrels like to eat the soft young branches, leaves, flowers and buds on trees, which are a staple in their diet. Some squirrels hang mushrooms and toadstools on tree branches to dry, which preserves them so the squirrels can eat these in the cold winter months. Squirrels like to eat fungi that grows on trees or on the ground, including lichen, mushrooms, toadstools, and truffles. Squirrels get moisture from the plants they eat, which helps them with the amount of water a squirrel needs to drink each day. Their favorite snack is young and tender new plant growth, such as sprouts, curled up leaves, and flower buds. Squirrels like to eat all parts of plants, including the roots, stems, stalks, seeds, and flowers or buds.

Here is an alphabetical list of the vegetables that squirrels like to eat:

#Squirrel food skin

Feed squirrels raw vegetables with the skin on. But squirrels will eat pretty much any vegetable, such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, butternut, pumpkin, spinach, and tomatoes. Squirrels like to eat vegetables, especially green, leafy vegetables and the leaves of root vegetables, such as carrots. Here is an alphabetical list of the fruits squirrels like to eat: Squirrels are happy to climb trees and vines to get to fruit because the high sugar content gives them the energy they need to build nests, look for food, and put on weight for winter. Squirrels like to eat most fruits such as apples, melons, figs and plums, but berries are always a favorite food.