When meeting a squirrel, especially in the cold season, people have a natural desire to feed it. Usually, what is at hand is used, but few people think about real benefit such help. In order not to aggravate the unenviable situation of animals, learn how to feed squirrels in winter and how to do it safely for animals. The list of what can be used for top dressing is quite extensive, but there are also many dangerous and poisonous foods, even among those that people eat every day.

Squirrel diet in natural habitat

In nature, squirrels feed mainly on plant foods, although they are omnivores. Nature protein researchers report over 130 feeds they use. The amount of food consumed per day depends on the time of year: from 30-35 g in winter to 80 g in spring during the mating season.

In winter, squirrels can take food directly from their hands.

Favorite treats of squirrels in the forest

The list of the most common animal food is small:

  • seeds conifers trees;
  • young branches, bark, buds, tree leaves, needles;
  • hazel nuts, acorns;
  • mushrooms;
  • berries and fruits;
  • feed of animal origin;
  • tubers, rhizomes, and ground part herbaceous plants, lichens.

Shed ungulate horns are an important source of calcium for squirrels

The share of the latter in the nutrition of squirrels is insignificant, but it increases significantly with a crop failure of other feeds. The main part of the diet is made up of coniferous seeds; more and less preferred ones are also distinguished among them. The most delicious for animals are pine nuts, then - seeds of spruce, larch, fir, pine. In the event of a crop failure, the animals can migrate and roam in search of food.

Feed of animal origin is consumed mainly after winter, during the breeding season. Squirrels can also eat bird eggs, chicks, insects, frogs, and small mammals. They gnaw on the bones of animals and the discarded horns of forest ungulates.

Features of nutrition in winter

Squirrels stock up on food for the winter. Cones, nuts and acorns in small quantities are buried in the ground or hidden in hollows and nests, of which one squirrel always has several. Mushrooms are also collected, then dried on tree branches.

However, furry animals often forget about their reserves and, as a rule, find them by chance, thanks to their developed sense of smell. Squirrel "forgetfulness" contributes to the renewal of the forest, because untouched supplies germinate in the spring. In addition, other animals can also find them. The squirrel also successfully uses other people's warehouses (mice, chipmunks and other rodents).


Mushrooms are dried, strung on twigs

In the cold season, these animals eat little. They wait out bad weather in hollows and nests, and in severe frosts they do not leave them at all, falling into a semi-drowsy state and using reserves. The hungriest time for squirrels is late winter and early spring. It is known that the lack of food in winter, as well as infectious diseases kill up to 85% of young squirrels.

How to help a squirrel survive the winter

It is better to endure cold in satiety, knowing this, many people try to help squirrels by feeding them. In addition, at this time, you can quite unexpectedly become the owner of a weakened or crippled animal. In such cases, it is important to know how to feed squirrels in winter at home and natural conditions How and when is the best time to feed.


Cones - the main squirrel food

The optimal squirrel diet for a full existence outside of nature

The food that you can feed the animal is very diverse. But, even knowing which products will be useful for a squirrel, it is very difficult for a beginner to navigate them and make a menu. For example, consider the norms of products and the frequency of their issuance to squirrels in a zoo. Below is a ration for one animal.

Daily:

  • wheat bread - 10 g each;
  • hazelnuts - 10 g each;
  • pine nuts - 10 g each;
  • ground nuts - 10 g each;
  • sunflower seeds - 10 g each;
  • pumpkin seeds - 10 g each;
  • fruits, berries - 2 g each;
  • dried fruits - 2 g each;
  • hemp - 2 g each;
  • dry mushrooms - 2 g each;
  • salad - 2 g each;
  • cottage cheese - 2 g each;
  • milk - 2 g each;
  • butter - 2 g each;
  • salt - 2 g each;
  • flour worm - 2 g each;
  • fish - 2 g each;
  • grass, branches - in unlimited quantities;
  • cones - in unlimited quantities;
  • needles - in unlimited quantities.


Squirrels love shelled nuts

In one day:

  • chestnut - 10 g every other day;
  • chicken egg - 1 g every other day;
  • apples - 5 g every other day;
  • carrots - 5 g every other day;
  • cabbage - 5 g every other day.

Also on the menu should be:

  • walnuts - 10 g in 2 days;
  • chalk - alternate 2 g;
  • bone meal - alternate 2 g;
  • honey - alternate 2 g;
  • jam - alternate 2 g;


Squirrels are very funny and playful animals.

At home, it is almost impossible to stick to such a varied menu. It is important to consider here that such plant foods as branches, grass, green cones, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, vegetables and fruits should always be in the squirrel. Heavier fatty foods (nuts and seeds) should be given in small portions once a day, in the late afternoon.

A lot of fat eaten negatively affects the health of the liver of the animal. Some experts recommend feeding nuts to squirrels at home. different types. For example, today - walnuts, tomorrow - forest, the day after tomorrow - cedar (no more than a tablespoon).

In addition, we must not forget about animal products and water. Keep in mind that the presence of hidden foods indicates that you need to reduce the portion. The squirrel must also have constant pure water, the drinker should be slightly raised so that the animal does not turn it over.


There should be a lot of needles

Suitable foods for feeding a foster squirrel

Food may be fresh, dried or frozen, and fruits are usually given in small pieces. In addition, each squirrel has individual preferences, what one likes may not be of interest to other animals. They may not eat whole fruits, but cut and peel them with pleasure. Ignore the berries offered in bulk, but appetizingly gnaw them from the twig.

Belka can offer:

  • nuts (necessarily in shell) - hazelnuts, walnuts, cedar, acorns (fresh and frozen), sweet chestnut, hornbeam, beech;
  • seeds in shell - sunflower, pumpkin, watermelon;
  • green cones and cones (fresh and frozen) - spruce, larch, pine, fir, arborvitae, cedar;
  • fruits (fresh, frozen, dried; seeds and seeds must be removed) - apple, pear, peach, apricot, banana, nectarine, watermelon, quince;
  • berries (fresh, dried, frozen) - lingonberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, wild strawberries, mountain ash, cranberries, blackberries, viburnum, wild rose, sea buckthorn, hawthorn, chokeberry, currants, irga, mulberries, cherries (without stones), sweet cherries (without seeds), grapes (fresh, pitted);
  • vegetables - pumpkin (fresh, dried), beets (fresh, dried), cucumber, kohlrabi (fresh), carrots (fresh, dried), corn (fresh, frozen, dried), sunflower inflorescence with fresh seeds;
  • dried fruits (pitted) - raisins, cherries, apricots, plums, cranberries;
  • mushrooms (fresh, frozen, dry) - White mushroom, boletus, boletus, flywheel, chanterelle, Polish, boletus, russula, mushrooms (fresh), mushrooms, chaga, real tinder fungus;
  • branches, leaves, inflorescences, buds - birch, willow, maple, oak, hazel, larch, aspen, spruce, linden, pine, mulberry, hornbeam, mountain ash, apple tree, cherry, plum; possible with small green fruits;
  • herbs - dandelion, wood lice, goat's beard, hairy sorrel, sorrel, sorrel, clover, milky ripeness cereals on stems, young shoots of oats;
  • animal products - chicken and quail (raw and boiled) eggs, cottage cheese, dry beef and fish bones, flour worm, ant pupae.


Squirrels love berries in bunches

All produce must be fresh, unspoiled and good quality.

What not to feed squirrels - prohibited foods

The basic rule for choosing food for a squirrel - if you don’t know what kind of plant it is (mushroom, berry, grass) - it’s better not to give it. The prohibited ones include:

  • fast food and other "human" store food;
  • nuts and seeds from the supermarket - salted, sweetened, flavored, fried;
  • almond;
  • bones of fruits and berries;
  • mushrooms - poisonous and those that need pre-treatment (milks, mushrooms, pigs, morels, lines), as well as champignons and oyster mushrooms;
  • branches, leaves, fruits - apricot (fruit pulp is possible), almond, lilac, yew, elderberry, buckthorn;
  • poisonous herbaceous plants: belladonna, nightshade, corydalis, lily of the valley, kupena and others.


Almonds for squirrels are a real poison

Rules for feeding squirrels in nature and in cultural parks

Squirrels in their homes are warmed by a few, most are trying to feed the red-haired beauties in parks, squares, forests, or even in own garden. Given the food lists above, it's easy to put together a package to help animals in need. Naturally, dried fruits, mixtures of nuts, seeds, wheat crackers are most convenient for this purpose.

Random treats and feed on walks

There are two ways to feed a squirrel in nature. The most common is when, while walking in the park, people meet animals, which are lured and subsequently fed with brought food.

Adults and children get a lot of pleasure when a brave squirrel takes the offered product directly from the hands. This option is perfect combination benefits for people and animals, but its disadvantages are also obvious:

  1. First, the squirrel still needs to be found, or it needs to find you.
  2. Secondly, feeding in this way is irregular.


Maximalism in feeding is superfluous

Organization of permanent feeders

A more rational option for feeding is a feeder. You can install it almost anywhere where a fluffy animal lives. At the same time, everyone will be able to put food in publicly accessible places. Installed on private territory feeder can be optional decorative element site, its highlight. In this case, you can watch the squirrel without leaving your home.


Squirrel feeder drawing

When choosing a feeder model, you need to consider that it must be with a roof and a flat floor. The material is preferably untreated wood. The open sides of the feeder will allow the birds to feast on treats. So that everything that is offered to the squirrel does not go to the crows, you can cut small holes in solid walls. Also available over original designs, for example, a feeder in a bank.


Feeder in a jar - beautiful and practical

Obviously, helping animals and birds survive the winter is not very difficult. You just have to be indifferent. Using quality natural and unprocessed products will bring maximum benefit to animals and cheer up people. Be sure to tell your friends what to feed squirrels in winter and what foods are dangerous to give them in order to save as many animals as possible.

In almost any park you can meet a squirrel, which is in constant search of food. Such guests may appear on suburban area near a private house. In order to help the animal, it is worth taking care of the device of a special feeder. This assistance is especially important in winter period when foraging becomes difficult enough.

What to feed squirrels

Before you start feeding the animal, you should familiarize yourself with its nutrition and the products that need to be given. Wrong diet and poor quality products may harm the health of the animal.

Important! It must be remembered that the squirrel is a herbivore. Therefore, the diet must necessarily contain products plant origin- apples, pears, carrots.


It is also worth adding nuts to the squirrel diet, these can be walnuts or forest nuts. At the same time, it is important to control the quality of products. Spoiled food should not be given. This can not only harm the health of the person, but also lead to death, so you should be very careful with this. Among the products that can be given to proteins are:

  • lettuce, it is preferable to give red-headed, but you can also give green;
  • chicory salad;
  • spinach can be given only in small quantities, since it may contain nitrates;
  • a small amount of cabbage;
  • broccoli and cauliflower;
  • celery.


IN winter time food may be limited to nuts, apples, pears. Additionally, the animal can be pleased with various dried fruits - raisins, dried apricots. Such a delicacy will not only saturate the squirrel, but also give required amount useful vitamin and micronutrients.


How to properly feed

If a squirrel has settled in the garden and there is a desire to feed it, you should first consider the place where this will be done. The ideal solution there will be a special feeder for squirrels. It can be made from various materials and installed anywhere. In some cases, it is advisable to place it on a branch, and in some cases, install it on a post near the place of residence of the animal.


In both cases, the feeder should be practical and the squirrel should move comfortably in it during meals. Its spring design depends on personal preferences and imagination. It is worth noting that an ordinary feeder can be an addition to the entire landscape design.



After the place is equipped, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the diet. It is advisable to feed the animal several times a day. In this case, the products should be served in small portions. At the same time, fruits and vegetables must be cut into small pieces and put in a squirrel feeder. If desired, a place for feeding can be made with your own hands. With a lack of time, such a feeder can be purchased at a specialty store.


Do-it-yourself feeder construction

For the manufacture of the feeder, it is recommended to use wood, it can be a processed board or slab. It is not recommended to use materials that have been dyed or treated with other substances. The smell of a foreign solution can scare the animal. A prerequisite at the device is the floor of the so-called "dining room". It is important that it be even.


Important! Special attention should be given to the roof for the feeder.

Such a constructive element will allow the animal to enjoy treats even during rain or snowfall, in addition, the products will not be so much exposed to negative influence environment. If the feeder is left open on the sides, chances are that birds or other animals will also come to feast on the treats. In this case, you can equip a more complex squirrel feeder.


Feeder with jar

An interesting solution is to make a feeder with a jar. This will require a small amount of materials that are in almost every home. You will also need the most common tools. Required inventory:

  • tape measure and pencil;
  • hand saw;
  • screwdriver


As connecting element in this case, self-tapping screws of suitable length are used. The basis of the feeder is best made from wood. Additionally, you will need a glass jar. It performs not only a decorative, but also the main function, it is in the jar that the squirrel is fed.


To begin with, it is worth taking measurements and preparing all the details. The jar should freely enter the neck into wooden box, which is a kind of passage to the feeder. The first thing the work begins with is the implementation of the foundation. For this, one board may be enough, if its width is small, then two can be connected. This will allow the squirrels to move freely around their feeder.


At the second stage, you can proceed to the implementation of the box. In size, it must correspond to the size of the animal. The box may be square or rectangular shape, it doesn't really matter. From three sides you can make an entrance. It can be square or round. Through the holes, the squirrel should freely pass to its feeder. On the fourth side, you need to make an opening into which the neck of the can will enter. It should fit tightly and hold securely in the hole. This will provide complete security animal even while moving. Additionally, the jar can be fixed by placing special support elements on wooden base. It can be simple bars that are fixed in a vertical position.


The glass jar is removed if there is a need to put new feed and put back in place. Other animals and birds will not get into such a feeder, so the squirrels will remain full. In addition, it will be useful for children to observe how animals eat, since the glass allows you to observe the whole process. During the execution of work, it is worth monitoring the places of all connections and eliminating all sharp corners, knots and self-tapping screws that have gone through, because during movement the protein can injure itself.

Conclusion

By taking care of a quality place for feeding a squirrel, you will make her life more comfortable. Thus, you can not only save the life of the animal, but also please yourself with interesting neighbors. It is important to follow all recommendations when arranging a feeder and carrying out feeding.

Original taken from rositsa What to feed wild squirrels

Original taken from maria_gorynceva in What to feed squirrels in the city?

What can you feed the squirrels that are so adorably hand-eaten? Of course, we are not talking about keeping a tame squirrel at home, in a cage, but about feeding an animal whose fear of people has dulled, but which still remains wild, lives own life in urban forests, parks, squares.

Fortunately, squirrels belong to the so-called omnivorous rodents. Her digestive system does not absorb coarse fiber, so the squirrel does not eat grass. But she can eat nuts, mushrooms (remember the pictures in children's books - a family of squirrels in some kind of hollow, and mushrooms are certainly strung on the branches around?), seeds, eggs (yes, our little squirrels don’t mind robbing bird nests), meat (if the little chick has already come across small chicks in the nest, she will also include them in her menu). In addition, in the forest, squirrels gnaw on the bones and teeth of animals eaten by predators or discarded horns of ungulates - they replenish calcium, making themselves bone meal, and grind their teeth (rodents need this - their teeth grow all their lives).

Here diet, which is intended for squirrels in captivity (from the norms of the Moscow Zoo):
Extract from the Book of Rations.
Basic norms for feeding animals of the Moscow Zoo. (Nutrition for Protein)

№ p / n name of feed frequency of issuance landmark. number (g / 1 goal / day)

1 millet bread. daily 10
2 hazelnuts daily 10
3 walnuts in 2 days 10
4 pine nuts daily 10
5 ground nuts daily 10
6 chestnut every other day 10
7 sunflower seeds. daily 10
8 pumpkin seeds daily 10
9 apples every other day 5
10 carrots every other day 5
11 cabbage every other day 5
12 fruits, berries daily 2
13 dried fruits daily 2
14 sugar cookies for work 2
15 hemp daily 2
16 dry mushrooms daily 2
17 salad daily 2
18 cottage cheese daily 2
19 milk daily 3
20 oil drain. daily 2
21 chicken eggs. in day 1
22 honey alternate 2
23 jam alternate 2
24 salt daily 2
25 chalk alternate 2
26 bones flour alternate 2
27 flour worm daily 2
28 fish daily 2
29 grass, branches daily ad libitum
30 bumps daily ad libitum
31 needles daily ad libitum

Please note: bread wheat(not rye!!!) comes first. But also pay attention to the quantity - only 10 grams! In general, the total amount of food eaten by a squirrel per day should not exceed 45 grams, otherwise it is threatened with obesity, low mobility and, as a result, serious health problems, even death. And, of course, it is unlikely that they give squirrels at the zoo fresh bread- I think they are given a small one white unsalted, unsweetened, not fried cracker. That is, unlike ducks, bread (dry) can be given to squirrels. Of course, not moldy crackers - you yourself won’t eat that, will you? Well, other mammals don't want to either.

But it must be borne in mind that where proteins are well fed themselves and / or receive good feeding from people (seeds, nuts), they only slightly swallow the cracker, and then carry it to bury. And so we feed again in best case ants in the leafy litter under the trees, and at worst, mice or rats. According to my observations, squirrels are more willing to eat small unsweetened and unsalted crackers- remember, there were such tiny cookies called "Zoological", in the form of figurines of animals? Here they were perfect. Unsweetened biscuits "Maria" also went well. If the squirrel ate one cracker, and carried the second one instilled, don't give it anymore. Protein should not be overfed. The squirrel must move in search of food. To whom should? By its nature, it is a very mobile animal.
We are unlikely to carry eggs, fish, vegetables and fruits to the forest or park to feed the squirrel. Although, if someone has a picnic boiled egg, you can try to offer the squirrel a small piece (you see, in the zoo they are given 1 g of eggs every other day). Squirrels definitely love watermelon, I saw with my own eyes with what pleasure they eat both seeds and watermelon pulp. But, as they write on the link, they prefer apples, pears and bananas.

Sweet cookies, as it appears from the list, are given to squirrels at the zoo, but “for work” (apparently, when you need to achieve something from a squirrel?) And in a microscopic amount (2 g). Honey is also given and also in microdoses, but other manuals categorically do not advise honey. I think it’s unlikely that anyone will drag a jar of honey into the park, but, unfortunately, they try to feed sweets and sweet cookies to squirrels. No need to do this - think: if tame animals can be shown to the veterinarian, then who will treat the teeth and digestive system wild squirrels?

So for squirrels best nut mix and seeds.
“It includes: hazelnuts (hazelnut), pine nuts and walnuts, also in a small amount peanut. Sunflower, pumpkin, watermelon and melon seeds are also an integral part of this mixture. All components of the mixture must be definitely not fried, not salted and nuts must be in shell. An exception may be a walnut, it needs to be slightly chopped.

I’ll add from myself - it’s okay if the walnut is whole, the squirrels grind the shell down to holes very famously required size, and then the contents are removed, but simply, if the squirrel is not too hungry, it will not cut the nut shell with its teeth for a long time, but most likely will bury it. So if you treat a squirrel walnut, you need to prepare a treat.

What can not be given to proteins?
Sweet
Salty (salty crackers, kirieshki, chips are not suitable - all our supplies for beer)
smoked
Roasted (even nuts or seeds)
Almond
Almonds are poison for squirrels!!!

As you can see, almost everything is harmful to proteins, which, in general, is not useful for us, people.

Don't forget to wash your hands after feeding the cute animals!

Based on materials from various sites, based on our own long-term observations of a family of squirrels that lived on the roof of our house and collected tribute from our apartment and not only, and yesterday's conversation with Lena dink, a veterinarian who artificially fed and raised Tirli squirrel last year, dropped crow.

A squirrel is a rodent that belongs to the squirrel family. Relatives of squirrels are chipmunks, ground squirrels, flying squirrels and marmots. In terms of the variety of species, they can only compete with the mouse family. The main difference between squirrels and relatives is a beautiful tail, which makes up seventy-five percent of the total body length.

Depending on the season, the rodent is able to change its color. In summer, squirrels are red or brown, in winter they are gray. The breast most often remains white. In nature, there are various squirrels - black, albinos and spotted. largely determines the color of the main part of the body - the tail. Depending on it, the animal can be brown-tailed, grey-tailed, black-tailed and red-tailed. The latter are more common in our area.

It is ten to twelve years, but in the wild the animal does not live more than four years. The rodent lives mainly in the forest area, building a dwelling in hollows, nests. It is in the forests that it is easier for the animal to get food for itself. Squirrels stock up on the supplies they find. People are more likely to meet the animal in urban areas, mainly in green areas. Next, we will talk about what squirrels are fed in the park, and what they eat.

Why did squirrels migrate to cities?

The migration of small forest inhabitants to cities is explained quite simply. The main reason for this phenomenon is the destruction by man of their natural habitat. Thanks to uncontrolled anthropogenic influence on nature, squirrels began to move closer to people. Many animals live in attics, basements, do not disdain to eat from garbage cans.


Some rodents have chosen the green spaces of cities, parks and forest belts. Many people want to help these funny animals and are interested in what squirrels are fed in the park. By the way, the population of rodents also depends on the opportunity to get food. Thus, a squirrel will reproduce as many offspring as it can feed.

What harm do proteins do?

Not everyone is worried about what squirrels are fed in the park. Many residents believe that these rodents have no place in the city, and squirrels only bring harm. In a sense, the city dwellers are right. Squirrels suffer from infections that are not dangerous for humans. But at the same time, they carry various harmful microorganisms. From this animal, you can pick up tularemia, coccidiosis and other diseases. Squirrels are carriers of worms, ticks and fleas. With their sharp teeth, the animals can bite a person, but they also often damage power lines. In search of winter shelter, squirrels often use attics, verandas and establish their own rules there.

What do squirrels eat in their natural environment?

In order to know what you can feed squirrels in the park, you need to understand what the animal eats while in natural environment habitat. As a rule, proteins choose available foods that are fortified nutrients. This list includes:

  • hazelnuts;
  • acorns;
  • seeds of coniferous plants;
  • mushrooms;
  • berries;
  • roots.


If a rodent usually needs about forty grams of food per day, then during the breeding season, the required amount is exactly doubled. In addition, at this time the animal consumes quite specific food: insect larvae, bird eggs, chicks and small vertebrates. In times of famine, squirrels feed on buds, tree bark, lichens and needles. Animals, obeying instincts, do everything to survive. The animal belongs to omnivorous mammals, but the body of the squirrel hardly digests fiber, so it does not eat grass.

What do they feed squirrels at the zoo?

What squirrels are fed in the park is mostly given in the zoo. In a specialized institution for keeping animals in captivity, the rodent is fed quite diversely. Zookeepers monitor the norm of food given to the animal. If food is given in excessive quantities, it will lead to inactivity and obesity.


The diet of a rodent in a zoo includes:

  • bread (but only wheat, since other varieties are difficult to digest by the body of the animal; slightly dried, "yesterday's" bread is allowed;
  • forest, walnut, pine, ground nuts;
  • chestnuts;
  • sunflower and pumpkin seeds;
  • carrot;
  • cabbage;
  • fruits and berries;
  • dried fruits;
  • sugar;
  • cookies (biscuits);
  • hemp;
  • dried mushrooms;
  • salad;
  • cottage cheese;
  • milk;
  • butter;
  • egg;
  • jam;
  • salt;
  • flour;
  • worms;
  • a fish;
  • branches;
  • cones;
  • needles.

What do squirrels love?

What to feed squirrels in the park, if not cookies? According to observations, it can be said that the animals prefer small crackers without salt, so it is better to purchase Zoological or Maria before a walk. But it is better not to give other sweets to rodents. Although in the zoo squirrels are given honey, this is allowed very rarely, and even in small doses. Sweet cookies, sweets and chocolate should not be fed to the rodent.


In addition, the animal can be given vegetables or fruits. The animal likes watermelon, apples, pears and bananas. What else do some people feed squirrels in the park? For example, boiled eggs. If the squirrel ate only one piece, and carried the other to the shelter, then you should not feed the animal anymore. An animal that is not hungry makes provisions, but often forgets where it hides food. This situation occurs in places of frequent feeding of squirrels. This rodent itself must move in search of food, otherwise it will become dependent and simply die.

What nuts to give squirrels?

Many consider nuts a favorite delicacy of these rodents. Really, the best top dressing for them is a mixture of nuts and seeds. But what kind of nuts to feed the squirrels in the park? The mixture should not be salty or fried. Nuts do not need to be shelled. Unless the walnuts can be slightly chopped, because if the squirrel is not too hungry, then it will simply be too lazy to remove the core. Most likely, the animal will simply bury the treat.


The mixture must be prepared in advance. It may consist of hazelnuts, peanuts, cedar and walnuts. As an addition, sunflower, pumpkin, watermelon and melon seeds are added to it.

What should not be fed to a squirrel?

For example, what to feed squirrels in Gorky Park? Many people go for a walk every day and often meet these cute animals. So, for example, top dressing should not contain harmful substances, carcinogens, preservatives, dyes, fragrances. Fried, salty, sweet and smoked foods are not suitable for food. That is, it is impossible to offer a squirrel chips, crackers or salted crackers as a treat. Do not give the animal bones from cherries, sweet cherries, apricots, peaches, as well as chocolate, rye, mushrooms (oyster mushrooms or champignons). But the most dangerous protein for the body is almonds. The impact of such a nut on the animal is equivalent to poison.

Cute fluffy squirrels are one of the inhabitants of the rich taiga. Favorite heroes of children's stories and cartoons, squirrels are portrayed as thrifty hostesses hiding nuts and mushrooms for the winter. Yes, and from the hands of people, these friendly animals eat nuts with pleasure. Therefore, many do not have a question about what squirrels eat and what to offer sociable beauties in the forest when they meet, but this is far from their entire diet.

What kind of animal is a squirrel?

The squirrel (Latin Sciurus) is a rodent that lives in forests all over the world except Australia. They can settle in coniferous forests, and in deciduous. And, of course, they love to live next to people. They understand that we are a source of food for them, and if you feed a squirrel in the country, it will come to you the next day for more.

These animals live in trees and really store food for the winter, since they do not leave their homes all the cold time and are half asleep. The greatest love of squirrels is to gnaw. Very often, confusing with a tree branch, they stumble upon electric wires. There are several cases in history when the stock index of large energy companies went down due to protein.

This is a beautiful and amazing animal, and what squirrels eat can also surprise you.

What do these fluffy animals eat?

We have seen many times what squirrels eat in cartoons and fairy tales, but their diet is much more diverse. main feature of these animals lies in the fact that they do not digest fiber, therefore they also feed on fats.

With pleasure, squirrels will dine on insects, eggs, and even small animals and frogs. In tropical countries, where there are practically no walnut trees and shrubs, it is animal protein that replaces nuts.

In the spring, when the seeds begin to germinate, and new ones have not yet appeared, buds and mushrooms become the main plant food.

What to feed a squirrel at home?

These fluffy animals are very smart and clean, so they can become a wonderful pet. However, because of the love to gnaw everything, it is better to keep them in a spacious cage, sometimes releasing them for a walk around the apartment. What squirrels eat in captivity should not differ significantly from their usual diet:

    Nuts. Anything will do except almonds. Also, be careful to feed peanuts and sunflower seeds;

    Acorns. You can get out into the forest and collect this delicacy as much as you want;

    Fruits (apples, pears). In very limited quantities;

    Berries. Only forest, and only in season;

    Special food for rodents. They can be easily found at the pet store;

    Quail eggs. It should be given raw, but very rarely.

If people take care of what squirrels eat, live as pets or come to visit on suburban area, animals are able to please people up to twelve years. However, even by feeding these furries in the park, you take responsibility for their health, so it is worth following a certain diet that they are used to.