What Can I Feed My Pet Squirrel?
If you’re a squirrel owner, you’ve probably laid out food for your furry friend and fed him. Squirrels love eating, but there are certain types of food that provide little nutritional value and can even be harmful to his digestive system. These foods are generally high in starch, and include breakfast cereals, oats, potatoes, and bread. A good way to ensure your squirrel gets the nutrients it needs is to avoid these foods altogether.
Vegetables
If you have a pet squirrel, you have probably fed it before and laid out food for it. But while squirrels love to eat, not all of their favorite foods are good for them. These include starchy foods, such as corn and sweet potatoes. While they do provide the animal with essential vitamins and minerals, too much of these foods will damage their digestive systems. You should also avoid offering your pet squirrel avocados and potatoes, which contain a high fat content and toxic skin and pit.
For a healthy diet, squirrels need a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Fruits are especially good for them, as they contain unprocessed sugar and are high in fiber. Avoid feeding them too much fruit, though, as this will prevent them from absorbing the necessary calcium. They prefer apples, pears, bananas, peaches, mangoes, figs, and nectarines. In addition, they also like berries, which are easily available in nature.
Nuts
Your pet squirrel needs a varied diet, rich in vitamins, minerals, and calcium. Choose foods high in calcium such as broccoli, spinach, and arugula. Also, offer a few fruits and seeds to keep him entertained and content. If you’re unsure of what to feed your squirrel, here are some suggestions:
Natural foods: Squirrels prefer hazelnuts, which can be easily found in your area. Alternatively, you can buy or grow them in your garden. While feeding your squirrel is generally okay, you should not overfeed him or her. Be aware that he or she can become too attached to you and could be targeted by predators if it becomes too spoiled. So, always remember: Feed your squirrel in moderation and respect your neighbor’s home.
Cheese
If you have ever wondered whether squirrels can eat cheese, you may be surprised to learn that they can. Whether you’re feeding it to them intentionally, or accidentally, they love cheese. Cheese is an excellent source of fats and proteins, so it’s safe to assume that they enjoy any type of cheese. Even pizza scraps and discarded cheese sandwiches are a tasty source of food for squirrels.
However, cheese should be served in moderation. Too much cheese can cause digestive problems, and you should avoid feeding it to young baby squirrels because their body requires milk for the first few weeks. Nonetheless, cheese is a good source of nutrition for a squirrel’s diet. In moderation, cheese can be beneficial to your pet, but never give it too much. A good amount is a healthy snack for your squirrel!
Pre-designed blocks of food
To keep your squirrel healthy, you should consider purchasing pre-designed blocks of food. These blocks contain the basic food items that a squirrel needs on a daily basis. They are balanced for optimal nutrition and provide a variety of nutrients. These blocks should make up about 75 percent of a squirrel’s diet. However, if your squirrel is still young, it may not be eating enough rodent block food.
Moreover, squirrels need calcium and are able to synthesize this mineral by chewing bones. To provide your pet squirrel with calcium, you can buy animal-grade bonemeal powder or eggshell powder. To prepare eggshell powder, boil and dry the shells and then grind them in a coffee grinder. For a single half-teaspoon of eggshell powder, your pet squirrel will get around 150 mg of calcium. Aside from calcium, squirrels also need vitamin D, which is necessary for synthesis of calcium.
Raw peanuts
You can feed your pet squirrel peanuts. The best nuts to feed a squirrel are those that are already roasted. You can also try cajun, spiced, dry, and roasted peanuts. There are a lot of varieties of peanuts, but the most popular are Virginia, Valencia, and runner. Regardless of whether you feed peanuts to your pet squirrel raw or roasted, making sure they’re roasted before feeding them to your squirrel is essential.
Some experts warn against feeding raw peanuts to squirrels because of their high salt content. While squirrels can handle a small amount of salt, the high sodium content can be fatal. You should never give your squirrel raw peanuts. This is because the peanuts contain trypsin inhibitors, which inhibit the production of trypsin, an enzyme that is crucial for the animal’s digestion. If you feed your squirrel raw peanuts, it is important to provide fresh water.
Banana bread
You can feed your pet squirrel banana bread. Just be sure to read the label first. Squirrels do not eat banana peels and would prefer to eat the fruit inside. Moreover, bread with high sugar and salt content is not good for them. Always make sure to buy fresh bread. Bread with mold or bacteria could harm your pet squirrel. Alternatively, you can try baking banana bread and offering it to your squirrel.
If you have a pet squirrel, you should avoid giving them banana chips. Banana chips contain too much sugar and high calorie content. So, it’s better to give your pet squirrel a variety of fruits. Homemade banana bread is healthier and has less sugar content than store-bought bread. Store-bought banana bread is also made from sugar and contains artificial flavors. They are also low in nutrients.
What is the best food to feed a pet squirrel?
Answer 1: The best food you can feed your pet squirrel is a mix of fresh fruits and vegetables nuts and pellets.
You can also supplement their diet with insect protein sources like mealworms or crickets.
What kind of nuts can I feed my pet squirrel?
Answer 2: You can feed your pet squirrel most kinds of nuts including almonds pecans peanuts and walnuts.
Just be sure to remove the shell first.
Can I feed my pet squirrel dried fruits?
Answer 3: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel dried fruits like raisins cranberries and figs.
Just be sure to limit their intake as dried fruits are high in sugar.
Can I feed my pet squirrel berries?
Answer 4: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel berries like blueberries raspberries and strawberries.
Can I feed my pet squirrel bananas?
Answer 5: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel bananas.
Can I feed my pet squirrel sweet potatoes?
Answer 6: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel sweet potatoes.
Just be sure to cook them first.
Can I feed my pet squirrel dark leafy greens?
Answer 7: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel dark leafy greens like kale spinach and Swiss chard.
Just be sure to remove any stems or tough leaves.
Can I feed my pet squirrel carrots?
Answer 8: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel carrots.
Just be sure to cook them first.
Can I feed my pet squirrel celery?
Answer 9: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel celery.
Can I feed my pet squirrel apples?
Answer 10: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel apples.
Just be sure to remove the seeds and cut the apple into small pieces.
Can I feed my pet squirrel pears?
Answer 11: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel pears.
Just be sure to remove the seeds and cut the pear into small pieces.
Can I feed my pet squirrel grapes?
Answer 12: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel grapes.
Just be sure to remove the seeds and cut the grape into small pieces.
Can I feed my pet squirrel plums?
Answer 13: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel plums.
Just be sure to remove the seeds and cut the plum into small pieces.
Can I feed my pet squirrel watermelons?
Answer 14: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel watermelons.
Just be sure to remove the seeds and cut the watermelon into small pieces.
Can I feed my pet squirrel cantaloupe?
Answer 15: Yes you can feed your pet squirrel cantaloupe.
Just be sure to remove the seeds and cut the cantaloupe into small pieces.
Jessica Watson is a PHD holder from the University of Washington. She studied behavior and interaction between squirrels and has presented her research in several wildlife conferences including TWS Annual Conference in Winnipeg.
