What a delight to come online and find all these helpful comments on my.post ! I havent been online in awhile..looks like I have some catching up to do around here
What a delight to come online and find all these helpful comments on my.post ! I havent been online in awhile..looks like I have some catching up to do around here
Since I am not an expert, this is my opinion; I think for the most part, the squirrels will self-regulate how many veggies they can eat without getting diarrhea. And yes, one day they are in love with a particular veggie and the next day they won't touch it. :-)
If you give them a few choices each day of veggies, trying to keep on track with their preferences :-0, and only two pieces of fruit each day, you should not have a diarrhea issue. Diarrhea is possibly more of an issue when the baby squirrels are first transitioning to solid food from formula.
I have heard that iceburg lettuce is an empty food, but I also feel that every food that exists has a special purpose, maybe it's high in water and fiber? So everything in moderation, a little of everything rotated to me is a good plan. I eat iceburg lettuce occasional even myself.
You asked if bananas are good for squirrels, I don't know, but I gave mine a small bannana chunk every so often and they loved it.
I think bagged potting soil has chemical additives in it that would be harmful to animals, it's not just plain dirt.
Does that help?
Dekota (10-13-2016)
Hope no one minds, but thought I'd chime in on what I feed so other folks can get further examples.
Morning: HHB first, then before leaving the house for work I put in a bowl of chopped veggies. I try to vary it each week. The bowl could include several of the following: carrots, sweet potato, sweet peas, coconut, pomegranate, blueberries, cranberries, avocado (no peel), apple, squash, cucumber, Brussels spouts, peeled grape.....there are probably others I've left off. I also leave a large salad mix of several of the following: dandelion greens, radicchio, kale, Napa cabbage, Belgian endive, escarole, other mixed greens but hardly ever spinach or iceberg due to things I've read on TSB.
Evening: I call it the "dry bowl". I make it rattle so they learn early to come to the sound of goodies! 1 nut each, more HHB, a few flax seeds, 1 sunflower seed. If I have other block, such as Oxbow around I usually toss in a few of those (but those rarely get eaten).
I welcome any comments, advice, or criticism! We just keep learning from each other!
cava (11-01-2016), Lighten-Up (10-15-2016)
So I am also curious about this. My little one, Tigerlilly, is a grey squirrel, aproximately 3.5 months old as far as I can guess. I just had her at the vet yesterday and they weighed her at 240grams which they said is close to a normal weight, though she is a little bloated due to parasites which I'm treating her for... thus the vet.
But I am curious about how much food to offer her and whether I've been offering enough/too little. I feed her once a day because honestly I'm too busy to feel many times on most days. She has a bowl of rodent blocks, which I'm probably gonna replace with HHB soon. Then once a day I fill a glass rodent food dish with collards and kale or collards and red lettuce. She loves all three of those and about half of it is eaten within that day. Then another bowl is filled with various vegetables from the Ca:Po chart, trying for food with a 2:1 or better, never anything with less than a 1:1 unless I can't avoid it. This typically looks like 4 carrot chips, a stalk of celery, and an equivalent of some of vegetable. Then an equal ammount of a fruit, typically apples or oranges. Nuts are added to the rodent blocks typically about 6 nuts total a day.
Please if I'm messing this up, let me know. I have no pride on the line in taking care of my little girl. I want her happy healthy and living a long life.
Mennome (11-02-2016)
For two squirrels I feed twice a day along with a shallow dish of formula. They almost always eat all of this, block first, then fruit, then veggies.
Here is what is on the plate: broccoli, cauliflower, squash, two green beans, a few frozen peas, safe greens from outside and store bought greens, two blocks cut in half, two grapes, two blueberries. Sometimes I try new things like different types of potato, carrots, celery, but they don't eat them.
There is something for them eat in their cage at all times.
I think you might be giving too many nuts. Mine get one almond (if it's a large one then they get half) twice a day as a reward for getting back in the cage.
Mennome (11-02-2016)
Squirrelly Chef,
What you are giving seems very reasonable and good, EXCEPT for the amount of nuts! It is highly suggested to give only 2 per day at the most, unless they are living in the wild, outside and free.