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Thread: Toxic Foods

  1. #1
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    Default Toxic Foods

    Are there any fruits or vegetables that maybe toxic or not good for pet squirrels?

  2. #2
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    Lightbulb Re: Toxic Foods

    I am not sure about specific fruits or vegetables, but I do know that FRUIT SEEDS are toxic to small mammals - to many and they can get cyanide poisoning.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Toxic Foods

    Chocolate isn't a problem for every animal. It's not a problem for rats, so I can't see how it could be a problem for squirrels. My pet rats get a chocolate chip or two (or three) pretty regularly. Rachel (my squirrel) will occasionally take a chocolate chip while I'm giving them to the rats -- she'll also share a little chocolate with me every now and then. The following are two articles about chocolate that appeared in Rat & Mouse Gazette back in 1996.

    http://www.rmca.org/Articles/ratchoc.htm

    http://www.rmca.org/Articles/chocolate.htm

    Rachel's favorite fruit is cherries. I do not pit them for her prior to giving them to her. She eats the seed of some of them (not all) and is a very healthy squirrel. Yes, cherry pits contain cyanide. I don't believe it's enough to harm a squirrel. (Unless that was their entire diet.)

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Toxic Foods

    If there is chocolate candy on my kitchen counter and Roxy finds it first, she will fight me for it. So far it hasn't hurt her, but I worry every time she gets into it.

    I know with dogs...the darker the chocolate the more poisonous it is to them.

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Toxic Foods

    The darker the chocolate the more theobromine it contains. It's definitely a danger for dogs, but not for rats. It hasn't hurt my squirrel.

    The above articles are very good. (I didn't write them.)

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Toxic Foods

    seeds can be bad. i think blueberries are also bad. long ago my mother tried to give some to some babies- they had dark blue diarrhea for the next week. it was awful. not sure if it's just a baby thing or an all-squirrel thing.

    we also had a boy that we gave some banana, and he was dead the next day. we were told banana was ok, but after that we never risked it again.

    then there's the worry about pesticides on fruits and veggies. always wash all the produce thoroughly, or buy organic.

    that's all i can think of right now....
    :bounce2thundersquirrel:bounce2

  7. #7
    Pam Guest

    Default Re: Toxic Foods

    Rosie has been eating baby food bananas for three weeks and she is doing great. Roxy eats blueberries and dried bananas... no problems here.

    Quote Originally Posted by Gamma
    I have always read that chocolate is a BIG NO NO for squirrels.
    It is a no no...Roxy just helps herself to it when ever she gets the chance. She loves chocolate ...so does her momma.

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Toxic Foods

    perhaps it's a species thing then?

    the squirrels that had blueberry diarrhea were red squirrels. and babies. maybe red squirrels can't have them.
    :bounce2thundersquirrel:bounce2

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Toxic Foods

    I buy blueberries for Rachel all the time, too. She loves them. She peels the skin off of them just like she does with grapes, though.

    She doesn't care for bananas.

    I bought figs for her for the first time a couple of days ago. She eats a little bit of it and then lets it sit. The rats, on the other hand, LOVE them.

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Toxic Foods

    Mmmm I"m having visions of chocolate covered blue berries!!!

    Blueberries, as far as I know, are great for everyone!!! They grow here and I'm sure the squirrels help themselves. What about wild blackberries? We have lots of those growing wild here.

    Scooby had her first taste of banana last night. Crazy me and hubby... shopping at Walmart near 11:30 pm for the SQUIRREL. My family is going to have me committed! Anyhow, she liked the banana but didn't like it on her hands or face. She kept wiping both on me! I'm her napkin by the way.

    I've had dogs get into bakers chocolate and not get so much as the runs. It's not toxic to all dogs you just don't know which dogs it's going to cause a problem so it's best to avoid it. For humans however, DARK chocolate and blueberries is a very healthy way to start your day. Add a good cup of coffee and some wholegrain cereal with soy milk, you are living the antioxident dream!

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