gs1
11-18-2008, 05:11 PM
hello...
i bought some in shell hazel nuts which were supposed to be the latest crop ... they're amazing ... there's no comparison between these hazel nuts and the ones' i bought before ... those were shrunken, dry and brown - with dark brown insides which freaked me out in case it was mold/mycotoxins ... but these are beautiful - large, white, fresh, juicy etc... the squirrels are going 'nuts!!!' for them. :)
so this is a good treat for them.
i really need to do the squirrel block receipe because i do think that if they're eating at bird feeders they're getting all sorts of junk. i want them to have extra calcium in case.
i gave them some sesame seeds in bowls - 8 bowls all over the yard with pumpkin seed, and some almond ... but they're not interested in sesame at all.
I could make little sesame/honey type truffles but the honey wouldn't be good for them either.
If and when i make the squirrel blocks i'd also like to add some kind of fat? cream? butter? ghee? olive oil? .... because i think that these guys really need extra fat to get them through the winter ... we've had a couple of nights at minus 8 c already ... so winter is going to be harsh for them.
I know they're wild and i should just let mother nature take over but it's too late for me to do that. This is the reason why i didn't come on to the board for so long... i really didn't want to get entrapped in the world of squirrels but i am.:osnap
On a better note I did set up the birdbath/squirrel pond with the heater and it seems to be working well, water is at 1 degree. And ofcourse they love it - it's so sad to watch them trying to melt the ice with their tongues. I need to buy another one for the balcony but i can keep that one above melting during the day - so it's not so urgent.
the photo is of a squirrel enjoying the maple seed pods - which are high in calcium !!! yay!!! i'm so happy that those things are useful for something, i'll save them next year instead of raking them up and throwing them out. :shakehead
i bought some in shell hazel nuts which were supposed to be the latest crop ... they're amazing ... there's no comparison between these hazel nuts and the ones' i bought before ... those were shrunken, dry and brown - with dark brown insides which freaked me out in case it was mold/mycotoxins ... but these are beautiful - large, white, fresh, juicy etc... the squirrels are going 'nuts!!!' for them. :)
so this is a good treat for them.
i really need to do the squirrel block receipe because i do think that if they're eating at bird feeders they're getting all sorts of junk. i want them to have extra calcium in case.
i gave them some sesame seeds in bowls - 8 bowls all over the yard with pumpkin seed, and some almond ... but they're not interested in sesame at all.
I could make little sesame/honey type truffles but the honey wouldn't be good for them either.
If and when i make the squirrel blocks i'd also like to add some kind of fat? cream? butter? ghee? olive oil? .... because i think that these guys really need extra fat to get them through the winter ... we've had a couple of nights at minus 8 c already ... so winter is going to be harsh for them.
I know they're wild and i should just let mother nature take over but it's too late for me to do that. This is the reason why i didn't come on to the board for so long... i really didn't want to get entrapped in the world of squirrels but i am.:osnap
On a better note I did set up the birdbath/squirrel pond with the heater and it seems to be working well, water is at 1 degree. And ofcourse they love it - it's so sad to watch them trying to melt the ice with their tongues. I need to buy another one for the balcony but i can keep that one above melting during the day - so it's not so urgent.
the photo is of a squirrel enjoying the maple seed pods - which are high in calcium !!! yay!!! i'm so happy that those things are useful for something, i'll save them next year instead of raking them up and throwing them out. :shakehead