Best Advice on Pumpkin Seeds?

[mainemargaret]

I've just read some of the discussion about whether pumpkin seeds truly belong in the healthy category. I put out a lot of the Chuckanut Premium Squirrel Diet (roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds), and was planning to order more soon, but now I'm concerned. I feed a bunch of wilds here in Maine. In addition to the pumpkin seeds, I put out acorns that I gathered over the fall, almonds, 4S's squirrel block, and sometimes walnuts. I've tried many veggies with no success. Should I worry about the pumpkin seeds? I hate to think that those might significantly counter the calcium in the squirrel block, especially since they seem to nibble out the nutty bits and leave a lot of crumbs!

[Charles Chuckles]

Sorry I can't say, but someone will be able to tell you. When I make the squirrel blocks I use a coffee grinder to grind the vitamins and the nuts so they can't just pick out the pieces.

[4skwerlz]

I've just read some of the discussion about whether pumpkin seeds truly belong in the healthy category. I put out a lot of the Chuckanut Premium Squirrel Diet (roasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds), and was planning to order more soon, but now I'm concerned. I feed a bunch of wilds here in Maine. In addition to the pumpkin seeds, I put out acorns that I gathered over the fall, almonds, 4S's squirrel block, and sometimes walnuts. I've tried many veggies with no success. Should I worry about the pumpkin seeds? I hate to think that those might significantly counter the calcium in the squirrel block, especially since they seem to nibble out the nutty bits and leave a lot of crumbs!

Sounds like you're giving your wild squirrels a nice healthy mix of foods. We simply don't know for sure about the pumpkin seeds, but your little friends should be able to balance their diet just fine with the wild foods they are eating. IMO, the main problem with feeding wilds is the danger of them becoming too dependent on the food you give them. I know....I was "mom" to a group of wilds for many years. I loved them so much, and having so many of them in my yard at all times was such a joy to me. But finally I greatly reduced the food I was giving them, for their own good, even though it made me sad to do it. No food was left out in feeders. Each squirrel that showed up would get 1-3 treats per day. Any squirrel that seemed thin or sick got special feedings of course. There are a lot of different opinions on this issue, and you'll have to try and figure out what's best for your little friends.

On the squirrel blocks, try grinding the nuts a little finer so they can't pick out the nuts, though they tend to crumble them quite a bit anyhow. They're messy little eaters, but on the other hand, the birds really appreciate the crumbs.

[mainemargaret]

Thanks for the responses! I vary how much I chop up the nuts because they seem to eat more of the blocks when the nut pieces are bigger.

I'm so appreciative of your recipe, 4S!

And I do feel very torn at times about feeding them. Less so this time of year, with a thick blanket of snow everywhere. If I knew what they ate around here for wild foods in the winter I'd feel more comfortable. The trees in my neighborhood are all deciduous, mostly maples and a few crabapples (I gathered the acorns from a nearby island that has no mammal wildlife). If they're eating anything wild now, I just don't see them do it. And I'd rather feed them in a safe area than have them travel too far towards the danger of traffic, etc. An emotional dilemma, but I'm very committed to them.