Best food for outside feeders

[Kato]

Hi all:
I would like to ask the group what is the best food to put outside for my little friends in this cold weather, availability, cost, ect,ect, Thank You

[Freddy]

Kato,

Here is what I do:

I feed my backyard squirrels three different type foods. One is a vegetable based dog treat. My local pet outlet doesn't carry anything made specifically for squirrels. So, I'm using their dog treat product by Old Mother Hubbard called Just Vegg'n. The ingredients on the product state the following:

"Whole Wheat Flour, Oatmeal, Wheat Bran, Molasses, Carrots, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a natural source of Vitamin E), Ground Flaxseed, Sweet Potatoes, Apples, Parsley, Garlic, Sea Salt."

That's it. I don't like the salt part, but what can you do. A little of that likely does no harm. The downside is that a 20 oz. (1 lb. 4 oz.) bag costs $7.49. That product has to be better than the garbage and other god knows what squirrels can find to eat laying around.

I keep the cost down by supplementing the veggie biscuits with some dry corn on the cob, interspersed with some corn logs, bulk peanuts (roasted/no salt, costing $1.49 pound at local grocery store), and some filberts (hazel nuts) I purchased from an on-line source for $1.89 a pound, plus shipping. I bought 10 pounds of the nuts, which totaled $30 delivered. These items last a long time, so the cost isn't that bad, spread over time.

I put the peanuts and the hazelnuts on the ground. The squirrels always find the items and clean up all of it. I place the corn on the cob and the corn logs on a feeder made for such items. The feeder has a spike on which you impale the corn.

The squirrels seem to like the corn the least, given a choice. When they have nothing else to eat, they clean up the corn. But they clearly prefer the other items. They also seem to like the veggie dog biscuits. The biscuits are always taken.

If I put out too much, the squirrels store what they don't eat. Thus, I'm careful not to put out too much. I have around a dozen, or so, backyard squirrels.

Freddy

[Kato]

Thank you for the info.

[gs1]

hi kato:

i don't have feeders i have platters so i'm not sure if this helps.

there are several threads in nutrition that would help you keeping in mind that you are talking about the wilds which gives you more lee-way.

We want them fat and fluffy in the winter; so i give wholewheat bread. I also have just started an avacado to ripen for them ... but please, please be aware that the pit and the skin is poisonous... i'm giving this to them for a little bit more fat for the winter.

anyway, bread, apples, carrot, butternut squash, hazel nuts in shell and pumpkin seeds is my staples. (you can also try brocolli and mushrooms but i've no luck with that, and butternut squash is iffy too - it's not their favourite.)

oh and if you wanted to bake i've gotten some great receipes and there is also something called 4swerlz blocks' the reciepe is on this site.
all the best.:D

[Kato]

Thank you gs1

[Freddy]

All,

Today, The Washington Post reported that some people feed their wild squirrels suet (fat). Yuk! See the following article for the full story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/16/AR2009011604506.html

I suppose suet is better than nothing, but how cheap can you get?

Freddy

[Jackie in Tampa]

Some members here , including Gammas, make critter scones, healthy treats! They have alot of sqs favorite ingredients! Including birdseed and nuts!

Soon the grocery stores will discount their seasonal shell nuts! So let your produce mgr know you are interested. I usually offer to buy everything they have for $1 a bag! It works! :thumbsup They are freezable too!

I have never offered dog food, but have heard sqs have been known to steal it when the dog isn't looking!:dono
I feed about 40-50 different greys daily and offer roasted peanuts endlessly and periodically throughout the day throw variety of nuts in the shell and veggies.
I buy nuts and veggies year round at local farmers market. They are sold in 50lb bags and veggies by the case. I can save alot of $$$ and go every two weeks since adding an extra fridge.:thumbsup
The birds eat here too!:sanp3 I buy seed for them and the sqs eat THAT TOO! But we love them all!:jump the more the merrier. :sanp3

[Jackie in Tampa]

Baird menu says they are out of pecans, however I bought new crop there yesterday at $102. for 50lbs. :thumbsup
This is SqSpice sitting on them this morning!

[TinyPaws]

I have 9 squirrels and feed them a mixture of....Peanuts, Peanut Hearts, Striped Sunflower seed, Black Oil Sunflower seed, Sunflower Kernals....That's what goes into the feeders....I also provide a variety of nuts also...some in the shell for stashing and a mixture of cracked nuts for eating.....

I won't say it is cheap, but I shop around and find the best prices for each item I need....20-30 pounds lasts me about a month....a little more at the moment because of the sub-freezing temps....I like to have my feeders full all the time.....wish I could keep the birds out of them though...:sanp3 I do give the birds their own food, but they are pigs...:rotfl And people complain about squirrels stealing food from bird feeders!!!! The birds steal way more squirrel food then the other way around.....Even the nuts!!!!!:nono

[Jackie in Tampa]

Someone said Chuck-a-nut is on sale this week at Petco! $2 off!:thumbsup

[TinyPaws]

I bought 3 bags this past summer and my squirrels wouldn't touch it...I even bought the chuckanut pumpkin/squash seeds and they won't eat them either...they will eat pumpkin seeds from nutsonline and ohnuts...That's why I started mixing my own stuff, at least I know they will eat it...It is a bit more expensive...ok a little more than a bit...:D They love the Lyric woodpecker seed, but that is expensive so I buy the ingredients on the package and mix it myself.......I know, they are spoiled....:sanp3

[Kato]

Thank you all for your replys.

[erin jackson]

I have 5 (sigh, now 4 with the injured one going to rehab) fox, and about 12 black/greys that come running when I call them for food.

Between them, the birds, 3 cats and 2 stray cats, I probably spend more on wildlife than people food! *but worth every single penny of it*

the bushy tails get roasted non salted peanuts - I was buying them by the case at the local grocer, but just learned a local PetsuppliesPlus will also sell by the case - at a savings of $8. I supplant the peanuts with the wild bird seed mix that has sunflowers and cracked corn along with the seed mix. the birds and squirrels alike chow on that.

[NewMommy]

I've been buying nuts at the Dollar Store and Dollar General Store for about 2 years now but they are starting to run out of them faster than I can buy them plus when I buy a lot at a time, I tend to use 2 to 3 cans a day. Most of my outdoor life eats them...the flying squirrels, grey squirrels, red squirrels, and a lot of my birds eat them so much so that I don't have to buy as much bird food as I used to. I also buy peanuts in a bag at the Dollar Store and solve the problem of the bluejays stealing them by putting them in a special squirrel only feeder. It took me years to juggle all types of feeders so that everyone will get food and not just a few "piggies". The people at the stores call me "the peanut lady" now and some act like I'm crazy for buying so many nuts for squirrels. After Christmas, I hit the sales and got assorted nuts in bags for half off.

[BHO]

I have been feeding my wild friends black oiler and pecans.

I have tried sweet potatoes, apples and grapes when they are on special (the grapes) Cant get them to eat the sweet potatoes. I can just about get them to eat apples and grapes. They like Cherries too. So do I

I had a hard time getting them to eat raw in shell pumpkin seeds and I put a handful in the oiler mix and they are slowly eating those. I also add handful of corn with the oiler. They love pecans. I hear that oiler and pecans (nuts in general are not too good for them) What to do, they are spoiled.

The veggie that Freddy is using, are they OK to feed them??? (I dont mean to be rude Freddy and I am not doubting you either) I have many that come to eat (lost count, well over 40 of them) as their habitat are being destroyed so I need to find a good diet for them which is why I am asking.

I dont get Chuckanut pumpkin as they are simply awful. I get mine from nutsonline for $2.99/lb. Plump and juicy and they have other goodies that you and your furry friends may like too,, Their service is A++++

[Maxy]

I thought you weren't supposed to give corn or sunflower seeds to squirrels. The corn is high in phosphorous and the sunflower seeds can prove to be poisonous to the little fuzzy guys. Is this wrong?

[Reddliz]

I think that only applys to the domesticated house squirrel...the wild squirrels can get the nutrition they need from the wild, bark, bugs, seeds, dirt and whatnot, so they can eat these treats and not concern about it being their only source of food. But, pet squirrels need us to limit their nuts and seeds because they don't have the wild to forage in to get the supplements their diets need. I know my Kola would eat black sunflower seeds and nuts ONLY if I let him.....but he would get MBD and die so....he doesn't get any black seeds or corn.....but he does get 2 regular inshell nuts a day.....and Henry's Healthy squirrel blocks, plus veggies and stuff too. The wild squirrels get the same things mentioned here.....nuts, corn and seed.

:thumbsup