When to Stop Winter Feeding

[Freddy]

Hi,

I've been feeding the wild back yard squirrels this winter to help get them through this hard period. Spring will soon arrive here in northern Virginia, and I was wondering when would be a good time to stop the winter feeding program. I think spring makes food available for the squirrels, so that I no longer need to provide food.

What are your thoughts?

Freddy

[gs1]

i'm too new at this to comment except i have the same questions.

i don't see me ever stopping: spring brings babies and they need extra food and fall means they're stocking up and so need extra food.

Maybe there's a week in july that i could stop ...

sorry.:D

[Lady Squirrelly]

I feed mine all year long. :D

[Janice]

We feed our wild ones all year long as well.

[ella]

I also feed mine all year long, i believe they know they have a safe place to come and know there is food:Love_Icon...Ella

[TinyPaws]

I feed mine all year as well...it keeps them close to home so I can keep an eye on them...and I love seeing them in my (our) yard....

[PBluejay2]

I've read that spring and early summer are really the hardest months for squirrels to find food. Their winter stores are depleted, and there are few plants mature enough to provide them with the food that they need. Late summer and fall is difinitely the bounty time for them, but I'm going to feed my guys 365! What you don't want to do is get them dependent upon you as a food source and then just stop.

[squirrely20]

I think I would have some very unhappy squirrels out there if I tried to stop! :rotfl So... I plan on going year round too.

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

I've read that spring and early summer are really the hardest months for squirrels to find food. Their winter stores are depleted, and there are few plants mature enough to provide them with the food that they need. Late summer and fall is difinitely the bounty time for them, but I'm going to feed my guys 365! What you don't want to do is get them dependent upon you as a food source and then just stop.


Excellent response, spring and summer are the hardest for them. Wild Horses couldnt make me stop feeding my babes.:flash3

[whopoopwrasse]

I feed mine all year too. If I stopped they would eat through my door to get to our food then.:shakehead

Yup me too! If I'm late in the morning with re-stocking my window sill they actually put thier little hands on the glass and give me the pity look!:jump

[Cleo_13]

I feed mine all year as much as possible, this Summer when I go on vacation I'll make sure someone feeds them while I'm gone. Last summer the person I had asked to feed them didn't, and they helped themselves to my food bin. We have since bought a metal bin instead of plastic.

[Freddy]

Hi All,

I was hoping to get some good insight about how to go about cutting off winter feeding. It looks as though that goal is not as easy as I thought. I have no idea whether I've made by back yard buddies dependent on me as a food source or not.

I suspect that to continue the feeding program could insure that i make them dependent, but what to do? I don't want to ensure the dependent thing! Maybe I could just reduce the food a little bit at at time for a period until it's down to zero.

Beats me. :sanp3

Freddy