Wild Menu Frustrations

[BigNibbler]

I am starting a new thread, to keep this simple and get the fastest help.
My wild squirrels are hungry.
In the last year, utility companies have chopped a huge number of trees.
Various neighbors have abandoned lawns in favor of cement, gravel, concrete.
There are a number of new sets of kittens a year old or so, and my poor, never resting Cyan, recently seriously injured with a loss of two fingers and not yet putting weight on her front left foot, is desperately trying to nurture a large litter to survival. Three of my five immediate neighbors are not fond of squirrels. They like birds and dogs!

I love squirrels and neither wish to abandon them, nor to hurt them with the wrong foods. I have been spending about $40 a month on nuts.
But now i hear that too many nuts are not good.
I understand how important calcium is, but that other things also are needed.
They do eat bark, and leaves and berries. But they come to me for their core meals.

I just bought Molasses. Thought i would try just coating the almonds in molasses. THEY HATE IT. they try hard to pick the uncoated nuts.
Do not like the taste of molasses as is.

Can anyone suggest a reasonably economical diet for these wilds that i can continue to assist them with? Perhaps cutting back a bit to lead them to their own discoveries, but not abandoning them, and at the same time helping Momma Cyan now when she needs it most, and her babies soon.

I have a blender, am a reasonably creative and resourceful cook for guy, and could bake, but would prefer not baking and not making cookies or foodstuffs that might attract birds, or contain non healthy ingredients.
Is there a spice, flavor or ingredient that could be mixed in, to mask the molasses, to make a wholesome as well as tasty mix for these sweeties?

[Mrs. Jack]

I've never fed my wilds anything but nuts.. although there is a lot more for them around than it sounds like in your area. mine like a bit of avocado now and then. and someone, I don't know who, ate the birds peanut butter dipped carrot. they will eat suet if I have it out for the birds, that'll fatten Cyan up. and if the bird seed falls on the ground and plants itself, the squirrels do the weeding, they seem to like the little green tips that grow.

You could make a batch of the critter scones, the recipe is around here somewhere, the outdoors seem to like them quite a lot.

[Reddliz]

:wave123

you could buy the henry's healthy squirrel blocks for them. They are available from 4S - you could also buy them fresh veggies from the squirrel diet menu in the thread above this one.....at any kroger......exotic nutrition sells mealworms and rose tips, plus a variety of other packaged squirrel foods. But fresh kale, collard greens, turnip greens, romain lettuce, snap peas, ect, ect....put out in a feeding pan would be nice on top of the nuts you are already giving them. And always put out fresh water too.

I wish I had a bunch of wilds here, all I have is 1 or 2 squirrels max.....to many hawks.

[BigNibbler]

:wave123

you could buy the henry's healthy squirrel blocks for them. They are available from 4S - you could also buy them fresh veggies from the squirrel diet menu in the thread above this one.....at any kroger......exotic nutrition sells mealworms and rose tips, plus a variety of other packaged squirrel foods. But fresh kale, collard greens, turnip greens, romain lettuce, snap peas, ect, ect....put out in a feeding pan would be nice on top of the nuts you are already giving them. And always put out fresh water too.

I wish I had a bunch of wilds here, all I have is 1 or 2 squirrels max.....to many hawks.

i was going to order the HHbs, but it looks like they are for 'pets' my wild ones use tremendous energy racing along high power lines, running up and down phone poles, chasing and playing and fighting asserting themselves over each other... you know.. wild ones. I always put fresh water out for them. They drink it coming and going. They won't touch lettuse, peas, veggies in general.

[4skwerlz]

i was going to order the HHbs, but it looks like they are for 'pets' my wild ones use tremendous energy racing along high power lines, running up and down phone poles, chasing and playing and fighting asserting themselves over each other... you know.. wild ones. I always put fresh water out for them. They drink it coming and going. They won't touch lettuse, peas, veggies in general.

The best thing, long-term, you can do for wildies IMO is to plant trees and bushes that provide natural foods for them. They also provide cover from predators, and eventually, nesting spots. Of course you can't let your friends starve while you're waiting for new trees to grow. On the other hand, if the surrounding area really has become non-squirrel-friendly due to trees cut down, then probably some of your squirrels will need to migrate to another area. IMO it would be a mistake to maintain a larger population of squirrels than the habitat can support. If God forbid something happened to you, they could all starve.

Wild squirrels are always hungry. I also wouldn't worry too much if they're a bit lean--most wild squirrels are. But there's certainly nothing wrong with giving them a little help either. Theories about natural balance and ecosystems are one thing; but these are your friends! As I mentioned, there are not many foods you can give to wilds that they will actually eat. A couple of extra nuts per squirrel, and the HHB, which they DO like. Most will eat a peanut butter sandwich made with natural peanut butter and whole wheat bread--this is especially good for really thin squirrels. Some will eat "critter scones" which are basically cookies with extra nutrition added in. Mine never would eat them though. You can also gather pine cones (unopened ones) and acorns in season from another area and put those out.

So plant trees and bushes and even flowers! Oak, pine, maple, crabapple.... do some research on what wild squirrels eat in your area and plant that. For the summer, they love portulaca...very high in calcium. My wildies were always nibbling on that, especially the females.

[BigNibbler]

Grey Squirrels. Any suggestions on what bushes i could grow.
That could even be gnawed on in the winter, and won't take long to grow.
Love to have some squirrel friendly hedges!

[Mads]

My yard squirrels really appreciate their "corn on the cob" this time of year. I always buy corn for them and just hang it out on the tree in a squirrel corn feeder.....but easily made with long nails and a board as well.

Sea shells also is a good source for calcium , so I do collect those and put them around for my yard squirrels as well.

[Anne]

MasterNibbler-squirrels love Mulberry trees, don't know how they'd grow where you are. Apple trees-at least two. Maple trees, rose hedge bushes-especially Heirloom roses-lots of flowers+rose hips, very hardly (no spraying:D )

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

I put out black oil sunflower seed. In large quantities, it can block calcium absportion, which is not good, however, I am only supplementing their natural diet, so I've never had any issues.