My Nos cannot crack OPEN a Walnut in the SHELL?

[SquirrelNut]

Is this abnormal for a Squirrel? He opens Almonds w/ease? :squirrel1

[virgo062]

That's a good question Squirrelnut Knothead can't either. He is 6 months old in age but runs a about 1 month behind his brothers in maturity.

[SquirrelNut]

approximately the same age as my Nos. i was just worried if this was abnormal for some reason? he worked all night on it and finally buried it under his bed! i could tell he was frustrated but definitely knew it was a NUT!

[PBluejay2]

Is this abnormal for a Squirrel? He opens Almonds w/ease? :squirrel1

Of course, an English walnut is a larger nut, so that may contribute to the difficulty. I think it may be a matter of practice. I crack all nuts for a while, then introduce uncracked ones. Once they associate the nut with the prize inside, they work more earnestly to open the "Cracker Jack box" (shell) to get to it. When they develop their skills, they can halve a walnut in seconds. Of course, they don't actually "crack" the nut, as in clamping down on it and crushing it like some people believe, but chisel a hole in it (if they can't split it open skillfully) and chip away. For some reason, in my experience, English walnuts are the ones they're least interested in anyway, the last they bother "cracking" if given a choice. Others may have different experiences.

[SquirrelNut]

You always come to my rescue! LOL I was worried my Nos had something wrong w/his teeth and/or bite! TY as always!

[4skwerlz]

approximately the same age as my Nos. i was just worried if this was abnormal for some reason? he worked all night on it and finally buried it under his bed! i could tell he was frustrated but definitely knew it was a NUT!

Walnut shells are hard and thick. Our pampered fuzzers will often give up before they finish the job. Even my wilds took a long time to open a walnut. Good for the teeth though.

[PBluejay2]

Walnut shells are hard and thick. Our pampered fuzzers will often give up before they finish the job. Even my wilds took a long time to open a walnut. Good for the teeth though.

I don't think an English walnut shell is any harder or thicker than a hazelnut shell, maybe thicker than a Brazil nut shell, but definitely not harder (of course, I don't have my old Rockwell hardness guage to test it). Now when you bring in the black walnut, pig nut, hickory nut, then the boogers have to work!

[SquirrelNut]

My poor, frustrated Nos took a few hours to finally OPEN his first Walnut! I was so darn PROUD of him! LOL

[PBluejay2]

My poor, frustrated Nos took a few hours to finally OPEN his first Walnut! I was so darn PROUD of him! LOL

:wahoo :alright.gif :multi :bowdown

He'll get better and better at it until you'll stand in amazement at how quickly he can split them in half! Good job, Nos!

[CritterMom]

I don't think an English walnut shell is any harder or thicker than a hazelnut shell, maybe thicker than a Brazil nut shell, but definitely not harder (of course, I don't have my old Rockwell hardness guage to test it). Now when you bring in the black walnut, pig nut, hickory nut, then the boogers have to work!


I think it more the size that is the issue - hard to hold, almost too big to get a good bite on. That said, giving them to Mister P is so anticlimactic - he turns them around and around until he has the seam situated just so, and the just pops it open. I usually don't make it to the top of the stairs before I hear the shells hit the bottom of the cage.

His very first "Big Boy" nut was a hazelnut in the shell, which I idiotically gave to him right before we were BOTH supposed to go to bed. I lay in my bed upstairs, listening to "skritch skritch skritch" for about 45 minutes before he got into it! Now it takes him a nanosecond.

[virgo062]

I lay in my bed upstairs, listening to "skritch skritch skritch" for about 45 minutes before he got into it! Now it takes him a nanosecond.

:rotfl :rotfl You really do have some interesting story's:rotfl :rotfl I can just see your face laying in the bed

[crazysquirrels]

This is what I found with Jackie. Until about 8 months she was not big enough to crack the English walnuts. Once she was big enough she can perfectly crack one in half with 4 nibbles. Impressive. I gave her a Black walnut. After 10 min. she threw it at me and left. Not kidding. It mad her mad that she couldn't get the nut. I couldn't even crack that nut.

[4skwerlz]

His very first "Big Boy" nut was a hazelnut in the shell, which I idiotically gave to him right before we were BOTH supposed to go to bed. I lay in my bed upstairs, listening to "skritch skritch skritch" for about 45 minutes before he got into it! Now it takes him a nanosecond.
:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl
Yeah, and that "skritch" noise is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me....

[CritterMom]

:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl
Yeah, and that "skritch" noise is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me....


Oh yeah. Now, if I hand over the nut and flee upstairs, I can't hear it anymore. For some reason, hazelnuts seem to be the worst.

[SquirrelNut]

i notice Nos will ONLY pursue his Walnut if he has absolutely nothing else to eat that is easier!

[mindy65]

I honestly don't think squirrels can open the black walnut or any walnuts, but others on here say they can. I always crack mine open for my squirrel and even the wild squirrles. Almonds are easy for them to get inside. Mine can't open hazlenuts either. I crack all my nuts for my little guy except fo the almonds, hickory's.