Kami8610
04-19-2012, 02:36 PM
Main Question: I'm feeding a wild squirrel about 1/4-1/2 cup of squirrel seed mix and unsalted peanuts. She comes up to my feet now and "asks" for food and I feed her in a little bowl daily. I don't want her to be unhealthy and I'm just learning about squirrel nutrition. I read that peanuts and things of that nature are only 10% of their diet. It's just her that's coming up to the feeder I'm sure of it because she has a cloudy eye on one side and shes older. My question is: Should I be feeding her less? and Whats the best food I can give her to supplement her natural diet?
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Back history for those that are interested in reading it:
Moved into an apartment 3 years ago. Always had squirrels above our porch in a little attic area. I keep plants on my porch. For 2 years I had no relationship with the squirrels other than they were adorable and I saw them outside often coming down from above our attic. I would coo at them and call to them but I mainly kept bird feeders that they left alone due to the placement of the feeders being up on high apartment windows.
About a year ago I noticed one of the squirrels tail was floppy and half of it was dragging on the ground. I kept an eye on it because I was curious if it was broken or just made that way for that particular squirrel. The squirrel seemed to be fine with it and it stayed floppy for about a month.
Soon after I noticed a squirrel with only half a tail. So I assumed that the squirrel had indeed had a broken tail and it had eventually fallen off.
So now this squirrel was identifiable to me and I begun calling him Stumpy.
About three months ago my plants started getting dug into and my beautiful roses were getting beheaded. So I researched this and began feeding the squirrels and putting repellent on my flowers.
I put out onto my porch a bowl daily about 1/4 cup and several little young squirrels would come up and feed skittishly.
Then one day Stumpy arrived. Stumpy is a lot bolder than the others and would bicker with them and chase them off.
Finally I was able to see Stumpy up close from my window. Stumpy was actually a she with a full set of baggy fat teats and a fat belly. Shes also older with graying facial features and sagging features and one cloudy eye.
Stumpy and I began a relationship...I began calling to her whenever I brought out food. 3 weeks later she knows my car and comes running down whenever I drive up to beg for food. She follows me up the porch steps and runs along side my feet. She looks up at me and makes little arm motions and wiggles her lips. I give her a little bowl of water and food on my porch.
Shes a special little squirrel. Its not wonder shes the wise old squirrel in the neighborhood. Shes smart and crafty....and absolutely BOLD. She knows what she wants and gets it often pushing squirrels out of her way in the process. Survival of the fittest in action. I wish I could feed the other squirrels too lol but shell eat it all because...
Shes also a piglet...one day I gave her a bowl and she emptied it and then I saw other squirrels looking at my porch. So I waited til she had eaten and left and I put out more for them.
She came back! and ate double doses! lol.
So...she doesnt give anyone else a chance...
At the top part of this post is my basic question for those that didnt want to read all that. But if you did...I'll ask it again...
1. Is this one squirrel eating too much seed mix (1/4-1/2 cup daily with about 3 unsalted peanuts)??? Should I be feeding her the same or more or less???
Remember, she has a filled out belly and sagging obvious teats. So she is currently or will be or has been a Mama. I do still want to support her diet...but I want to do so in a healthy fashion that helps her not creates more health issues. Shes an old gal so I want to be gentle on her. Any advice would be nice including amount of food and healthy vitamin rich ideas that would be good for her diet and support her older age.
__________________________________________________ _______________
Back history for those that are interested in reading it:
Moved into an apartment 3 years ago. Always had squirrels above our porch in a little attic area. I keep plants on my porch. For 2 years I had no relationship with the squirrels other than they were adorable and I saw them outside often coming down from above our attic. I would coo at them and call to them but I mainly kept bird feeders that they left alone due to the placement of the feeders being up on high apartment windows.
About a year ago I noticed one of the squirrels tail was floppy and half of it was dragging on the ground. I kept an eye on it because I was curious if it was broken or just made that way for that particular squirrel. The squirrel seemed to be fine with it and it stayed floppy for about a month.
Soon after I noticed a squirrel with only half a tail. So I assumed that the squirrel had indeed had a broken tail and it had eventually fallen off.
So now this squirrel was identifiable to me and I begun calling him Stumpy.
About three months ago my plants started getting dug into and my beautiful roses were getting beheaded. So I researched this and began feeding the squirrels and putting repellent on my flowers.
I put out onto my porch a bowl daily about 1/4 cup and several little young squirrels would come up and feed skittishly.
Then one day Stumpy arrived. Stumpy is a lot bolder than the others and would bicker with them and chase them off.
Finally I was able to see Stumpy up close from my window. Stumpy was actually a she with a full set of baggy fat teats and a fat belly. Shes also older with graying facial features and sagging features and one cloudy eye.
Stumpy and I began a relationship...I began calling to her whenever I brought out food. 3 weeks later she knows my car and comes running down whenever I drive up to beg for food. She follows me up the porch steps and runs along side my feet. She looks up at me and makes little arm motions and wiggles her lips. I give her a little bowl of water and food on my porch.
Shes a special little squirrel. Its not wonder shes the wise old squirrel in the neighborhood. Shes smart and crafty....and absolutely BOLD. She knows what she wants and gets it often pushing squirrels out of her way in the process. Survival of the fittest in action. I wish I could feed the other squirrels too lol but shell eat it all because...
Shes also a piglet...one day I gave her a bowl and she emptied it and then I saw other squirrels looking at my porch. So I waited til she had eaten and left and I put out more for them.
She came back! and ate double doses! lol.
So...she doesnt give anyone else a chance...
At the top part of this post is my basic question for those that didnt want to read all that. But if you did...I'll ask it again...
1. Is this one squirrel eating too much seed mix (1/4-1/2 cup daily with about 3 unsalted peanuts)??? Should I be feeding her the same or more or less???
Remember, she has a filled out belly and sagging obvious teats. So she is currently or will be or has been a Mama. I do still want to support her diet...but I want to do so in a healthy fashion that helps her not creates more health issues. Shes an old gal so I want to be gentle on her. Any advice would be nice including amount of food and healthy vitamin rich ideas that would be good for her diet and support her older age.