want to move, but feed squirrels help

[Lovingliberty]

I've been living in the same place for 26 years, and 20 of the past years I've been feeding the squirrels. I've got about 10 squirrels that go to the feeder and they come up to my back steps for food. I been giving them a mixer of unsalted nuts for years. I'm looking to move next March, but I need to ween the squirrels from coming here for food. We've had many generations of squirrels whose parents raised them in my back yard and in the garage.

I need to know what to do with getting them more independent on finding food and less dependent on me. I Love those Squirrels and want to make sure they will be ok with finding food after I'm gone.

Anyways, how do get the squirrels to become less dependent on coming here for their food?

[gs1]

:D:Welcome


you'll need to wean them off slowly .... good thing you've got almost a year:thumbsup

i'd get rid of the feeders and start putting out small pieces of cut apple, pieces of bread etc... (so they're still getting food but not nuts). Nuts are like crack to squirrels... you can give a few but keep in mind they're like giving candy to children.

squirrels eat lots of wild foods like rose hips, baby birds, grubs, dandelion, flowers like hibiscus, roses and things like maple flowers and bark etc...

i doubt they're going to go hungry but they will be upset if you stop giving nuts :)

also you could give chopped up almonds rather than peanuts they're healthier.

and finally you're so lucky it's summer trying to do this in the winter would be so much harder.

ps: if they're having babies in the garage can you fix it so that they don't ... i expect your new house owners might not appreciate it. (and the squirrels will be the ones that lose).

[Lovingliberty]

Thank you. I Love those squirrels so if I have to wait 2 years to move to make sure the squirrels are going else where for food by getting it from nature then it will be worth it.

About the garage. I can close off the garage to keep the mom squirrel from having her babies in there, but right now she has 4 babies she's raising. They've gotta be about 11 or 12 weeks old. They come and go from the garage. I have a board on the side of the garage so they can get up and down from the roof, and then the mom squirrel and the babies can get in and out of the garage through a hole the mom squirrel made that takes them up to the roof. I'll need to start by sealing off the other ways for them to get in and out of the garage.

When the babies get older they tend to head up north from here and live in the trees about a half a block from here. But all the squirrels come here to eat. Summer months the squirrels come around twice a day to eat so that would be a good time to completely seal off the garage.

I'll cut back on the nuts and the sunflower seeds and put more of what you said to with the apple pieces, the almond slivers and bread. I use to try to get them to eat certain veggies, but the squirrels would check the veggies out but then go right for the nuts. lol

You mentioned Winter. How do the squirrels deal with the Winter months for food. That is when there is the most squirrels out there. I put water out for the squirrels year round and in the Winter months I change their water atleast 6 times a day, if not more. The water freezes, but during the summer I put ice in their water, they love the icey cold water.

Thank you again for your help I really appreciate it.

[Kikiboo]

Awww... you're so sweet!! I understand your love of these wonderful creatures (as well as everyone here does) and you are just so sweet to be so concerned about them. I feed my girls and all their friends daily as well... however, they only get walnuts a couple of times a week. (I LOVE those days.. they are just so HAPPY :multi !!) The rest of the week they get fruits and veggies, and of course a little bowl of rodent block. They don't much like block... :yuck but when somebody sleeps in and misses breakfast, it's a welcome meal. ;) In the winter I always have corn outside for them and the birds that are hardy enough to hang out in the bitter cold... just 'in case' they wake up hungry when their little bodies are moving SO slow.

I have a 'heated' dog bowl I use in the winter.. it's amazing, and that way there is always open water for them.
I know one day I will be moving as well... but until then, my squirrel-girls will be well looked after. (I hand raised 2 little ones myself, last year, and the year before)

Best of luck explaining the sudden change to healthy eating!! lol! Don't worry too much - they're wilds... and they eat other things than what you offer. They might not like it much... but they will. Perhaps you will meet a new bunch when you move... or you can visit them in a park - one thing about squirrels, they are just EVERYwhere in North America!! :thumbsup

Thanks for helping out our fuzzles.... they are truly one of Gods gifts to us!!

:grouphug ... welcome to TSB!!! (You'll never meet a more loving. caring bunch of people)

[astra]

welcome
I'll just add that it is the perfect time to wean them off - spring and summer provide tons of wild food, and it will be easier for them to get used to less food.
When I had to wean mine, I started feeding every other day, then, every few days, then, once a week etc etc etc. You can spread that "schedule" out throughout the summer so by the Fall you can stop feeding them, so that they will know to prepare themselves for the winter without depending on you.

It might be best to stop feeding them by August - end of August, so that during the Fall they will get to the idea that they have to rely upon themselves only in their preparation for the winter.

If you keep feeding them through the Fall, however little, they might still think that they will have you to provide for them. So, it might be best not to.
Especially, for the mothers not to even think of creating nests anywhere near you.

[Lovingliberty]

Thank you Kikiboo and Astra, I would have replied sooner but that little squirrel eating on that strawberry is so cute. A few years ago, one of my neighbors brought home a baby squirrel he found at his dad's house and one thing led to another and he was brought here, so we had him for 3 days before we could find a place to take him to. I was worried because even though we got him the proper food to eat, or drink in his case with his formula. I couldn't get him to go to the bathroom. And I tried the warm q-tip but by the time I would get it to where it needed to go the q-tip was cool. So, I called and called and called and finally found a rehabilitator for him. he was about 6 weeks old.

Ok, so August is the due date for having them weened off from getting food from here. I figure about another week and the 4 baby squirrels will be heading for the trees.

I tell you that this is one of the hardest things I've had to even think about doing, and now I need to ween them off. It makes me sad, because it was about 20 years ago I was outside looking out at the sunset from the driveway and smoking. I got done and turn to head for the back door when I looked down and this squirrel is laying down with her arms and legs stretched out looking up at me. I let the squirrel know she scared me a bit, startled me, and was telling her that I could have stepped on her if I stepped back without turning around first. But she moved around me like she needed help. So, I asked her if she was hungry and sure enough she was. We had birds back then and sunflower seeds came in their food so we took a handful of the seeds out and I gave it to her to eat.

The next day she was out there and so I went to the store and bought unsalted sunflower seeds for her, came back and she was still out there. A few days later, I saw her coming down the back fence with 3 little squirrels with her. This was how I found out she was a girl squirrel and a Mom to boot. She took her babies right to where I had started putting the sunflower seeds at and she helped them open and to eat the seeds.

I named her Happy, and she knew her name, she was the friendliest little squirrel. Her babies grew up and had babies of their own, but Happy did too, but 7 years later something happened to her and she had spinal cord injury and she was put to sleep. The squirrels that I've been feeding since started from Happy bringing her babies here, who grew up and had babies of their own and so on until we get to 20 years later. Happy is like their Aunt sister or something.

Since then I don't name the squirrels cause that was a killer on me when she had to be put to sleep. But I need to make sure her squirrels that started with her are gonna be alright. So, I'm taking all your advice and suggestions and will put it to work starting tomorrow with weening. it's gonna be so hard to move and saying good bye to them, but it will be easier knowing they will be ok and in God's hands. I do pray the Angels look over them and all squirrels.

Thank you all so much. :thankyou

[beanut]

I am currently going through this very thing . I need to wean feeding my squirrels and I want to do it so as not to cause them any harm . I have been feeding them since last November everyday and now I need help in (how to do it safely). different ones come at different times - like 3 will come at 5:30 in the morning then by 8 AM- 6 different squirrels will come and then at noon a different set will come . So my question is (and I hope someone can help) when I am weaning them from eating here at my yard - like one week feed every other day then the next week every 2 days then the next every 3 days then the next every 4 day and so on - and if I do it this way do I put food out 3 different times a day for the different squirrels that come on the days that I put food out ( for the weaning down) it is the end of July now and I need to be done by September 1st - is this enough time to safely wean my little friends? Thanks in advance for any help :)

[stosh2010]

Soooo many years and soooo many generations of squirrels...
GREAT JOB....
I hope your new home has squirrel families --too...

[beanut]

I am currently going through this very thing . I need to wean feeding my squirrels and I want to do it so as not to cause them any harm . I have been feeding them since last November everyday and now I need help in (how to do it safely). different ones come at different times - like 3 will come at 5:30 in the morning then by 8 AM- 6 different squirrels will come and then at noon a different set will come . So my question is (and I hope someone can help) when I am weaning them from eating here at my yard - like one week feed every other day then the next week every 2 days then the next every 3 days then the next every 4 day and so on - and if I do it this way do I put food out 3 different times a day for the different squirrels that come on the days that I put food out ( for the weaning down) it is the end of July now and I need to be done by September 1st - is this enough time to safely wean my little friends? Thanks in advance for any help . I really need someone to help with the answer on how to wean my squirrels safely . I am afraid for them because I feel they have grown dependent on my feeding them . And I need to know how to correctly wean them . Thank you