What is an average daily menu for your squirrels?

[sdreamcatcher]

I wonder if I am messing up my boys' diets :dono :dono They do get a HHB in the morning, various veggies and fruits that they will eat, and another HHB later in the day (sometimes I give them three a day; ok for foxers??). Five months ago Joey was a bit heavy looking while Butchie was pretty thin; he was still recovering from being sick. Now Joey is very thin, to me, and Butchie looks alarmingly chunky the last couple of weeks or so. Both boys are scheduled for release, which is a cause for concern after a rather threatening sounding voicemail from a neighbor. Sigh.... sometimes I wonder if they would be better off sent to Florida for their safety; I did NOT intend to keep them this long but financial issues have kept me from making a cage till recently. They don't get along so I will most likely be releasing them separately, IF this neighbor issue settles down....

The boys can be picky about greens, but I try to give them a variety of wild and store bought greens. Of course, what one boy is wild about the other turns his nose up at!!

Any tips/tricks and suggestions for food would be great :).

[island rehabber]

Here's what works for me:

First thing in the am: HHB's for everyone
(Then I have my coffee. Never try chopping veggies before coffee. :nono :D)

next: two chunks of orange sweet potato & yama per squirrel
sugar snap peas or string beans
kale
mushroom slices (white or baby bella's)
chickory
broccoli or cauliflower
FV for those who still want it

During the day everyone has rodent block in their bowls (Zupreem monkey biscuits or Mazuri).

Late afternoon:
radicchio
Butternut squash (2 chunks each)
Dandelion greens
1 chunk of avocado each
2-3 almonds or 1 walnut per squirrel

Hope that helps.

[pappy1264]

Maura, you don't feed sugar snap peas (sorry to threadjack.)

[sdreamcatcher]

Here's what works for me:

First thing in the am: HHB's for everyone
(Then I have my coffee. Never try chopping veggies before coffee. :nono :D)

next: two chunks of orange sweet potato & yama per squirrel
sugar snap peas
or string beans
kale
mushroom slices (white or baby bella's)
chickory
broccoli or cauliflower
FV for those who still want it

During the day everyone has rodent block in their bowls (Zupreem monkey biscuits or Mazuri).

Late afternoon:
radicchio
Butternut squash (2 chunks each)
Dandelion greens
1 chunk of avocado each
2-3 almonds or 1 walnut per squirrel

Hope that helps.


It does!! Thank you :). Are the squash and yam/sweet potato cooked or steamed? I regret to say I once offered broccoli and cauliflower but the one time I did was the same day they got sick; so I never added it back (goofy anxiety thing I have :shakehead). Kale wasn't a favorite but I want to try again now that they are older.

Greens tried have been an organic spring green mix and various wild weeds (we don't poison anything in our yard). Joey loves arugula (works great because it's one of the few greens my Mom dislikes) and dandelion. Butchie likes dandelion. Both will eat mallow and lamb's quarters. We now have amaranth and purslane coming up so those will be added soon. They do seem to prefer the weeds over store bought greens. Even the volunteer lettuces are more accepted then the boxed ones. Joey likes carrots, Butchie loves to stash them - sometimes he even remembers where :rotfl ). They both like bell peppers and tomatoes. Snow peas weren't a hit at all, so I haven't tried them since they were little guys.

As for fruits they do like apple though not as much as they used to. They like the green apples from the outside tree but there aren't as many of those this year. They like orange, especially Joey who has recently become an orange junkie!! He can easily eat two slices at one sitting but I try to space them. Butchie dismembers his slices, then goes back to them later. Berries are sometimes taken by Butchie; Joey loves them, especially blueberries. They like the occasional brown rice (not as much lately) and home made bread (whole wheat). Both love rolled oats as a treat (usually raw sometimes cooked with almond milk). I try not to give too many carbs though, especially with Butchie. Coconut milk and almond milk are once in a while treats, as is fruit juice. They don't drink much; just a taste here and there because I am trying to drink it ;). I still sometimes offer tums when they need it. Oddly enough they start chewing on the kitchen wall to let me know; and as soon as I divert them to the tums they stop. They prefer certain flavors, though Butchie is way more picky about this. He will refuse any mixed berry flavors because that is what I had to syringe to him when he was sick. He loves tropical mixed fruit flavors and some of the mixed fruit container. Dose-wise they get a quarter of a 1000mg tablet once or twice a week (250mg). Nuts are a very rare treat except peanuts which I want to wean them off of. They used to get walnuts, pecans and almonds but I haven't been able to get any for a while. Seed is also a very rare treat, to bribe them into being good ;). Seed is offered maybe once or twice a month. Sunflower seed is a VERY RARE treat.

I am sure some of these are definite no-nos, and am trying to cut out foods I think are not as good. Both will hold out for favorites. The last three days I have added avocado to their green mix ( I use a food processor) with good results. I am going to tweak this to use only enough avocado to get them to eat their greens better. I figure Joey can have an extra chunk later in the day :D.

[island rehabber]

Maura, you don't feed sugar snap peas (sorry to threadjack.)

oh shoot I always do that!!! I do feed sugar snap peas -- not snow pea pods! DUH. :shakehead thank you Mary...

[pappy1264]

lol...thought so (was going to say, 'how do you get them to eat them?' Hubby once bougth them by mistake, as they had labeled them wrong and he didn't notice. Nobody would touch them and the look they gave me....:crazy )

[virgo062]

Every morning Knothead gets his HHB's with
sliced mushrooms
snap peas
sweet potato (he likes his barely cooked not mushy)
broccoli
squash
Avacado
Pecans
We have a large garden so he gets whatevers in at the time

[pappy1264]

Average plate here:

spring mix, mushrooms, avocado, blueberries, white sweet potato, zucchini, grape tomatoes, green peppers, brussel sprouts, sometimes artichokes, snap peas, mustard greens, radishes, cilantro, plus hhb's first thing in the morning, a couple of nuts after they clean their dishes (usually either a couple of almonds or pecans). Rodent block in cages at all times. And before bed, an in shell nut (usually a walnut). Fed twice a day. Oh, also give waxworms 3-4 times per week, as well.

[pappy1264]

This is from last year, but this is what an average squirrel plate in my house looks like. Oh yeah, forgot to put cucumbers in my post above...lol and when in season, I also feed pear cactus, as well.

[Kristin Ward]

Beautiful, please tell me that's not for 1 squirrel.:D

[pappy1264]

lol...no, it was for four. Thank you.

[Kristin Ward]

It sounds like everyone's squirrel households are eating pretty, pretty good!
When's dinner? I'll be there.:wave123

[shellyb1018]

I feed my girl
2 HHBs every morning, along with 2 pieces of papaya and 2 red cherries
mid-morning, she gets cauliflower, broccoli and radicchio
dinner time, brussel sprouts, chayote, green pepper, red pepper, okra, brocc, cauliflower, 2 pieces of avacado, romaine...occasionally some mushrooms and sweet potato
snack time, 2 teaspoons of yobaby yogurt and 7-8 worms. Her coat is sleek and soft, just beautiful. I seldom give her nuts but when she does, they are almonds.
Seems to me she is a better eater when i give her fruit in the morning,she usually eats most of her veggies all the time.
Such a good wittle girl. :Love_Icon

[LASquirrel]

I feed my girl
2 HHBs every morning, along with 2 pieces of papaya and 2 red cherries
mid-morning, she gets cauliflower, broccoli and radicchio
dinner time, brussel sprouts, chayote, green pepper, red pepper, okra, brocc, cauliflower, 2 pieces of avacado, romaine...occasionally some mushrooms and sweet potato
snack time, 2 teaspoons of yobaby yogurt and 7-8 worms. Her coat is sleek and soft, just beautiful. I seldom give her nuts but when she does, they are almonds.
Seems to me she is a better eater when i give her fruit in the morning,she usually eats most of her veggies all the time.
Such a good wittle girl. :Love_Icon
Sounds really good! What are the worms, are they meal worms? And will pet stores have them?

[shellyb1018]

Sounds really good! What are the worms, are they meal worms? And will pet stores have them?

they are just freeze dried.."can of worms" , but sometimes my son gets the real things, and she only gets one of them at a time. I dont like dealing with them ones. Good protein.

[LASquirrel]

they are just freeze dried.."can of worms" , but sometimes my son gets the real things, and she only gets one of them at a time. I dont like dealing with them ones. Good protein.
Thanks! Will look for them

[TinyPaws]

For Dylan..not in any particular order..

Romaine lettuce, the greeny leaves and the end of the head...cucumber, grape tomatoes, wild strawberries, blueberries, peeled grape, deseeded cherry, broccoli, apple, rose hips, dandilion greens, grass roots at his choosing (he likes one type that has a bulb on the end), rose petals, banana with the peel, wax worms, mealworms (live and dried), fox valley mixed with baby pear fruit, carrots, pecans, leichen..and when i have them, walnuts..

He's picky with what he likes..He won't touch mushrooms or peas and beans..no brussels sprouts or sweet peppers..but he does eat good.

[corear1014]

Can they eat snow peas? I accidentally picked up some.. Meant to grab sugar snaps.

[iwonka]

oh shoot I always do that!!! I do feed sugar snap peas -- not snow pea pods! DUH. :shakehead thank you Mary...


What is the difference between those two? :thinking

[corear1014]

I was thinking the same thing, iwonka. All I know one is flatter than the other, LOL!:rotfl

[sabelson]

This is all so helpful for those of us just starting with squirrels. I do have a question. Where do you get your nuts in the shells? Is there a good on-line source? Thanks!

[pappy1264]

There are several listed on this post:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34639

[sabelson]

Thank you Mary! I appreciate the help.
Sharon:)

[sdreamcatcher]

Thank you all for your input!!!! Butchie is officially on diet and has been since I last posted. I don't know how much fox squirrels should weigh, but am pretty sure he is over the ideal weight. They aren't keen on bell peppers but I put everything he should have into a mini processor and now he can't pick stuff out as easy :D. Both eat their blocks well.

The neighbor's tree is full of walnuts, but they are still in the stage where the outer shell is green. The wilds are really busy munching them already so I am guessing they are ok if the boys get one every so often?