Quantity to feed?

[Nemehoto]

My munchkins are about 6 months old now and they are really packing away the food. I know what to feed them but I don't know how much to feed. I have 2 eastern gray squirrels male and female siblings that I have had since 2-3 day old pinkies.

I feed them three times a day
1 meal is 1/2 slice 15 grain bread and 35-40 cc's of FV in a pudding.

I feed them this TWICE a day of Fruits and veggies usually consisting of the following. (this is their normal menu I do substitutions when I run out the store it out of something)
2-3 green beans (fresh) cut into 1-2 inch lengths
4-6 sugar snap peas or snow peas
2 Brussels sprouts cut into quarters
2 stalks of broccoli cut into 4 pieces
2 -3 HHB cut in halves or quarters depending on the size
1/8 of an apple or a pear cut into 1/4s
4 blueberrys (once a day)
1 inch slice of yellow squash or Zucchini cut into quarters
1 baby carrot cut into 4 pieces (once a day)
4 small or 2 large grapes cut in half
2-3 stalks of Kale or romaine lettuce
1 mushroom

Treats: 2-3 times a week 1/8 of an avocado
1 inch slice of fresh corn on the cob cut into quarters
1/2 inch slice of Kiwi fruit.
Frozen peas (about a dozen)
1 inch slice of banana
1 inch slice of sweet potato cut into 1/4's


The "kids" eat this all in a day and over the last 2 weeks have started looking for more. They aren't fat (well Biff is a little pudgy) and are are very active. Basically the amount is 2 overflowing cereal bowls of food between them and the formula bread pudding. How much do healthy squirrels eat quantity wise of food? I want to make sure I am feeding them enough but I don't want to overfeed them either.

[Nemehoto]

Ok maybe my first post wasn't very clear about what I was asking advice on.

I have two squirrels that are 6 months old. I've been sticking to a healthy diet of FV, HHB, Fruits and Veggies... Combined they weigh about 3 lbs. and they are getting about a 3/4 of a pound of food a day and still looking for more.

1) How much food should a healthy squirrel eat in a day?
2) is there a veggie I should be feeding free choice when they have the munchies?
3) I don't want to over feed them but they get "beggy" between meals and they've eaten all their food.

My "kids" aren't fat, and they are very active and constantly playing. I just want to know if I am feeding the right *amount* of food. I'm pretty sure their menu is ok, I just want to know if serving size is LOL.

[Anne]

Add some romaine lettuce ,about three good sized whole leaves, that should give them some more bulk in the bowls. All of my guys love it and it help fill them up. Greens are Abundant in the wild and a good food. Your varity is good they just want more and greens IMHO are wants needed.

[Saverywood]

Ok maybe my first post wasn't very clear about what I was asking advice on.

I have two squirrels that are 6 months old. I've been sticking to a healthy diet of FV, HHB, Fruits and Veggies... Combined they weigh about 3 lbs. and they are getting about a 3/4 of a pound of food a day and still looking for more.

1) How much food should a healthy squirrel eat in a day?
2) is there a veggie I should be feeding free choice when they have the munchies?
3) I don't want to over feed them but they get "beggy" between meals and they've eaten all their food.

My "kids" aren't fat, and they are very active and constantly playing. I just want to know if I am feeding the right *amount* of food. I'm pretty sure their menu is ok, I just want to know if serving size is LOL.


Here's what works for me...after 2 HHB's for breakfast...then six thumb sized variety of veges and then two thumb sized fruits for afternoon snack (I usually cut them into smaller pieces so it looks like more :) ). I also give lots of greens, dandelion greens, and native acorns. Treats are pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts (when I have them). Hope that helps!

[Nemehoto]

Snicker I wish I could get dandelion greens... there isn't a dandelion within a half mile of here. Our geese do a wonderful job of cleaning up those. I can't plant lettuce, spinach or any garden green either.The dang geese will trample a fence down to get them. But then again for a farmer I have a brown thumb anyway LOL. I haven't been able to find many acorns right now that aren't moldy... but then again in SC everything molds... including the outside of your car, homes and buildings. Yuck... (time to pressure wash the house and outbuildings again since they are green 1/2 up) I do give them fresh limbs and twigs about every 10 days to 2 weeks as the ones they have dry up or they have gnawed them to shreds. I have to prune the pear and apple trees anyway. They adore the buds on the twigs. I also give them rosehips when I can find some.

I can give them more greens like kale, and lettuce for "bulk". I just didn't know if I should give them more of the other stuff as well. I was thinking the amount I was giving was ok, but they are very active and I don't want to underestimate their needs by adding bulk.

I do give them whole pecans 1 each and couple of almonds (bribes so I can open the cage door to feed them without little monkeys climbing all over me where the cat can reach them.)

[slee]

I've been wondering if I am feeding my two greys too much. Their weight gains are slow. I feel like they shouldn't be gaining any weight once mature. Girl is 14 months and boy is 12 months. Each get two henry blocks a day, two pieces fruit in am then for afternoon in place of fruit they get a 1/2 snap pea. Plenty of greens that range from romaine, beet greens, carrot tops, arugula, collards, celery, red and green leaf lettuce, broccoli, nappa cabbage, small pinch of sesame seeds and about 4 to 6 rodent blocks spread thru out the day, and they love those blocks and the henry's too. They do not eat their greens hardly. I bring them stuff from the woods all the time and lately I am bringing them new growth and stuff from my yard and they are very happy with that. I love to watch them eat the wild stuff. I have tried all of the veggies that is on the good list and most of them they will not eat, but of course like the fair stuff and I really do not want to get in the habit of buying the fair stuff, so I only buy the good stuff. I will give a piece of sweet pot every once in a blue moon for a treat, I do not give nuts but only rarely. So what do you think? :thankyou

[CrazySquirrelLady]

mine live on avocados, blueberries and HHBs.. lol

my 2 will eat 3/4 of an avocado in one day... greens fruit and sugar snaps.

They get 3 nuts a day.. unless they steal more...

occasionally they will steal a bite of a snicker's bar or ice cream.

[farrelli]

Sounds like a good diet to me. Are they fat or just gaining a little?

[slee]

I weighed them on April 13. The boy weighed 634g and he is 12 months, he had gained 30g in 5 weeks, which is about 6g a wk. He had also been confined due to an abscess that just would not heal, so he didn't get to run and play with my female as much. His activity level was down for about a good month. The girl weighed 599g and she is 14 months, she had gained 19g in 5 weeks, so about 4g a week.. They look okay, I just don't want them to get fat. Do they keep gaining or do they level off at some point? They must level off or at least the ones in the wild do since they forage for their food all the time unlike NR. Thanks for you thoughts.