Food for neighborhood squirrels

[spikey]

I have to admit, I'm hooked. I have been feeding our neighborhood squirrels for the past couple of years. I love watching them. My problem is that I feed them whole peanuts in the shell. They are leaving all the shells all over my neighbors' yards and I know the neighbors don't like it. I have tried corn but they really don't seem to like it; no wonder since they have the peanuts. Is there any type of food they will eat that isn't so messy? I have tried the commercial type of ground corn that sits on the squirrel feeders and they don't care for that either. Any suggestions? I'm afraid someone will complain to the city.
Thanks!

[Starfish]

Welcome!!


No more peanuts and no more corn.

See this: http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?39275-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-(Revised-2-13)
Print it and keep on fridge

You could try squirrel blocks.
Henry's Healthy Blocks are good but pricey ($$$)
There's Kaytee Forti-Diet or Harlan Teklad (I order the Teklad myself as Kaytee is impoassible to find in my part of Canada)

[Starfish]

Also, give some nuts in shell (like pecans or something) with the blocks for them to store for later.

[SugarBugFerret]

The more I read about peanuts, the more I keep thinking about my first ever squirrel friends. When I was just a little girl, maybe 7 or 8, I lived in Cali and my family had a vacation home (cabin) in the San Bernardino Mountains. I met Fluffy and Skinny there. They would come on to the balcony and my parents would let me hand feed them peanuts, but only through the sliding glass door, cracked just enough for the peanut to fit, and only if the shell was at least 3 peanuts long. Oh my goodness did they go WILD for them! It was definitely a treat for them and us, since they didn't get all that many...just a few every month or so. I can still remember their antics, knocking each other out of the way to get to the door first, and sitting in the trees with their peanuts chattering, as if to say thank you. Sweet squirrelly memories! :squirrel1

[spikey]

Starfish-Thank you for the food chart link. One question though. Is there a difference at all in the food for pet and wild squirrels or do they all eat the same things? Thanks.