Hola : Hello : New Enthusiast : Help Needed

[StellaNYC]

Hello Squirrel Board!

Thanks so much for this forum, the information is so helpful.

I recently moved to an apartment complex that has beautiful grounds. The best part of the move is that there are grey wild squirrels jumping about. I have to admit, it is sooo easy to fall with these furry nuggets, i find myself just spending the day looking at them forage for food, climb trees, and chase each other around.

We are on the 4th floor but since the beginning they have been visiting us (we have been here for 1 month now) they were digging up the dirt of my potted lemon tree and i had to put a mesh around the base so they would stay away. Sadly about 2 weeks ago a squirrel died on the lawn, it was 1 day after the people from pest control came, maybe it ate something poisonous. It really made me feel sorry for the little ones and i have started putting some snackies out. Mostly dried corn (organic, no salt or oils added) i also bought some fresh corn, some like it, some not. I did buy sunflower seeds but read it is not good for them? I also have a little bit of water that i put out that they have appreciated. I am in Jersey City and it is REALLY cold here and they seem to like to come up and snack.

I would like to befriend them and maybe in the future be able to hand feed them.
a. is there something else i should add to their diet? they are not loving the fresh corn but come back for the dried corn.
b. i made some spaghetti squash today and roasted the seeds for them are those safe?
c. there are 3 squirrels that sometimes come visit... one is always here comes every day, how much sunflower seed is safe.
d. last but not least i was hoping we could get on some feeding routine where i could feed them twice a week at 1pm but they seem to be wanting more food than that.. also, they come at off hours and whenever i take the food away they pee on the terrace (which i dont appreciate) but when i leave the food overnight, they eat in the morning and not always pee. Im surprised to see that they roam and have no schedule, they come at odd times... would we be able to get on a regular schedule in time?

Looking forward to your thoughts!!!

Thanks

Stella223515

[Ziggyspal]

The wilds in my yard like to eat a little after sunrise in the morning (about 7:30 or so right now) and in the late afternoon before it begins getting dark. My hubby purchased two very large bags (I'd guess about 5lbs each) of almonds that had chipped shells or some cosmetic imperfection really cheap at the grocery store. They were trying to get rid of them as they could not sell them with their perfect looking bulk nuts. The squirrels love them. There are folks her who are experts on squirrel nutrition (I'm not, but I'm trying to learn).:Welcome

[StellaNYC]

Hi Ziggyspal

Thanks so much for replying. Do the nuts have to be roasted or can they be raw?
I find that they come around 7:30am as well.. then around 2:30 and then it seems if they didnt find a lot of food in the yard they may even come back around 3:30 i guess the question is, do you leave the nuts out so they can eat when they please? or do you put the food out close to feeding time?

So excited that we can learn together! Tomorrow ill try some carrots and maybe even a bit of my avocado (fingers crossed hope they like them) also excited about the squash roasted seeds, they taste yum, tried one myself.

How long have you been feeding/spending time with yours?

xo

Stella

[farrelli]

Can't write much now, but you will get responses from others. Most nuts don't need to be roasted. Peanuts do, though.

Peanuts and corn are OK for wilds who don't get the bulk of their diet from humans. If you suspect that yours do though, other nuts are better. Corn and peanuts are very high in phosphorous, which blocks calcium absorption, which causes metabolic bone disease. Squirrels are really sensitive to low calcium levels. They also like a variety of fruits and some veggies. All squirrels are different.

Here;s a link to our healthy diet guide for indoor squirrels so you can see what people here feed their captive babies. You can feed Wild Bites from Henry's which are made for wilds, but are still rather expensive. If I didn;t have to go to bed I'd explain how people buy 50lb bags of cheap rodent blocks for $25 and doctor them up for their wilds. Maybe tomorrow if you're interested.

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?39275-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-(Revised-2-13)

[island rehabber]

Welcome, StellaNYC, from across the way in da Bronx! :Welcome

If most or all of your squirrels over there in Jersey City look like the little guy you pictured here, they are bursting with good health! What a beautiful squee.....love the caption. :grin3

Some quick Squirrel 101 stuff.......squirrels are diurnal, the opposite of nocturnal. Up with the sun and asleep after sunset. They are most active (eating, playing) at dawn and again at dusk, which are the two times it's best to feed them. They enjoy clean fresh water when they get it, as well as good foods, otherwise they get their water from licking the undersides of leaves in the morning.

Squirrels in our area (NYC metro) actually get most of their nourishment from plant matter: twigs, bark, buds, leaves, flowers, etc. In the winter they must rely on whatever they've stored up over the summer and fall -- or handouts from people. We don't have many 'mast trees' (nut-bearing) around here so they can always use nuts in the shell to eat now and save for later as well.....almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts are best. NO Brazil nuts or Macadamias....as if you wanted to pay for those, anyway :grin2. The Evil Trio -- peanuts, corn and sunflower seeds -- are truly bad for captive squirrels who cannot balance their diets with natural foods from outdoors, but they can be given as treats to outdoor,wild squirrels. Go to a good pet supply store and see if you can get the CHuck-a-Nut brand pumpkin seeds.....squirrels love them. Drying your own squash and pumpkin seeds is a great idea, and offering chunks of squash or pumpkin usually goes over well.

Glad you found us!

[StellaNYC]

Thanks farrelli and Islandrehabber,

The squirrels around here are pretty cute, they live around the building buy they spend the whole day foraging so they are pretty wild, so I feel the corn is ok for now, but will begin introducing other nuts next week. Thanks for the tips.

IslandRehabber you are right they do look pretty healthy! They come to snack once or twice a day to the 4th floor but they still forage downstairs on the lawn, the most I've seen at one time is 4 and some are more skid dish than others.

To a newbie like me they all look the same, what is the best way to start telling them apart? Is it safe to say the one in the pic is a girl or may the angle be hiding male genitals?

Need to head into the city today and am so sad I'll be missing my squirrel sightings.... Sniff sniff.... It's already 8:35 and they haven't come up yet... Maybe they are snoozing because its so grey outside..?

Xo

Stella

[Charley Chuckles]

:Welcome I actually wear a waitresses apron with nuts in it go out call my guys and it doesn't take long before the pockets are emptied :grin3

[StellaNYC]

Hi Charlie!

That sounds fun! How do you call them? Would love to learn.....
My squirrel love is only 1 week old and I have so much to learn....

[BigNibbler]

I really discourage the concept of feeding peanuts.
They are cheap.
But they are not really good for squirrels.
Furthermore, their shells are not good protection against the environment for burying.
And peanuts can get moldy which is very bad for rodents.
And their shells offer no teeth grinding value.

While it is true that in the cold, wild squirrels need to eat so much that a few peanuts are fine, ( if they are well roasted ), though some controversy exists on if the roasting is sufficient to destroy the trypsin inhibitor raw peanuts have which will prevent a squirrel from metabolizing any protein!

Almonds are the best nutritiously.
Walnuts are the best caloric wise and offer the largest snack and size. But they are more difficult to open.
Which is OK unless there is a tooth or jaw injury.

Hazel nuts are small and sturdy. Easy to bury and not so hard to open, but offer a smaller meal.
They are not as good nutritionally as almonds.
Hazel nuts will result in red pee, which if any squirrel has an injury some detective situations might become more difficult or needlessly alarming.

[StellaNYC]

Hi BigNibbler!

Thanks for your advice! Had heard something similar about peanuts so was waiting on buying some, I did hear they liked sunflower seeds so I got some high quality ones from the supermarket roasted and unsalted are they ok to give? Heard they can be addictive...

Also found online some videos of ppl feeding squirrels almonds and walnuts but already shelled... Is that ok? Or maybe do half and half?

Thanks!

[BigNibbler]

Hi BigNibbler!

Thanks for your advice! Had heard something similar about peanuts so was waiting on buying some, I did hear they liked sunflower seeds so I got some high quality ones from the supermarket roasted and unsalted are they ok to give? Heard they can be addictive...

Also found online some videos of ppl feeding squirrels almonds and walnuts but already shelled... Is that ok? Or maybe do half and half?

Thanks!

Hi Stella, I stay away from any bird seed. If birds like the food then already you are instigating a confrontation, or a competition. Squirrels are deeply programmed as a pray species. They naturally prefer to take a large portion and get away from the food source which is attracting others of their kind and different more dangerous carnevores. Neither good for their personal survival to interact with. Feeding small fragments is not in keeping with your desire to help them. And nutritionally it is bad.

HOWEVER, having a relationship with YOU, might be helpful to both of you, as it teaches you about them and vise versus.
Thus if you really want to bond with your gray friends, give them ample amounts of nuts that can be buried, like walnuts and almonds and then if you want, you can get at Trader Joe's or Food Markets some almond slivers.

After a squirrel trusts you and is conditioned to taking from your hand, if you want, and if you understand that you WILL be bitten accidentally either due to vision limitations or panic on the part of the squirrel, you can proffer some fragments. Just as their instinct is to make a hasty departure with a large gem, small treats are consumed so quickly that travel back and forth is counterproductive and they will tend to stay nearby to make getting the next fragment treat as safe and easy a task as possible. Furthermore, by staying local they are reducing the likelihood of other grays from snatching their find.

You can wear gloves. Home Depot has two dollar gloves that are darn good.
But then when you will have to transition to no gloves one day should they get to be friends.

You do need to develop advanced handling skills and keen powers of observations. You can train them not to bite. But that is another long post. :)

The idea is ONLY to give them ONE fragment at a time.
Eventually you may be lucky enough to get a tongue lick or a friendly investigation of all your fingers, when your hand is empty, but you probably have two hands, so that can double the fun and possibilities.

If this is a high trafficked area and there are people up to no good, you may want to limit what those persons observe.
You are after all training the animal to associate hands with food and that can put the animal into dangerous hands.

But all has its pros and cons. You may be doing more good than others might be doing harm.

On another note, if you feed a lot, and it is addicting to both yourself and them, they will tend to have more babies.
Now, those babies, will likely be chased by MOM after some months and have to find their own turf, and they will not have you to help them on that turf!

So they are being born into a world that possibly is more barren than mother's nature anticipated.

[StellaNYC]

Thanks BigNibbler for the detailed post. Who knew these little creatures could be so quite and take up so much of my time... Need to curb the enthusiasm a bit and get back to work.... However the little rug rats were just here. I served 2 tablespoons of corn on Wednesday and its dry on a plate and they have been feeding on that since. I'm more in the idea of providing snacks so they keep a healthy weight over the winter more than into doubling the squirrel population around here. So happy to report that now that we have a mesh around my planted lemon tree the squirrels are peeing and pooping in the plant pot, how neat! I just witnessed it and my heart bursted with joy, (i do not want to be cleaning the terrace everyday) I gave her about 15 of the squash seeds that I roasted last night and she devoured them. Woot woot. Then a second squirrel came around and munched on the corn as well. They both bit into some mushrooms i put out but did not eat them... I'm hoping to lightly steam them next time and hoping maybe they get hungry enough that they come back for the shrooms. That being said I saved a sliver of avocado from my guacamole and they LOVED the avocado. We do have some things in common after all ;) I'll keep updating and asking questions for now:

1. Happy that 2 squirrels came today
2. Do not know the sex of the second, littler squirrel.
3. Glad they liked the roasted spaghetti squash seeds. Only gave a bit and still have some for the days to come as a treat.
4. Glad they liked avocado.
5. Still need to win them over on the shrooms.

Ps. There are some pigeons (not many) in the area and some robins and some seagulls. So far only one pigeon has come this whole month, have not seen bird of prey so for now think we are ok on that front....

[farrelli]

In case it hasn't been mentioned, while avocado is great, the skin and seed are toxic, so don't let those out.

[StellaNYC]

In case it hasn't been mentioned, while avocado is great, the skin and seed are toxic, so don't let those out.

thanks Farrelli, wanted to play it safe so only gave them the "meat" of the avocado... question, any tips on how to get them to eat the mushrooms?
also... any tips on "calling" them?

3 new ones just visited they were a lot scurrier than the earlier 2.

[BigNibbler]

in the wild I do not think they will bother with the shrooms.
Cooking won't help.
They want solid good stuff and stuff that tastes good but is bad.
I gave you a detailed response before. Corn is crap.
If it is dried it may have preservatives as well. Like sulfates.
I have trained all my wilds around me over multiple generations to eat rodent nuggets.
Good food. Good for their teeth.
And I give them 10% nuts so they can save for the days I am not here.

[StellaNYC]

in the wild I do not think they will bother with the shrooms.
Cooking won't help.
They want solid good stuff and stuff that tastes good but is bad.
I gave you a detailed response before. Corn is crap.
If it is dried it may have preservatives as well. Like sulfates.
I have trained all my wilds around me over multiple generations to eat rodent nuggets.
Good food. Good for their teeth.
And I give them 10% nuts so they can save for the days I am not here.

Hi BigNibbler,

Thanks so much for your advice. What are the rodent nuggets and which are good to get? Do you perhaps have a link? I've never dealt with squirrels but with dig food the blended stuff can also have bad additives and preservers do was thinking the less processed the better... Anyhow... You live you learn. I'll definitely try what you recommend out...

[BigNibbler]

You asked about how to identify them.
A few ways:

gross differences: Major differences like size, color, sex,
fine differences: Get used to viewing a very specific section... top of left foot, right front forearm, nostrils, ears.
Learn to see differences in patterns and shapes. Remember hair does change. Get used to those changes.

injuries or anomalies: Missing finger, irregular shaped cranial area ( don't laugh! ),
behavioral responses to you, others, situations, foods they like don't like
travel patterns and routines.
associations: you could see five juveniles and a senior ( Mom ), two of the youngsters will lead or lag the other three.

It is vital that you know who you are dealing with if you are going to have a meaningful relationship.
I believe in associating them with names that relate to their qualities this is the only way to identify them quickly.

[farrelli]

One of out members, Crittermom, gets Mazuri Rodent Breeder for about $25 for a 50lb bag. Because they normally won't eat them plain, she uses this recipe to make them a hit:


I dump a couple cups of the blocks in a microwave proof bowl, and drizzle a small amount of canola oil on them. The amount depends on how many you are making - but you only want *just* enough oil to coat them when you stir it up, not so much that they are sitting in oil. I then put a couple spoonsful of peanut butter in the bowl and nuke it for a minute or so to soften the peanut butter. Stir, stir, stir until everything is evenly coated - it isn't alot, just enough to coat everything. Back in the microwave and now I hit them at high for about 5 minutes - you want them screaming, boiling, bubbling hot! Stir again and set aside to cool. As they cool, they "suck up" all of the peanut butter.

You could get other blocks like Kaytee Forti-Diet or a few others that are good. Just make sure they aren't corn and seeds. You could run it by us first if you find something you're interested in.

[BigNibbler]

One of out members, Crittermom, gets Mazuri Rodent Breeder for about $25 for a 50lb bag. Because they normally won't eat them plain, she uses this recipe to make them a hit:



You could get other blocks like Kaytee Forti-Diet or a few others that are good. Just make sure they aren't corn and seeds. You could run it by us first if you find something you're interested in.



Yes. I took that idea and modified it. Heat a quart of canola oil - i use a IR thermometer till its about 300 degrees.
Then I pour it over a colander filled with Teklad rodent nuggets.
Collecting the oil below the colander and quickly dumping the coated nuggets out and replacing raw nuggets to repeat the process. So I get three "coatings" with one session and oil.

The great thing is that once they get used to eating these coated nuggets, they will eat the UNcoated ones.
So after a few days, try the uncoated ones. Then save the canola coated ones for new squirrels.

ALSO the oil treated nuggets will stand up better in a moist environment so that when they bury them they will not disintegrate in moist soil. Ideally you want to give them nuts in shells to bury and nuggets to eat.

[StellaNYC]

You asked about how to identify them.
A few ways:

gross differences: Major differences like size, color, sex,
fine differences: Get used to viewing a very specific section... top of left foot, right front forearm, nostrils, ears.
Learn to see differences in patterns and shapes. Remember hair does change. Get used to those changes.

injuries or anomalies: Missing finger, irregular shaped cranial area ( don't laugh! ),
behavioral responses to you, others, situations, foods they like don't like
travel patterns and routines.
associations: you could see five juveniles and a senior ( Mom ), two of the youngsters will lead or lag the other three.

It is vital that you know who you are dealing with if you are going to have a meaningful relationship.
I believe in associating them with names that relate to their qualities this is the only way to identify them quickly.

Hi Big Nibbler,

so many come to visit it is hard to tell them apart. Bella and Stud are very similar to me apart from the fact that lately Stud has a little horizontal line on his nose, but it seems temporary and will go away. Zippy is a bit smaller but i need to see them in a group so i can see the differences, if he comes alone, i cant tell. Please let me know if you see any other differences as your eyes are better trained and may help me in the future.

Thanks!!

223549

[BigNibbler]

I would think they may all be different.
Stud is a male.
Bella and Zippy seem to have different markings on the paws.
But your photos are a different color balance and different resolution.
Pix are best when you leave the camera in one exact spot and record them coming to it.
This keeps the light and angles more similar.
Then you can zoom in on your hi res originals and scrutinize details.
A photo is only one dimension of ID.