Food options / alternatives for adult squirrels in the winter?

[Squirrelguy]

My question here is this:

What can I feed to adult squirrels living in the trees in my backyard besides increasingly expensive black-oil or stripped sunflower seeds?

So for some background - I live in south-western Ontario (Canada) so my climate is similar to Toronto, Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland, etc. So it's been unusually cold for the past 2 months, with many days hitting temperatures and staying all day between -10(f) to +10(f). Combine that with very windy days and I would bet there's going to be a lot of dead animals and birds we're going to be seeing when all the snow melts. The squirrels around here are either all black, or have grey fur with white underbelly. There have been about 12 to 14 of them up until about a month ago, but I don't know if they've all survived at this point.

With sunflower seeds typically costing about $1 per lb (for bags between 30 to 50 lbs) and red peanuts (removed from their shells) also costing about $1.5 to $2 per lb, I'm wondering what other items squirrels can eat that cost less and have lots of heat-producing calories.

So yesterday I put out a few small piles of raisins and pitted dates (from Iran!) in addition to wallnuts and peanuts (bought at a grocery store because they were cheaper than TSC - Tractor Supply). In the past I've put out pretzel sticks (but they got rain-soaked and I don't know if birds or squirrels ate them). As of this morning, the squirrels didn't seem to be that interested in the raisins (a few squirrels are nibbling on them), but the dates are all gone.

So I guess I'm wondering about each of these items:

- raisins
- dates
- pretzels (or other flour / wheat / bread items)
- dried or bagged beans / legumes (chickpeas, lima/kidney beans, lentils, etc)
- canned items passed through a strainer (canned corn, beans, peas)
- whole-grain breakfast cereals / corn flakes / granola bars
- commercial rabbit food?
- commercial chicken feed?
- rice?
- corn (cracked, also popped corn)

I snow-blow my back yard (to keep about half of the yard clear of snow) and have about 5 sheets of plywood (2 x 3 feet) scattered around the yard that I sweep clear and put the food on a few times a week (that allows 2 squirrels to eat without getting close enough to each other to fight). I've also put out pieces of old furniture stuffing (some of it synthetic, some of it cotton) that the squirrels gather like leafs and make nests out of. I figure it's got better insulation value than leafs.

I've stopped putting out peanuts in the shell because the squirrels just seem to "squirrel" them away without eating them.

So what is the verdict on the above food list as far as being an acceptable food source for adult squirrels at this time of year (that has the added advantage of being cheaper and creating less mess in the back yard than sunflower seeds)?

[Charley Chuckles]

How wonderful you keep the snow cleared for your guys :thumbsup You can look in the nutrition thread and use what is recommended there...mine get some nuts and corn on the cob, but wilds pretty much eat wild food too, but I have no idea what they do with your weather as I am where food is available for them year round....yours really have it made :thumbsup

[Milo's Mom]

Not sure how many regulars you have but I place a bowl of food out every morning, which consists of a mixture containing the following:

Sweet potato, apple, pear, HHB Wild Bites cute into little blocks, avocado, and grapes cut in half.

I used to do all of the greens for them as I do for my indoor guys, but all they did was throw them to the ground and pee on them. I started saving the greens for the inside guys. My wilds seem to gravitate to the sweeter foods in the winter/cold months so I go a bit heavier on them in the winter. I also put out some in shell almonds for the wilds. They do bury lots of the almonds but I also see them digging them back up and eating them later.

The bowl I use is a small Pyrex custard dish and there are approx. 20 wilds that eat from it daily. When the food is gone it's gone, I only fill it in the morning as I do not want them to become dependent on me, I am more like the snack/treat machine. :grin2

We do have happy hour every morning and afternoon and that is when I stand outside and make sure everyone gets some nuts. Yes, I toss them individually so I am sure everyone has a little something. This is also the time I check them over for any injuries and do a head count to see if anyone is missing. (this is how I figured out that something happened to Momma J....she was absent for happy hour)

I do fresh corn on rare occasions only and all of my scraps and peels (not avocado) are dumped into my garden and I do see several of them back there at the scrap pile. The scraps are things like broccoli stem ends, sweet potato peelings, bits of apples, etc.

This is in no way less expensive than what you have been doing. I spend between $150-$200 a week on veggies just for the squirrels.

[Fireweed]

Hi, Squirrelguy! :wave123 I'm a Canuck, too. :grin2 :thumbsup

I wouldn't feed any of the foods you've listed. Check the Nutrition guide for the best options to feed your wild squirrel friends:


What I do is buy Kaytee-Forti (blue bag) or Oxbow Rat rodent blocks and grind them up and add a little water to make a paste, then roll it in to a ball. These rodent blocks are on the cheaper side but are still better quality than most with Oxbow being the better of the two. Sometimes I add hazelnut flour or a little almond butter or blended veggies from the Nutrition for Squirrels list. I feed 9 squirrels on a regular basis and they usually get two of these balls a day in the cold months - I deliver the treats, I don't leave them out anywhere. They are all in super health - their coats are just gorgeous. So, they don't need a ton of the stuff to keep them healthy *and* warm. (I live in the sub-arctic so it can get very cold here).
They will eat some veggies and fruit, too, once in awhile - you have to take the sunflower seeds away to get them off the 'crack' first. Then you'll see that they will start to try other healthy (yuck!) foods. :tilt

Good luck and thank you for caring about these little guys!

[Fireweed]

I forgot to post the link to the Nutrition guide. :tilt Here it is:
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-(Rev-Jan-2014)

[TubeDriver]

I generally just feed my wilds treats (almonds, walnuts and pecans). However, in the middle of winter when it gets really cold, snowy, I add Henry Wild Bites.

I try and make sure each squirrel gets a Wild Bite and then some treats.

[Fireweed]

Oh, yeah....speaking of HHBs - I do feed my wilds HHBs as well (alternating between them and the balls) but the HHBs are on the expensive side, especially to get to Canada. So I make my own by ordering just the vitamins from Henry's Healthy Pets and getting all the other ingredients locally. If you're interested in the recipe, let me know and I'll send it to you. :thumbsup

[farrelli]

Raisins and dates are expensive, so I don't know how those are more affordable.

Pretzels, bread and rice are bad. (Brown rice may be acceptable in moderation, IMO.)

Corn is OK, but it blocks calcium absorption so it shouldn't be too big of a piece of their diet. If corn, the full kernel type they sell for this purpose is best. Cracked is usually a step away from corn meal and popcorn kernels are too small and hard.

Generally, corn and SF seeds are the cheapest way to go. You can also get cheap rodent block for about .50 a pound in the US, but I have no idea about Canada. Tends to be more expensive and less available. Maybe stop by Tractor Supply? I know they have them there as I see them when I'm in K-W.

[Saverywood]

Do you have Walmart there?
40# of black oil sunflower seeds cost $19 at Walmart and
25# around $17. My birds seem to eat up the
black seeds before my squirrels get a chance.

[Rhapsody]

I find my squirrels like a good peanut butter sandwich (chopped in small pieces) when the wild food is slim.

[mdyoung216]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR_k-9-l3pQ

I feed mine peanuts in the shell, shelled almonds, walnuts in the shell and pecans in the shell. Funny how some will prefer one type of nut over another. They give you that "what's this crap" look when you give them the wrong kind.