daily diet - whats the menu look like?

[MaryNGordon]

I am wondering what you feed your squirrels daily?

I would like some help in adjusting her diet to help make her happy. I change things up and introduce treats (nuts, branches w/ leaves, etc) but she doesn't eat greens very much. i posted another thread about what to grow for house plants for her to eat. she seems to like fresh greens, not the ones I provide. can you please tell me what you provide your squirrels? and any ideas on what to add for mine?

items she gets daily:
- 2 HHB yum
- slice Avocado yum!.
- slice of apple (doesn't always eat, some times eats in the afternoon) meh.
- a few berries (blue, rasp, or black) yum!.
- 2 grapes yum
- greens (usually kale, some times eats. Some times bok choy (never eats), radicchio (rarely eats), lettuce (rarely eats) yuck.

things she also gets some times to mix it up:
- nuts in shell yum! (wal, hazel, almond, pecan) she is getting this more because of seasonal availability.
- yams yum!
- carrots meh i try to give most days but she wont eat it unless i soak it in water.
- branches from fruit tree with leaves or baby fruit yum!
- crab apples from the tree yum!
- mixed rice to crunch yum

she has a 'ka-bob' with mineral and wood parts on it, an antler chew for teeth+calcium, and a mineral/salt wheel.

[island rehabber]

hi Mary. If I may, I'd like to suggest that your diet get stronger in blocks and green veggies and lighter on the fruit and nuts. Here's what my guys get on a typical day (one 2+ yr-old NR, two 13-week olds overwintering):

Morning:

First, blocks. Two HHB's (Henry's Healthy Blocks) each, while younger two also get fresh Zupreem biscuits in their bowl. Then I go have my coffee and breakfast.....
1/2 hour or so later, get out the chopper & butcher block:

raw sweet potato (2 1" x 1" pieces each)
raw yama (Korean sweet potato, red/purple outside and white inside. Loaded with nutrients, if you can get them)
Spring Mix
Kale
Dandelion Greens
Chickory
White mushrooms, 1 large one each (except my NR -- she hates them:grin2)
Sugar snap peas in the pod (every other day) 3-4 each
Squash (usually butternut) 2-3 small pieces each
Acorns if I have them, freshly picked -- 3-4 each
1/2 chestnut each, if I have them
Blueberries (4-6 each)
Sometimes: broccoli & cauliflower. This varies by the season; one group of babies will love it, the next group will pee on it. I just never know! :grin2

Late afternoon (dusk):

2-3 almonds in the shell
avocado chunk
1/2 walnut every other day or so
Only my NR gets a whole pecan every other day...I don't spoil the kids who are going free with pecans, because they'll never get one up north here in the wild, but it will cause them not to want to eat anything else :shakehead.
2-3x/week handful of Chuck-A-Nut roasted unsalted pumpkin seeds.

I don't feed carrots (they usually all hate them) or grapes (they do love them) because both are more sugar than anything valuable, and like all mammals when squirrels get a sweet tooth, it's all over for getting them to eat healthy things.

Hope this helps!

[Rhapsody]

I agree more vegetables and less fruit..... I pile on the vegetables,
add the HHB on top and only add one fruit to the entire patch.

[CritterMom]

And lose the salt wheel. They don't need to be consuming all that salt.

[MaryNGordon]

So she will eat the kale if I take away the 'sweets'?? What veggies should I use?

[island rehabber]

So she will eat the kale if I take away the 'sweets'?? What veggies should I use?

sweet potato, kale and chickory as well as the soft lettuces often sold as "spring mix" are usually favorites.

[SammysMom]

First blocks and then:

[MaryNGordon]

Is chicory a root or leafy?

[SugarHill]

I've been mixing up some of the squashes that I give mine. Butternut, acorn, spaghetti squash. Also some brussel sprouts or green beans might be well received-then again they might now- it's hard to say! :grouphug

[DarkLies212]

Morning: 1 HHB
Lunch: Spring Mix, Romaine Lettuce, Kale, Napa Cabbage, Green Leaf Lettuce, (a random combination of 3 of those each week), and a random mixture of: Zucchini,Yellow Squash, Cucumber, Sweet Potato, Sugar Snap Peas, Snow Peas. We don't have that much of a variety down here :tap so whenever I find something new or interesting that's gotten the stamp of approval from TSB or the chart I try it out.
Dinner: 1 HHB
Snacks: Depending on which family member is over 0-3 nuts a day :tap

There's also a large amount of fresh HT2018 blocks in there for them to munch on!

[MaryNGordon]

Thanks all for your feedback. Yesterday she ate half the sweet potato chunk, samples the butternut, didn't care for the peas, didn't touch the kale, ate half a grape, and ate her 2 berries (reward for bath) and ate her avacado slice.

Today she seemed eager to munch on the sweet potato and I'd almost say she ate the whole slice but she is good at hiding things.. Hopefully she will start eating more of what she's given. :blowkiss

[DarkLies212]

Your post reminded me that I forgot fruits and the precious 'cado! For fruits the variety is apple, banana, grape, blueberry, strawberry, or the unpopular melon.

Be sure you peel everything for them! :Love_Icon Thin skin is hard for them to chew

[island rehabber]

.... or the unpopular melon.



Yeah what IS it with squirrels hating melon? (Except watermelon.) I'm a honeydew and cantaloupe fanatic but can never get my squirrels to even taste them. They sniff, then throw out their arms and do "the yucky" :rotfl

[DarkLies212]

Yeah what IS it with squirrels hating melon? (Except watermelon.) I'm a honeydew and cantaloupe fanatic but can never get my squirrels to even taste them. They sniff, then throw out their arms and do "the yucky" :rotfl

YES! I know exactly what you're talking about! I personally can't stand most fruits or veggies :yuck so I feel their pain :grin2

[MaryNGordon]

What roots are good other than yam?i can't find a pic of the chicory. I see roots flowers heads etc.