Just starting to use Henry's blocks instead of all peanuts

[reneeh63]

I was feeding all peanuts but started putting out Henry's blocks in the morning to get a more balanced diet for the wild squirrels in my yard.

Yesterday I saw what seemed to be odd behavior. Most squirrels are pretty neat and tidy, but this one seemed to be only half eating peanuts before going on to the next one and even leaving some uneaten. At first I thought maybe the peanuts had gone bad and he was looking for a "fresh" one. Then I looked more closely at what he was leaving behind - just on the railing, not in a bowl:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CQBj_cMQ3oXAaBlO6VQfgdogk4XiCHHxKwNPRANYs71jNMjjwJ WvTsUQK_TP5QQvBJTfVte1glCVE-w=w1366-h768-rw-no

Is this normal?

[cava]

Your photo isn't showing up :grin3

[reneeh63]

Your photo isn't showing up :grin3

Shoot, I can see it. It wouldn't load maybe because it's too big so I tried to post a link to a hosting site. I'll keep trying.

My description maybe won't help much. Basically, the insides of each peanut half is hollowed out - you can see the tiny grooves of what I assume are teeth marks. But only the insides with the outer remaining - looks like potato skins, with no stuffing!

[reneeh63]

https://goo.gl/photos/TWnP5StUSe6CwB7s5

I don't think it'll post as an image but hopefully you can at least access through the link.

[cava]

It's showing up now!! If I had to guess I'd say someone isn't so hungry that they have to make use of the whole peanut, like they can be lazy and scrape off, throw down, grab the next one. But I am no expert, that's for sure. It reminds me of a wasteful toddler, or may be the middle is sooooo much better than the outsides. Are they salted?

[MyBushyTail]

I wonder if the squirrel has a tooth problem - one of my yard squirrels who had overgrown teeth would leave left overs like what you have described and exactly like what is shown in the eaten peanuts picture - she would just scrape and scrape what she could and leave the rest - go on to next nut do the same etc etc.

[reneeh63]

It's showing up now!! If I had to guess I'd say someone isn't so hungry that they have to make use of the whole peanut, like they can be lazy and scrape off, throw down, grab the next one. But I am no expert, that's for sure. It reminds me of a wasteful toddler, or may be the middle is sooooo much better than the outsides. Are they salted?

No...not salted. I have to say I was a little miffed to see it! Like someone eating chocolates and taking a bite of each one, not liking it and going on to the next!

[reneeh63]

I wonder if the squirrel has a tooth problem - one of my yard squirrels who had overgrown teeth would leave left overs like what you have described and exactly like what is shown in the eaten peanuts picture - she would just scrape and scrape what she could and leave the rest - go on to next nut do the same etc etc.

Yes....I can see this. I'm pretty sure this is a new squirrel...hopefully he'll come back around when I have the Henry's squares out and can handle that better...now I feel sorry for him! There are things I could put out that might help any squirrels with the "overgrown" problem - to help keep teeth worn down? Or once it happens is it too late to correct, for a wild squirrel anyway?

[Spanky]

Are these raw peanuts or roasted?

[reneeh63]

Are these raw peanuts or roasted?

Roasted but unsalted, in the shell.

[Cubby]

Just curious, do you see other squirrels coming along and finishing up the half-eaten ones? If they do then I guess you can be sure there's no problem with the actual nuts, and more likely a tooth problem with that particular squirrel as has been suggested.

[Spanky]

Seems like I have seen this before but I don't remember... other than the peanuts were not in the shell, that much I remember. I keep thinking the peanuts were raw or maybe something like honey roasted (something coating the outside?). But since the skins are still on these, I don't think that is the case here. :dono

[MyBushyTail]

Yes....I can see this. I'm pretty sure this is a new squirrel...hopefully he'll come back around when I have the Henry's squares out and can handle that better...now I feel sorry for him! There are things I could put out that might help any squirrels with the "overgrown" problem - to help keep teeth worn down? Or once it happens is it too late to correct, for a wild squirrel anyway?

The wild squirrels that I had who had overgrown teeth needed to be captured and treated - they were unable to wear them down on their own - which I believe is the usual case. Overgrown teeth if left alone usually will end up killing the squirrel since squirrels incisor teeth keep growing. One of my squirrels named Little Grey Baby Girl had all four incisor teeth overgrown and was caught but unfortunately the rehabber did not give her a chance to see if they would reset and just euthanized her but my other wild squirrel named Momma Squirrel now lives in captivity and her overgrown teeth have pretty much reset after many many teeth trimmings over months/years and she's doing great. Posting some pictures of those two squirrels that I speak of so you can get an idea of how overgrown teeth can get if left untreated. I do hope overgrown teeth is not the case with your squirrel.

A couple of pictures of Little Grey Baby Girl with her overgrown teeth.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii302/MyBushyTail/Outdoor%20Squirrels/006_zpsh5v9ofaa.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/MyBushyTail/media/Outdoor%20Squirrels/006_zpsh5v9ofaa.jpg.html)

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii302/MyBushyTail/Outdoor%20Squirrels/007_zpsvi8iirbo.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/MyBushyTail/media/Outdoor%20Squirrels/007_zpsvi8iirbo.jpg.html)

A picture of Momma Squirrel with her overgrown teeth.

http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii302/MyBushyTail/Outdoor%20Squirrels/200_zps4cmqpaxk.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/MyBushyTail/media/Outdoor%20Squirrels/200_zps4cmqpaxk.jpg.html)

[reneeh63]

The wild squirrels that I had who had overgrown teeth needed to be captured and treated - they were unable to wear them down on their own - which I believe is the usual case. Overgrown teeth if left alone usually will end up killing the squirrel since squirrels incisor teeth keep growing. One of my squirrels named Little Grey Baby Girl had all four incisor teeth overgrown and was caught but unfortunately the rehabber did not give her a chance to see if they would reset and just euthanized her but my other wild squirrel named Momma Squirrel now lives in captivity and her overgrown teeth have pretty much reset after many many teeth trimmings over months/years and she's doing great. Posting some pictures of those two squirrels that I speak of so you can get an idea of how overgrown teeth can get if left untreated. I do hope overgrown teeth is not the case with your squirrel.



OMG...that is so sad! I didn't actually see the squirrel in question, only the "remains". I'll definitely keep a lookout now.

Also, as another poster suggested, I'll put the half-eaten peanuts out just as a check on whether others refuse them, pointing to maybe a different cause altogether.

Thanks everyone!

[reneeh63]

Curiouser and curiouser!

The squirrel leaving these peanuts behind is one I recognize and has been coming around all through the summer - his teeth are fine as much as I can tell and I've never seen him leave anything like this before. It does seem to always be later in the day - he eats normally earlier in the day.

Is he just being greedy with the abundance? Do all squirrels start "gnawing" from the inside and he's just throwing them down before he's finished because the inside is somehow the "best" part of the peanut - a delicacy of sorts? I'm surprised he doesn't at least take these and store them away!

Other squirrels will eat these remains so there's nothing in particular about these nuts being off in some way. None of the other squirrels are behaving like this.

I suppose I'm worrying over nothing it just seems like odd behavior that is cropping up now and that I haven't seen since I started feeding the squirrels early in the spring.

Thanks for any insights!