Are nuts in the shell safe?

[Michellef]

Can I give the nuts in the shell to my squirrel?
The ones that they sell in grocery store for thanksgiving.

[island rehabber]

Can I give the nuts in the shell to my squirrel?
The ones that they sell in grocery store for thanksgiving.

Yes you can, but NOT Brazil nuts. Save those for yourself but don't feed to squirrels. They have too much selenium in them and our squirrels in North America would never see such a nut in the wild, so their systems don't tolerate them well. Don't eat too many yourself, either.

If you want to save money since the grocery store nuts are pricey, go to nuts.com. Nicest family company and their nuts are beautiful.

[Javarat]

Raw nuts in shell are fine. No Brazil Nuts. Very few peanuts (it's not a nut).
No salted nuts. No roasted nuts. No nuts with pumpkin spice.

Note that they will take any nut if they are hungry,
but reject nuts with cracked shells if they are not hungry.

Remember they are hoarders. So if you hand them 100 nuts... they will take 100 nuts.
And then you will find 98 nuts in the cracks of your couch, your bed, and your clothes in the closet.
If you hold the fridge open long enough.. they will even try to hide them in there.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Sure, the in shell nuts are fine but don't forget that nuts are not healthy for squirrels. For captive squirrels nuts must be VERY limited. They are in the treat category. Feeding the outsiders nuts is fine.

I saw the bulk holiday nuts in WalMart yesterday for the first time. I bought a couple pounds. I REALLY like to buy them in Jan when they clear them out for $1 per pound. I stock up then. :grin2

[Michellef]

Thank you, I think he will be busy trying to open the pecan shell. Maybe it's good for teeth too👍

[SammysMom]

Just ordered from http://anuts.com and their mixed nuts didn't have Brazil nuts in them. They are also only $3.19/lb so even with shopping were less than nuts.com with their free shipping.

[HRT4SQRLS]

Just ordered from http://anuts.com and their mixed nuts didn't have Brazil nuts in them.

Interesting that you should say that SM. I noticed the WalMart bulk bin didn't have Brazil nuts either which was a plus. I did a little research and it appears the price of Brazil nut has skyrocketed due to drought in the rainforest. The price is up in some cases by 70% due to shortage of the supply.
http://plus55.com/brazil-business/2017/05/brazil-nuts-prices-soar

I didn't know this but it appears that muesli cereals have Brazil nuts in them. My guess would be that the limited supply would probably be directed to that industry as they would willingly pay any price to continue production of their product.

The bottom line for us squirrel peeps is that we won't have to worry about mixed nut orders with unusable nuts or the toxicity associated with them.

[Diggie's Friend]

Since toxins have been brought up I thought to share:

http://www.lovewholefoods.com/common/news/store_news.asp?task=store_news&sid_store_news=173&storeID=d94c2903a83341639c32db50f17237d8

All nuts sold in stores, save they be organic certified, are treated, save a few that are imported. Some of the toxins they are treated with include propylene glycol, and pesticides.

http://naturalsociety.com/discovered-dirty-little-secret-almonds/

http://www.livingnutz.com/2014/10/raw-organic-nuts-raw-vs-roasted-nut-what-you-should-know/

The issue with Brazil nuts I read is that they are higher in natural radiation from the soil in Brazil. Grown here, they sitl have a very high P:Ca ratio not one that supports Calcium health. Though they are fed as treats in some diets and in small specific measures in others, usually less than the amount they are fed when given as treats, the ratio still matters as it effects the total ratio of Calcium to Phosphorus daily. Given to wilds I get that isn't an issue, yet the non organic sources or organics from areas that have samonella issues are.

[Diggie's Friend]

Remember they are hoarders. So if you hand them 100 nuts... they will take 100 nuts.
And then you will find 98 nuts in the cracks of your couch, your bed, and your clothes in the closet.
If you hold the fridge open long enough.. they will even try to hide them in there.


Oh sooo true! Our girl would bury nuts right on me if I sat still long enough.

I recall the pat downs, aka: Swedish squirrel massages, she did while trying to bury a nut under my leg while I sat with her in

her encloser. Tbe Energizer Bunny had nothing on our squirrels!

[Javarat]

Oh sooo true! Our girl would bury nuts right on me if I sat still long enough.
The other day I went to watch TV, and something squished behind my neck.
My 12 week old female had hidden her avacado slice in my collar for later.
Sure enough, the next morning... the first thing she did was search my collar.

[Chickenlegs]

Hehehehe, snork! And euuuuuw! Watermelon squishes nicely too--and a peeled grape. Oh us squirrel folks get to enjoy our textures we does!

[Diggie's Friend]

The other day I went to watch TV, and something squished behind my neck.
My 12 week old female had hidden her avacado slice in my collar for later.
Sure enough, the next morning... the first thing she did was search my collar.

Yah, they're da baby, got to love em! ROFL

[Andy]

Can I give the nuts in the shell to my squirrel?
The ones that they sell in grocery store for thanksgiving.

I buy the nuts in the shell from a local grocery store around Christmas. Then I immediately freeze them to deter them from getting moldy. My guy actually prefers them frozen too.

[Lo_laa]

I buy the bulk squirrel nuts from anuts.com. Seems to be the best and cheapest I've found.

[Diggie's Friend]

When nuts are frozen, moisture is pulled out of the nuts. Then during thawing, both the increase in temperature and moisture promote growth of mold on the exterior. Instead, storing nuts in a cool dry place inhibits mold and rancidity.

*Do not feed nuts that have been salted.

Recommend Organic Hazelnuts from Wilderness Poets of Oregon. The whole hazelnuts come in a resealable foil lined pouch, with a expiration date of a year going forward. From my experience in the past with this source; I found storing these nuts in a cool dry place inside the house in the pouch that they came in; that they didn't go rancid, nor developed mold.

With Amazon Prime free delivery

https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-Poets-Hazelnuts-Organic-Shelled/dp/B01AYGFSE2/ref=asc_df_B01AYGFSEW?mcid=2fd42dbac36e336395859e3 b6a93ef45&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693364063173&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=880421182644149304&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031632&hvtargid=pla-1954661151332&th=1