Nuts vs Seeds

[gunpackingrandma]

Need some advice on alternative snacks for a red squirrel. My husband is absolutely in love with his boy but I'm concerned he may be over feeding an unhealthy quantity of almonds. I feed Henry's Picky blocks twice a day and a small amount of Henry's Peanut stick once a day along with the usual fresh veggies and fruit. Also, Fox Valley 20/50 every morning with breakfast.
My guess is my husband is giving about two almonds per day. He breaks them into smaller pieces and gives them throughout the day. I personally never feed nuts, that's a daddy and boy bond. I walk by the squirrel cage and nothing but a casual look. My husband walks anywhere near the cage and you would think the world was coming to a end! I call my husband the crack dealer. Ben is not eating all the nuts as I do find some during cleaning but I am very concerned about what he is consuming. My question is are there safe alternatives to almonds my husband can carry in his pocket for treats, such as pumpkin seeds or possibly sunflower seeds? Henry's food already has nuts plus what my husband is feeding seems excessive on a daily basis. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Forgot to mention our boy is 1 1/2 years old, weighs 269 grams and seems very healthy and happy. Being a very cautious mom, my husband would be devastated if he unattentionaly caused his fur son any harm.

[island rehabber]

Actually I believe seeds are far worse snacks than nuts like almonds -- they are loaded with phosphorous vs calcium, and so are more dangerous to squirrels than nuts in that sense. Backyard squees who sit under the bird feeders (or in them!) all day are free to also eat the calcium-rich foods available in the wild; our captive guys are not, and that's where trouble starts. 4 almonds per day, coated with Calcium Citrate, should be fine for your little guy. Nutrition expert members (4skwerlz? Diggie's Friend? You out there?) can correct me on this one.

If your hubby likes to hand out treats, why not cut up one of the HHB's into small pieces and let him hand out those? :dono Might work.

[stepnstone]

If your hubby likes to hand out treats, why not cut up one of the HHB's into small pieces and let him hand out those? :dono Might work.


:great All my (up and coming releases) will eat block just like a treat...

[cava]

fruity boo balls, baked so he can pocket them?

[gunpackingrandma]

Thank you all for the great advice!!! I guess two Almonds per day is fine. I will definitely order the Calcium Citrate right away. Will also try fruit boo balls. We already tryed giving Henry's Blocks as treats but if they are bigger than 1/8" square they get hidden and anything smaller is dust.

I really appreciate everyone in this group! I once heard it takes a village to raise a child. The same is true for our fuzzy butts! I owe Ben's great health and happiness to everyone of you who has taken time from your very busy lives to answer my questions and address my concerns. Thank You!!!

[Diggie's Friend]

Sorry this is so long, I would copy it to read it when you have time. I hope it is helpful. DF

A diet with diversity of habitat specific food key sources that squirrels consume in the wild, for those cared for in captivity, need to be fed in their cage in a feeding bowl, or on a place, not in your living space from your hand, is needful to support for long-term NR tree squirrels cared for in captivity, just as it is for those to be released back to the wild. Some, who have fed nuts as treats to NR squirrels, have found that their once sweet fur baby has become an aggressively demanding little tyrant when they are denied nuts which they have come to expect to be given on demand by hand.

Organic hazelnuts, aka: filberts, are a key nut red squirrels consume from their natural habitats. In captivity it is needful to open up the shells to prevent your squirrel from getting a few bad nuts.

In regards to pine seeds / pine nuts, the infamous European Italian Pine nut, aka: "Pignolie" of the Italian stone pine(Pinus Pinea) , it has a very high phosphorus content, and a very low calcium content, with a dismal (P : Ca) ratio of (35 .9 : 1).
https://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-facts.php?idn=12147&s=100

Yet when it comes to pine nuts/seeds they are not equal when it comes to their (P : Ca) ratio. The "Nevada" soft shelled Pinyon Nut has a (P : Ca) ratio (4. 37 :1), close to that of the Pecan nuts (3. 84 : 1).

For this reason this source is a good one to include in the diets of pine squirrels, adding to the variety of nutrients they need in their diet, a good source of plant sourced grain fats, and also has a fair amount of magnesium content.

https://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-facts.php?idn=12149&s=100

Video on Pinyon Nuts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjViveVRxdI

Cleaned with good Ozone, not bad ozone explained here: https://www.soclean.com/sleep-talk/d...ivated-oxygen/

To Order: http://www.pinenut.com/pine-nuts/pinon-pinyon-nuts.shtml

Quotes from John Gurnell’s comprehensive work, "The Natural History of Tree Squirrels" is full of research references and data charts on wild foods:

Pg. 40 under the heading of "Digestibility" it is noted that nuts and seeds are far more digestible than greens are. They consume allot of lichen, not allot of leaves, as lichens contain protein they need, and high level of nutrients including B vitamins.



Pg. 36 , last paragraph

"Squirrels start to feed on pinecones when they are green not fully ripe and this occurs in June and July Gronwall (1982)"

If you want to harvest your own cones do it like the squirrels, while they are still green in June and July right off the trees. Store them in cool dry place where you can preserve the supply through to spring. Below is info from the same book on which sources that these squirrels consume in the wild. Variety is a good thing, as it supplies an array of nutritent sources.

Scots Pine Buds (Pg. 38 chart), are noted to have the best calcium to Phosphorus ratio per dry weight, and a supportive level of magnesium also.



(Pg. 43) 2nd paragraph:

"red squirrels prefer large hazel nuts to small ones, hazel nuts to spruce or pine cones, and spruce cones to the much tougher pine cones.". "Red squirrels also prefer beechnuts to spruce seeds."

"Pine and Douglas squirrels of North America take cones of different species in order of the food energy in each one, namely Pacific silver fir first, followed by Douglas fir, and then engleman spruce and lastly Western Hemlock. Pine squirrels also prefer douglas fir cones, to the serotinious lodge pole pine cones, and amongst the lodgepole pinecones they select those with the largest number of seeds."

"…some trees may be favoured for other reasons than to maximize ingestion rates. Gronwall (1982) has shown that the peripherally located spruce trees within a stand have a higher nitrogen, magnesium, sodium, and calcium content."

Tree sap, which contains low amounts of natural sugars (fructose, sucrose, glucose etc.), also contains a high level of polyphenols (antioxidants). It is available as CVS stores at a lower price than online, and comes in smaller sizes. If you open it and don’t use it, it can spoil, just like coconut water can, as it is a food. so if you open it I would pour out most of it into silicone ice cube trays. Then you can pop one out a day and thaw it in your fridge keepign the rest fresh and ready to use. in a 1 Tbsp. measure each, to use each day, by thawing it in your fridge the night before in a sealed plastic container.

https://www.specialtyfood.com/products/product/18386/drinkmaple/

Huckleberries aka: wild blueberries, tops blueberries in polyphenol and anthocyanian content, being lower in sugars also. Oregon Mushroom Co. online carries this source. Best to get it in the winter when 2nd day air shipping is available.

A key phosphorus source in the wild diet of pine squirrels is bud worms.

Camilles Vita-mealies organic raised dried superworms are a good surrogate source for the bud worm, yet n t the only one. They have been a hit with the recipient of my gray squirrel diet. They are also good surrogate source of (larva) worm for ground squirrels.url]

http://vita-mealie.weebly.com/offers[/url]

[ScrappyDo]

Sorry this is so long, I would copy it to read it when you have time. I hope it is helpful. DF

A diet with diversity of habitat specific food key sources that squirrels consume in the wild, for those cared for in captivity, need to be fed in their cage in a feeding bowl, or on a place, not in your living space from your hand, is needful to support for long-term NR tree squirrels cared for in captivity, just as it is for those to be released back to the wild. Some, who have fed nuts as treats to NR squirrels, have found that their once sweet fur baby has become an aggressively demanding little tyrant when they are denied nuts which they have come to expect to be given on demand by hand.

Organic hazelnuts, aka: filberts, are a key nut red squirrels consume from their natural habitats. In captivity it is needful to open up the shells to prevent your squirrel from getting a few bad nuts.

In regards to pine seeds / pine nuts, the infamous European Italian Pine nut, aka: "Pignolie" of the Italian stone pine(Pinus Pinea) , it has a very high phosphorus content, and a very low calcium content, with a dismal (P : Ca) ratio of (35 .9 : 1).
https://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-facts.php?idn=12147&s=100

Yet when it comes to pine nuts/seeds they are not equal when it comes to their (P : Ca) ratio. The "Nevada" soft shelled Pinyon Nut has a (P : Ca) ratio (4. 37 :1), close to that of the Pecan nuts (3. 84 : 1).

For this reason this source is a good one to include in the diets of pine squirrels, adding to the variety of nutrients they need in their diet, a good source of plant sourced grain fats, and also has a fair amount of magnesium content.

https://www.healthaliciousness.com/nutritionfacts/nutrition-facts.php?idn=12149&s=100

Video on Pinyon Nuts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjViveVRxdI

Cleaned with good Ozone, not bad ozone explained here: https://www.soclean.com/sleep-talk/d...ivated-oxygen/

To Order: http://www.pinenut.com/pine-nuts/pinon-pinyon-nuts.shtml

Quotes from John Gurnell’s comprehensive work, "The Natural History of Tree Squirrels" is full of research references and data charts on wild foods:

Pg. 40 under the heading of "Digestibility" it is noted that nuts and seeds are far more digestible than greens are. They consume allot of lichen, not allot of leaves, as lichens contain protein they need, and high level of nutrients including B vitamins.




If you want to harvest your own cones do it like the squirrels, while they are still green in June and July right off the trees. Store them in cool dry place where you can preserve the supply through to spring. Below is info from the same book on which sources that these squirrels consume in the wild. Variety is a good thing, as it supplies an array of nutritent sources.

Scots Pine Buds (Pg. 38 chart), are noted to have the best calcium to Phosphorus ratio per dry weight, and a supportive level of magnesium also.



Tree sap, which contains low amounts of natural sugars (fructose, sucrose, glucose etc.), also contains a high level of polyphenols (antioxidants). It is available as CVS stores at a lower price than online, and comes in smaller sizes. If you open it and don’t use it, it can spoil, just like coconut water can, as it is a food. so if you open it I would pour out most of it into silicone ice cube trays. Then you can pop one out a day and thaw it in your fridge keepign the rest fresh and ready to use. in a 1 Tbsp. measure each, to use each day, by thawing it in your fridge the night before in a sealed plastic container.

https://www.specialtyfood.com/products/product/18386/drinkmaple/

Huckleberries aka: wild blueberries, tops blueberries in polyphenol and anthocyanian content, being lower in sugars also. Oregon Mushroom Co. online carries this source. Best to get it in the winter when 2nd day air shipping is available.

A key phosphorus source in the wild diet of pine squirrels is bud worms.

Camilles Vita-mealies organic raised dried superworms are a good surrogate source for the bud worm, yet n t the only one. They have been a hit with the recipient of my gray squirrel diet. They are also good surrogate source of (larva) worm for ground squirrels.url]

http://vita-mealie.weebly.com/offers[/url]

I hate to take over this thread, but df, would you list here or pm what you feed your NR/pet squirrels if you have any?

[Snicker Bar]

I’d like to see a DF menu also lol; for a basic Southern Gray, and maybe the titles of some favorite, most helpful books she references... Love to read and learn here :)