Wild and garden foods for squirrels

[Sir Rodney]

My dear little 3 month old Rosie loves some of the wild and garden mast I bring in for her, such as camellia fruits, Pittosporum tobira fruits, rose hips, red twig dogwood leaves, rosemary flowers, baby sage leaves, thyme, etc. Another thing she loves is cotoneaster berries. Are these safe for squirrels? They seem to love them in general, as indicated by this website: http://createwildlifegardens.com/2017/11/26/squirrels/ -- but other sources claim they are somewhat toxic, at least to humans. Can anyone shed some light on how safe these berries are for squirrels?

Thank you very much for any elucidation. And any other suggestions for wild and garden plants that might be good for squirrels beyond the list on the nutrition guide would be wonderful. Thank goodness for this Squirrel Board.

[Diggie's Friend]

Glad to help as I can; sorry I don't have the time presently to look into all of these sources.


https://baynature.org/article/toyon-cedar-waxwings-classic-pairing/


One of the few true frugivores (fruit feeders) among birds, the cedar waxwing can assimilate nutrients solely from fruit—low in calories and protein compared with insects—for weeks at a time. Toyon berries are technically pomes, like apples, and their seeds contain similar toxins. Green toyon berries are loaded with poisonous cyanogenic glycosides, but as they mature, their toxins shift from pulp to seed and the berries turn red, signaling their edibility. Waxwings safely pass the toxic seeds through their guts and back into the environment intact, in the process dispersing toyons to new areas.

Tonyon Berries have toxic seeds just as apples do. Cedar wax wings that eat tonyon berries safely pass the toxic seeds through their GI tract, but not so squirrels that eat by gnawing, not swallowing as birds do. I don't know if they learn to discard the seeds or not; for this reason I wouldn't offer these berries to squirrels, as the seeds of this berries also contain cyanogenic glycosides.

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/dmsdocument/25688-cyanogenic-glycosides-information-sheet

Cotoneaster salicifolius The berries contain the the same compounds (theobromine and caffeine), that chocolate does, which at high levels can effect the heart. As true of most all sources, the poison's in the dosage.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/cyanogenic-glycosides


Camellia Japonica, a member of the tea family, according to the ASPCA Japonica is non toxic, is non toxic.. Yet if you did feed the fruit, you would need to be absolutely sure a Camellia 'Japonica' variety (the 2nd name indicating it originates from Japan) Also you would need to confirm that it hasn't been treated with pesticides of any kind, or fertilizers that contain toxins either.

https://www.hunker.com/13428365/are-camellias-poisonous-to-humans

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/camellia-plant-safe-dogs-74485.html

The Mountain camellia, unlike Camillia Japonica, is very toxic. It notably has white flowers, but so does some varieties ofCamellia Japonica , so don't go by the white flowers alone to identify the toxic mountain camellia. Rather look this plant up to become familiar with it's appearance. In any case, don't ever give any part of any plant without having confirmed with more than one source that is isn't toxic amongst other negative properties it may have.

https://www.hunker.com/13428365/are-camellias-poisonous-to-humans


On a side note:

The origin name, "Japonica", doesn't indicate that all plants that are varieties or species that originate from Japan are non toxic.

For example: Pieris Japonica, though not a Camellia, originates from Japan; yet this plant has been found to be highly toxic.

https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/pieris-japonica

[Sir Rodney]

Thank you so much, Diggie's Friend! You are a treasure.

Good to know that Toyon can be problematic. I was considering planting it in a large new wildlife native garden I've been working on for a ravine slope in our back yard. And, good to know that Cotoneaster can make my baby hyper! One thing squirrels really don't need is caffeine! (Come to think of it, we did play a rather exhausting round of "Chase the Mother" and "Jump the Geezer" afterwards...)

Any thoughts about good squirrel plants to include (zone 10, riparian southwest) would be greatly appreciated. I'm hoping to create a haven for them.

All of my Camellias are japonica and I never use poisons or synthetic fertilizers, so that's a relief. She really loves these fruits! I would have assumed perhaps these fruits might contain a bit of theophylline?

Thanks for the article about glycosides -- that pertains to human health as well and may be relevant to us -- we do enjoy cassava. (We never give it to Rosie, though.)

So much to learn about squirrels and their dietary preferences and needs! I have been surprised at how enthusiastic she is for wild plant materials. Sir Rodney was more of a nuts-fruits-vegetables kind of a guy. He'd come visit almost every day (for 4 years!) to get something yummy. Looks like I may not be able to bribe Rosie in the same way...