Wild food - suggested shrubs for squirrels ?

[olorin19]

I live in the Mid Atlantic region and have overwintered six squirrels - so far!

I take clippings from various shrubs in my yard as well as nearby. (I take my garden snips with me when out for walks.)

I have experimented with lots of different shrubs and trees, and of course at different times of the year.

I have a Japanese willow in my yard, and right now with lots of buds it is extremely popular with my current overwintered boy Huckleberry. (Huck is still indoors,) He not only eats the buds and leaves, but often strips off all the bark. (Huck looks like he is eating corn on the cob as he moves the piece of branch back and forth and rotates it around.)

The various prior releases and wilds in my yard also spend a fair bit of time browsing. (This is a small tree with multiple trunks currently around 10' feet and almost as wide.)

Anyways, I am looking to plant some more shrubs in my yard. I do not have the space for more trees, so looking for shrubs that will not get taller than 8' (or at least can be trimmed to keep them this size).

Any suggestions as to shrubs their own squirrels (wild, overwintered, released) have particularly liked to eat are most welcome, thanks!

[Diggie's Friend]

Copied and edited from original lists for safe and unsafe woods for Gerbils, the most comprehensive list of safe woods I've found online.


All collected woods should be thoroughly washed and dried before use.
Sun drying wood is essential to kill off any insects and microorganisms living in the wood.
Make sure the wood hasn't been treated especially if your getting wood from timber yards.
Never use wood that has been treated with pesticides, or painted.
If it has sap oozing from it, it is best left alone, as resins and saps are often toxic.
Very red wood or wood that is overly aromatic should be left alone.

Safe Wood List

Mulberry
Hazelnut
Dogwoods
Chinese Dogwood
Horse Apple
Grape
Manzanita
Magnolia
Pecan
Quince
Loquat
Medlar
Rowanberry
Larch
Chinese Gooseberry
Longan
Lychee
Magnolia
Alderberry
Ribbonwood
Poplar
Aspen
Elm
Sycamore
Cercis (Redbud or Spicewood)
Acacia
Sickle bush (sekelbos)

Willow: (BUT stick with Goat, Weeping or Pussy Willow)

Pine: (kiln dried & untreated with preservatives etc)

Birch: Several varieties are safe, White, grey, broadleaf, silver and common birch wood are regarded as safe to use.
But other kinds of birch wood can be quite dangerous, so if in doubt it's best left alone.
The Leaves and bark contain salicylates and substances with haemolytic properties (destroy red blood cells). Salicylate concentrations are however very low.

Oak: (Bark is safe and is used in remedies and as a treat for various small mammals) (keep to Fagaceae);
do not have oak of the Solanaceae family - this contains narcotics and are poisonous
Oak family: Chenopodiaceae contains saponins - but is more or less harmless.

Ash: (be careful of the seeds as they contain small quantities of hydrogen cyanide)[/I]

Limetree: (Tiliaceae) other names; Linden and Basswood, is regarded as a safe wood to use.


Man-made boards such as Chipboard, Plywood, Block board, Fibreboard (MDF), Hardboard, etc, as the glues used to bind the boards, are toxic.

[Ktbnin1133]

Great question!

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

[CountryG]

Can squirrels gnaw on or eat weeping willow branches?

[Diggie's Friend]

Salicylic acid in combination with various natural compounds found in nature are in low concentrations. Some online sources say it is toxic, others say it is not.

Unlike the synthetic forms of salicylic acid, that includes: ,'Acetametaphin' (4-hydroxyacetanilide), and 'Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), are highly concentrated forms, which if overdosed can lead to death even in humans.

https://www.msdvetmanual.com/toxicology/toxicoses-from-human-analgesics/toxicoses-from-human-analgesics-in-animals#Gabapentinoids_v92007513

[olorin19]

Can squirrels gnaw on or eat weeping willow branches?

While I have no experience with providing weeping willow branches to squirrels, I have consistently provided branches from a Japanese willow in my yard to various squirrels including an NR who is now 2 y.o.

Of the various trees and shrubs fed to my squirrels, the Japanese willow is generally the favorite.

I have also seen wild squirrels gnaw on it consistently, the the wild bunnies on my yard bite of the shoots near the ground and eat these.

There is more detail and some photos in this thread:

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?70603-Deer-skull-for-calcium

[JLM27]

My guys love maple. I'm not sure what kind I have, but it is huge and gorws those wing seeds, which they love, but they also chew the bark and lick the branches.

[olorin19]

My guys love maple. I'm not sure what kind I have, but it is huge and grows those wing seeds, which they love, but they also chew the bark and lick the branches.

All our guys love the maple helicopters as well.

The chipmunks in my yard will climb the downspouts to gather maple helicopters from the gutters.

[olorin19]

FYI -

We have had quite the issue with pantry moths that we think originated with bags of sunflower seeds from TSC that were stored in my office / squirrel room. After moving them elsewhere, etc., still had issues.

One possible explanation has been that all the sunflower seeds I spread on the ground under my Japanese willow (so my furry friends have shade and an escape route) resulted in lots of moth eggs on the willow branches I was bringing back inside for my NR Guro.

So to be safe, what I now do is cut up a bunch of willow branches to length, wrap in a plastic bag, then stick in my freezer. When the supply gets low, repeat process with another bag. From all I have read, 2+ days in freezer kills insect eggs.