Which Henry's Bites is the favorite?

[The Nut Lady]

I'm due to buy more Henry's Bites and wondering which type is the most popular (especially for the backyard friends). I've only tried Wild Bites once, and then switched to the Healthy Bites because I preferred to provide peanut-free snacks. The Healthy bites are not eaten by all my friends (I currently have to turn them into boo balls by mixing with other things to get them to eat them). Appreciate the input so I can order which type is most liked. Thanks!

[stepnstone]

I'm due to buy more Henry's Bites and wondering which type is the most popular (especially for the backyard friends). I've only tried Wild Bites once, and then switched to the Healthy Bites because I preferred to provide peanut-free snacks. The Healthy bites are not eaten by all my friends (I currently have to turn them into boo balls by mixing with other things to get them to eat them). Appreciate the input so I can order which type is most liked. Thanks!

I believe Picky blocks and Wild bites are two of the backyard favorites.

[McCarthy]

I took Henry's picky eater and hazelnut blocks to the park, since my guest didn't like them.

All I get to see are long faces of disgust. Some of them sneeze after sniffing the blocks, trying to get the smell out of their nose.

And I can understand that they don't like these blocks.

They don't look appealing or look like anything they would find in nature.

I smelled them myself and they don't smell good at all.

I checked the ingredients, besides a bunch of vitamins, there is not ONE ingredient they will find and eat in nature, at least not in my state: whey protein isolate, wheat protein isolate, cracked wheat, wheat flour, oat bran, dried whole eggs, tri-calcium phosphate, calcium carbonate, lecithin, potassium chloride, baking powder.

All that looks like old, whole grain bread to me.

Since my guys live outdoors and get a ton of sunlight / vitamin D they are not prone to develop MBD. So I'll bring a verity of nuts (no peanuts), avocado, apple, banana, cherry tomatoes, fresh water. That's still 10 times better than the junk food they steal from other folks in the park. I'll add a few more fruits like water melon and mango. I tried different forms of salad, gets me the same long faces.

[CritterMom]

It is a matter of what they are used to. I have had my Squirrel Cafe up and running for years and have supported numerous generations of squirrels on the contents - Mazuri Rodent Blocks that get gussied up with melted oil and peanut butter. If I brought one of these to McCarthy's beach his friends would curl their little lips in disgust, though the peanut butter might grab a few. My guys love, love, love it. But when I have a Henry's that for some reason I want to get rid of - stale, whatever, I will toss it out and they are IMMEDIATELY set upon. These guys are used to eating a man made product and thus another man made product isn't looked at with suspicion.

[McCarthy]

Problem is, I can't force them to eat anything they don't like or are not used to. They will just wander back over to the park tables and go through the beach bags and food containers, and move right into a chips bag.

We have a ton of Mexicans going to that beach every weekend, hence the general Dorito addiction in my gang.

The other day they found a net full with avocados in one of the bags the Mexicans left unattended on the table while being in the water for a swim.

Took them 15 seconds to pull the net of avocados out of the bag, open it up, and 4 of them making off with an entire avocado into different directions.

Not the first time they peeled an avocado. The Mexican family came back from the water just in time to see the carnage. We all had a good laugh.




https://i.postimg.cc/hGgdjyWj/Image111.png





https://vimeo.com/723365510

[TubeDriver]

My wilds are spoiled with pecan halves and whole almonds. So while Henry's blocks and Teklad are the blocks I use inside with rescues, neither are very popular among my wilds. During the winter when food is scarce or if a wild squirrel is injured and having some trouble foraging, I will see them take Henry's but most turn their spoiled little noses up at it. The Wild Bites are typically what I try to give to my wilds, they taste better than the standard block. But wilds will often shred the block trying to get just the nutty bits.

I think Henry's and Teklad are the staple (with veggies and other items from the squirrel food pyramid) for indoor Squirrels that are 100% reliant on you for their nutrition, outdoor squirrel don't really need your treats. But it is fun to offer treats so skip the shelled peanuts if possible and offer better alternatives like almonds, pecans and walnuts.

[The Nut Lady]

I believe Picky blocks and Wild bites are two of the backyard favorites.

Thank you! That's helpful info :)

[The Nut Lady]

My wilds are spoiled with pecan halves and whole almonds. So while Henry's blocks and Teklad are the blocks I use inside with rescues, neither are very popular among my wilds. During the winter when food is scarce or if a wild squirrel is injured and having some trouble foraging, I will see them take Henry's but most turn their spoiled little noses up at it. The Wild Bites are typically what I try to give to my wilds, they taste better than the standard block. But wilds will often shred the block trying to get just the nutty bits.

I think Henry's and Teklad are the staple (with veggies and other items from the squirrel food pyramid) for indoor Squirrels that are 100% reliant on you for their nutrition, outdoor squirrel don't really need your treats. But it is fun to offer treats so skip the shelled peanuts if possible and offer better alternatives like almonds, pecans and walnuts.

Thank you, TubeDriver. These backyard wilds get nuts, too (almond, pecan and walnut). I'm just trying to give them something different that will be healthy and add a bit of calcium to balance out the phosphorus from the nuts they love so much. Thanks again.

[The Nut Lady]

It is a matter of what they are used to. I have had my Squirrel Cafe up and running for years and have supported numerous generations of squirrels on the contents - Mazuri Rodent Blocks that get gussied up with melted oil and peanut butter. If I brought one of these to McCarthy's beach his friends would curl their little lips in disgust, though the peanut butter might grab a few. My guys love, love, love it. But when I have a Henry's that for some reason I want to get rid of - stale, whatever, I will toss it out and they are IMMEDIATELY set upon. These guys are used to eating a man made product and thus another man made product isn't looked at with suspicion.

This makes a lot of sense, CritterMom. Thank you. It's interesting that the momma ("Lefty") has always eaten them. I starting buying them when she was carrying her babies and I wonder if she just ate them out of desperation for nutrients and perhaps the extra calcium (she had 5 babies, so I'm sure it depleted her). She's continued eating them even now that her babies are weened, but these her kids are more picky. Thank for the response :)

[Chirps]

My crew are pragmatists. They get Mazuri and eat it gladly because to them it seems to be less a matter of taste and more a matter of "I can fill my belly quickly on this and get my nutrition for the day, and still forage for better tasting stuff."
I'm sure a fair bit of it gets cached, and I wonder how long it takes a squirrel to figure out (if they ever do) that blocks don't keep well when buried an inch or two in moist soil. :shakehead

The exceptions are the braver ones. I always tell them when coaxing them closer, "Brave squirrels get the best treats." These few will turn up their noses at rodent block and hold out for the good stuff (raw shelled almonds or a pecan half if I'm dosing somebody for mange.) But even these (thinking mostly of TigerMom here) will sometimes take and eat a block if I think to offer it first. I'm usually teasing them when I do that. Usually it's sniffed with disdain, but they sometimes surprise me by taking it and eating it all up, like a little kid who decides not to give Mommy a hard time about eating their veggies. But only the one, then they just want their almonds. And sometimes TM will take a couple of bites, then "cache" it anywhere just to be done with it. Sometimes I am nearly hit on the head by a block that is just dropped from a branch overhead after the obligatory bite or two.

Mazuri makes a lot of crumbs in the bottom of the bag. That's good to mix with coconut oil or other yummy stuff into "coco cookies" to use it up.

Currently we are just past the peak of the mulberry crop, so I hardly see any of my guys. They're all full of mulberries. Next thing coming ripe are the walnuts.

Last week I got a small fruit bowl at the store that had pineapple chunks and coconut chunks. I've never had fresh coconut so got it to try, and figured I'd offer some to the crew. TM acted like I was messing with her when I offered it. Same for the others who checked it out, but the next day I saw someone eating one.

[Chirps]

This makes a lot of sense, CritterMom. Thank you. It's interesting that the momma ("Lefty") has always eaten them. I starting buying them when she was carrying her babies and I wonder if she just ate them out of desperation for nutrients and perhaps the extra calcium (she had 5 babies, so I'm sure it depleted her). She's continued eating them even now that her babies are weened, but these her kids are more picky. Thank for the response :)
That's what I mean. I think a lot of them are pragmatists.


And then there are the others . . .

[Chirps]

Problem is, I can't force them to eat anything they don't like or are not used to. They will just wander back over to the park tables and go through the beach bags and food containers, and move right into a chips bag.

We have a ton of Mexicans going to that beach every weekend, hence the general Dorito addiction in my gang.

The other day they found a net full with avocados in one of the bags the Mexicans left unattended on the table while being in the water for a swim.

Took them 15 seconds to pull the net of avocados out of the bag, open it up, and 4 of them making off with an entire avocado into different directions.

Not the first time they peeled an avocado. The Mexican family came back from the water just in time to see the carnage. We all had a good laugh.


I'm glad they were entertained by it and not ticked off at the squirrels.

[McCarthy]

Brave squirrels get the best treats.



My brave squirrels do the self service thing, right out of my personal nut stash.

When my hand is in the way, they will push it out of the container. I tend to give in before they make use of their incisors.

And when I give them a back rub while they are digging through the assortment, I may get a half-assed growl. That's when I start calling them names.




https://i.postimg.cc/SsHS9yMr/20220402-182237-1.jpg

[The Nut Lady]

My crew are pragmatists. They get Mazuri and eat it gladly because to them it seems to be less a matter of taste and more a matter of "I can fill my belly quickly on this and get my nutrition for the day, and still forage for better tasting stuff."
I'm sure a fair bit of it gets cached, and I wonder how long it takes a squirrel to figure out (if they ever do) that blocks don't keep well when buried an inch or two in moist soil. :shakehead

The exceptions are the braver ones. I always tell them when coaxing them closer, "Brave squirrels get the best treats." These few will turn up their noses at rodent block and hold out for the good stuff (raw shelled almonds or a pecan half if I'm dosing somebody for mange.) But even these (thinking mostly of TigerMom here) will sometimes take and eat a block if I think to offer it first. I'm usually teasing them when I do that. Usually it's sniffed with disdain, but they sometimes surprise me by taking it and eating it all up, like a little kid who decides not to give Mommy a hard time about eating their veggies. But only the one, then they just want their almonds. And sometimes TM will take a couple of bites, then "cache" it anywhere just to be done with it. Sometimes I am nearly hit on the head by a block that is just dropped from a branch overhead after the obligatory bite or two.

Mazuri makes a lot of crumbs in the bottom of the bag. That's good to mix with coconut oil or other yummy stuff into "coco cookies" to use it up.

Currently we are just past the peak of the mulberry crop, so I hardly see any of my guys. They're all full of mulberries. Next thing coming ripe are the walnuts.

Last week I got a small fruit bowl at the store that had pineapple chunks and coconut chunks. I've never had fresh coconut so got it to try, and figured I'd offer some to the crew. TM acted like I was messing with her when I offered it. Same for the others who checked it out, but the next day I saw someone eating one.

They sure are smart fellas; it's funny to hear about the different squirrel personalities out there and how everybody feeds and interacts with them. Thanks for sharing.