Can squirrels eat Golden Berries?

[Winnie77]

I was shopping today and these were on sale .
I believe they also are called gooseberries
I was wondering if squirrels can eat these325172

[CritterMom]

Well... So. First, they are Peruvian Groundcherries. They have lots of nutrition for humans but what is giving me issues is the fact that it is a member of the Nightshade family (solanaceae), and members of that family are known to be toxic to a little animal like a squirrel, at times. It is like some fruit have a lot of it and some less. For example, bell peppers are a member of the same family. And you can feed a squirrel bell peppers for some time and then one day you do so and they have all sorts of BAD gastric issues. I believe it is like avocado and Persin, the toxic substance in the pit and seed of the avocado (and leaves too). They can eat the skin again and again and then suddenly they do and get very ill or even die. I think it is unevenly distributed through the fruit - some are fine and some are not and there is no way to tell which is which.

I, personally, would not feed them. I have seen them in the store and know you paid a small $$$ for them - enjoy them yourself and stick with proven safe stuff like blueberries for your squirrel.