Peanuts

[boobookitty.]

Hello I am new here. I have been feeding the squirrels in my backyard for the last 3 years. I was feeding them a squirrel mix that I would buy at the local grocery store. It has corn, sunflower seeds, other types of small nuts and a few peanuts. The peanuts are their favorite. So I started buying peanuts and they love them. They come up and take them from my hand. Let me tell you they eat a lot of peanuts. Did some research and have read that peanuts may not be good for them. I buy a 25 pound box of peanuts for them and that usually lasts a week. What can I feed them that would be healthier but not too expensive? They are not going to be happy when I no longer have peanuts for them and it will break my heart to take that away from them but I want to feed them something that is healthy and good for them. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

boo

[CritterMom]

Well, they aren't great for them but the nice thing about the wilds is that they are not relying on them as their principal diet - they are a treat - each one gets a couple a day, maybe not even every day.

[boobookitty.]

Thanks CritterMom. The thing is that they are relying on them, they keep coming to the door and begging for more. They eat a lot of peanuts from me. Like I said I go through a big 25 pound box a week, that is a lot of peanuts. The younger ones stick around and eat and eat. I have one guy his name is "One eye Ninja" he has been coming here for three years. He does not sit here and keep eating. I read somewhere that walnuts are not as bad as peanuts for them but that would get very expensive the way they eat. Plus winter is coming soon. They want nothing to do with corn now since I have been buying peanuts. I have been searching for good things to feed them and not really coming up with anything so I thought I would ask here. Do you think going back to that squirrel and small critter mix would be good? I was also reading corn is not the greatest for them.

[Hibiscus071886]

I have heard almonds are good for them, but I'm new to this all...and they can prob get expensive to...but I know my little flyer loves them as a treat!

[boobookitty.]

Thank you Hibiscus!

[CritterMom]

Um, if you start handing out walnuts they won't be waiting at the door for you, they will kick it in and take them by force if necessary!!

Certainly variety is better for them... That said, the squirrels and chipmunks have been eating the hulled sunflower hearts I get for my feeders in massive quantities for years, and will continue to do so regardless of what I do! My wilds are gigantic fatties that shake the deck when they jump down - sounds like buffalo up there when I am working in the basement! In the fall I throw out handfuls of the black oil sunflower seeds in the shell for the chipmunks to store. If you ever sunk the blade of a backhoe into certain sections of my yard, you would hit a vein of sunflower seeds that is meters thick!

You could always try putting out some of the healthy vegetables from the Healthy Foods List but I will bet this week's paycheck they will laugh hysterically at you and demand their peanuts...

[boobookitty.]

lol thank you CritterMom. Duh I just went and looked at the Healthy Food List. That is a big help. The thing is I have a lost Pigeon who is deciding to stay in my garage, he/she has a band on his leg so he/she does belong to someone. I called a local animal rehabilitation center to see how I can help the pigeon get back home. I asked if it was ok to be hand feeding my squirrels peanuts and she said "NO!, do not feed them peanuts they are not good for them, plus they carry desease and you should not feed them, you are doing them more harm then good by feeding them." I love my little squirrels so much and just want to feed them the best. Thank you so much for your help.

[whopoopwrasse]

I wouldn't worry too much about the peanuts, If you get them from a reputable place and they look fresh, I wouldn't worry, I too feed 1/2 whole peanuts (in shell) and 1/2 shelled peanuts, but also walnuts, pecans, almonds and hazelnuts, all in the shell, and yes, they will kick my door in if I don't show up at regular intervals with them, I even have one named Moochy who stands all stretched out with her face on the window, with her hands cupped on either side of her eyes looking in until I show up with HER bowl, which she roots through and takes what she wants. It's costing me a small fortune but hey, they have me well trained.

[CritterMom]

If you look up at the top few posts on this page, you will see one called "Wild Bites" and another with a recipe for homemade squirrel blocks that squirrels actually seem to eat. Making the stuff yourself might help to save some money, and as far as nutrition is concerned, these truly are the best case scenario.

Has anyone ever tried feeding commercial squirrel blocks to wilds? Will they eat them or no way?

[whopoopwrasse]

If you look up at the top few posts on this page, you will see one called "Wild Bites" and another with a recipe for homemade squirrel blocks that squirrels actually seem to eat. Making the stuff yourself might help to save some money, and as far as nutrition is concerned, these truly are the best case scenario.

Has anyone ever tried feeding commercial squirrel blocks to wilds? Will they eat them or no way?

I don't think there is such a thing as commercial sq blocks, there is rodent blocks but I doubt they'll go near those.

I used to put whatever uneaten HHBs I had out for the sqs, but I don't even have decent crumbs left now cuz my babies love them sooo much, but even when I had leftover chunks the wilds would skip over them for peanuts or nuts. I did have one or two that liked them but this years bunch aren't too crazy about them, prefering, as I said, the real McCoy!

[CritterMom]

Yeah, I meant rodent blocks...posting from work with half a mind, you know?

[Fireweed]

I've tried feeding the wilds three kinds of rodent blocks and the only wilds in this yard that will touch them are the jays, magpies, and ravens. If you're up for feeding those Bad Boys, the bigger the block the better. But the squirrels here don't even seem to notice the blocks.

One time I hid a rodent block in a wild mushroom and one of the little red squirrels took it----half way across the yard she stops, sniffs the mushroom, turns it around a few times, dumps the rodent block, and runs off with the mushroom. They can't be THAT bad, can they? Geez.

[Feeze]

I've tried rodent block, even smothered in peanut butter. They just lick the peanut butter and drop the block. They won't even burry them (which is what they usually do with less popular foods). My friends on campus will eat the HHBs (Henry's Healthy Blocks), but my porch pals won't touch them. So, it's hit and miss with the wilds, but I would definitely try it.

Yeah, I have a regular peanut moocher, but honestly I haven't seen any adverse effects on her. She just chubs out for winter a little faster than the rest. But then, she has also had three litters in the 18 or so months I've known her. Still, I do offer a nice variety for them. I did give them a chuckanut mix, but the local store stopped selling it. I just give them, dried corn on the cob (two ears a week), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds (actually they steal it from the bird feeder) and a variety of in-shell nuts.

As long as the peanuts are unsalted and not raw, they should be fine.

[boobookitty.]

Thank you much everyone! I buy my peanuts at a local grocery store, they are for humans. They are un salted. I buy the big box 25 pounds at $1.79 a pound. The guy's in the produce order them for me and hold a box a week for me. One time I went and the delivery did not come in and you should of seen me lol I said what am I going to tell my squirrel's they are not going to understand. So he went in the back and found a empty box and I took what was out for scooping. I did go to a pet food store the other day also and they had bags of squirrel mix with corn and nuts. I think I will also start giving them that along with the peanuts. They had huge bags of sunflower seeds and so much more. I just want my little guy's and girls to be healthy, I do love them so much.

Thanks again everyone and my little squirrels say thank you!
boo

[Fireweed]

Something you could try feeding the squirrels that isn't too expensive is fruit and/or veggies. Maybe every few days without giving out peanuts on those days? Just cut them into small chunks and when they figure out that's all you got, they might learn to take some more healthier foods from you. The wild squirrels here have learned (v e r y s l o w l y) to like apple, orange, cherry tomato, watermelon. You could try fruits like these first and then build up to veggies (but with all the greens they eat, veggies seem to be less appealing to them--I've personally never had success feeding them veggies, except for with the ground squirrels--who seem to like veggies better than fruit.

Almonds, pecans, and walnuts are their favorite, of course. But too many nuts and they really do end up stuck at my door, begging most of the day. That's not really healthy for them and it certainly isn't inexpensive for me.

Let us know what goes on! And hey? How about some pictures of your Peanut Nuts!

[boobookitty.]

Fireweed,

I have been sitting here trying to figure out how to get their pictures on here. I went to the thread on how to do it but for some reason I am not figuring it out. I will get my daughter to show me how. Am looking foward to showing them off!

[boobookitty.]

I think I figured out how to post a picture. Want to see if it will show up. This is Snow taken last winter. She had been coming here for a long time. Then she stopped and I wondered where she went. It is very heart breaking my daughter saw her at the end of my street, someone had hit her with their car. I miss her so much. Now I have to get all the pictures of my little peanut moocher's uploaded, it will be a few days before I have time to do it.

[Fireweed]

Oh, wow. She is beautiful! What was she like?

[Jackie in Tampa]

i am so sorry about your sweeties accident..how heartbreaking...
albinos are rare and odds are usually against them...from the start.
rip snow


i met a guy here in tampa that raised an albino from a baby...he is a member at tsb but rarely posts..although he did bring me 5 babies a month ago...
please read about his albino sq, and remember the florida sun is soo intense..a very happy story...
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=16824

i feed roasted peanuts everyday for many years and i have great outsiders.. it is the raw that you do not want to feed...
they have an enzyme that comprimises sqs immune system...

i am totally against seed...it makes sqs antsy and jittery and all they do is fight and be freaky...

btw... welcome to tsb

[boobookitty.]

She was very sweet and laid back. All of the other squirrels would chase her out of the yard. She would come when no one else was here. She loved to just rest in my backyard. Here are a few more pictures of her. I am working on getting my other pictures up loaded.