California Ground squirrel diet

[MLattea]

Hello
Can somebody give me any suggestions on what to feed my young ground squirrel? I’m having a difficult time finding something she likes.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 🙏🏽

[Charley Chuckles]

[MLattea]

Hello
Can somebody give me any suggestions on what to feed my young ground squirrel? I’m having a difficult time finding something she likes.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 🙏🏽

[Charley Chuckles]

Hi I did but your other thread, it's better to keep one thread as it gets confusing with multi threads with same questions.
I'm sure someone here can answer that.
I'm not familiar with their diet but just wondering if their diet could be similar to the healthy squirrel diet in SQUIRREL NUTRITION SECTION 🤷

[MLattea]

Sorry about that! I just started this account and I’m still trying to figure it all out.

[island rehabber]

I've merged your threads together. Now we just need to do a little research and see what California ground squirrels are supposed to be eating. Unfortunately our membership is a bit thin on the west coast so we don't have a lot of people who would know the answer to this but that's the beauty of the internet!

[island rehabber]

Hope this helps...

"Their diet is is primarily seed-based, including barley, oats, and acorns. They eat eggs, insects, roots, tubers, seeds, grains, nuts and fruit. Ground squirrels are known to eat grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and caterpillars...'"

[CritterMom]

I would search some prairie dog forums. They have similar diets.

The Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum has a large enclosure that holds a prairie dog town. Every time I go there I see Teklad blocks, probably the Teklad 2014 in their enclosure with veggie pieces. In addition, the rock squirrels there, which are very close cousins of the California ground squirrels are not on any display, instead, they seem to live in EVERY exhibit and I have watched them eating leftovers from cougars, wolves, coyotes, javelinas, all the bird food in the aviaries - I would definitely call them "generalists."

[MLattea]

Thank you!
She’s so picky. Still on formula. I’m trying to introduce solid food but she’s not even looking at anything I give her. 😩

[Charley Chuckles]

How old is she now?

[Diggie's Friend]

Even though known to also inhabit other adjacent States; this is a California Ground Squirrel.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/180...hilus-beecheyi

Depending on the habitat, of which woodlands is where they are mostly found; yet with introduction to beech front, this species also has significant populations in California. The key source of grain in this species diet is acorns. Unlike other species of ground squirrels which have short tails, this one is a climber having a longer wide tail, does well as a climber to raid the acorn stash of woodpeckers in dead oak trees. Woodpeckers and Ca. ground squirrels compete for tree cavity nests, yet the woodpeckers are nearly always the winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMZlS0z2mJ0

Otospermophilus-beecheyl are also a host for the bacterial infection (Yersinia Pestis) carried by infected fleas. Outbreaks of the disease in squirrels, both ground squirrels and tree squirrels to a far lesser degree, not living in in burrows. Dead or dying effected squirrels have characteristic blood spots on the abdomen. Where outbreaks have historically occurred, generally once in a decade; the entrance of burrows are sprayed with malathion; this not an animal friendly chemical toxin.

For this squirrel species taken into captivity, destroying the fleas upon intake by wearing gloves and other protective clothing, can be done by using a gentle dish soap and water to remove remove both fleas an potential contamination from pesticide spray also. Observing these protective protocols is needful, as this is a, "zoonotic disease that can be transferred to pets and humans via blood or saliva of an infected host; even so, such cases very rarely know to occur.

[Beecheykeen]

Hey, its been a while since I've been here, but my Icarus, a CA ground squirrel, loves garnet yams RAW, she enjoys Kale, some watermellon, cranberries when you can get your hands on them, prickly pears from CA cactus if you're willing lol, and apples are good. I've personally talked to a rehabber who lives in so cal and specializes in rehabilitating many native species including the ground squirrel. She very much recommends Romain lettuce and garnet yams, as they are chalk full of nutrients, and are ymuut enough that picky ground squirrels will eat them. She also recommended Mustard flowers. Natural weeds such as Storks-bill, Purslane, Sow thistle, and dandilions and smooth green grass blades and theyre seeds are enjoyed by ground squirrels. Icarus also enjoys a little avocado here and there, but be careful as this is a fatty food. Still healthy tho. A nice treat she recommended (A TREAT, NOT A LOT) are freeze dried banana chips. My icky loves all fruits freeze dried, but I have to take care to read the fiber amounts since some fruits dried have crazy amounts of fiber. You just want normal reasonable amounts.

[Beecheykeen]

Oh, also for protein, a few kibbles of cat food is ok. I recommend buying a small bag of a decent quality one, especially avoid pet foods from other countries. I know that might sound to coddling, but other countries have different standards of quality. Broccoli is great, you can gently cook it for them if they like it better, sometimes my picky Icky likes that, and strawberries. The rehabber suggested strawberries over citrus as it's better for they're teeth and has more vitamin C.

And start studying the flora in your area. My squirrels preferred the freshest foods, and if you research the plants I mentioned, you can forage good natural food for your little buddy. Use "google lens" to scan pictures you take of plants to learn about what grows in your area. This is what I do. You'd be shocked to learn how many "weeds" are actually very nutritious.
Purslane in Summer is especially a great find. Just not don't pick plants from the sides of roads. They absorb more pollution and foot traffic.

[Beecheykeen]

Even though known to also inhabit other adjacent States; this is a California Ground Squirrel.

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/180...hilus-beecheyi

Depending on the habitat, of which woodlands is where they are mostly found; yet with introduction to beech front, this species also has significant populations in California. The key source of grain in this species diet is acorns. Unlike other species of ground squirrels which have short tails, this one is a climber having a longer wide tail, does well as a climber to raid the acorn stash of woodpeckers in dead oak trees. Woodpeckers and Ca. ground squirrels compete for tree cavity nests, yet the woodpeckers are nearly always the winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMZlS0z2mJ0

Otospermophilus-beecheyl are also a host for the bacterial infection (Yersinia Pestis) carried by infected fleas. Outbreaks of the disease in squirrels, both ground squirrels and tree squirrels to a far lesser degree, not living in in burrows. Dead or dying effected squirrels have characteristic blood spots on the abdomen. Where outbreaks have historically occurred, generally once in a decade; the entrance of burrows are sprayed with malathion; this not an animal friendly chemical toxin.

For this squirrel species taken into captivity, destroying the fleas upon intake by wearing gloves and other protective clothing, can be done by using a gentle dish soap and water to remove remove both fleas an potential contamination from pesticide spray also. Observing these protective protocols is needful, as this is a, "zoonotic disease that can be transferred to pets and humans via blood or saliva of an infected host; even so, such cases very rarely know to occur.

Odd, I've never ever out of all the ground squirrels I've seen, try to nest in a tree. I guess long tail versions dont live by me. They always run for holes. I've been too afraid to give my Icky acorns because of their toxicity. Tree squirrels seems just fine gathering them but I wouldn't know about my indoor squirrel not being used to acorns