Wild Foods for NRs and not yet released squirrels!

[olorin19]

This thread was originally named “Deer skull for calcium”. I had it renamed in the hopes that it will serve as a tread for people to share their experiences and ask questions about using wild foods to help optimize the health of any squirrel that is confined and thus dependent on people for all its nutritional needs. This might be while being raised prior to be being released as well as when a squirrel cannot be released.

[Stevelisa]

I made a mistake at the beginning of this winter putting out a mixture of things for the 6 or so black squirrels and few bunnies. I kept putting out a bowl of fresh water every day as we do in summer. as it got colder well below freezing I noticed blood on the ice and a trail of it. I realized a squirrel ripped the skin off its paw after it got wet then stepped on the cold ice, as we learned as kids not to lick the steel pole in the school yard. no more water in winter. I suspect they eat snow for hydration.

[olorin19]

I made a mistake at the beginning of this winter putting out a mixture of things for the 6 or so black squirrels and few bunnies. I kept putting out a bowl of fresh water every day as we do in summer. as it got colder well below freezing I noticed blood on the ice and a trail of it. I realized a squirrel ripped the skin off its paw after it got wet then stepped on the cold ice, as we learned as kids not to lick the steel pole in the school yard. no more water in winter. I suspect they eat snow for hydration.

We have two heated bird baths that we use during winter for all the outdoor critters, both furred and feathered. We change the water daily and have to clean them frequently due to the birds.

[Stevelisa]

about calcium, chippy girl red NR goes to a clay sculptured turtle on the windowsill. the removeable top turtles shell is colorfully water painted. she loves to push the top off aside, then licks the unpainted bottom piece . pottery clay has good calcium content as calcium carbonate. she instinctively recognized it by taste i imagine

[olorin19]

about calcium, chippy girl red NR goes to a clay sculptured turtle on the windowsill. the removeable top turtles shell is colorfully water painted. she loves to push the top off aside, then licks the unpainted bottom piece . pottery clay has good calcium content as calcium carbonate. she instinctively recognized it by taste i imagine

Does she ever bite off pieces?

[island rehabber]

I think black walnuts are a near perfect wild food. We have a grove of trees at the nature center where I work and where I release my rehab squirrels. They are great for nourishment, stability (they don't rot easily) and for chewing as well. Our red squirrels stash them away in an old shed on the property -- there were hundreds in there last year. I gather them for my pre-release indoor kids. Hours of fun and chewing.

Only one bad thing: do not park under a black walnut tree. The nuts weigh a ton and will crack your windshield. Trust me.

[olorin19]

We are getting into the time of year where buds are starting to grow a bit. When mrs olorin19 is out walking the dog in the morning, she is starting to find bits of branches on the ground, which Guro eagerly awaits. If I offer food first thing, she often ignores me as she is focused on the wild food. Guro can see our driveway from her cage, so she will track mrs olorin19 coming up the driveway then listen as she moves through the house towards the squirrel room.

These are from two different red maples (left and center) and a cherry tree (right). Note that these were on the ground because wild squirrels were chewing on these branches, i.e. they are starting to feed on these.

Guro will go right for the buds, moving up and down the branch to get them all.

We are not yet in prime season when the buds will actually get green. What will also happen as the plants come out of dormancy is there will be more green right under the bark, which will inspire Guro to not only eat the buds but strip off some or all of the bark. Our Japanese willow is a real favorite for that - Guro will take a 2-3' fresh branch and strip it right down, removing not just the buds and bark, but all the green underneath.

[olorin19]

Here is Guro up near the top of her cage eagerly awaiting more maple buds....

[olorin19]

With wild foods far more abundant during the warmer months, and having an NR Guro, this year I am going to experiment along two lines:

Gathering wild foods when available then figuring out ways to effectively store them for later use -
Rose hips, for example, are easily dried - I do this already in the fall then feed to Guro during the winter.
Are there buds and other perishables that can be frozen for later use?

Growing wild foods during the colder months
Are there wild foods that can be grown either indoors or in a cold frame? I am thinking dandelions might work well. As many know, if you try to pull out a dandelion but do not get the entire root, it grows back. So perhaps growing dandelions in sufficiently deep pots then deliberately leaving most of the root when harvesting, or perhaps just harvesting leaves.

We had some baby carrots growing in a cold frame this winter, and Guro was quite happy with these.

[olorin19]

The buds on the outer branches of my Japanese willow are just starting to get some green. While they will get far more appealing to squirrels as they start to grow and open up, even now for an indoor squirrel like Guro they are happily consumed.

This skinny branch (only end is shown in photo) was about 15" long. Guro went up and down it like a person eating corn on the cob, nibbling each of the buds.