What Do Squirrels Eat: 7 things to feed them And 3 You Shouldn't | Backyardscape
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- Wondering what do squirrels eat? You probably have a bunch of squirrels taking over your backyard and want to know what they enjoy eating, besides your bird feed. This video shares 7 things they like and 3 things you really shouldn't feed them.
Are you wondering what to feed squirrels in backyard? We have several squirrels around our house so we wondered what would be good to feed them. In this article, I’ll share what to feed squirrels in backyard, but if you’re short on time, here’s the quick answer.
We discuss more here: backyardscape.com/what-to-fee...
I have more than 21 different types of bird feeders in my garden and I would never deprive squirrels food......they, too , must eat.
Yeah , I don't know why people not like them eating from the feeders.
they are so clever I think they are adorable and often find myself watching the squirrels instead of birds 🤣😀☺️
@@sui11106 I think it’s because some squirrels empty out a feeder within a day, and don’t actually eat it, they mostly bury it. Truth is if there is a food source, squirrels will spend their entire day purging it. They should have separate feeders, really.
@@kryssiicat Yes, same here! I have several kinds of bird feeders in my yard, as well as food for squirrels. I watch the squirrels much more than I watch the birds. If I don't get the squirrel food out early enough in the morning, they go right up to my dining room sliding glass door, which opens onto the patio, and stand up, with their paws against the glass, looking in! It's so cute. I have to admit I'm sometimes "late", on purpose. :D
@@goosewhisperer6275 oh my goodness you made my day ... night.... week lol... that visual just made me melt and smile at the same time. what precious little clever babies. God bless them and you for caring like you do. Shows alot of someones character how one treats the tiniest of living creatures is a huge reflection on the true intentions of someone's heart. So cute please make a video compilation of a few different days of them using the squirrels doorbell aka them scratching at your glass door.... too cute.... I love it.
I planted sunflower seeds one year. I didn't realize they were the giant kind. What a commotion with the birds and squirrels when the seeds came to fruition! It was like a three ring circus in my backyard! Fun to watch!
That happened in my back yard a couple years ago. Three ring circus 🎪 is definitely the best description of what we watched unfold in our garden 😮
Oh yes!!! I found that out myself lol
Cool I’m gonna try that!
One of my neighbors planted a quarter section (1/4 of a square mile) once when I was a kid. He only ever did it once so I supposed that he didn't make much money on them.
We had a lot of squirrels close to our house as a kid.
We had both acorn & pecan trees.
We’d watch them haul off a 🥜 🌰 & when they’d go to bury them they’d dig a decoy spot or even 3 before putting the nut in. 😂
The squirrels 🐿️ watched where each other would bury them & go dig it up to eat, so they’d dig a few holes before they actually buried it. 😂
Oh my gosh....we have the same thing going on in our backyard with 3 squirrels. It's hilarious to watch the silly tricks they pull.
Fell in love with this one squirrel near my building. She keeps coming by regularly looking for me to feed her now. She seems to love the walnuts I buy for her.
At the college I went to, I at chips or popcorn on my way to one of my classes. If I sat down on a bench still eating, The squirrels would approach me like a gang from west side story! 🤣
Karl Manning you were being held up!
LUCKYYYYY
My college has lost of squirrels, and when I eat breakfast outside they gather around me and wait for me to drop something.
During the mid-1960s, PBS had a special about taming and feeding squirrels. My neighborhood in Syracuse, NY had an abundance of squirrels. After spending 5 or 6 weeks taming and feeding them, four to six squrrels waited at the front or back doors daily. Sometimes they observed from trees or telephone poles, patiently awaiting a handout.
I bought bags of mixed nuts (walnuts, pecans, brazil nuts, hazelnuts and almonds) and sometimes fed them roasted peanuts, fresh fruit or Ritz crackers with peanut butter (a favorite). They also enjoyed matzo and fried matzo during Passover. The squirrels usually buried the nuts, but sometimes sat around and ate them if they were hungry. Eventually the squirrels became spoiled and only accepted walnuts, pecans or brazil nuts. I'd put out a handful of almonds, hazelnuts or peanuts. They refused them and looked up mournfully, almost begging for their preferred foods.
🧐 Well, yes, its common for squirrels to eat matzos. They also like bagels(usually with lox), gefilte fish, and rugelach. Its a cultural thing...... Just as a large proportion of Brooklyn residents are Jewish, it turns out that most squirrels from that region are also Jewish! However, there are Islamic, Christian, Buddhist, and secular squirrels.
The squirrels in our back yard are scientologists. We used to have a wiccan squirrel back there, but it passed away, when a revenge incantation against another squirrel backfired..... ☹️
Great story so true
@@HighlanderNorth1 🤣🤣🤣 “GE-FIL-TE-FISH!!”
Sorry I just remember that outtake from rush hour 2
Thats awesome thanks for sharing. Im trying to make friends with some flying squirrels in the neighborhood currently.
I just got a very squirrel friendly bird feeder for my porch so my cats have something to watch. They've always had a parking lot view! The birds and squirrels seem to get along fine. I'm in an apartment complex in a neighborhood with a lot of wildlife and wooded area, and it seems like a lot of people have feeders. We had our first squirrel today and I had to get the cats out of bed. While we were watching, a cardinal came up and sat in line. People might not believe these stories, but this neighborhood has been around for nearly 40 years. My parents have a house down the road and we moved there in 1988. The animals are generational and used to being spoiled. The squirrels at my parents have always seen animals inside the house. They will come up and tap on the glass doors and play with the pets. Its great.
The neighbour has a large apple tree. They never pick them and come fall the squirrels have placed half eaten apples all over the neighbourhood! We get a good laugh at where the squirrels have left them. Sometimes we are shocked to see that they managed to place them in the most unexpected place.
Every morning we put out roasted peanuts, black oil sunflower seeds (both still in their shells) and a fresh bowl of water. Within minutes we have squirrels and birds eating and playing in our yard. At night we have raccoons, opossums and even a couple of skunks that visit. We put a trail cam out to confirm who or what was 'munching' at night and was amazed at the wildlife we have here in our subdivision. My wife I love to listen to the wonderful music the birds create in the mornings and we get a kick out of watching the comings & goings of these beautiful creatures that GOD so blessed us with...even Mr. & Mrs. SKUNK! LOL
*If anyone thinks a law is going to keep me from feeding my squirrel friends... they are nuts.*
*I know I know,, I'll see myself out*
😄
Same here. The association went after me for it and l don't care. I love them and won't stop.
this video has no clue what they are talking about anyways, since they were also incorrect about humans being omnivores, which they arent, humans are herbivores. Bears and coons are omnivores and we have NOTHING alike with their digestive systems.
@@CincyPhotography - Oh, bears and raccoons cook their food? Because humans evolved with the technology of cooking.
@@jpaxonreyes as i said humans are herbivores, their digestive system exactly like herbivore and nothing like a carnivore or omnivore, do your research and study anatomy to learn this
@@jpaxonreyes if you have to cook your food obviously you aren't naturally meant to eat it. We eat fruits and vegetables raw. Lion eats meat raw. You don't have the jaw strength nor teeth too dull to bite into a cow or squirrel. The squirrel would kill you naturally. Stupid humans and their handicaps aka guns arrows and pots. Real meat eaters don't use that 🤣🤣
I feed the squirrels so that they know my yard is safe. This makes it very easy for me when the acorns drop. It was my first year without having to pick any up!
i really enjoy indirectly feeding squirrels. they are very intelligent and recognize you. in my experience, they seem to really savor walnuts and may chase others away to keep them all for themselves.
Yes, I purchased a large can of natural walnuts that went rancid and loved putting down a handful and watching them disappear. 🐿 They are sooo dang cute, but warned by neighbor they could get in my crawl space. so I feed close to edge of lawn.
avacodos!!!!!
I give the squirrels outside almonds and walnuts. They are shy 😂 and wait for me to leave and then eat
My backyard squirrels luv WALNUTS! I have 2 squirrels that I have been feeding for about 6 months. They were very skittish at first but they know I would never harm them. Buts it's the male squirrel that will actually come in for his treat(peanuts or walnuts) me. I have a particular call I do,and when they hear that, they know it's dinnertime. I enjoy spending time with my little buddies. 😊💜💜💜, .💜😊🐿️🐿️🐿️🐿️🐿️
Every year after Christmas we buy out the remainder of our local stores Christmas nuts in the shells. Usually 30 to 60 pounds and it lasts us til next Christmas! Our squirrels get that and a critter mix from our feed store.
They are clever and determined little critters. I love to watch them figure things out.
I was leaving them peanuts, I didn't know they were not to good for them. I do put some carrots out as well. They are so adorable to watch..
I wouldn't worry about peanuts. Yes they are legumes but they contain protein and fats that the squirrels can use especially in winter. It's been part of people's fitness training diets for years and the squirrels in my area eat them all the time and they are several seasons old. Some squirrels can actually live quite a long time up to 20 years or so in captivity but in the wild will die of some other cause such as predators or starvation before something like heart disease will get them. I believe they only last 5-10 years in the wild.
@@tienthai3244 Same here. I've been feeding mine peanuts and sunflower seeds for years now. I was shoked to hear they were not good, so I rather believe what you're saying. LOL I have gone so far as to put up squirrel houses in my big oak trees. I have 3 big oaks and 9 houses total. Not all have been claimed, 4 have, but one was claimed the same day we hung it. He was so proud of it too. Love watching wildlife! :)
They also love sweet potato (Not regular potatoes, those are just as bad as peanuts) too and super healthy for them!
Roasted peanuts are fine. Bake them on a tray in a pre-heated oven at 350°F for 20 minutes. I've been giving my backyard squirrels roasted unsalted peanuts for years with no problems.
I put carrots out and none of the animals ate them…not the squirrels, rabbits , skunk or raccoons…then a ground hog appeared and ate the carrots as quickly as possible 🤣🤣
In our squirrel kingdom, some like walnuts, some don’t, some like pumpkin seeds, but others only like them when they’re pregnant…but everyone loves the hazelnuts!! ❤️❤️
Pnuts. Ya can't go wrong with a pnut.😁
This time of year I put out a whole pumpkin and cut holes in it - it's fun to watch them make faces on the pumpkin! Insert a candle on Halloween and voila! The squirrels do all the work for you.
I have a squirrel that comes up to my window every day. I give him almonds. He loves them.
Almonds are poison to squirrels. I was feeding them to until i found out. Change to hazel nuts much better and she will love them.
@@mwest0894 what about cashews ?
@@thebunkertv8847 Don't do cashews either, there is no dietary benefit of those to squirrels and they are very high in fats which can give them heart issues.
Yes, limit the almond giving. they are very high in selenium which is not good for their digestive system. Of course they will eat them, but they shouldn't. Maybe as a treat once or twice a week tops. And only one or two at a time.
Nuts in their shell- walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts. Occasionall treat sunflower seeds and roasted unsalted peanuts.
I have a pet baby squirrel named Pnut that I rescued because his mama threw him out because he has a deformed paw an he loves to eat pecans an tomatoes an cucumbers an lettuce an mushrooms an he loves chewing on my things lol💕💕💕
Do you think they would like chick peas? Canned or otherwise.
My squirrel doesnt eat fruit..just dried cranberries now and then. I introduce fruit to see what she will eat. Mostly black sun flower seeds
If I'm eating an apple or cooking apples (like making a pie) I put the cores and peels on the ground outside. The squirrels love the cores. Rabbits love the peels. Much better use for these scraps that sending them to the landfill.
Cores are poisonous for them as much as they love them. Cut out seeds and pods as much as possible. Or no more cores. I felt so bad finding out.
Next I'll be cutting crust off their bread🤷🤔😜
@@shannonsales9769 Apple cores are NOT poisonous/toxic to squirrels and neither are the seeds. Stop fear mongering!
It should also be noted that you should never give them whole brazil nuts or large amounts of almonds or apricot seeds. These are high in selenium which can be bad for them too. I usually take one single brazil nut and cut it into about 10-15 small pieces and mix it in our homemade squirrel mix of walnuts, pecans, local hazelnuts, raw shelled sunflower seeds, mealworms and fresh dried local berries. They go BONKERS for our mix! When the acorns from our white oaks start to fall though, we gradually limit the amount of hand-outs they get so they begin to forage the local fare. We intentionally keep a long "Herb" box with pea shoots, dandelion, vine tomatoes that hang down from the box & collard greens just for them. We keep cage wire around everything else so they know where to go for greens without destroying the rest of our crops. Works pretty darn well! It's the ground squirrels and bunnies we have a hard time keeping out of the rest as they can burrow under the wire cages. We always keep two small water dishes in our back yard by the trees too for all the visiting animals. two of our rescued squirrels still come around almost every single day, brother and sister pair are about 4 years old now! They are the only ones that beg for food on occasion when there is nothing out side they want and know where the "Good stuff" is. But, they were both hand raised so, they knows us!
Thank you, great advice. Knew about raw peanuts and mold, did not know about corn and sunflower seeds. I often stroll/sit in the woods along the Mississippi river with a cigar, and squirrels will be around foraging. It started with me tossing out some sunflower seeds I was eating, and I became amused. Then I started keeping a variety of nuts (sunflower, peanuts, pecans, almonds) in the trunk to toss out on my walk. Then I started bringing scraps from home, old bread, french fries....etc. In winter I've tossed out some cat food they seem to scarf, thinking if they are starving.
My yard has 2 black walnut trees, 1 english walnut tree, 2 apple trees, multiple pines, etc....but I put out fruit and veggies for them also. They are snacking on cantelope as I am writing this. I have babies of different ages and it so fun to watch them play. I love all my back yard critters. TFS
During the Fall and winter seasons I will make PB sandwiches and cut them into tiny squares for them to better handle. They either eat them where they find them or carry them back to their nests in the trees.
We have some Ezekiel bread that is starting to go bad so I just copied your idea and made a peanut butter and homemade jelly sandwich for the local squirrels. Can't wait to see if they eat it.
Acorns is in season now and I go to an oak grove and get a bunch for my little buddies to feast on ,they love them!
I give them roasted peanuts and they come back down when they want more, I love watching them eat☺
I love the footage. I've been feeding my furry neighbors roasted peanuts (moderately) and apple chunks right now. This really did enlighten me on better dietary balance for them.
I used to hate squirrels for eating from my bird feeder but now I heart them :3
I recently befriended some squirrels near my house by leaving out some pecans I had (initially intended for birds) I was happy to see I could offer fruit since I always have some on hand. I just put a strawberry out there, I can’t wait to see my lil buddy enjoy it lol
tina kapoor m
@tina kapoor Not entirely true. Not many nuts in the wild in norway, like none😉 They eat everything that grows in the woods. Where I live, I have two who come knocking on my kitchen window when they want a treat. That's when they get nuts🐿🐿
good
The squirrels food that comes in the big bags, its mostly corn. I have many squirrels I feed. Mostly roasted peanuts because it's the most plentiful food source I can get but they really love the walnuts.
i fed a squirrel some nuts in my backyard, and it ate some out of my hand! It was so soft
My squirrels eat regular bird food, bird food with nuts and fruit, sunflower seeds, corn, and dry cereal. I give them the bird food with corn in it during the winter (along with nuts and other bird food) because corn produces body heat. I also throw out extra veggies, especially avacado and salad stuff (which my resident bunnies also eat) which I haven't eaten, along with fruit such as apples, oranges, banana, peaches and raisons. My veggie garden is fenced so they don't get into that. But I do think I provide enough for them to eat, as well as food for the birds.
We feed the Squirrels along with the birds in our back yard. They have become very domesticated and are never a nuisance. I was just mentioning to my son this morning how much the Squirrel nests have multiplied in our trees over the last 5 years. I also have a pet Squirrel that lives in my house. She fell out of her nest during a bad wind storm 2 years ago and was never reclaimed by her mother (she was roughly 4 weeks old according to growth charts). We had to feed her with a bottle around the clock so she sees us as her family. She suffered some paralysis in her fall to her left front paw, so she is a pet that will live inside with us for the duration. One of the coolest pets I have ever had. There's video of her here on my channel if anyone wants to watch.
Cooll
Along with generous portions of walnuts in / out of the shell pecans and a small dish of fresh drinking water... they're very grateful and are extremely expressive.. personality to boot. Video was very helpful.
My mother hates me feeding the precious squirrels because she says it attracts rats.
@@maribelrodriguez1914 Continue to feed squirrels and rats not nearly, maybe in parks would be better?
Mine love walnuts best of all nuts also apples, peanuts and frozen watermelon in the summer. In the winter I make them flapjacks with oats and toasted nuts made with coconut oil and honey. They love them and it is a way of getting calcium into their diet. I got a water feeder for them in a pet shop so they like that as well. I have one who likes me because I saved her after she was attacked and she will feed on my hand and if it's cold outside she comes in and snuggles next to me. I never touch her as I don't want her to get the idea humans are safe
I saw a squirrel this size fall from a drain pipe that its mother was nesting in a week ago. The squirrel was smart enough to run into a huge garden belonging to a church and has found a corner to nest in. I have been feeding it 4 x a day - walnut, pecans, hazelnuts almonds ands apple. Her/She recognizes my voice and comes when I call. I now find it forging the grass surrounded by adult squirrels. When it sees me, I can tell it wants to climb and cuddle with me and I would love that but I am trying to teach it not to be friendly with humans. When I feed it, I extend my arm so I am not close and I walk away the moment it grabs the food. it' smother and siblings are on the other side of the church and I know their paths won't cross. I am consumed with keeping this squirrel healthy until it gets as tough older where I will slowly over time feed it less. Does anyone have any positive words to help me feel like this little guy will be okay?
I feed them chestnuts and sunflower seeds because that's what I had.. ain't nobody buying macadamia nuts. Lmao.
3:33 "don't hand feed them," over footage of someone hand feeding them. lol.
😂😂😂😂
I feed squirrels. They love almonds. But I will try fruits and veggies more often now.
Do they trust you?and do they ever attack you or no
@@yazminrussell8220 Yes, they do trust me. They have never attacked me, they are very smart and playfuls, and I love them.
@tina kapoor Yes, you are 100% right. Humans are selfish and destroy everything, most of them. No worries, I am still giving them nuts, almonds and pecans mostly but I will buy the others . I help any kind of wildlife because they are hungry and no much space for them to live in peace.
@tina kapoor 😀👍
Fed a couple some apples, they didn’t like it too much. They go crazy for certain bread crumbs though.
thank you for this very educational video. i also enjoy feeding the "backyard wildlife." 👍 i was not aware that sunflower kernels and corn were "junk food" to them. i have also observed, as others who have commented, that squirrels really seem to enjoy walnuts and almonds.
I feed my backyard birdies but since they have competition with squirrels with their seeds, I’ve started feeding my squirrels shelled walnuts that they absolutely love. And I have multiple water dishes out along with a water fountain for the birds to bathe. They splash like crazy lol.
I did purchase two squirrel proof bird feeders and plan to get more. It’s not fair how much the squirrels eat, with the nuts and the birds seeds. Love feeding nature.
I love squirrels ,they are amazing animals, really amazing.
Thank u for your tips we love our squirrel familys.
I feed squirrels in my garden because i love watching them munch. I watch them from windows, click their photos, I adore them. Sometimes when its all quite I can even hear their munching sound. I love their cute little jumps, how they rush from one tree to another. I also observed that they lay on their stomach entirely in contact with wet soil or brick to cool themselves in summer. Thanks for the video. Now my squirrels are gonna enjoys fruits and vegetables too! 💟🐿
I love these cute squirrels. Every day I go for a walk in the park, feed these cute animals and love to watch them and shoot videos.
The best nuts to feed them are hazelnuts, they have lots of calcium. !!!!!
Raw or roasted?
Fobius8
Raw
What about deez nuts?
Thank you! As I just donated like 6 lbs yesterday to the neighborhood👍🏽
I planted 13 hazelnut bushes for the wildlife, they have grown huge. I have never harvested any nuts, the squirrels love that chore. The deer on occasion chew on the new sprout saplings. They make a great hedgerow. Oh, and the birds! They love those tall bushes, all year. More are sprouting up places where the squirrels have forgotten just all the locations they hid the nuts. We love it!
Fruits and veggies, usually leftovers or parts I am throwing out as they have moisture so both serves to hydrate + feed birds and squirrels. Sometimes almonds, pecans or walnuts.
Since when did we allow "authorities" to tell us what animals we can feed ?
There's a fear of overpopulation. Is the govt afraid of squirrels taking over🤣
Amen 🙏
They generally dont want you to feed invasive species, which is pretty sound logic.
Boomer
I love animals but I totally agree with what the authorities are doing because you don't want wild animals to be attached to humans. This can cause all sorts of problems and sometimes can even be harmful to the animals that you think you are taking care of.
I’ve fed a squirrel almonds and it became friendly to me.
1:41 just look at him eat, so fascinating and satisfying
besides all the things already mentioned, they love coconut and water melon
Can i just go to the store n buy a watermelon that its cut in pieces already ...n they would eat it
I have a squirrel buddy that hangs out behind the restaurant I work at. He's so spoiled. Apple slices and sweet potatoes are his favorite, but he eats everything but craisins.
I feed rhe 8-10 squirrels that visit my porch almonds in the shell. I purchase the almonds in bulk from several different bulk nut vendors. I used to feed them peanuts until a random neighbor and I were discussing squirrels and she informed me of the peanuts not being healthy for squirrels; sinve peanuts are a legume, not a tree nut, and missing vital nutrients. i also occassionally get Filber nuts for te squirrels.
I bet they love the almonds.
I put an Small Apple next to my Feeder and I come back like and hour or so later and a Squirrel had hauled it off. I Took my dogs out and I see it uptop a tree stump with chew holes. It was so cute
I put out a mix of walnuts, shelled roasted unsalted peanuts, cracked corn, black oil sunflower seeds, raisins, and shelled pumpkin seeds. The #1 favorite was the walnuts, #2 peanuts a pumpkin seeds, #3 sunflower. The raisins were left behind but eventually they came back and got those. The cracked corn was lapped up by the raccoons that night because the squirrels didn't touch it. They were full of fats and sugars haha.
I have a squirrel that lives in my backyard and his name is kit. Kat and I feed him out of my hand all the time and nothing ever happens. I don't think it's illegal and also he's not relying on me. It is just get some snacks every once in a while but now whenever I say kit. Kat, he'll come to me and it's so cute!
Four berry trail mix with almonds and walnuts.. they lurrrve it!
They are so adorable, I'd love to live somewhere that I could feed them. Humans have clear cut so many forests, taking away their homes, so for me, I think we have a responsibility to these sweethearts to feed them, and feed them properly, so thanks for the advice on what to feed 🐿
I agree. We destroy so many environment making wildlife very difficult. I have started feeding squirrels at a park across the street from my house. I've been feeding them fruits and veggies. From time to time, I find a few of them killed by predators. Makes me sad.
Water is a must! I am so thankful to hear this!♥️
Mine like pecans the best, and next they like walnuts. I'm glad I saw this video, because it taught me about peanuts being harmful to them ( I had been considering buying them some ).
I feed them at my park I was giving sunflower seeds I'm.going to switch to walnuts and mixed nuts..I give them quail eggs too it's funny watching them run away with them
I was sad when people were so misinformed on TH-cam, I sarcasticly suggested they watch some squirrel videos. Then I realized in my efforts to educate or inform others of the real world, my comments were unwanted by TH-cam and were promptly deleted without notification. Since there was nothing I could do without a voice, I began my mindless pursuit of watching squirrel videos. Ends up, I find out they are smarter than humans! True story. This is what the world has come to. But thankfully there are other platforms which allow free speech. So happy for that.
If that don't wake you up, then your dead.
I’m feeding about 5 squirrels everyday and they love cucumbers, almond, peanuts, sunflower seeds and apples... tried beans but they fking hated it, and they don’t even go near corns... lol I literally spoiled them too much and now it’s out of control. If I don’t leave any food outside, they would mess up my flowers and everything...
Many years ago a baby squirrel 🐿️ was trying to bite my toes. It was summer and I was trying to load up my SUV for a nice day at the beach. My two boys pointed out how close this lil guy was to me. Of course I thought he was adorable especially being the smallest one I'd seen up close. In my "talking to a baby" voice, I excitedly blurted out "OH my Goodness, YOU are so cute, where is your Mama?" Although I obviously didn't expect an answer, I assumed his mama was somewhere nearby watching closely. Unfortunately the lil guy was an orphan probably confused and scared in the strange land of breathing and mechanical GIANTS. After I spoke to him he very cutely nipped my ankle. I wasn't trying to actually feel his sharp teeth pierce my skin. As my kids and neighbors watched and laughed, I ran round and round screaming for someone to distract him to allow me time to get in my vehicle. He was so cute. After I got away my neighbor picked him up and brought him to a wildlife center. They had been told how he acquired the baby squirrel they told him that the mother must have been unable to care for him maybe hit by a car or fell ill which is so very sad because something about me I personally think it was the sounds he heard when I spoke to him made him believe I was his mama unfortunately mistaking my newly pedicured toes for that days breakfast. this was so many years ago at the time I was a single mom raising two rambunctious young teenage boys and been just diagnosed with EDS but I often think about that little guy and wish my circumstances at that time were even a little better so I could of taken him in and cared for him. I was humbled thinking of this baby squirrel's experience and him thinking I was his mama bc I spoke kindly to him. I know some reading will say he was just a squirrel 🐿️ who was hungry but I think there's more to it. Animal lovers know what I mean. This lil guy sought out the one thing that's overlooked when we think of the fundimentals of survival.... sure we need food, water, air, shelter but first and foremost we need to be loved, cared for, closeness, kindness.
This was really informative. Thank you for sharing this!
Someone on my block would feed them that hard kernel corn. Little did I know one of the squirrels used to bury some of it's stash by my garbage cans. My cans sat on a platform and the squirrel buried it's nuts and seed underneath . Next summer, I had big stalks of corn with cobs growing on them growing next to my garbage cans.
🤣🤣🤣
Big city squirrels will pretty much eat whatever is available and whatever they develop a taste for. I got the biggest scare of my life once when a friend and I were just outside of the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. I walked over to the trash can to throw away my hotdog wrapper and out leaps a HUGE squirrel with an entire slice of pizza. I stood in shocked silence for a few seconds and then laughed as it dragged that pizza slice along the sidewalk and then climbed up a nearby tree backwards so he could eat it in peace.
I witnessed 2 squirrels FIGHTING LIKE MAD over a corn on the cob one time. THEY LOVE IT. Once and a while yeah. I even saw a squirrel eat a piece of cooked shrimp and a cooked chicken leg.
Your voice and the way you speak is so comforting
I feed them almonds, is that ok? They seem to love them.
NeoPhantomYT Excellent choice! Protein and high in fat. They live in the trees on my property and are very funny animals.
I started feeding my squirrels my extra almonds out of my mixed nuts because I don't like almonds LOL but they sure as heck do! Now I just buy them their own individual containers LOL I also give them apples and some of them seem to like them but not all of them. I have occasionally given them corn chips but I wouldn't recommend that too often because of the sodium level, and the fact that corn has very little nutrition value by itself. They dont seem to like vegetables to much anyway lol. But I sometimes give them trail mix and mama squirrel loved the chocolate pieces. She ripped them open like nuts at first, then she discovered that the shell tasted good too lol. But I only do that maybe once or twice a month because it can't be that good for their little bodies....but they love it lol.
@@anajones6768 Good to know that almonds are safe. Sometimes they seem to get more hyper after eating them... Lol
We have an oak in our backyard. All that's left by the end of the season are hundreds of acorn caps. (those little points on top are SHARP!)
I collect walnuts and hickory nuts to give my local squirrels a treat every now and then. We don't have those trees in the local vicinity so I collect them at a nearby forest preserve
I love feeding my squirrels and watching them play. Also i hand raised 1 and I want to be sure she is feed.
A mushroom grew out of the bottom of my compost container. My backyard chipmunk had several dinners with it .
A nearby neighborhood has white squirrels.
I live in Western mass and we have a lot of black squirrels
ive recently started feeding a mom squirrel almonds and every now and then i make the same calling sound and she comes running up to me.
The squirrels in my backyard LOVE pumpkin seeds and unsalted roasted peanuts in the shell. Sometimes they'll eat apples. They are getting kinda fat lol
My squirrels love pecans.
We always feed our Squirrels Nuts, but they are already shelled as we don’t want the shells to build up outside. Otherwise it can start to look trashy. We do get the Peanuts, but the Bluejays & other birds also like those. We buy the Walnuts, Pecans & raw Almonds. All nuts have NO salt. I save the clear plastic square containers you get from the baked goods at the store & use those for water. We have seen that Woodpecker with the red head eating & also once saw a Baltimore Oriole at our water dish. We are in Northern Illinois.
I have a pet squirrel... IN MY HOUSE, yes I have a house pet squirrel, and this really helped me... tysm!!!
Glad it helped!
I feed my backyard squirrels walnuts in the shell here and there in the fall (for storing), winter (during storms/very cold weather), spring (extra hungry), summer (when hot with cold water)!
My neighborhood squirrels love tangerines (little cuties) cut in quarters.
I always fed them unsalted (and roasted) peanuts...thought they were a good source of protein. They love them.
Roasted peanuts are fine. The raw ones can have mold on them.
I feed them with shelled peanuts and walnuts. They love 💕 walnuts especially ❤️👍
I feed my squirrel blueberries and grapes mostly along with other fruits and also nuts like almonds.
The red fox squirrels around here prefer corn and sunflower seed. They’re sitting on top of the automatic deer feeder waiting for it to drop more.
The trees around my apartment building have been removed over the past decade that I’ve lived here and never really noticed the squirrels but since we have lost eight big old pine trees, there’s been a few squirrels that come onto the porches looking for food I presume, so I will try a few carrots pieces ?
Sunflower seeds are not “junk food”. In fact, hulled sunflower seeds are premium food for squirrels and birds especially in winter months.
Maybe it isn't junk/filler in the bag, but my birds and squirrels leave them til last.
Your squirrels and birds leave the sunflower seeds last? Those are the most desired my mine. What else is in the mix?
@@KFrost-fx7dt It's Song Bird Selections No Waste. Not the Supreme blend. Mostly shucked sunflower seeds. Defintely filler. Sunflower seeds are the Go To filler for any seed/nut pack. UNfortunately, the trash was picked up yesterday and the bag went with it, but it has peanuts, whatlooks like papaya, pumkin seeds, maybe some raisins, some kind of verysmall round seed like you would give to a parakeet, etc, then LOTS of sunflower seeds that are eaten when everything else is gone., Oh yeah, the papaya isn't that popular either, but it will dissapear eventualy.
@@OutnBacker sounds about right. IDK I'm cheap so I fill my feeders with pure in-shell black oil sunflower seed and it attracts all sorts of cool birds. The squirrels like them too. Sometimes I hand feed in-shell nuts. I put out tomatoes and apples that have gotten too ripe for my liking. Bruised squash as well. Squirrels like it all, but nuts are the most sought after by far.
The small seeds you mentioned sound like millet. That's the real filler. It's cheap and almost no birds will eat it and it ends up on the ground attracting mice and raccoons, from my experience anyway.
Awesome content. Thank you.
I work from home so I love and enjoy to watch them from my window, they drink and eat the snacks I put out.
In the community where I live, we don't have squirrels. It's out on the prairie and about the only trees are those around the houses. And we have no nut trees in the community. Vegetable gardens are common, but that would only cover part of the year.
In the county seat, about 35 miles away, there are plenty of squirrels in town, but with no trees once you get out of town, the squirrels would often have miles in many directions before finding another tree.
When I was a kid, we did have a few chipmunks around, but not many. I always liked them, but it has been a long time since I saw any near the house.
And there are still plenty of prairie dogs in the area, but nobody is going to be feeding them anything. If someone was that dumb, they would probably be unable to keep their jobs and would have to move away.
But squirrels? You probably won't find any in my area except in towns.
I put out almonds or hazelnuts. They love them both.
There come to my front door to get me to come out .They used to ring a bell by my door. I had to move my door knocker so they could not keep doing it so much.
@J S yea my squirrels got so comfortable around my place that they started inviting their friends and before you knew it they were selling drugs and the property values started dropping.
Mine push the metal cat food bowl off the hot tub cover to make a bang and remind us to feed them too.
I read that squirrels like grapes so I put some out earlier with their usual carrots and apples. My neighbor told me that they like unsweetened cereals so I also gave them a handful of Cheerios so we'll see how they like that. Now I have read that they don't like dried fruit,but I've seen raisins and cranberries suggested for them. I also read that they love watermelon and I bet they do during these incredibly hot summer months!!! I just couldn't find any at the store yesterday. I put out plenty of fresh water with ice cubes to keep it cool a little longer.
Thanks. I really do wonder what is best.
We have black squirrels in my neighborhood and people can’t believe it when they see them. They start taking pictures.
I just shot this black squirrel in my yard
@@ecrty4099 ur just bringing more karma towards u stop killing innocent animals
If u shoot animals ya bitch made
@@moneypower1198 what am I supposed to shoot when it’s not deer season I already killed about 12 in the last two months
How about u invest in another hobby that does not include taking anothers life u are just gonna attract bad karma toward urself look up KARMA
I feed squirrels at a park where I play disc golf. Mostly peanuts, sometimes walnuts, sometimes dried cranberries. I know peanuts are not very good for them, but they love them. The City comes around about once a year, pours cement down their holes, then pumps in carbon monoxide to kill them. Most survive. Ha ha! They know me. I can be walking with a group of disc golfers and the squirrels will run over to me for peanuts. One time after being cemented in his hole, a squirrel dug his way out through the wet cement. Covered in cement, he ran over to me for peanuts. Very sad, but these guys are tough and just want to make the best of being born a squirrel.
Ended up feeding them to keep them from the birds seeds..now the Blue Jays are snatching the nuts. They are gonna have me in Costco...nuts arent cheap after a while. They're cute though..🥜🐿all kinds of birds are on the balcony .spring is definitely here☀️🌱🐦.
Oatmeal is cheaper (just ask any Scotsman) - birds (bluejays lol), squirrels, racoons - all like oatmeal. And you can eat it as well, but get the whole-grain style for animals. The quick-cook is chopped up more & squirrels don't like it as much.
My blue Jay's love the peanuts I put out. It's funny because it looks like it ends up being a race as to who gets the nuts first. I have 2 blue jays that will sit on my fire place every morning screeching until I come out to feed them
LOL yup, if you feed squirrels you will eventually be feeding Jays. Getting squirrels to take food from your hand is pretty easy if you're patient, but you will be a true wild animal whisperer when you get Jays to take from your hand too! I've had that happen with a couple of Jays, but most are just too skittish.
Aw but I like when they beg, it's cute, they stand on two legs and look up at you with their front paws raised like "C'mon, gimme da nuts!"
I feed mine roasted peanuts, unsalted. The same squirrel has been coming back for more since Spring '22!!! I don't believe they're as harmful as you say.
Thanks for the info.
I am lucky enough to have 2 white/piebald squirrels living in my yard.
Mother and son. White Lightning and Sigil.
I have lots of videos on my channel.