8 delicacies to feed squirrels in the park and forest: autumn, winter, spring and summer

Squirrels are a large order of small rodents that live in many parts of the world, with the exception of Antarctica and Australia. Their distinctive features are an elongated oblong body and a large fluffy tail. The color of the fur varies depending on the region of residence and the time of year - from white to black.

The main areas where squirrels live are forests, parks and public gardens. They settle in tree hollows or build spherical nests from branches, moss, wool and grass. Sometimes rodents prefer to find empty bird nests and even settle in birdhouses. What does a squirrel eat?

What does a squirrel eat in nature?

There are 285 species in the squirrel family. The nutrition of each of them has its own characteristics, which must be taken into account when feeding these animals. Only one species lives in Russia - the red squirrel.

in winter

The diet is determined by the conditions in which the squirrel lives. It will vary depending on the season, location, climate. Since these animals do not hibernate during the winter, they must provide themselves with food throughout the year.

When animals are in favorable conditions, they provide themselves with supplies for the winter. To do this, squirrels make hiding places, which are often forgotten. In winter they are found mostly by accident. There are often cases when one squirrel uses the same reserves that another one made. Squirrels prefer to eat cones; they try to find berries and roots. Delicacies for them include pine nuts, lichens, buds on tree branches, bark, and pine needles. They like pine or spruce cones. Although these animals prefer plant foods, they may eat frogs in times of need.

In summer

In the summer, squirrels have more opportunities to feed themselves. During this period, they try to expand their diet. They search for fruits and vegetables, feed on bird eggs, lizards, some types of birds, insects and their larvae.

Squirrels are excellent at recognizing poisonous mushrooms.

As summer comes to an end and during early autumn, certain types of mushrooms become one of the favorite treats for squirrels. They prefer boletus, boletus or boletus, although they also eat some other species. In total, 45 types of mushrooms are suitable for them.

It is known that a squirrel requires 45 grams of food per day in summer, and 35 grams in winter. When she is pregnant, the norm increases to 85 grams. Although this animal is largely omnivorous, the bulk of its diet is often seeds. Therefore, for their habitat, animals prefer mixed coniferous-deciduous forests or dark coniferous cedar forests.

Prohibited Products

Food that should not get to the squirrel under any circumstances:

• store-bought seeds and nuts (sweet, salty, flavored);
• mushrooms: poisonous, oyster mushrooms, champignons and those that are not eaten fresh;
• almond;
• fruit and berry seeds;
• apricot leaves, branches and fruits (except pulp);
• fruits of elderberry, buckthorn, lilac, yew;
• poisonous plants;
• chocolate;
• exotic nuts and fruits;
• chips, fast food, smoked, salted, fried food.

Chocolate
Important! Products from the above list can be readily eaten by rodents, but pose a mortal danger.

What to feed a squirrel in the park

Squirrels are not only funny, but also sociable animals. They often settle in parks and squares and are friendly towards people. Sometimes they may openly beg.

Living in the park, squirrels prefer to eat roots and nuts. They love being fed nuts and cookies. Cookies should be chosen so that they are not too salty or sweet. A good choice in this situation would be to use crackers.

You can also offer squirrels:

• pieces of apple, pear, banana;
• carrots, cucumber, cabbage;
• raspberries, blueberries, strawberries;
• sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds.

In Crimea and the Caucasus, squirrels can live in gardens and vineyards. In addition to their traditional food, they can also eat berries and fruits.

Most of the time they prefer to be in trees. At the same time, they easily move along branches or make long gliding jumps. However, they mostly spend part of the winter and spring on the ground. During this period, they can rise only in cases when there is a need to hide from danger.

Is it possible to give food by hand or how to do it correctly?

Squirrels living in parks easily approach a person and are not afraid to take a treat from an open hand. However, you should not try to pet or grab a squirrel that has approached you for food. If the animal senses danger, it will bite or scratch you.

To give the animal a treat, simply place a piece of treat on your open palm and carefully extend it towards the squirrel. She will run up, grab the treat, and then run away to a safe distance and only then begin to eat it.

Animals that live in the forest rarely come close to humans. For such squirrels, you can install a feeder on a tree and regularly pour treats into it. After some time, the animals will understand that people are bringing tasty food and will begin to come closer.

ATTENTION! It is not recommended to have very close contact with forest squirrels, as they can carry rabies.

What to feed a squirrel at home

This animal is an omnivore. To keep him at home, you can feed him the following food:

• nuts: pine, walnuts, hazelnuts;
• hazelnut;
• chestnuts;
• cones and acorns;
• white wheat bread;
• mushrooms;
• fresh grass and young shoots of plants;
• fruits: apples, pears, peach, banana;
• raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, wild strawberries;
• sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds;
• vegetables: carrots, zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, cabbage, corn;
• dried fruits: figs, dates, dried apricots;
• fish;
• bird eggs, including chicken eggs;
• baby food, unsweetened yogurt.

You can also purchase a ready-made grain mixture for squirrels or rodents at a pet store.

It is easy to choose food for this animal, but you need to exclude the possibility of overeating. Heavy feeding can cause serious harm to squirrels.

Simple feeders made from scrap materials

Making a squirrel feeder is quite easy. Often used household appliances are used for this purpose. For example, coffee machines. You can also use simple cardboard boxes. However, the best option for a rodent feeder is a house made from a single piece of wood. Its diameter must be more than 40 cm, otherwise the squirrel will not be able to get food from it.

The source material is filed in the right places, hollowed out, and treated with sandpaper. The thickness of the walls is left 3–4 cm, and a roof made of bars is installed over the hole. A protrusion is made below the hole, which serves as a porch for the animal.

Nutritional Features

When caring for squirrels, it is easy to notice that they usually eat what is given to them. However, care must be taken not to harm them. It is necessary to give squirrels only recommended foods. In total, squirrels consume more than 130 types of food.

There are norms for the amount of food that say how much is enough for an animal. The squirrel tries to eat everything that is given to it, but overeating can lead to dangerous consequences. Therefore, it is better to feed her little by little. This is important to remember when feeding in captivity.

It is recommended to wash your hands before giving food. After interacting with animals, it is recommended to use wet wipes for your hands. It must be remembered that animals can be carriers of pathogens. After feeding, do not touch your face or rub your eyes.

In spring, summer and autumn, squirrels have a lot of food. To feed herself during the difficult winter time, she makes provisions. To do this, he creates various types of hiding places. For example, she hangs mushrooms on branches, carefully pricking them. To create reserves, animals can simply place food on branches or trunks of fallen trees. Sometimes hiding places are made in tree roots or hollows.

Sometimes squirrel supplies are consumed by other animals: birds or small rodents. There are known cases when brown bears feasted on such reserves. Squirrels can also find and use the hiding places of other animals, such as chipmunks or mice. They are able to find them even under a one and a half meter layer of snow.

In the wild, animals spend 60%-80% of their time searching for food. They are most active in the morning and evening. When winter frosts set in, they rarely try to leave their nests. This can only happen when it is necessary to obtain food.

In winter, the mortality rate of young animals from lack of food in the wild can reach 70-80%.

In the wild, there is no clear division of areas between different individuals. They can easily violate the boundaries of their neighbors. Moreover, in difficult winter conditions, several squirrels can share one nest among themselves. It is interesting that one animal can arrange several homes for itself. Their number can reach up to 15.

Why is it important to help birds in winter?

When nighttime temperatures drop to minus 10 Celsius or below, birds can lose up to 10 percent of their body weight overnight! In order to maintain their body temperature (which is about 40 degrees Celsius) and survive, they need food from the very early morning. However, in winter it is not easy to get to it: natural feeding places are under snowdrifts or under an impenetrable ice crust. And this is where we, the people, must come to the rescue.

In cold weather, birds need to eat often because their metabolism is noticeably accelerated and their heart beats very fast. Food turns into heat very quickly, since the small size of the body holds it poorly.

Frost is especially dangerous for them after rain, when everything is covered with ice. In such a situation, the bird population can drop to zero in just a few days.

What not to feed a squirrel

In order not to harm animals, you need to know what not to feed them. You need to understand that among the foods common to humans, there are some that are dangerous for squirrels to consume. The following types of feed should be avoided:

1. Various types of smoked and salted foods.
2. Chips, crackers, and various types of store-bought crackers.
3. Feeding salted fish is not suitable for them.
4. You should avoid offering fried foods to squirrels.
5. Although they love nuts and various types of fruits, there is no need to feed them those that are not suitable for their habitat.

When feeding animals, hygiene rules must be observed. These animals are beautiful and behave funny, but do not forget that they live in the wild and are carriers of various diseases. Hunger and epizootics are the main enemies of animals in the wild. Predators do not have a significant impact on reducing their numbers.

When a person encounters a squirrel in a park or forest, he often has the desire to feed the animal. In order not to cause harm, you need to know what the squirrel eats in nature and what to feed it at home. If you do not take this into account, then significant harm can be caused to a cute animal.

The video talks about feeding squirrels, lists the types of food for them, and tells how to properly care for these animals. It is shown how to store food, how much and in what combinations to offer to squirrels.

What not to give

Some foods are dangerous for squirrels. Some cause stool upset, others disrupt digestion and provoke the formation of gases in the intestines. You can kill an animal if you feed it prohibited foods. You should also not overfeed.

Squirrels are strictly prohibited from the following:

• Bread and any flour products. White bread and all baked goods made with wheat flour are contraindicated for them. This also includes cookies, crackers, etc. These foods will cause fermentation, which will lead to pain and discomfort.
• Dairy products. Red animals are not able to digest lactose, so you should not offer them milk or various fermented milk products (cottage cheese, curds, sour cream, cheese, etc.). They are harmful to squirrels, not beneficial.
• Peanut. The product is a legume; it is not a nut at all (as many of us thought or still think). It contains trypsin, which prevents the complete absorption of protein. As a result, peanuts disrupt the metabolism of squirrels.
• Products "from the table". It is prohibited to treat animals to any fast food, fried or smoked foods, alcohol, sauces, sausage, etc. Even if you think it’s tasty and the squirrel wants it too, you shouldn’t give it such “treats.”
• Chocolate and other sweets. Large amounts of sugar and other components contained in chocolates can cause a heart attack in a squirrel. Especially considering the composition of modern confectionery products.

There is also no need to treat them:

• Dry food for cats or dogs. They will lead to stomach upset in animals. Since they are designed for specific pets.
• Stones from plums, cherries, cherries. They contain hydrocyanic acid, which is deadly to squirrels. It is also better not to give them other fruit seeds.
• Some vegetables. Animals are prohibited from giving white cabbage, potatoes (especially raw and green) and turnips. This will lead to flatulence.

Squirrels living in parks quickly get used to people and come very close. You can treat them even from your hands, but you must take precautions and not give the animals foods that are dangerous to their health. Don't forget to treat your hands with antiseptic afterwards.

Reproduction

The mating season for most squirrel species begins in the spring, paradoxically at the most difficult time for these animals. Moreover, squirrels usually lead a solitary lifestyle, and only look for a partner during mating. Two or three males often gather around one female. The males begin a real fight for the female, they growl at each other, try to scare the competitor, and sometimes they even start real fights with chases along the branches. As it should be in nature, as a result, the female goes to the strongest male, who managed to drive away his competitors.

After mating, the pregnant female builds a separate nest for the future offspring. Squirrel pregnancy lasts 35-38 days. From 1 to up to 10 cubs can appear at a time. Baby squirrels are born without hair and blind; only after 2 weeks do they begin to see. For the first 50 days of life, baby squirrels are under the care of their mother and are fed with her milk. But after two months they begin to grow up quickly, leave their mother’s nest, and a year later they become adult and mature squirrels.

Appearance

A small rodent of the squirrel family. Spends most of its life in trees. The most notable in appearance are the long fluffy tail, large ears with tassels and a beautiful fluffy coat. The paws have long, sharp claws for climbing trees.

The body length varies from 20 to 30 centimeters, while the tail length is 10-17 centimeters. The weight is also small - 250-350 grams.

The color of the animal is influenced by its habitat and time of year. Animals with darker fur live in coniferous forests. Here you can find a forest squirrel with a completely black color.

In deciduous forests, squirrels have reddish-red fur coats. In summer, the fur has more reddish-brown shades, and in winter - gray. Moreover, regardless of the habitat, the fur on the abdomen of any squirrel is always light.

Habitats

The habitat of this furry rodent is a vast area. They are found in all forest zones, from the Atlantic coast to Kamchatka. They also live on Sakhalin and the island of Hokkaido.

The squirrel is a tree dweller. It prefers to settle on coniferous trees, but is found in any forest. In general, there should be enough food in places where squirrels live. If the year is rich in cedar and spruce cones, then the animal settles in cedar and spruce forests.

When the yield of seeds from coniferous trees is low, the animal can actively search for mushrooms, of which there are always more in pine forests. By the way, this furry animal often lives in city parks, as well as in the attics and attics of human houses.