Squirrels are cute and entertaining animals that can add life to your backyard. While it can be tempting to feed these furry creatures, it’s important to know what to feed them to ensure their health and well-being. In this blog post, we’ll explore the best foods to feed squirrels in your backyard, as well as tips and resources to help you provide the best care for these charming animals.
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Understand Their Natural Diet
Squirrels are omnivores and their natural diet consists of a variety of foods, including nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, and even eggs and small animals. To provide the best diet for squirrels in your backyard, it’s important to understand their natural diet and to mimic it as much as possible.
Provide a Variety of Foods
To ensure that squirrels in your backyard receive a balanced diet, it’s important to provide a variety of foods, including nuts, seeds, fruits, and even vegetables. You can offer a mix of unsalted peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, and other nuts, as well as fresh fruits, such as apples and berries. You can also offer vegetables, such as carrots and corn, but be sure to avoid feeding squirrels high-fat foods, such as cheese and bread, as these can harm their health.
Use Squirrel-Proof Feeders
Squirrels are clever and resourceful animals, and they can easily access bird feeders and other food sources. To ensure that squirrels receive the food you provide without causing a mess in your backyard, it’s important to use squirrel-proof feeders. These feeders are designed to keep squirrels out, while still allowing birds and other wildlife to access the food.
Avoid Feeding Too Much
While it may be tempting to feed squirrels frequently, it’s important to avoid feeding them too much. Overfeeding can harm their health and create a dependency on human-provided food, which can be dangerous for squirrels. To avoid overfeeding, it’s important to limit the amount of food you provide and to stop feeding when squirrels start to become too comfortable around humans.
In conclusion, feeding squirrels in your backyard can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it’s important to understand their natural diet, provide a variety of foods, use squirrel-proof feeders, and avoid overfeeding. By following these tips and resources, you can help ensure the health and well-being of squirrels in your backyard and enjoy their entertaining antics.