What is the best food for wild squirrels? The best food for wild squirrels consists of different vegetables, fruits, nuts, plants, trees, flowers, fungi, insects, and trees. Their dining habits have no boundaries, so they are willing to eat foods they shouldn’t eat, such as sugary cereals, candies, and burgers.
We all are familiar with the adorable wild squirrels from our backyard, shoving a piece of nut in their mouth and rushing towards the nest. How adorable, right? But seeds and nuts aren’t the only food these furry creatures enjoy. Squirrels are cute little animals that belong to the Sciuridae family of mammals. They are not picky eaters and will curiously try almost everything. But exactly what is the best food for wild squirrels?
Let’s find out together!
What is the best food for wild squirrels?
Bugs, berries, seeds, fruits, vegetables, fungi, nuts, eggs, and plants are mother nature’s best treats for wild squirrels. But to learn more, we need to look at their favorite food and what foods they can eat.
What do squirrels eat?
- Fruits
What do squirrels like to eat? Well, Squirrels LOVE to eat fruits. If you have any fruit tree nearby, you must have noticed a bunch of squirrels happily munching these delicious goodies for themselves. These cuties consume the harvest from many trees, including kiwi, pears, avocado, peaches, apples, figs, citrus, mangoes, plums, nectarines, and grapes. They will also eat berries such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, and strawberries without hesitation. Squirrels love to have melons, bananas, and cherries. Fruits offer them a major sugar boost. It also provides a lot of energy that helps them keep scrambling around.
- Vegetables
If you are a gardener, you probably know that squirrels eat a lot of vegetables. They like to chow down lettuce, arugula, kale, chard, and spinach. Some other delicious veggies such as peas, root vegetables, corn, beans, radishes, squash, tomatoes, celery, broccoli, eggplant, carrots, cabbage, okra, asparagus, cauliflower are also a part of their diet.
- Cereals
Many squirrel lovers feed cereals to their backyard’s squirrels. Cereals loaded with grains and nuts are a favorite of many squirrels, and they like devouring these tasty treats. Though not all, some of these cereals are loaded with natural sugar, giving squirrels the energy to keep finding more food for themselves. But unfortunately, some cereals are made from unnatural sugary ingredients. Such ingredients are not a part of nature’s idea of the ultimate wild squirrel snack. But the squirrels have no idea as they like to put everything in their bottomless belly.
- Cheese
Squirrels normally don’t come across cheese in their natural habitat. But when humans eat outside, they leave all kinds of delicious treats behind. This way, these furry creatures have developed a taste for cheese.
- Nuts
Nuts are a great and natural source of protein and fat for squirrels of all kinds. And squirrels go nuts about nuts. It is one of their most naturally desired food items. You may often spot a busy squirrel trying to store nuts for later. They like to collect almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, hickory nuts, hazelnuts, acorns, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, and cashews.
- Birdseed
Many bird lovers make birds seed available in their backyard. But wild squirrels also enjoy a hearty meal of birdseed. These seeds contain a mixture of squirrel’s favorite food, such as nuts and seeds.
- Insects
If squirrels cannot access any fruits or nuts, they are likely to pile up some small insects to satisfy their protein requirements. Some insects preferred by squirrels include grasshoppers, larvae, injured butterflies, winged bugs, caterpillars, and crickets.
- Fungi
Wild squirrels do search for mushrooms in their natural environment. Depending on the climate, they can have a variety of fungi. Some fungi preferred by squirrels include oysters, truffles, mushrooms, and a few others.
Seldom squirrels leave these fungi and mushrooms outside to dry and store them for later use. They also get their hands on smaller fungi that grow in moist areas.
- Eggs
If other food resources are hard to find, wild squirrels can steal eggs from other animals. They may prey on blackbird eggs, chicken eggs, and Robin eggs.
All of the treats mentioned above are a delight to squirrels. So, if you wish to feed a wild squirrel, select any combination of these delicious goodies. Squirrels like to devour dog and cat food as well. You can opt for market-made squirrel food to feed these cute guests too. But make sure the feed you are picking has natural ingredients.
Wild squirrels favorite foods:
Many people believe that these tiny scavengers only eat nuts. Well, that’s not entirely true. Wild squirrels will eat almost anything. Over the years, due to human invasion of their natural habitat, their taste has evolved a lot. So, a hefty portion of their diet revolves around plants, nuts, and fruits. But some squirrels don’t mind eating animal-based material and fungi. For instance, the Eastern Grey Squirrel can eat young baby birds, amphibians, bird eggs, insects, bones, and even small mammals.
A vast majority of their diet revolves around plant-based materials. In a natural habitat with zero human interaction, squirrels enjoy having various seeds, nuts, and tree flowers. They are also fond of eating tree buds from trees, including maple, hackberry, butternut, elm, hickory, elm, spruce, mulberry, and pine. Some squirrels like to have fungi and mushrooms from time to time.
With human presence, few other food items have become a part of their diet. Some of these diets are derived from natural sources thus are good for the little squirrel. Other sweet and sour flavors aren’t completely natural, but these furry creatures love to have them anyways. But just because a cute little animal likes nibbling on your cookies and sandwiches doesn’t mean it should have it.
Our picks for the best food for wild squirrels
Squirrels move all day long. They need nutritious foods to be active throughout the day. These friendly creatures are fond of fruits and nuts, but they aren’t choosy, making feeding them extremely painless.
If you are concerned about feeding a variety of squirrels such as Black squirrels, Striped squirrels, Red squirrels, and Ground squirrels, don’t worry! All these cuties follow the same food pattern. And after considering squirrels favorite food and going through all the necessary ingredients of a healthy squirrel diet, we have listed some of the best foods for wild squirrels.
- Kaytee Squirrel and Critter Blend
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Kaytee is a prominent brand in the animal food industry. This brand has been serving the animal food industry for more than 150 years. They avoid using any ingredient that could hamper their product quality. Therefore, this squirrel food emphasizes nutrition and quality.
This critter blend is the ultimate package for many backyard critters. It is a healthy combination of nuts, corn, and seeds. Plus, you can feed it to wild and domestic squirrels, chipmunks, and birds.
This product is a healthy mix of nutritious which is highly preferred by customers. It does not have an excessive number of nuts which is great because excessive nuts can harm your backyard wildlife.
The squirrel and critter blend also adds an artificial apple flavor, making the squirrels a fan of it. So, if you wish the wildlife to keep coming, offer them this healthy food.
Caution
This food is great for attracting wildlife animals to your backyard. Plus, it is also recommended for animals other than squirrels. Still, we advise not to overfeed the squirrels as excessive food may make the squirrels depend on you.
Product highlights
- It has healthy seeds and corn.
- Doesn’t contain excessive ingredients.
- A unique apple flavor is available at an affordable price.
- Best for squirrels, but other ground feeders can taste too.
- Pennington Pride Squirrel and Critter Ultra Nut and Fruit Blind
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Pennington pride squirrel and critter ultra nut and fruit blend is a trustworthy product, highly recommended for squirrels, deer, pheasants, turkeys, and geese. This 10 lb. bag is packed with whole peanuts, black oil sunflower, striped sunflower, and corn. If you wish to provide your wildlife with much energy and nutrition, add this product to your cart.
The product comes at an incredible price. It contains bird-kote made from vegetable oil and Vitamin D3/A supplement. The peanuts available in this package are a bit chewy. It has the right amount of corn and tasty sunflower seeds, which helps the squirrel stay active.
Product highlights
- A healthy option to keep wildlife animals away from bird feeders.
- Has the perfect amount of corn, seeds, and peanuts.
- Famous for containing best in market bird-kote.
- A balanced feed enriched with necessary vitamins.
- Wakefield Peanuts
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Wakefield peanuts are famous for choosing the best seeds on earth. This amazing product is enriched with healthy and highly energetic ingredients.
Peanuts do not contain cholesterol and are an excellent source of fatty acid. They contain Vitamin B, healthy fiber, essential minerals, and protein.
You can choose this product to attract squirrels, geese, ducks, and raccoons. Birds such as blue jays, doves, cardinals, parrots, and ravens are also huge fans of peanuts.
Interestingly, Wakefield Virginia peanuts are safe for humans to consume. But make sure you boil before consuming it.
Caution
Be careful about the excessive amount. The product contains fatty acid, and an excessive amount could be harmful. Make sure you stored this product below 60F to 40F to keep it fresh.
Product highlights
- 0 cholesterol
- Great source of protein and fatty acids.
- A delicious treat that attracts birds as well.
- Fresh and uncooked peanuts.
- Safe for humans after roasting or boiling.
- Audubon Park Critter Crunch
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This product is a literal definition of “you get what you pay for.” The Audubon Park critter crunch is a bit costly but worth it. It contains a good mixture of fresh food, including whole peanuts, sunflower seeds, and corn.
In comparison to any other brand on the market, this product contains more corn. It is a great attraction for blue rays, pigeons, squirrels, and rabbits.
Caution
Store it in an air-free container. Keep the package in a dry place.
Product highlights
- Good quality food mix
- Made in America
- Has a significant quantity of corns
- Great for squirrels
- Contains a dill smell.
- C&S Sweet Corn Squirrel
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Our next pick is C&S sweet corn squirrel log. It is a highly digestible feed for backyard wildlife and has been around since 2004.
What we like the most about this product is its economical price. The main ingredient of this 32-ounce feed pack is sweet corn which lasts longer than usual corn. Plus, the product has no routing issues.
Product highlights
- Super convenient for busy pet owners
- Squirrel’s favorite treat
- Available at an affordable budget
- Easy to use
- Wild Delight’s Crunch N’ Nut Wildlife Formula
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This amazing product is a hearty blend of unprocessed peanuts, corn, and sunflower seeds. It is also packed with amino acids, vitamins, electrolytes, and minerals, making it a perfect treat for squirrels.
Product highlights
- Premium corn on the cob
- Extra clean, all-natural corn
- Low moisture to prevent mold
- Henry’s Hi-Protein Blocks
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This is the healthiest product for furry little squirrels in the market. And the best thing is, it is free from any flavors and chemicals. These protein blocks are completely natural, so you can offer this healthy treat to baby squirrels as well.
You can mix this odorless feed with vegetables, and the squirrels will surely love it.
Caution
Since it is a preservative-free product, it might not stay fresh for too long.
Product highlights
- No preservatives or added flavor
- Balanced and healthy nutrition
- Needs to be stored in the freezer.
- Does not lasts too long.
- No pillars color or soy
- Manufactured in the USA
- Volkman Squirrel Gourmet Mix
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This animal gourmet mix consists of tasty and healthy sunflower seeds, nuts like cashews, hazelnuts, etc., and corns. It is one of the great food options available in the market as squirrels love to devour it.
To be fair, this product isn’t the fanciest food mix, but it is extremely healthy and reasonably priced. To keep the quality unquestionable, Volkman sources most of the ingredients from other countries. The product even comes with a good sturdy bag.
Caution
If your backyard squirrels don’t love to eat corn, consider buying this on a small scale. Mix the feed with some fruits and veggies.
Product highlights
- A healthy mix of seeds and nuts
- Top-quality Dickinson pumpkin seeds
- Affordable price range
- Offers tremendous nutritious value
- Animals and birds love this product
Wrapping up
So that’s all for today. With the information on what can squirrels eat and what can I feed squirrels, we have tried our best to help you pick the best food for wild squirrels. Watching these curious little creatures bouncing in your backyard and nibbling on feed is a fun experience. They like to consume anything they can. But keep in mind these are wild animals. Your too much care can make them dependent on your food. So it’s better not to hit that limit.
Last update on 2023-07-31 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API