Squirrels!

susanm9006

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okay, they are pesky buggers but still creatures who struggle to get through our cold and snowy winters so I keep them fed. While the staples are corn and peanuts they really need a healthier diet than that. So I just tried something new and made them some nut balls with leftover walnuts, dried cranberries, oatmeal, peanut butter and lard. They are just going wild over it.

Anyone have other recipes or ideas for squirrel food?
 

Kat0121

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You are a sweetheart. Thank you. I adore squirrels. Always have. When I was a teenager and working in a grocery store, I'd bring home some big tinfoil roasting pans and fill them with peanuts with the shell on and leave the pans in the yard. It was that or I'd get big loaves of bread and a huge jar of chunky peanut butter. I'd make sandwiches, cut them in quarters and leave them in the crooks of trees. Every squirrel in the neighborhood came by to eat. They do sell those corn cobs with squirrel feeders that you can put up but I think they're kind of pricey. I think what you're givin them now is good. Lots of protein, good fat and fruit.
 
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susanm9006

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Thanks. This last fall I went to a local park full of oak trees and gathered bags of acorns that I washed and froze for them. That was their January treat and it didn’t cost me anything but time.
 

FeebysOwner

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I actually have 5 squirrel feeding stations - started out with two to try to get them to stop bugging the two bird feeders I have. When that didn't totally work, I added 3 more stations, and finally found a way to hang the bird feeders where they can no longer get to them.

There is only one squirrel who can get on one of the two bird feeders, and thankfully she won't share her secret with the others! She was coming daily and would eat from the bird feeder for about 15 minutes then jump down and off she went. Now she shows up a couple-three times a week. Otherwise, I have around 12-15 squirrels that 'cycle' through the squirrel stations in the early am and then again in the late afternoon.

Their diet is 'OK'. I feed them a mixture of squirrel and bird food. So, they get sunflower and safflower seeds, some fruit, and of course the dreaded corn that ends up mostly getting thrown away. They also get nuts-in-the-shell which are always eaten first, of course! I also add lots of acorns from the oak trees when available. I even collect the excess fruit off the palm trees and give those to them as well, as I noticed years ago they eat those on their own when they find them. Late summer/early fall also provides them with seed pods from the crepe myrtles in my yard - they will go to the tiniest branches to be able to eat those.

I also have a 'watering-hole' with a hose/timer to add fresh/replace water daily that both the squirrels and birds share. It is funny to watch them 'line up' for their turn to drink! Some of my birds use it to take bird baths as well!!

Feeby loves all the entertainment this provides her from her perch on our screened in patio!
 
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susanm9006

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Yes, FeebysOwner FeebysOwner , I also have a heated bird bath water station where cats, birds, squirrels and the occasional oppossum stop for a drink. The other day it was minus 12 degrees and a sparrow took an exuberant and lengthy bath, not once but twice.

Squirrels used to be a big problem at the bird feeders but I switched to golden safflower and they leave it alone. The safflower is also a huge hit with the birds
 

FeebysOwner

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bird bath water station where cats, birds, squirrels and the occasional oppossum stop for a drink.
Cool! Me too - about the cats as well, for got to mention them. The only problem I ever had was with a wandering (long gone thankfully) raccoon who seemed to want to poop in the watering hole!! YUCK!
 

Elphaba09

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I think squirrels are cute as long as they stay out of my attic! Haha!

I started using this mix last year. How to Make Squirrel Food

Because of my peanut allergy, we use WOW Butter and leave out the peanuts. I sometimes add hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, dried blueberries, pumpkin seeds, rosehips, peas, and/or mealworms. Thankfully for our squirrels, we have a large, healthy black walnut tree in the yard.
 
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susanm9006

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I love our squirrels too, except when they get in the attic. I actually wouldn't even mind if they took refuge in the attic if it weren't for worrying about the damage to the electrical.
Yes, that would not make me happy. I don’t want to hear anything moving around above me. I have had bats and had a wildlife company batproof the attic, which did work but was expensive.
 

muffy

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I have been feeding squirrels for years in my back yard. I am partially disabled so it is hard for me to do anything really special for them. I buy the large bags of nuts at BJ's and they love them. I enjoy sitting at my dinning room table while I am eating and watch them eat.
 
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susanm9006

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I have been feeding squirrels for years in my back yard. I am partially disabled so it is hard for me to do anything really special for them. I buy the large bags of nuts at BJ's and they love them. I enjoy sitting at my dinning room table while I am eating and watch them eat.
I know. I also spend hours in my dining room as watching them eat. We have black squirrels, grey squirrels and for a while genetic mutation of some kind, black squirrels with bright red tails. I like to think I can tell some apart from the others by looks and actions.
 

misty8723

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Yes, that would not make me happy. I don’t want to hear anything moving around above me. I have had bats and had a wildlife company batproof the attic, which did work but was expensive.
Yeah, had someone squirrel proof ours but it obviously didn't work.
 
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