Beautiful, fluffy animals, dexterously jumping from branch to branch, are familiar to everyone. They are quite unpretentious in food, but many products pose a serious danger to them. In the wild, the animal eats not only plant food, but also animal food.
However, today squirrels live not only in forests, but also in city parks and zoos. In addition, many people have them right at home. In this case, you should take a particularly responsible approach to the preparation of the rodent’s diet.
Eating in the wild
The food of the animal in the wild depends greatly on the climatic conditions of the area and the time of year. That is why squirrels always make reserves for the winter. They begin to collect food for these purposes in the summer. Most of the stocks are dried mushrooms, acorns, pine cones, and nuts. They hide them in a secret place, which is often forgotten.
However, the squirrel can stumble upon other people’s reserves, which saves it from hunger in the winter season. If this does not happen, then the animal uses frogs as food. When everything gets really bad with food, the protein goes to acorns. In winter, she uses up to 35 grams. food per day.
In early spring, rodents start looking for fresh sources of plant food:
- spruce and pine cones;
- roots;
- berries;
- pine nuts;
- seeds of cedar, larch, fir;
- lichens;
- tree buds;
- bark;
- pine needles.
In the summer, the rodent’s diet expands significantly. Mushrooms, vegetables and fruits are added to it. In search of the latter, squirrels visit vegetable gardens located near the forest. Of the mushrooms, rodents prefer chanterelles, some species of honey agarics, and deer truffle. It is interesting to note that for their supplies, they dry mushrooms on tree knots.
In the warm season, the animal consumes about 45 grams. food a day. The amount of food for pregnant individuals increases to 85 grams.
What can you feed in the park?
Squirrels are quite common in the park. Rodents quickly adapt to the living conditions in the city. Many of them willingly make contact with people, taking food from them. However, you should not offer everything to vekhe, as food forbidden to them will cause serious harm to health. In a park or square, a rodent can be treated to:
- white bread croutons;
- crackers (unsweetened and unsalted);
- vegetables;
- fruit;
- berries;
- nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts);
- pumpkin seeds.
It should be borne in mind that the squirrel should not be overfed. The portion of the treat should be small. In winter, the rodent living in the park is especially in need of feeding. To make it easier for him to find food, you can equip a special feeder, periodically replenishing it with treats from the above list.
It is interesting to note that the squirrel can settle in secluded places. For example, in the attic of a house.
Simple feeders from scrap materials
Making a squirrel feeder is pretty easy. Used household appliances are often used for this purpose. For example, coffee machines. Simple cardboard boxes can also be used. However, the best option for a rodent feeder is a solid wood house. Its diameter must be more than 40 cm, otherwise the squirrel will not be able to get food out of it.
The starting material is filed in the right places, hollowed out, processed with sandpaper. The thickness of the walls is left 3-4 cm, a roof made of bars is installed above the manhole. A protrusion is made below the hole, which serves as a porch for the animal.
What do captive squirrels eat?
Veksha lives not only in the wild, but also in zoos, reserves, and even at home. Since it is omnivorous, there are no problems with its content. It is interesting to note that the Moscow City Zoo has its own ration Book, which also describes the protein menu. It includes:
- white wheat bread – up to 10 gr. per day;
- nuts – no more than 10 gr. in a day;
- cabbage, apples and carrots – 5 g each. 1 time in 2 days;
- pumpkin seeds – up to 10 gr. in a day;
- cookies – 2 gr. per day;
- berries, fruits, lettuce, dry mushrooms – 2 gr. in a day;
- butter, milk and cottage cheese – no more than 3 gr. per day;
- chicken eggs – 1 gr. in a day;
- honey, jam – up to 2 grams per day;
- fish – up to 2 gr. 1 time in 2 days;
- grass, cones, fresh plant shoots and needles – in unlimited quantities.
The same menu can be made for the protein contained at home. The most important thing is not to overfeed. Excessive amounts of food will lead to obesity, which can lead to health problems. In the warm season, it is better to feed homemade squirrels with fresh products and young shoots.
Prohibited foods
Despite the fact that the squirrel is an omnivorous animal, it has a rather sensitive digestive system. Even salt and sugar can harm it. It is forbidden to feed the rodent with foods that contain flavors and dyes. Of particular danger are the nucleoli from fruit pits. They can provoke poisoning. In addition, it is forbidden to feed the squirrel with the following foods:
- chocolate;
- Exotic fruits;
- smoked meats;
- pickles;
- elderberry fruit;
- apricot leaves;
- crisps;
- salty fish;
- fast food;
- fried food.
All products from the above list can be readily eaten by proteins, but they pose a mortal danger to them.
Important! Despite its beautiful appearance, the squirrel is a carrier of various bacterial and infectious diseases. If you hand feed the animal, you should also take care of your safety. After finishing the meal, you should wash your hands thoroughly.
Funny animals attract the attention of not only children, but also adults. In the wild, protein will always find something to eat. The animal living in the park needs help from people in winter, since it is quite difficult to get the necessary food in urban conditions. If you are planning to have squirrel at home, then you should carefully study the list of prohibited foods, and carefully monitor that they do not enter the protein diet.
