Shell or No Shell nuts?
I've gotten this question a few times,
I also mentioned this
in the Squirrel Teeth, squirrel fact.
But here's a separate article.
You might be thinking
that you're doing the squirrels a favor
by buying hazelnuts or walnuts
without shells
or other soft shelled nuts and seeds,
but you're not...
Squirrel Teeth are like rabbit teeth,
they constantly grow and
they need grinding, a lot of grinding
to be kept down
to their optimal lengths.
Overgrown teeth can be deadly!
Overgrown squirrel teeth
are often seen in "house squirrels"
and in public parks,
where people tend to feed them
lots of bad things, such as
french fries, bread, chips, peanuts
and other substances
that are fatal for squirrels.
Yes, the American grey squirrels
are very resilient but, that's no reason
to feed them garbage.
A side note is that nuts
are like candy for squirrels.
And squirrels are like 5 year olds.
If you place a bowl of candy
next to bowl of vegetables,
the 5 year old will eat the candy.
Same goes for squirrels.
If you feed them too many nuts,
they will lack vital minerals and
vitamins that they should have gotten
from other sources in nature.
Causing immunodeficiency,
making them easy targets
for sickness, viruses and diseases.
Too many nuts will also cause them
to overwork themselves,
as they will stash what they can't eat.
Nuts in their natural shells will also
last longer without the risk of mold or fungus.
If you want to feed your squirrels nuts,
here's a few thumb rules:
If you have 1 visitor in your garden,
a handful of hard shelled nuts
per week doing the summer.
2 visitors, 2 handfuls.
Around 10 nuts per squirrel, per week.
Make it a weekly routine and
don't worry, they will show up
on time, every week.
Doing the winter, double it up.
If you own a house,
I can strongly recommend
a compost pile in the corner
of your garden, so all wildlife
can pick and choose what they need.
Keep in mind that you're supposed to help them,
NOT provide for them...
.
For more about food for Squirrels,
Click: