Natural Diet of a Squirrel

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We all know that squirrels stash food. In fact, they’re pretty good at it, and sneaky too! Studies have shown that squirrels will actually pretend to hide food if another animal is watching, only to then bury the morsel somewhere else when it has been left alone. Smart and devious ... Who knew?



Squirrels actually help to grow trees in other areas, because of this stashing action. They love to eat seeds, nuts, and berries, which is what brings them flocking to your bird feeder in the back yard, and these, when forgotten about or dropped on the floor, then have the potential to become new trees.

It isn’t just seeds, nuts, and berries that squirrels like to eat, however. They’re not exactly know for being picky eaters, and will eat a number of plant forms, including various flowers, fruits and vegetables, mushrooms, and even plant stems or bark.

Not just a herbivore, the squirrel is an omnivore, like us. It eats both plant and animal matter, although does seem to rely on the former quite a lot. When it eats animal matter, it is usually in the form of insects and other delights that would also be hanging around in your garden.

Of course, the more that squirrels encroach on human territories, the more they start to steal and enjoy foods that are not part of their every day diet, such as rummaging through garbage cans and compost heaps. In this day and age, animals have learned to jump on a meal, whatever it is, whenever it comes. Even when the squirrel isn’t hungry, it will still take and stash food for later enjoyment.

Go back to the Squirrel Removal page, or learn tips to do it yourself with my How to Get Rid of Squirrels guide.