What to Feed Squirrels in Your Backyard

Why Feed Squirrels in Your Backyard?

Some people are really against feeding squirrels and may even tell you it’s a bad idea. While hand-feeding wild squirrels can cause them to depend on humans, having a squirrel feeder in your backyard is a great thing to do for them!

Keeps Them Away From Bird Feeders
If you have a bird feeder already, then you know squirrels like to sneak up and steal all of the bird food. Some bird foods don’t have the best nutritional value for squirrels, and obviously, if they take it all, the birds don’t get any.

Not only that, but squirrels can often damage the bird feeder and ruin the fun for everyone involved. One way to keep squirrels out of the bird feeder is to give them their own.

Squirrels will settle for eating in whichever feeder is closest, which is why there are feeders made for squirrels. Your squirrel will have a better food option, and the birds in your backyard can enjoy having a snack again.

Gives Them Easy Access to Water
While water may not be the first idea that comes to mind when deciding what to provide squirrels, they need water to live a healthy life. Just like humans, squirrels need access to clean water and can’t always find it easily.

Some squirrel feeders have an area to fill with clean water, so keep that in mind when choosing a squirrel feeder. In winter, you could even put water in a heated birdbath for squirrels to use.

Helps Squirrels Better Survive Winter
As hibernation inches closer and closer, squirrels desperately need to make sure that they have a decent amount of food stored away. Giving them access to food makes this a little easier on them, and also gives them a comfortable place to return to when they need more.

30 Things You Didn—t Know Would Kill You if You Swallowed

1: Storing a cherry bomb in a pack of cigarettes

2: Biting a frozen chunk of orange juice

3: Using your hair dryer while standing in the tub

4: Keeping the door unlocked while baking cookies

5: What you drink while you are eating

6: Sitting on an aluminum soda can or tetanus

Keeps Them Away From Bird Feeders

If you have a bird feeder already, then you know squirrels like to sneak up and steal all of the bird food. Some bird foods don’t have the best nutritional value for squirrels, and obviously, if they take it all, the birds don’t get any. What should you feed squirrels in your backyard?

Not only that, but squirrels can often damage the bird feeder and ruin the fun for everyone involved. One way to keep squirrels out of the bird feeder is to give them their own. Squirrels will settle for eating in whichever feeder is closest, which is why there are feeders made for squirrels. Your squirrel will have a better food option, and the birds in your backyard can enjoy having a snack again.

Gives Them Easy Access to Water

While water may not be the first idea that comes to mind when deciding what to provide squirrels, they need water to live a healthy life. Just like humans, squirrels need access to clean water and can’t always find it easily. Some squirrel feeders have an area to fill with clean water, so keep that in mind when choosing a squirrel feeder. In winter, you could even put water in a heated birdbath for squirrels to use.

Helps Squirrels Better Survive Winter

As hibernation inches closer and closer, squirrels desperately need to make sure that they have a decent amount of food stored away. Giving them access to food makes this a little easier on them, and also gives them a comfortable place to return to when they need more.

Tips for Raising Backyard Chickens

As more people take notice in how their food gets made, they become curious about raising backyard chickens. Many people start raising backyard chickens based on their love for fresh eggs (like us). However, raising backyard chickens isn’t always easy.

Most people have never raised backyard chickens, so there’s the newness of it all that can be overwhelming. Plus, there are many factors that can go wrong.

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about raising backyard chickens. We’re hoping these questions and answers will help you get started on the right path to raising backyard chickens.

Should I raise chicks or adults?

Gives Them Easy Access to Water

Some squirrel feeders have an area to fill with clean water, so keep that in mind when choosing a squirrel feeder. In winter, you could even put water in a heated birdbath for squirrels to use.

Helps Squirrels Better Survive Winter

Helps Them Be Happier

Squirrels that aren’t being fed by humans tend to often be scared of your presence. They will run from you, or try to hide from you. But squirrels that are used to human contact tend to be more comfortable around humans.

When you feed squirrels, you’re not only showing how kind you are, but you’re also getting the animals comfortable with you. This will in turn allow you to eventually be able to enjoy watching squirrels from a distance without scaring them.

As we mentioned above, you should still avoid touching or directly feeding a wild squirrel because they could become so comfortable with you that they never feel the need to be scared.

Now that you have the lowdown on why you should feed squirrels in the backyard, you can’t go wrong when deciding to make squirrels a more permanent part of your backyard. Squirrel feeders come in many designs, but a couple of things to keep in mind include:

Squirrel Feeding Tips

Always feed squirrels the proper food. Squirrels’ diet consists mainly of seeds and plants, and feeding them your table scraps can be detrimental to their health. Be sure to choose the right squirrel feed if you’re making your own (don’t use wheat, as it could kill them)

Helps Squirrels Better Survive Winter

Keeps Them Away from Your Bird Feeder

If you’re hosting a large number of squirrels in your backyard, consider building a squirrel feeder especially for them. You can keep the bird feeder at a distance for protection, or keep the squirrels away from it by making it difficult to get to.

Feeding Squirrels In Your Backyard: Can You Really Just Leave Them Alone?

There are numerous reasons that you may want to feed squirrels in your backyard. To address this, a very common question that people ask is if you really can just leave them be.

Thus, providing to them can help increase their chances of survival.

But what do squirrels eat? You may be surprised that squirrels have a wide variety of foods that they choose over squirrel feed.

The squirrels in your back yard will have easy access to food:

Sciencing Video Vault
Berries
Nuts
Seeds

When Do Baby Squirrels Need Weaning?

Baby squirrels should be weaned off their mother’s care between their 4th and 7th week of life. It’s best to wait until this time so that the squirrels can develop their natural protective behaviors. The mother squirrel will teach these behaviors to her baby squirrels.

In reality, if you’re planning to raise baby squirrels yourself or if you’re wondering if you should have them in your yard, you should consider keeping the mother squirrel healthy. Keeping her healthy makes it more likely that your baby squirrels will live a healthier life as well. Learn how to feed squirrels in your backyard here.

Mother squirrels start caring for their babies after their eyes fully open.

What to Feed Squirrels in Your Backyard

You probably know that squirrels love peanut butter. This here is a great recipe for what to feed squirrels in your backyard.

Now, are they really only makes for them or could you substitute in some other ingredients? Try using half peanut butter and half raw almonds for a perfect squirrel food bowl.

This will allow you to cut back on some of the unavoidable fat from peanut butter. You can also add some whole wheat flour to provide more natural carbohydrates.

Feeding squirrels in captivity can be problematic if they become reliant on humans for food. If you have a garden they also come and help themselves. However feeding them in your backyard is a great way of keeping your squirrel residents happy, but not reliant on you.

They are naturally inclined to hide their food and bury it for winter. You may also want to throw out some dry food for the squirrels in your backyard to snack on.

You can buy nuts and seeds that can be easily stored and preserved all year. You can also use birdseed, but squirrels will have a harder time burying it for winter.

You can also buy pellets, but they are not biodegradable and will end up in your yard as flat little disks. Keep in mind that if you’re going to be feeding squirrels in your backyard, you’re going to have to replace your garden with something.

They won’t leave your garden alone and could potentially damage your plants, as well as spread any germs they may have picked up.

How to round out One Piece of Plywood

How To Round Out One Piece of Plywood – Round out one piece of plywood by cutting a groove around the piece of plywood. Clamp a straight edge to the cut groove. Cut along this straight edge with a jig saw.

How to Keep Your Garden Non-Greenhouse Garden

How To Keep Your Garden Non-Greenhouse Garden – A greenhouse garden is a great way to get your plants to grow, but be careful as you still need proper air circulation and ventilation.

How to Keep Squirrels out of Your Yard

How to Keep Squirrels Out of your Yard – These simple DIY squirrel remedies will help keep squirrels out of your yard.

Nuts

Your backyard flock will enjoy having a front-row seat to all of nature’s action as it passes by your coop. Finch and chickadees will join them for regular feedings from the backyard bird feeder.

This low-watt light (about as much as a digital clock) illuminates the ground beneath it. It is intended to be mounted above the coop doorway to highlight the entrance area. The light prevents coyotes from approaching the coop at night. The light also warns off predators that might be inclined to explore below the edge of the roof at the front.

When you set it up, the first thing you should do is pick an appropriate location for it. Generally, it should be facing the opposite direction from any prevailing winds in your area. This will keep feathers (from chickens, other birds, you name it) from blowing around the area. It should also be located where it won’t shine on your neighbor’s porch or window.

How to Build a Chicken Coop Run How to Build a Chicken Coop Run

What bird wants to spend its life in a coop? Most of us enjoy the beautiful sounds of our outdoor fowl–especially when they are as charming as a flock of laying hens. One way to provide additional entertainment and delight your hens with “chicken exercise time” is to build a chicken run.

Chicken Coop Run Ideas

Ideas for a basic chicken run include a short, limited access run with chicken wire on all sides, chicken wire on one side and a tall, sturdy fence on the other, and chicken wire on two sides with one end secured to the back side of the pen. There are several advantages to a chicken run in addition to the obvious benefit of exercise for your hens.

1 – Size

The first thing to consider in your design is the size of the run. A run a bit too small will stress your chickens and won’t allow them the room they need for exercise. However, if your run is too large it will become a swampy puddle in no time when it rains; besides, it’s more work to clean!

Fruits

Squirrels are adept foragers. In the wild, they have access to nuts and seeds, flowers, vines, mosses, and tree buds. Thankfully, squirrels will take advantage of any food you offer them in your backyard. The best food to feed squirrels are nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Offering them fresh produce can be nice to do. However, if your squirrels are used to getting scraps from the kitchen, they may not readily accept it.

Hard and Chewy Food

Hard and chewy foods like dog food or dog biscuits work great when used as a dog treat indoors. If your squirrels are used to getting dog treats as a snack, they won’t mind getting them again. Dog biscuits work well as squirrel treats. The small treats give squirrels easy access to food without having to tear into a nut every time.

Scraps from the Kitchen

Scraps from the kitchen can make a good treat. While some squirrels will eat plain old bread, they will also enjoy a nice peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Many squirrels are not picky when it comes to what you offer them. They will eat just about anything. Just remember to cut food into small pieces that they can easily take back to the nest.

Cookies and Crackers

Cookies and crackers can be a yummy treat for squirrels in your backyard. Squirrels will even take these tasty snacks back home to share with the rest of the family. Speaking of cookies, chocolate is bad for squirrels. The sweet can cause dehydration and can be very harmful to your squirrel. If you have chocolate cookies lying around, make sure to get rid of them.

Grapes or Raisins

Raisins and grapes make a healthy treat for squirrels. Many people and squirrels enjoy dried fruits, and raisins are easy to carry. Dried fruit is also a good snack because it can last for a long time. You can also put it in the freezer after washing it to make it last longer. Of course, you will have to provide a source of unfrozen water for your squirrel.

Vegetables

Squirrels love vegetables, especially corn. Most likely you won’t be able to give them as much corn as they’d like, but you can give them corn cob pieces.

I’ve also seen people feed squirrels carrots, which seems like a great idea to me. Just slice the carrots into very thin sticks and let the squirrels eat!

Fruit
I don’t have much experience in this area, but many people feed squirrels raisins, oranges, and other fruit.

Seeds
You’ll probably find these in many squirrel feeders, but squirrels will absolutely love them. Consider giving this to squirrels if you have wild birds in your backyard for them to eat the seeds you throw away.

Nuts
Almonds, peanuts, and sunflower seeds are all popular choices when choosing squirrel feed. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that sunflower seeds aren’t always good for squirrels? They’re too fatty and may have preservatives added.

If you decide to give squirrels sunflower seeds, make sure you stick to only the black and white ones. They’re healthier for squirrels.

Grit
As a wild animal, squirrels need to have grit in their diet to deal with the sharp tree and plant material they eat. If you choose to give squirrels grit, make sure it’s a very small amount!

Where to Find the Best Squirrel Feeder

Have you ever had a squirrel or a bird eat all the food in your bird feeder? Squirrels and birds really love hanging around bird feeders, and they’ll try eating from it until they’re very full.

If you’re sick of squirrels taking over the bird feeder and eating all the food, it’s time for you to buy a squirrel-proof bird feeder. Most squirrels will try endlessly to be able to get at your bird food, so only buy this if you’re okay with squirrels taking all the food and leaving nothing for the birds.

Seeds

Squirrels love seeds, and all different kinds of seeds are great to have around your house. Some seeds squirrels typically go crazy for are pecans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and Brazil nuts.

It’s important to feed squirrels the right mixture, though, and the best mixture involves blue jays, cardinals, and chickadees. This mixture is high in the fat and protein squirrels need, and it’s also high in fatola, which is a special type of fat that even humans can’t digest.

You can mix up your own mixture of blue jays, cardinals, and chickadees by filling a type of feeder with corn or purchased suet. Squirrels will associate this suet to the blue jays, cardinals, and chickadees you feed them, and they’ll love it!

Even though there are lots of different types of seeds to feed squirrels, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and Brazil nuts are always good choices. They’re healthier seeds and they normally help the squirrels regain weight during winter hibernation.

Any type of seeds can be thrown into squirrel feeders, but it’s a good idea to use intentionally bird feeders to keep the squirrels away from other bird feeders. You’ll also want to keep the seeds in a tight place so they can’t fall out when the squirrels jump on the feeder.

Purchasing a squirrel feeder is a great way to make sure that squirrels have an easy, healthy option when they visit your backyard.

Berries and Fruits

Squirrels love berries and fruits. By having berry bushes planted around your backyard, squirrels will constantly have access to healthy food while they’re visiting your backyard.

There’s a variety of berries and fruits squirrels love to eat, and some of their favorites are strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and apples. Squirrels also love mangoes, oranges, pears, and the tips from pine cones. It’s important to make sure there’s no pesticides on the fruit or the leaves because these chemicals could harm excessive amounts.

What to Avoid Feeding Squirrels in Your Backyard

Normally when you think of pest control, you think of dealing with undesirable animals crawling about in your vicinity. Squirrels can be considered pests, but you may just want to keep them out of your landscape. There aren’t any known squirrel-specific poisons, but there are some general tips for eliminating squirrels from your garden that you can try.

Use a Squirrel Repellent

There are many ways to keep squirrels out of your garden. The easiest is to use a repellent. Repellents should be used in conjunction with other control methods. They don’t kill the squirrels; they just keep them from coming anywhere near you.

There are essentially two categories of repellents: taste and smell. Taste repellents are essentially unappetizing materials or flavors that deter squirrels from reaching the plants they’re attempting to eat. Common products include Cat Alarm, Gopher Goop, and Adams’ Grub Gell. These products aren’t very expensive, and can be purchased at most home improvement stores.

Smell repellents involve mass-market products that keep squirrels away using the same techniques as mothballs. Hot Pepper Wax Spray, a lit candle, or Naphthalene flakes can also be used to drive squirrels away. These are the most inexpensive repellents, since they involve herbs that are fairly inexpensive. Hot Pepper Wax Spray is the most effective.

Start a Trapping Program

Another useful for keeping squirrels out of your garden is to start a trapping program. Traps should be placed on the outer edge of the garden, and are most effective when used in conjunction with repellents. Squirrel repellents can be used in conjunction with traps as well.

Several types of traps are available to the home gardener. Personally, we’ve found the Havahart Live Traps to be the most effective. They can be purchased at most home improvement stores. There are many different trap designs, but make sure you know which type is best for your particular situation before purchasing any traps.

Make sure you check your local laws and regulations regarding trapping. You may need a permit to begin trapping.

Human Junk Food or Processed Food

To stop squirrels from being attracted to your yard and gardens, try to eliminate processed food as much as possible. You can also use other methods to keep squirrels away for example using crafty scarecrows or place your plants away from the walls (they have a tendency of hiding in them / from there, they will get an easy chance to jump to plants and feast on them).

It is best to not to feed them human junk food to avoid unnecessary attention. However, if they are regularly coming to your yard to look for food, then why not make them think that your yard is a storehouse of goodies? You can do this by putting some non-cracked corn kernels on the ground hidden by tall grass. As you know, squirrels are willing to go to great lengths looking for hidden food, and if they come across some, they will most likely be tempted to come in at least a second time. This way, you can slowly start training them to grow accustomed to your yard and, hopefully, lose interest in the other plants. But, remember that some squirrels tend to be aggressive, and if you are lucky, there will be some vegetarian squirrels that will leave your plants alone.

Natural Fungicides for Shrubs & Trees

I share tips on how to identify and treat plant diseases plus provide companion planting, organic pest control and fertilizing ideas for your garden, yard and landscaping design. It’s a growing collection of suggestions you may find useful.

Helping hand:

How to Make Your Pet Dogs Live Longer

Does your beloved dog need some help to live a healthy and long life? So many dog owners want their dogs to live as long as possible. In fact, it doesn’t matter if you have a small or giant breed dog; there are certain things you can do to help your dog in his fight to live longer.

If you’re a dog owner, you want your dog to live as long as possible. Dogs are known to outlive their owners, so this is definitely something worth paying attention to.

It has been proven that taking good care of your dog is a great way to help him live longer. This isn’t rocket science; it makes sense to take care of a dog in order to increase his lifespan.

Peanuts

Some squirrels love to eat literally anything you give them, while others will consistently eat peanuts. Even if you have some squirrels that prefer other treats, peanuts are a great option to keep around for others.

Trail Mixes – Like peanuts, many animals enjoy trail mix, especially in winter months. Add some sunflower seeds, peanuts, dried fruit, and raisins to trail mix for the best option.

Like peanuts, many animals enjoy trail mix, especially in winter months. Add some sunflower seeds, peanuts, dried fruit, and raisins to trail mix for the best option.

Beans – Another one of the most popular squirrel treats, beans are a great source of protein. You can benefit from the extra nitrogen in your garden when the squirrels waste the bean hulls in the ground, especially since beans want a lot of nitrogen.

Another one of the most popular squirrel treats, beans are a great source of protein. You can benefit from the extra nitrogen in your garden when the squirrels waste the bean hulls in the ground, especially since beans want a lot of nitrogen.

Grapes – Another great fruit that squirrels love. Just be sure there is no rodenticide on the vine, which can cause major problems for squirrels.

Another great fruit that squirrels love. Just be sure there is no rodenticide on the vine, which can cause major problems for squirrels.

Cottonseed Hulls – Having extra cotton is a great thing, especially if you supply it to squirrels. Cotton is a great food source for squirrels and is especially important in cold months.

Having extra cotton is a great thing, especially if you supply it to squirrels. Cotton is a great food source for squirrels and is especially important in cold months.

Pumpkins/Squash – While squash is not a great choice if you want to feed squirrels in the garden, it is a great treat for squirrels. Just watch their teeth when ordering and you should be fine. Orange colored squash has the most protein.

Niger Seeds

Niger seeds are one of the most common squirrel feed options. This is because they’re popular among other wildlife like birds and can be used year round. Niger seed is very high in fat, though, so if you don’t want squirrels gaining too much weight, feed them the seed sparingly.

While Niger seed is a great option for your backyard squirrel feeder, they do tend to get messy from squirrels playing in them. The Niger seeds will fall to the bottom and stick to the side of a feeder. This really helps keep them from getting moldy, but it’s much more difficult to clean. You may want to choose a Niger seed feeder with a large seed capacity if you’re going to choose this as your squirrel feed.

Nut Butters for Squirrels

Another favorite for squirrels and other wildlife, nut butter is a delicious, high-fat snack. It’s also a little more expensive than Niger seed, so you’ll want to make sure that the squirrels really like it. Some squirrels may not be very interested in eating it, or it will just be too expensive for you. It’s a bigger risk of not getting your money’s worth than with Niger seed.

When choosing a squirrel feeder with nut butter included, you have to be careful about what type of nut butter you use. If you stick with a single type of nut butter (say, a single type of peanut) then you’ll have the same squirrels coming back over and over again. This will be great for you unless you tend to have problem squirrels in your backyard. You’ll have to switch things up and try a variety for it to be considered a nuisance feeder.

Some squirrels love peanut butter more than any other type of nut butter. If you have a squirrel with a peanut allergy, though, this would probably not be the best option for you.

Fruit Peels for Squirrels

If you like to use fruit peels to freshen up your garbage can, you can use them for squirrels as well. Squirrels will eat some types of fruit (such as apples and oranges), and peels will have plenty of other nutrients in them.

Corn

A highly recommended food for squirrels is corn. It’s a great and tasty filler for squirrels before they enter hibernation. They also like to eat corn just after they wake up from their long winter nap.

The corn should be popped, and you should place it in a feeder or in a shallow dish in your backyard.

Nuts

Another great food option for squirrels is nuts! They can be unshelled nuts, like peanuts, or shelled nuts, like hazelnuts. Just like the corn, they can be placed in a feeder or laid out on the ground.

Acorns

Since many squirrels are generalist omnivores, it’s easy for many to digest acorns. Acorns are also a great source of fat and protein for squirrels.

How to Repurpose an Old Wooden Ladder into a Planter

You can create this ladder planter in any size and you can start with a ladder from any hardware store. You do need to pick a ladder that is made of wood and has a straight rung.

What You Are Building

You will be building a wooden lined ladder planter that can have any shape you like and can be any size you like. The illustration above will give you the overall plan from different perspectives.

Reclaim Your Old Ladder

This ladder planter can be created from an old wooden ladder of your choice. Just keep in mind that the rungs of the ladder will be visible when your planter is complete, so be sure that you like what you are seeing.

Preparing Your Ladder

Select a sturdy ladder that has a straight rung. The straight rung can be your vertical side which will be used to support the weight of the planter or you can just wrap the straight rung with rebar or wooden stakes to make the wooden planter more secure. You will also want to cut the ladder off at least 6 to 8 inches from the top.

Ladder Planter Assembly

In this planter, I chose to keep the tear drop shape of the open end of the ladder. This will be my front. I will angle the long rung of the ladder back and attach it to a wooden stake. I will continue to fill it with soil and add plants.

Other Foods Squirrels Eat

Here are some of the nuts squirrels enjoy, but check below for a more complete list. Nuts are a great way to feed squirrels because they are packed full of the fat that they need to build strength and keep warm in winter. If you’re looking for an even tastier alternative, try these squirrel recipes.

Natural Squirrel Repellents

Grooming as a communication technique. Grooming one another is how squirrels communicates affection. If another squirrel is grooming you, note they feel affectionate towards you. If you do not know another squirrel well, avoid grooming them.

Spitting. Even though this is a method of communication, spitting can be threatening and is used to ward off intruders, even other squirrels.

Posturing. When a squirrel has their tail down, they are less likely to flee. If they have it up, they are more likely to fight.

Squeaking. This is the most common way that squirrels communicate with each other. Female squirrels will squeak too, but they use it more when feeding and taking care of their young.

Why Are Squirrels Nervous?

Some animals are nervous around people for a variety of reasons. It all depends on their natural instincts, the way they were raised, and even whether they’ve been punished for getting too close.

Regardless of the reasons, though, there’s not much to be done about it. Just like you wouldn’t expect a shy toddler to come over to you to hug you, you can’t expect a squirrel to want to be your friend.

There are, however, some ways to get along. Here’s how to keep a squirrel away from your house.

Avoid sudden movements when you’re outside. Squirrels are great at reading their surroundings. Anything out of the ordinary will leave them hesitant to communicate.

Try to avoid becoming a predator. All of us have predators that we don’t want getting too close to us, right?

Keep your hands to yourself. Even if you’re trying to be friendly, human hands can be very intimidating to animals.

Bones

One of the best foods to feed squirrels is bird bones, specifically from aged chicken bones. You can give them raw or cooked bones, either way is fine, but raw bones are better for your squirrels because cooking the bones destroys many of the nutrients they contain.

Bones contain calcium and other important minerals that squirrels need. Along with that, they contain fat, which squirrels need as well.

The fat, and other nutrients found in bones, may be why squirrels have such a big appetite for them. As a matter of fact, they could go into liver failure if you don’t stop giving them bone marrow.

Other Edible Foods Squirrels Eat

You could feed all of these foods separately or together. Many squirrel feeders make squirrel food mixes to give to squirrels, which is loaded with all the good ingredients squirrels need.

I recommend feeding squirrels like this because they can easily run out of the food, especially if they are a wild squirrel. Giving them a good mix should help them last harmlessly through the winter and the next summer.

I don’t think that giving squirrels a mix with bird seed is a good idea. I have seen some pictures of squirrels trying to eat bird seed, only for them to get an upset stomach. It’s easier, better, and safer for them to get their nutrients from nuts and seeds.

The Best Squirrel Food for Your Backyard

Squirrel Food Mixes

Feeding Squirrels in Your Backyard: Best Squirrel Food Mixes Reviews

When you are feeding squirrels, sometimes you just want to make sure you are giving them the best possible foods to help them thrive in your backyard. If you aren’t sure about the best squirrel food, or what to give them, you can get a squirrel food mix for cheap. The best squirrel food is made by Fox Valley, and it’s the one we use in our backyard. Below you will find a description of the product, as well as pictures to help you decide if this is the correct combination for your squirrels.

Insects

Feeding them small insects is a great option as it takes the pressure off of you to come up with an enticing squirrel snack.

Store bought squirrel food can be great, but you may be surprised about the type of foods that squirrels like and don’t like. You can buy a squirrel food mixture locally at your local feed store. It should be a mix of seeds, nuts, and other foods that appeal to them.

Corn
Second to nuts, corn is a highly sought after squirrel snack. Any type of corn will work, though corn that’s in the process of turning brown is a huge plus. Squirrels are more likely to be focused on eating the best corn they can find, and are likely to ignore the most colorful suet products.

Sunflower or Peanut Butter
Small amounts are good for them to munch on, but you don’t want to make these the bulk of their diet.

Nuts
Nuts are the snack of choice for squirrels and there is no doubt that you will want to offer lots of them from the feeder. However, squirrels will happily eat peanuts, and much prefer nuts when they are still in the shell. Squirrels pick up the nut from the ground and then run as far as they can to open the shell and gobble up the nut meat.

Hulled Sunflower

Hulled sunflower seeds are a very tasty option for squirrels. By removing the shell, the squirrel doesn’t have to expend unnecessary calories trying to figure out how to get to the meat of the sunflower seed.

Sweet Feed

This type of food mix is typically used for livestock but can also be used for wild animals. You can find it at your local feed store.

Dog Biscuits

Squirrels will go after dog biscuits, so this is a great snack to feed them.

Stale Popcorn

Squirrels will munch on stale popcorn, so be sure not to give them packets of microwave popcorn!

Chili Peppers

Squirrels love hot peppers so you can give them fresh or dried chili peppers.

Fungi

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 pound mixed mushrooms sliced
1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chicken or beef broth warmed.

1/2 teaspoon each thyme, oregano, basil.

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

2 slices bread with or without fruit.

Instructions:

Brown or sauté mixed, sliced mushrooms, onions, salt and pepper in butter.

Mix in herbs and warm broth and simmer 10-15 minutes.

Soak bread in broth-mushroom mix.

If too wet, remove bread from mix and squeeze hard to remove extra liquid.

Mix bread into soup and reheat.

# Here’s the Recipe for the # Affinity Table & Bench Set

Shuffleboard Table with Benches: Any combination of Venetian, Formica and laminate

Cabana Lounge Chair: Hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind white wicker over a powder coated aluminum frame. The accent chair features a broad seat, pleated accessory pillows and curved back. Available in all white wicker or in white wicker with black overtones (cushion, frame and armpad). Dimensions: 18 inches high X 28 inches wide X 31 inches deep.

White Side Table: Finished in a durable, high-gloss melamine, this modern side table features a trestle base with a clean, geometric design.

Easy DIY Doggie Doors

For a more in depth tutorial, go to:

My Rocking Recliners Stopped Rocking

I read on here that others had the same problem. I hope this can help those. I had to do 4 chairs but they are all alike.

You can tell where you have to unscrew the chair by taking the seat back off(4 screws on mine). Then once you do that, it is a simple matter of unscrewing the leg assembly part (4 screws) and unscrewing the hardware (4 bolts) that holds the plastic rocker flap on the bottom. There are 4 legs on my chair and 2 bolts and 2 legs. On the other side, there are 4 legs and what is left of 2 bolts that must also be removed.

Final Thoughts

While there is much debate about the benefits of feeding wild squirrels, there’s no doubt about the benefits of feeding squirrels in your backyard. Not only does feeding squirrels enhance their quality of life, but it can also be a fun hobby that doesn’t require a lot of work.

How to Hold a Detailed Conversation

I find that the easiest way to connect with the right people is to simply have good conversation. I've always been told that I am good with people and that I can make them feel comfortable.

In fact, sometimes people can open up to me easier than they can with their family or friends.

But sometimes, even though we may have a conversation that seems like it’s flowing, I can see the other person getting anxious.

Sometimes I get the feeling that they are thinking, “Is she going to stop talking any minute?” or even, “Oh man, I'm so bored listening to this person!”

But I have to be careful with my conversations because not everyone always appreciates my particular style.

Here are the techniques that have worked well for me when having detailed conversations.

Confidence

Where there is confidence, there is effective communication. It is the foundation for any relationships. I make those around me feel good about themselves. This allows them to easily open up to me, trust me and feel comfortable around me.

It's easy to convince someone that your conversation is exciting if you have a positive attitude and have a self-assured personality. I strictly follow the rules below:

{1}. Speak confidently and don't be afraid to reveal something about yourself.
{2}. Let the other person know that you are pleased to meet him and would be happy to know more about him too.
{3}. Try to be a good listener too.
{4}. Make an effort to be a productive member of his group.
{5}. Smile often and speak in a harmonious tone of voice.