Interesting Facts About Squirrels And Their Food Habits
Do you know these interesting facts about Squirrels And Their Food Habits? Well, Squirrels are categorized as rodents. They are commonly seen around the globe. They come from the Sciuridae family. There are around two hundred species existing in the world. There are three types of squirrels: flying squirrels, tree squirrels and ground squirrels. The squirrels generally range from 10-14 cm. They have slim bodies, big eyes and bushy tails. Their tails are the most attractive part of their bodies. As per a BBC survey, Antarctica and Australia are the two continents where squirrels do not inhabit.
Squirrels And Their Food Habits
Squirrels are cellulose intolerant. Hence, they are inclined to food that is rich in nutrients such as fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Squirrels are herbivores. They primarily feast on assorted plants’ products like fungi, seeds, conifers, nuts, green veggies and fruits. In some cases, they consume meats to satiate hunger. According to many case studies, squirrels are sometimes seen to be the predators who love to hunt insects, eggs of the birds, rodents smaller than them, etc. in fact, there are many tropical squirrels that have permanently changed their food habits: from herbivores to insect eaters.
Squirrels are considered synanthropic, i.e., they love to stay close to human domains for sustenance. Here is the list of food that the squirrels love to binge in:
Nuts
When the content is about the food habits of the squirrels, nuts top the list! Walnuts, peanuts and acorns are their utmost favourite. Apart from the nuts, they have other favourites too!
Veggies, Fruits and Other Munchies
Ninety out of a hundred squirrels love veggies. They are picky when it comes to food. They simply nibble whatever is easily accessible. Among the fruits and vegetables, they will prefer mushrooms, corn, broccoli, avocados, apples, oranges, etc. Squirrels like the other rodents have four front teeth which are highlighted. To file their teeth, they munch on the barks, twigs or tree limbs.
Food Conservation
Squirrels have a habit of accumulating food. They dug holes to keep their food safe. The squirrels prefer to store food in multiple sites. They primarily store food for the winter. However, they also stock food to thrive for the entire year. To keep their food safe, they may dig holes all over the backyard or garden at different places. Another interesting fact is that they dig dummy holes to keep their food safe from the other animals.
They can also ruin the beauty of your garden by nibbling on the flower buds. After all, flower buds are one of their favourite delicacies.
Controlling Squirrels
Squirrels may appear cute but they are fatal for your home. They are an utter nuisance to the chimney and the wall. The professionals of the Ottawa Pest Removal use box or cage traps to get hold of the squirrels unaffected and alive. If you try this at home without an expert’s supervision, the rodent may die. The squirrels also get panicked and run over anything when they sense danger like pest control. At this time, the experts with their trained skills manage to get them.
