Ever watched a squirrel dart around, gnawing away, and wondered how they manage to eat so many different foods? Squirrels use their strong teeth and quick little paws to crack nuts, peel fruit, and snatch up seeds. They mostly go for nuts and seeds, but you’ll catch them eating fruits, fungi, insects, eggs, and sometimes even small animals if food gets scarce.
As you look into different squirrel species and their habits, you’ll notice tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and others all pick different foods and use their own foraging tricks.
Let’s dig into what they eat, how they track it down, and how their surroundings change the way they behave.
What Squirrels Eat and How They Find Their Food
Squirrels chow down on all sorts of nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies, fungi, and sometimes even animal foods. They use sharp eyesight, a great sense of smell, memory, and a bit of copying from other squirrels to find and stash food.
Favorite Nuts and Seeds
Hard, oily nuts are pretty much squirrel gold—they pack a lot of energy. You’ll often spot them munching on acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and pine nuts. They crack shells with those impressive front teeth, then carry the nuts in their mouths or cheeks to hide for later.
Sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds from bird feeders make for quick snacks. In some places, pine cones are a big deal in winter.
If you’re offering nuts, skip raw peanuts—roasted are safer. Squirrels sort and bury many nuts, and somehow remember where they left them for weeks or even months. That caching habit keeps them alive through tough times and, honestly, it’s how new trees get planted when they forget a few.
Fruits and Vegetables in the Squirrel Diet
Squirrels don’t just stick to nuts. They’ll eat plenty of fruits and veggies if they find them. Apples, berries, and soft tree fruits give them a quick sugar boost. You might catch them stripping fruit from low branches or grabbing apples off the ground.
Garden veggies like corn, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash often get nibbled too. These offer water and carbs, but too much sugary or starchy food can mess with squirrel health, so they mix things up with nuts and seeds.
In spring, they’ll nibble tree buds and blossoms for early nutrients. They’ll eat berries and other soft fruits but, please, don’t feed them candy or processed junk.
Seasonal and Unusual Foods Squirrels Eat
Squirrels don’t eat the same thing all year. In spring, they munch on buds, shoots, flowers, and soft leaves to help with breeding and growth. Summer brings more fruits, berries, and garden crops like corn and tomatoes.
When fall rolls around, they focus on fatty nuts—acorns, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts—and ramp up their caching. Winter’s tough; they dig up their hidden nuts and will eat tree bark, cambium, twigs, and pine seeds if they have to.
You’ll even find some squirrels eating fungi and truffles. A few species can handle mushrooms that would poison people. These odd foods add variety and nutrients, especially when other plants are hard to find.
Insects and Animal-Based Foods
Most of the time, squirrels stick to plants, but they’ll grab animal food if it’s easy. You might see them eat beetles, caterpillars, larvae, and other bugs for extra protein.
Sometimes, they’ll go for bird eggs, nestlings, or even small vertebrates, but only when food runs low. So, do squirrels eat meat? Yeah, but it’s not their first choice.
They much prefer plants, using animal foods as a backup plan or just taking the opportunity if it pops up.
Squirrels in Different Environments and Feeding Behaviors
Squirrels really change up their eating habits depending on where they live and what’s around. You’ll see how their species, city life, storage tricks, and age all play a part in what they eat.
Differences Among Squirrel Species
Not all squirrels eat the same stuff or in the same way. Red squirrels focus on conifer seeds and love raiding bird feeders for sunflower seeds. Gray squirrels eat a wider menu—acorns, walnuts, fruits, and even veggies from gardens. Ground squirrels go for more grasses, roots, and bugs than their tree-dwelling cousins.
Body size and teeth make a difference. Red squirrels are smaller and fiercely guard their food stashes, while gray squirrels will travel farther to hunt for mixed nuts. Flying squirrels? They’re mostly out at night, looking for fungi and nuts.
If you want to figure out what a squirrel likes, watch where it climbs, what it tries to hide, and when it’s out foraging. Those little clues can tell you if it’s a tree, ground, or flying squirrel.
Squirrels in Urban and Backyard Settings
City squirrels and their backyard buddies get creative with food. They’ll visit bird feeders for sunflower seeds and suet, and raid gardens for tomatoes and corn. Don’t feed them bread or chocolate—bread doesn’t help them, and chocolate is actually toxic.
If you want to keep squirrels out of bird feeders, try squirrel-proof or weight-sensitive feeders. If you do feed squirrels, stick to plain, unsalted nuts or chopped fruit. Feeding can make squirrels bold, teach them your routine, and bring them back to the same spot.
Watch out for food waste. Snacks and pet food left outside will bring in squirrels, and too many in one spot can mean fights, disease, or some pretty pushy squirrels at your feeder.
Scatter Hoarding and Food Storage
Squirrels have a wild way of hiding food called scatter hoarding. You’ll see them bury acorns, walnuts, or sunflower seeds all over the place. Each stash is small, which keeps thieves away and spreads out their food supply.
Red squirrels sometimes do larder-hoarding, making bigger piles inside tree hollows. Scatter hoarding actually helps forests—some nuts they forget grow into new trees.
Squirrels use memory and smell to find their hidden snacks, especially in the fall before winter hits. If you watch them in autumn, you’ll see frantic digging and nut shuffling. They’re getting ready for the cold months, counting on those stashes to get them through.
Feeding Baby Squirrels
Looking after baby squirrels takes some care—and the right food. If you spot an orphaned little one, don’t reach for cow’s milk or bread.
Those things just aren’t good for them. I’d suggest calling a wildlife rehabilitator for advice and the right formula.
Mother squirrels nurse their babies with milk up until weaning. As the babies get a bit older, they start nibbling on things like softened nuts, mashed fruits, or even tiny insects.
You’ll usually notice a healthy baby by its steady weight gain and how alert it seems. If you need to feed a baby squirrel before help arrives, stick to only the recommended formulas.
Make sure the formula is warm and offer it in small amounts. Skip the chocolate—seriously, it’s toxic for squirrels—and leave out the bread, since it just doesn’t give them what they need.
