You see squirrels everywhere—darting around your bird feeder, poking through your garden, or leaping from tree to tree. But what do squirrels actually eat? Squirrels mostly go for nuts, seeds, fruits, and sometimes insects or small animals. Their diet shifts depending on species, season, and where they live.
Keep reading if you want to know which foods keep squirrels healthy, which treats to skip, and how their menu changes by species and season. It’ll help you feed them safely, protect your garden, and maybe figure out why that bushy-tailed critter keeps showing up.
Core Foods in a Squirrel’s Diet
Squirrels love high-fat, high-calorie plant foods they can carry, stash, and munch on later. They’ll also eat soft fruits, fungi, and, when they’re desperate, some animal matter.
Nuts and Seeds Squirrels Love
You’ll catch squirrels grabbing acorns, walnuts, and hazelnuts first. These nuts are packed with calories and last a long time. Tree squirrels depend on acorns—sometimes eating them right away, sometimes hiding them all over the place. Scatter-hoarding, they call it.
Walnuts, pecans, hickory nuts, and chestnuts are also favorites. The tough shells keep the nuts safe, and the meat gives them plenty of energy.
Seeds matter, too—sunflower, pumpkin, and pine cone seeds show up a lot. Squirrels love bird seed mixes, especially if they include safflower, poppy, and sunflower seeds. In forests, pine nuts and conifer seeds are a big deal. Sometimes, squirrels will even eat pistachios or macadamia nuts, though salted or roasted snacks from people aren’t good for them.
If you want to feed squirrels, stick to unsalted nuts. Skip the processed stuff. Watch out—they’ll hide food in little stashes everywhere to keep other squirrels from stealing.
Fruits and Vegetables Squirrels Eat
You might spot squirrels munching on berries, apples, or persimmons when the season’s right. These fruits give them quick sugars and a bit of water. In some places, persimmons are a real treat, especially in late fall when options get slim.
Squirrels also go after garden veggies like corn, peas, and squash. They’ll nibble on buds, young shoots, and even strip tree bark in spring and winter for some extra carbs. What they pick depends on where they live and what kind of squirrel they are. City squirrels might eat more people food.
If you’re offering fruit, keep it small and avoid citrus, avocado, or anything spoiled. Fresh and raw is best. Don’t overdo it—let them keep their wild foraging habits.
Mushrooms, Fungi, and Unusual Foods
Squirrels often eat mushrooms and other fungi. These foods give them nutrients and might help their digestion. Some squirrels stash truffles or dried mushrooms in woodpiles and leafy spots. It’s funny to watch them peel mushrooms or drag big pieces away.
They’ll eat insects, eggs, and even small animals sometimes. Ground squirrels and some tree squirrels catch caterpillars, beetles, or even bird eggs and nestlings if they’re hungry enough. That animal protein helps when plants are scarce.
Squirrels really adapt to what’s around. They’ll try new foods, sometimes even scavenging from leftovers or carrion. Still, most of the time, they stick to nuts, seeds, and seasonal fruits, with a little fungi and animal matter here and there.
Squirrel Diets by Species, Season, and Habitat
Squirrels munch on a mix of nuts, seeds, fruits, fungi, and sometimes animal stuff. What they eat really depends on their species, the time of year, and whether they live in the wild or near people.
Different Types of Squirrels and What They Eat
Tree squirrels like the Eastern gray, red, and fox squirrels mostly stick to nuts (acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts), seeds, and fruit. Red squirrels eat more conifer seeds and sometimes raid bird nests for eggs or nestlings when nuts run out. Gray and fox squirrels go for mast crops—especially oaks and hickories.
Ground squirrels eat more green plants and insects. The Uinta ground squirrel, for example, mostly eats grasses, leaves, and seeds. Others go after caterpillars, beetles, and now and then, small animals. Tropical ground squirrels eat more bugs and fruit.
Some small tree squirrels and tropical types have quirky diets. They might hunt for fungi and truffles, sniffing them out underground. If you know your local squirrel species, you’ll have a better idea of what they’ll eat in your yard.
Seasonal and Regional Diet Shifts
In spring and summer, squirrels go for fresh buds, flowers, fruits, and insects. You’ll notice them foraging for softer foods then.
Late summer and fall? They focus on high-fat nuts and seeds to fatten up and stash food for winter.
During winter, tree squirrels dig up their hidden nuts or chew on bark and buds. Ground squirrels in cold places hibernate and live off their body fat. In tropical regions, when the rainy season hits, there’s more fruit and insects, so squirrels eat more of those.
Where you live matters, too. Oak forests mean lots of acorn-eating gray or fox squirrels. Conifer forests have species that love pine seeds and fungi. The local trees and climate really shape what squirrels eat all year.
Urban Squirrels and Human-Provided Foods
Urban squirrels figure people out pretty quickly. They’ll munch on backyard nuts, raid garden crops, swipe bird seed, and sometimes just take whatever handouts they can get.
You’ll probably spot gray and fox squirrels hanging around feeders. Honestly, they’re clever—some can crack open those cheap squirrel-proof feeders or just scoop seed from trays.
Try not to give them bread, salty snacks, or processed stuff; those really aren’t good for their health.
If you’re set on feeding squirrels, stick with unsalted nuts (in the shell is best), some diced fruit, or food made just for squirrels.
Set up a sturdy feeder, and keep it a bit away from spots where birds usually eat, so you don’t start a turf war.
Offering natural habitat—like trees and native plants—can go a long way toward keeping urban squirrels healthier and, hopefully, out of trouble.
