You spot a squirrel darting across your lawn and wonder—what do these little guys actually eat day to day? Most squirrels go for nuts, seeds, fruits, and the occasional insect, but honestly, what’s on the menu depends a lot on the species and even the season.
Ever notice how acorns and sunflower seeds keep popping up? There’s a reason for that, and I’ll get into how fruits and fungi fit in too. Sometimes, squirrels even eat insects or eggs—who knew? It really depends on what kind of squirrel you’re looking at and what time of year it is.
What Squirrels Eat: Core Foods and Dietary Habits
Squirrels go for a mix: high-fat nuts, sweet fruits, soft fungi, and sometimes a bit of animal protein. You’ll catch them stashing nuts for winter, munching fruit for a quick sugar rush, nibbling mushrooms, and occasionally grabbing eggs or insects for extra protein.
Nuts and Seeds in the Squirrel Diet
Nuts and seeds really make up the core of a squirrel’s meals. You’ll spot them searching for acorns, walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts because those are loaded with fat and calories.
Those fats help them stay warm and stock up for winter. Squirrels also love sunflower and pumpkin seeds, whether from a feeder or fallen crops.
They crack tough shells with their teeth and use their little paws to hold food. Ever see a squirrel burying a nut? That’s classic caching—they’re saving snacks for later, and honestly, sometimes they forget where they put them, which is how new trees get started.
Favorite Fruits and Vegetables for Squirrels
Squirrels don’t mind mixing it up with fruit. They’ll go for apples, pears, grapes, berries, and even peaches if they’re in reach.
Ripe, sugary fruit gives them quick energy and hydration. You might catch them eating corn, peas, or squash if there’s a garden nearby.
Just don’t feed them bread or chocolate—bread doesn’t offer much nutrition, and chocolate can actually be dangerous. If you want to treat a squirrel, stick to fresh fruit over processed snacks.
Fungi and Mushrooms in Squirrels’ Diet
In wooded areas, squirrels go after fungi and mushrooms. They’ll eat truffles and small mushrooms growing on the forest floor.
Fungi give them nutrients and minerals they can’t always get from nuts or fruit. Some squirrels can sniff out underground mushrooms and dig them up with their paws.
Certain species depend on fungi more when nuts are hard to find. Not every mushroom is safe, though—squirrels can handle a lot, but not all fungi are good for them.
Bird Eggs, Insects, and Occasional Meat
If a squirrel gets the chance, it’ll eat bird eggs, insects, or even small animals. Sometimes you’ll see one raiding a bird nest or eating caterpillars, beetles, or grasshoppers.
This happens more in spring or when they’re raising babies, since protein is important for growth. Squirrels almost never hunt big prey, but sometimes they’ll eat small rodents or nestlings.
Meat isn’t a staple—it’s more of a bonus. If you spot a squirrel eating an egg or bug, it’s just taking advantage of what’s available.
Squirrel Species, Seasonal Eating, and Special Diets
Squirrels eat all sorts of things: nuts, seeds, fruits, insects, and sometimes eggs or small animals. Their food choices shift with the seasons, their species, and whether they’re tree-dwellers or ground squirrels.
Seasonal Changes in Squirrel Diets
In spring, you’ll notice squirrels eating buds and young shoots. Tree squirrels like gray and red squirrels go after new leaves, flower buds, and fresh fruit as soon as it shows up.
They’ll also eat insects and caterpillars in spring when they need protein to recover from winter. Summer means more fruits, berries, and seeds.
Squirrels start eating more nuts and soft fruits then. You’ll probably see them burying nuts all over the place—scatter-hoarding is their way of prepping for the leaner months.
In fall, nuts take center stage. Acorns, walnuts, and hazelnuts become top priority, especially for fox and gray squirrels.
They bury huge stashes and check on them often. When winter hits and fresh food gets scarce, squirrels rely on those hidden nuts, bark, seeds, and leftover fruits.
Some ground squirrels just hibernate and live off their body fat instead.
Diet Differences Among Squirrel Species
Tree squirrels—like gray, fox, and red squirrels—focus on nuts, seeds, fruit, and fungi. Gray and fox squirrels especially love acorns and big nuts.
Red squirrels eat more seeds and fungi, and sometimes raid bird nests. Flying squirrels are mostly nocturnal.
They eat fruits, nuts, fungi, and even tree sap. Some flying squirrels eat more insects and sap than their daytime cousins.
Ground squirrels go for more green plants and insects. Many are omnivores, eating grass, seeds, caterpillars, and sometimes small animals.
Some tropical ground squirrels eat a lot of arthropods, while others stick mostly to plants.
What Baby Squirrels and Ground Squirrels Eat
Baby squirrels start out on their mom’s milk. Don’t feed them solids until they’re old enough to chew.
As they grow, they’ll try soft fruits, tender greens, and a few small insects. By the time they leave the nest, young squirrels practice cracking soft nuts and hiding food.
Young ground squirrels move from milk to grass, seeds, and insects pretty quickly. They might start digging for seeds and bugs early on.
If you ever care for an orphaned baby squirrel, follow rehab guidelines—formula first, and then a little cooked fruit or softened nuts as they get older.
Human Foods: What Urban Squirrels Eat
Urban squirrels munch on plenty of the same wild foods, but in cities, they’ve definitely picked up a taste for human snacks. You’ll spot them nibbling on bread, grabbing peanuts from feeders, and even digging into birdseed mixes or leftover fruit.
Squirrel feeders usually draw in gray squirrels and fox squirrels. If you use a feeder, try to skip anything that molds easily, and stick to unsalted nuts—nothing fancy.
Don’t feed squirrels processed snacks, chocolate, or salty foods. Those are bad news for their health, plain and simple.
If you’re hoping to help, just offer plain unsalted nuts or maybe some apple slices. Specialized squirrel feed works too, but honestly, it’s best not to make them dependent on handouts.
Curious about what squirrels usually eat or how they act? Britannica has a decent overview: What Do Squirrels Eat? | Diet, Lifestyle, & Facts.
