Ever spot a squirrel darting across your yard and wonder what it would eat if you left something out? Squirrels usually go for nuts, seeds, fruits, and sometimes fungi or insects, but honestly, they’ll try almost anything edible.
If you want the quick version: offer them nuts and seeds, skip sugary or processed snacks, and steer clear of foods that might harm them.
As you keep watching, you’ll notice how squirrels’ diets shift with species, season, and age. Some urban squirrels even raid bird feeders or nibble eggs when they get desperate.
Let’s walk through what they eat, what to avoid, and some of the weirder things squirrels will snack on when they’re hungry.
What Would Squirrels Eat: Core Foods and Diet Habits
Squirrels chase after high-energy foods they can eat right away or stash for later. They need hard-shelled nuts, small seeds, and soft fruits to power through daily life and survive winter.
Squirrels Eat Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds really make up the backbone of a squirrel’s diet. You’ll catch them working on acorns, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, chestnuts, almonds, and beechnuts.
These foods pack in fat, protein, and calories—key for building up fat stores. Squirrels use those strong front teeth to crack shells and usually peel the nuts out of husks while sitting or standing on the ground.
They love smaller seeds too, like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts. You might catch them at bird feeders or under pine trees, picking up conifer seeds and cone scales.
Scatter-hoarding is a big deal for squirrels—they bury snacks in shallow spots all over, hoping to find them again when food runs low.
Fruits and Vegetables Squirrels Love
Squirrels eat a bunch of fruits and some garden veggies when they get the chance. Apples are a favorite—yep, they’ll munch on fallen apples or anything hanging low enough to reach.
They grab pears, grapes, and berries when they’re ripe. Vegetables like yellow squash and sweet corn also tempt them in gardens and compost piles.
Fruit gives them quick sugars and water. Vegetables add fiber and vitamins. You’ll see squirrels shift to fruit during summer and early fall, then switch back to nuts and seeds as things cool off.
Seasonal and Opportunistic Foods Eaten by Squirrels
Squirrel diets really change with the seasons and what’s around. In autumn, they collect acorns, beechnuts, and chestnuts like crazy to prep for winter.
Those hidden stashes get them through cold months when fresh food disappears. In spring and summer, they eat more insects, fungi, buds, and green plants.
Urban squirrels often grab human food scraps and raid bird feeders for seeds. They just eat what’s nearby—conifer seeds in pine forests, orchard fruit near farms, or pumpkin seeds and squash in gardens.
Diet Differences: Types of Squirrels, Age, and Unusual Foods
Squirrel diets shift based on species, age, and what’s available. Some squirrels stick to nuts and cones, others go for fungi or ground plants. Young squirrels need milk first, then high-protein foods as they grow.
Foods Preferred by Different Squirrel Species
Red squirrels mainly eat conifer seeds and pine nuts. You’ll spot them tearing into cones and stashing the scales, mostly from spruce, fir, and pine.
Gray squirrels and fox squirrels prefer tree nuts like acorns, walnuts, hickory, and pecans. They’ll also munch on buds, fruits, and the occasional garden vegetable.
Fox squirrels, being a bit bigger, usually handle larger nuts more often than grays.
Ground squirrels go for seeds, grasses, roots, and some insects. You’ll see them digging around for bulbs and tubers on open ground.
Flying squirrels eat fungi, lichens, and nuts, but they’ll also grab insects and sometimes even bird eggs.
Baby Squirrels and Their Dietary Needs
Baby squirrels need their mom’s milk for the first 6–8 weeks. If you ever have to care for an orphan, you should use a formula made for squirrels or small mammals—never cow’s milk, since that can hurt them.
Feed them small, frequent amounts and keep them warm. After about two months, young squirrels start on solid foods like softened nuts, soft fruit, and chopped veggies.
They need extra protein at that stage, so toss in some cooked egg or bits of insects. Gradually reduce milk and bump up solid foods as they learn to crack nuts.
Be gentle with babies. Skip bread as a staple—it’s just not nutritious enough. Chocolate’s a no-go too, since theobromine can poison them.
If you’re not sure, reach out to a wildlife rehabilitator for advice on feeding schedules and formulas.
Animal-Based and Uncommon Foods in the Squirrel Diet
Squirrels mostly eat plants, but they’re definitely opportunistic. Sometimes you’ll catch them grabbing insects, caterpillars, or grasshoppers just to get a bit more protein.
Ground squirrels, and even some fox or gray squirrels, go after eggs or small vertebrates if they stumble upon them.
Certain species munch on fungi and end up spreading fungal spores around. Flying squirrels seem to depend on fungi and lichens even more than tree squirrels do.
If protein gets scarce—especially for pregnant or nursing females—squirrels might nibble on carrion or even tiny reptiles.
Try not to feed squirrels processed human foods. Bread doesn’t really help them, and chocolate? That’s actually toxic.
If you want to offer wild squirrels a snack, stick with unsalted nuts, fruit pieces, or food made for wildlife. That way, you help them out without causing harm.
