Squirrels eat various foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, and banana is one of their favorite foods. They love to eat them when they find these fruits in their natural habitat.
Can Squirrels Eat Bananas? Squirrels can eat bananas because these are omnivore animals and opportunistic feeders. In addition, it is a high-sugar food, rich in nutrients and water. They can eat 3 to 5 slices of bananas once a week according to their body weight and species. Avoid giving bananas to baby squirrels up to 8 to 10 weeks because of their less developed digestive system.
They also love to eat things made of bananas, including bread and jams. In addition, they also consume these fruits in fresh and dried form. Many of their species like to eat the leaves of banana trees.
Why do squirrels eat bananas?
They love to eat bananas when you give them. In addition, they also consider them as treat food because of their sugar content. You can give these fruits to increase bonding with squirrels.
Omnivore animals
Squirrels are omnivore animals that meet their dietary needs from plants and animal sources. However, they meet 95% of the requirements from plant and nuts-based diets.
They love eating fresh hay, fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Diversity in their diet is necessary to keep them healthy and active. These become nutritional deficient when relying on one source for a longer time.
It is one of their favorite fruits; they also eat their leaves. In addition, once I feed them the jam and bread made of these fruits, they love to eat them.
However, jam and bread are not good for them because of their high sugar and fat content.
Opportunistic feeders
They are opportunistic feeders and eat whatever they find in their surroundings. They eat bananas if they find them in abundance amount in their habitat.
Trees of these fruits are also located in the wild area, and most of the wild animals feed on them. In addition, red and gray squirrels are famous for their love of eating dried fruits.
They leave these fruits outside for sun-drying and store them in their nest for winter.
High in sugar
Squirrels like fruits and vegetables that have high to moderate sugar content. They like bananas most because of their sugar content.
These fruits contain simple carbohydrates that provide quick energy for running and jumping. The sugar content in the properly ripped form of fruit is more than in the unripped form because starch is converted into simple sugars.
Giving this food in moderation is necessary because overeating can make them obese and cause electrolyte imbalance.
Moreover, these animals also rely on fruits and vegetables that have high water content to meet their water requirements. They love to eat bananas when they do not find water in their surroundings to keep them hydrated.
Good nutrition content
Banana is good for squirrels, but it is necessary to give them in moderate amount. It is rich in fiber that supports their digestive system and keeps them healthy.
It has high nutritional value because of essential vitamins and minerals. It contains calcium, potassium, zinc, and vitamin C, which are necessary for the development of the body.
Vitamins and minerals make them the best anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and immune booster fruits. Moreover, it contains sucrose, fructose, and lactose, which give them quick energy.
These contain less fat and protein, decreasing the risk of heart disease in these animals. These fruits contain beta-carotene, making their vision better to identify predators and food resources.
Do baby squirrels eat bananas?
You should not give bananas to baby squirrels for up to 8 to 10 weeks because of their complex dietary needs. Babies mostly rely on the mother’s feed to meet their nutrient and water requirement.
It is not recommended for babies because their less developed digestive system does not allow proper digestion, absorption, and decomposition of solid food.
They do not have enough mechanisms to chew and ingest the larger food particles. You can see choking issues because they feel difficulty ingesting the large solid food material.
Is it safe for squirrels to eat banana peel?
They also eat banana peel, which is rich in nutrients.
It is not recommended for squirrels because of their different digestive system. Cellulose is present in their peel, which is a non-digestible compound. They do not have the cellulase enzyme in their body to digest the cellulose material, which can lead to digestive system issues.
In addition, these animals feel difficulty chewing them because of their hard fiber. Excessive consumption of peels can also lead to digestive system issues and abdominal pain because of poor digestion.
However, peels are highly nutritious, but it is necessary to give them in moderation. It also contains parasites that are harmful to the digestive system of these animals.
How many bananas can a squirrel eat in a day?
The number of bananas they can eat per day depends on various factors. Squirrels can eat them daily when their trees are near their natural habitat.
It is recommended that 3 to 5 slices of bananas are sufficient for these animals once a week.
In addition, the recommended number also increases or decreases depending on their body weight. You can give them more if they are adults and have more body weight.
2 to 3 slices once a week are enough for babies older than 10 weeks. The requirements of adults are different from young and babies. In addition, lactating and pregnant mothers also need more fruits and vegetables per day because of their body metabolisms.
Do squirrels like banana chips?
Many people make banana chips at home by making and drying their slices. In addition, these slices are commercially available in the market as packaged foods.
I do not recommend them for squirrels because these are processed foods. Packaged foods contain preservatives and artificial sweeteners that are not good for their health.
Moreover, these chips are not good for their health because of their high sugar and fat content. Red and gray squirrels are attracted to them because of their crunchy texture.
Avoid filling the feeders in your yard with these chips because they can cause health problems. High sugar and fat content make them obese and cause heart-related issues.
It is better to give these chips occasionally as a treat food and focus on their caloric count.
How do you keep squirrels away from banana trees?
It is necessary to keep these rodents away from the banana trees because you can see their bites on fruits. These can also come into your garden if they see these trees and identify the presence of food through their strong smell.
Many people use fences to deter them from their laws and trees. I think the fence is not enough, and using a wire cage for individual trees is better.
In addition, you can also grow repellent plants near their trees. I have a banana tree in my home, and squirrels usually come there to eat and ruin the fruit.
I grow the mint plant near them, which is a strong repellent. These animals do not like the smell strong smell of mint and move away from them.
Many people prefer using ultrasonic deterrent devices to protect pests from their lawns and protect their plants and trees.
These devices emit high-pitched sounds that are not bearable, and they quickly move away. You can also repel these animals with hot pepper and essential peppermint sprays.
One of my friends also used fake statues of their predators so they could not enter their garden. He used snake, owl, cat, and dog decoys so they assume they are the predators and do not ruin your fruit trees.
Related Articles:
