How To Make Squirrel Food For Squirrels? [Great for Pet Squirrels]


how to make squirrel food for squirrels

Regardless of where you live, chances are you’ve seen squirrels in your backyard raiding your bird feeders, and destroying your flower beds. But what if there was a way to keep the squirrels away from your bird feeders, and out of your garden? Or maybe you have a pet squirrel and want to make them homemade food? Well, you can and here’s everything you need to know.

Making your own squirrel food is not hard, and it can deter them from raiding your bird feeders, fruit trees, etc. Below is the list of things you’ll need to make your own inexpensive homemade squirrel blocks. The best part is you likely already have the stuff in your pantry.

  • ½ Cup vegetables, (blueberries, zucchini, butternut, etc)
  • 2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ Water
  • 3 eggs (throw one in with the shell)
  • ½ Apple sauce
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • ½ (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree
  • 100g Henry’s Healthy Vitamins
  • 1 Tbsp Calcium
  • 2 Tsp Baking powder
  • ⅔ Wheat flour
  • 1 ¾ Vanilla protein powder
  • 3 Cups of blended nuts or 454g Nut / Almond flour
  • Pinch of cranberries, pumpkin seeds, or flax seeds

It’s not hard to make your own squirrel food, and the best part is it can be less expensive than buying it online or a pet store. Of course, it depends on what you have in your pantry. This video walks you through the process of making your own squirrel food, keep reading to read the full in writing tutorial.

Most people reading this article will use this recipe for their pet squirrel, as a pet squirrel is unable to get the nutrients as easily as a wild one.

But making your own squirrel can also be a great way to attract squirrels to your backyard, keep them away from the birds, or feed your pet squirrel. However before making your homemade squirrel food, there are some things you should be aware of.

What Foods Do Squirrels Like?

Squirrels are not too different from humans when it comes to their taste buds. They like sweet, salty, and fatty foods. However, they also like crunchy and soft foods as well. That doesn’t mean they can eat anything and everything.

Like us, they have certain foods they are allergic to. And while some of their favorites might not be the best for them, they can’t help but love it.

So, if you’re looking for ideas on what to put in your homemade squirrel food, here are some suggestions.

Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, berries, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew

Vegetables: carrots, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, peas, beans

Nuts and seeds: almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds (avoid feeding them peanuts, as they are not good for them)

To make your own squirrel food blocks, you will need:

-A food processor

-A baking dish or tray

-Cookie cutters (optional)

-Parchment paper

Instructions for Making Homemade Squirrel Blocks

The first thing you’ll want to do is gather all the ingredients. You don’t want to get started only to realize that you don’t have everything you’ll need. Next, preheat the oven or convection oven.

Preheating the Cooking Appliance

Set the appliance to bake and preheat to 350°F. Some people have said that the convection setting on a convection oven works best, especially, if you live in an area where there is high humidity. The squirrel blocks have a difficult time drying, so you’ll need to find out which setting works best for you.

Blend the Ingredients

Cut up the vegetables you’ll be using and put them in the blender, along with the water, eggs, and vanilla extract. Then blend until all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

Use A Mixer

Pour the blended ingredients into a mixer and combine the rest of the ingredients. If you blended a whole egg with the shell, make sure to use a spatula to remove the excess as it will stick to the bottom of the blender.

Once all the ingredients are added, mix until all the ingredients are blended properly. Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the mixer to ensure all the calcium, powders and etc are mixed properly.

You’re looking for a doughy texture that will be easy to spread.

Put On Parchment Paper

Tear off a piece of parchment paper and layer it on a cookie sheet. Next pour the mixture in the middle, and use a spatula to spread it all out nice and even. The mixture will be sticky so keep that in mind.

You want to spread the mixture until it is even all the way through, this will ensure it cooks evenly throughout.

How Long Does It Take to Bake Homemade Squirrel Blocks?

The cooking time will vary depending on the cook temperature, and the type of appliance you’re using. Some convection ovens cook a lot faster than regular ovens. However, you can expect them to bake for about 60 minutes.

As mentioned above, the cooking time will vary, so you’ll want to monitor it to make sure it cooks thoroughly.

Do I Have to Flip The Squirrel Blocks?

If you live in a high humidity area, you may need to flip the blocks to make sure the bottom is cooked properly. To flip the squirrel blocks, use a cookie rack or jerky drying sheet and lay it upside down on the top of the cooked squirrel blocks.

Then use some oven gloves to flip the cookie sheet on top of the rack. Remove the cooking sheet and then carefully remove the parchment paper from the squirrel block. If you’re having issues removing the parchment paper, it’s the block is sticking to the parchment paper in clumps, you didn’t cook it long enough.

So, if this happens, you’ll need to put it back in the oven to cook it longer.

How Long Do I Let The Squirrel Blocks Rest?

After the blocks are done cooking, pull them out of the oven and place them on a cooling rack for no less than one hour. Once cooled, you can cut the blocks into one inch squares.

After they have cooled completely and are no longer warm, place some in a zip lock bag so you can access them quickly. The rest of the batch put them in an air tight vacuum sealed bag for when you’re ready to use them.

Should You Make Your Own Squirrel Food?

Making your own squirrel food can be easy, but it doesn’t mean everyone should. If you decide to, it’s important to make sure you’re adding the proper nutrients and vitamins they need. Otherwise the squirrels can suffer from severe illnesses that can be painful, such as MBT, which is a serious calcium deficiency.

How to Feed Them to Your Squirrels

To feed them to your pet squirrel, just give them one of the squirrels and they’ll take it from there. If you’re planning on feeding the wild squirrels in your backyard, you may wan to consider getting a squirrel feeder.

You can find these at your local pet store, or online. There are many different types of squirrel feeders, so you’ll want to do some research to see which one is best for you and your needs.

And that’s it! You’ve now made your very own homemade squirrel food!

Related Articles

Recent Posts