What Are Squirrel Blocks And Recipes You Can Use

Whether you have a squirrel as a pet, are rehabilitating a squirrel, or want to feed the squirrels in your area, you need to ensure the squirrels eat well-balanced, nutritious food that will keep them healthy. While searching for this food, you will come across squirrel blocks, but what are these, and are they good for your squirrels?

Squirrel blocks are cubes of food that are baked and given to squirrels to supplement their diets. Squirrel blocks are made from various ingredients that ensure they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein that the squirrels need to stay healthy and live happy lives.

This article will go through what squirrel blocks are and how to make your own with an easy and simple recipe to ensure the squirrels you feed to stay healthy and happy, as well as some of the best on the market, so keep reading!

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What Are Squirrel Blocks?

Squirrels are mammals that need specific nutritional requirements to live healthy lives, whether kept in captivity or roaming free in your neighborhood.

It can be challenging to make sure that your captive squirrel receives the nutrients they need daily to thrive, or you might be a concerned squirrel lover who wants to ensure the local squirrels have what they need to live healthy lives.

Whichever category you fall under, you may have heard about squirrel blocks, but what are squirrel blocks exactly? Squirrel blocks are cubes of food baked and given to squirrels to supplement their diets.

Squirrel blocks contain various ingredients that ensure they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein that the squirrels need to stay healthy.

You can make these squirrel blocks at home or buy them from your local animal store.

The blocks you buy premade will generally go by rodent blocks, and they can vary in nutrition based on the band you purchase. However, squirrel blocks are easy to make at home, so most people choose to make them as they can control the nutrient content closely.

Squirrel Block Ingredients

The ingredients will vary, depending on whether you buy, or make your own squirrel blocks. That said, below are some ingredients found in the Exotic Nutrition Rodent Blocks.

Dehulled Soybean, Cobalt Carbonate, Zinc, Wheat, Thiamine Oxide, Fish Meal, Corn, Calcium Iodate, Cane Molasses, Limestone, Corn Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles, etc.

If this is your first time feeding your squirrel rodent blocks, contact your veterinarian. They will be able to tell you which ingredients are vital and which blocks are the best.

Why Do People Give Squirrel Blocks To Squirrels?

Squirrel blocks are an excellent way to ensure the squirrels in your care or garden receive the nutrients they need to remain happy and healthy for the rest of their lives.

Like all mammals, squirrels require a balanced diet to ensure a healthy lifestyle. A captive or pet squirrel’s diet consists of 80% squirrel blocks and 20% healthy fresh vegetables and fruits.

This is because the squirrel blocks are packed with nutrients that help keep the squirrels healthy and satisfied, and the fresh vegetables and fruits are so they can have a bit of variety in their diets to prevent them from becoming bored with their food.

How To Make Homemade Squirrel Blocks

We mentioned that you could buy premade squirrel blocks from your local animal store or make your own at home. Most people choose to make their own as they have greater control over what goes into the squirrel blocks and how nutritious they are, but how do you make your own?

Squirrel blocks are relatively easy to make and shouldn’t take long to complete, and they ensure your squirrel receives the nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Let’s go through the best squirrel block recipe recommended by many squirrel owners and professionals, as it’s packed with nutrients.

What You Will Need

Before making your squirrel blocks, you will need to gather a few ingredients. These ingredients are easy to find at your local stores and keep for a while, so you can buy most of them in bulk and store them until you need to make more squirrel blocks.

This makes the ingredients cheaper in the long run.

The following is enough to make a 4-week supply of squirrel blocks for a 1-pound squirrel. But, of course, you can always double the recipe, depending on how much you want to prepare in advance.

4.5 oz (130g) ground nuts
One teaspoon of baking powder (aluminum-free)
1/3 cup wheat flour
2.8 oz (80g) Pure Whey Protein Isolate
One pack of Henry’s Healthy Vitamins
One teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract
½ cup of water (or more if needed)
One whole egg

This video walks you through step by step on the perfect squirrel block recipe.

Method To Make The Squirrel Blocks

Before mixing the ingredients, preheat your oven to 205˚F.

Then mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and then slowly add in the wet ingredients, stirring the mixture thoroughly with a fork as you go.

When properly mixed, the mixture should resemble a pie crust dough, so it will be pretty dry. Lightly oil your hands and remove the dough from the bowl. Knead the dough until it can form a ball. Then place the dough on a lightly oiled surface and continue to knead it until it is uniform in color, about 5 minutes.

Roll the squirrel block dough out and place it onto a lightly greased baking tray. Bake the dough for one and a half hours, then remove it from the oven. While the dough is still warm, cut it into 60 pieces and then allow them to cool completely.

Place the pieces into Zip-lock bags and store them in your freezer or fridge. These squirrel blocks will keep in your fridge for a few weeks and in your freezer for a few months.

You can feed them to your squirrels cold or frozen or warm them up in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.

Considerations When Making Squirrel Blocks

When making homemade squirrel blocks, there are considerations you need to keep in mind while you make them. These are important and will ensure the squirrel blocks are perfect for the squirrels you want to feed. Let’s go through some of these considerations.

How To Find Squirrel Block Recipes?

Finding squirrel block recipes is easy, search online websites such as; Reddit.com, YouTube, SquirrelRefuge.org for some of the best squirrel food recipes.

These websites provide various homemade squirrel block recipes, including ingredients and cooking instructions. Always consult a veterinarian before feeding the mammals to ensure they are safe and provide the essential nutrients for a balanced diet.

The Squirrels Natural Habitat

When you make your squirrel blocks, you need to keep in mind the natural habitat of the squirrels you want to feed. Different squirrels come from varied environments, meaning they will have different food options in the wild.

You need to keep these foods in mind while making your squirrel blocks.

For example, you need to research which nuts the squirrels are likely to eat in their environments and use these in the blocks. This will ensure the squirrels eat precisely what they need to stay healthy.

Ingredients To Avoid When Making Squirrel Blocks

When feeding squirrels and making them homemade squirrel blocks, you must be careful what you add to them. Some foods are harmful, or even deadly, to squirrels if they eat them.

You must avoid these foods cashews, corn, dried fruit, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, figs, prunes, palm hearts, and more.

If this is your first time making homemade rodent blocks, it’s best to follow a recipe online. Once you’ve made a few batches, you can throw in extra ingredients to add more flavor and keep your squirrels happy.

Research what foods squirrels can eat and what foods you should never give them before making your own squirrel blocks without a recipe.

Best Rodent Blocks For Squirrels

Some people are too busy to make squirrel blocks or don’t enjoy baking. If this is you, then don’t worry. We’ll share some of the best rodent blocks you can order online.

Exotic Nutrition

Rodent Blocks: Sold by Exotic Nutrition Pet Supply Company, these rodent blocks are perfect for guinea pigs, mice, rats, hamsters, degus, and squirrels.

These healthy snacks are great for additional treats or for giving your a nutritionally complete and balanced diet.

They consist of the following:

Moisture: 10%
Ash: 8.0%
Crude Protein: 16%
Crude Fiber: 5.0%
Crude Fat: 6.0%

You can find out more about these by visiting the company’s website by clicking here.

Henry’s Healthy Rodent Blocks

These are one of the most popular on the market. The company uses simple natural ingredients (unfortunately, they don’t share their recipe) and are perfect for squirrels, mice, rats, chipmunks, flying squirrels, and other small species.

You can purchase Henry’s Wild Bites on Amazon or the main company website. Click here to purchase on Amazon.

The blocks consist of the following minerals and vitamins:

Magnesium: 26 mg
Protein: 2.4 grams
Fat: 2.7 grams
Vitamin A: 125 IU
Sodium: 7.5 mg
Vitamin E: 3 IU
Calcium: 287 mg
Vitamin D: 58 IU

The blocks are free from preservatives and provide the animals with balanced calcium; phosphorous ratio and the proper amount of vitamins and minerals to promote a healthy immune system.

When buying rodent blocks online, make sure you read the label. Most manufacturers provide a list of the ingredients and instructions on how to feed your pet.

Are Henry’s Squirrels Blocks Good?

With over 1,000 reviews on Amazon and squirrel forums, many squirrel owners love Henry’s squirrel blocks. This video shows baby squirrels eating their first squirrel blocks.

The company has an excellent reputation and has become a leader in the industry, so you can’t go wrong with feeding squirrels Henry’s squirrel blocks.

Final Word

Squirrel blocks are an excellent way to ensure your pet squirrels or the squirrels in your neighborhood receive the nutrients they need to stay healthy and happy and live long lives.

You can buy premade squirrel blocks, but most people prefer to make their own, as they are easy to make and offer more control over what the squirrels will eat.

Making your squirrel blocks allows you to adjust the blocks to each squirrel’s individual needs. If you don’t have time to make your own blocks, choose from some of the best premade blocks on the market, such as Henry’s rodent blocks.

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