Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) are not uncommon in parks full of walkers. Although they are usually skittish, they approach people, of course, for a reason. Each easily obtained morsel of food is a treat for them, because they will always find something original. And this is a hazelnut, and this is a walnut or some other treat.
Let's not feed the squirrels anything
Many people, however, do not know that squirrels should not be fed with everything we have at hand. These animals do not have such an instinct to distinguish between good food and bad food.
The squirrel is a rodent and, like most of them, eats mainly plant food. These are primarily coniferous tree seeds extracted from cones, nuts, and seeds of other trees. So let's remember that when we feel like feeding these beautiful creatures, let's not bring them cookies, bread, rolls, any foods seasoned with salt, spices, and heavily processed. The list is long, so in short - feed them only nuts, preferably in shells - they will handle the extraction of the grain without problems.
Squirrels and rabies
Squirrels, although they look innocent and you would like to cuddle up to this sweet face, are predators that can carry dangerous diseases. One of them is, for example, rabies. Therefore, remember to keep the right distance while feeding, and in the event of a scratch or bite, see a doctor immediately.
The greatest natural enemy of the squirrel
The predator eats the predator. It may be a paradox, but the biggest enemy of squirrels is another redhead, namely the marten. It is much more agile and faster than a squirrel, but skirmishes between these animals have different endings, the marten does not always win.
The second dangerous enemy is the hawk. This probably does not need to be explained, because the hawk can handle even a large hare, let alone a small squirrel.
However, the squirrel itself is not sacred, it can eat chicks and eggs from the nests. Penetrates man-made birdhouses. The squirrel also does not despise other food, it is often lizards, frogs or insects.
Squirrel sclerosis
Unfortunately, squirrels have a poor memory. When they have an excess of food or are full, they bury it in the ground. Unfortunately, their memory is very short, and after about 15 minutes they don't remember where they buried their food, and have to look for it afterwards.
However, this has its advantages, because in this way they contribute to the dispersal of seeds and the growth of new trees. When I wander through the forests, I see that it is quite a large scale, because in the middle of a coniferous forest, for example, small oak trees grow, although no oak grows within a radius of several hundred meters.
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Photo: Panasonic Lumix Gh5
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So cute. Red squirrels are native to the UK but they disappeared due to the introduction of the grey squirrel.
There are a lot of them in my park 🙂
That's amazing 😊
Yes, I'm glad I have a place to escape from the concrete jungle 😉
That's good. 😊
When I was a kid, I had this trick for squirrels. I'd break nuts into small pieces, put them in the palm of my hand, and when a squirrel wanted to eat them, I'd scratch its chin.
For me, they react to tapping a walnut on a wooden bench, they fly together instantly 😉