Garden owners often wonder if ripening tomatoes are a suitable snack for local squirrels. Understanding tomato components and squirrel dietary needs can clarify whether these fruits are a safe and beneficial addition to their diet.
Tomato Components and Squirrel Safety
Tomatoes, while a common human food, contain compounds that raise safety considerations for squirrels. Specifically, the green parts of the tomato plant, including leaves, stems, and unripe fruit, contain glycoalkaloids such as solanine and tomatine. Ingesting large quantities of these compounds can be toxic, potentially causing gastrointestinal upset or more severe issues in animals.
Ripe tomatoes contain significantly lower levels of these compounds, making them less problematic. However, tomatoes also contain oxalic acid, which can interfere with calcium absorption and contribute to kidney stone formation. While a single ripe tomato has moderate oxalic acid, consistent consumption poses a risk. Squirrels eat ripe tomatoes, often for moisture during dry periods.
Squirrel Dietary Essentials
Squirrels are omnivores with a diverse natural diet that varies seasonally and geographically. Their primary food sources in the wild include a variety of nuts like acorns, walnuts, and hickory nuts, along with seeds from different plants. They also consume fruits, fungi, tree bark, buds, and occasionally insects, bird eggs, or small animals.
While squirrels may eat ripe tomatoes, these fruits are not a staple of their natural diet and do not offer the same comprehensive nutritional benefits as their typical foraging finds. Over-reliance on human-provided foods, including tomatoes, can lead to nutritional imbalances. A squirrel’s natural diet provides the necessary fats, proteins, and carbohydrates for their active lifestyle.
Guidelines for Feeding Wild Squirrels
For individuals wishing to provide food for wild squirrels, offering appropriate options is important for their health. Safe and beneficial foods include unsalted nuts such as pecans, walnuts, and almonds, as well as seeds like sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Fresh vegetables like carrots and leafy greens can also be provided in moderation.
Avoid feeding squirrels processed human foods, sugary snacks, and salty items, as these offer little nutritional value and can lead to health problems like weight gain, dental issues, and metabolic bone disease. Chocolate, avocado, onions, and moldy items are particularly harmful. Providing fresh water, such as a bird bath, can deter squirrels from seeking moisture from garden fruits. Encouraging natural foraging supports their health and prevents dependency on human-provided food.