The sight of squirrels in gardens often prompts questions about their habits, particularly whether they eat vegetables like cucumbers. Understanding squirrel diets is key for homeowners seeking to protect their produce.
Understanding Squirrel Diets
Squirrels are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal matter. They are opportunistic feeders, adapting their intake based on seasonal availability. Their natural diet primarily consists of nuts, seeds, fruits, fungi, tree bark, and leaf buds. They also consume insects, bird eggs, and occasionally small birds or amphibians. Squirrels require water, obtaining it from direct sources, food moisture, dew, and rainwater.
Cucumbers and Squirrels
While cucumbers are not a primary food source for squirrels, they will consume them under certain conditions. This occurs particularly when other preferred foods are scarce or during dry periods, due to the cucumber’s high water content. Consumption varies; some squirrels might just nibble on the fruit, while others may eat the seeds or even peel the cucumber before consuming it. While some may ignore cucumbers, others readily consume this accessible garden produce.
Deterring Squirrels from Your Garden
Protecting gardens from squirrels involves non-harmful strategies. Physical barriers are effective, such as wire mesh fencing buried 6-8 inches deep and bent outwards to prevent digging. Covering vulnerable plants with netting or hardware cloth also helps. For fruit-bearing plants, individual fruits can be wrapped in small pieces of bird netting as they ripen.
Strong scents deter squirrels, as they dislike odors from substances like peppermint oil, white vinegar, garlic, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. These can be applied by soaking cotton balls in essential oils or spraying diluted solutions around plants; reapplication is necessary after rain. Scare tactics like motion-activated sprinklers, which deliver a sudden burst of water, can startle and discourage squirrels humanely. Owl or snake decoys can also be used, but change their locations frequently for effectiveness.
Removing attractants is important. This includes regularly cleaning up fallen fruits, nuts, and seeds, and ensuring trash cans have secure lids. Using squirrel-proof bird feeders or placing them away from garden areas can reduce temptation. Planting varieties squirrels tend to avoid, such as mint, marigolds, daffodils, or alliums, around your garden can create a less appealing environment.