Granola is a typical snack dish that is made up of oats, honey, nuts, or sweeteners like brown sugar. They are often made up of puffed rice also. Many vets say that squirrels should avoid granola as much as possible. Hence, one should avoid feeding their squirrel with granola.
If you want to know more about feeding granola to your squirrels, keep reading till the end!
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Do Squirrels Eat Granola?
Squirrels are avid eaters and eat whatever food they are fed with. These little critters are known to be opportunistic eaters. They are omnivores; hence they eat almost anything.
However, a squirrel owner or a squirrel rearer should ensure that their tiny rodent gets the appropriate diet that helps it to grow.
Granola is made up of oats, nuts, honey, dried fruits, brown sugar, and even puffed rice which is baked until it turns crisp and looks toasted and golden brown. It contains a large number of calories and sodium. It also contains sugar, fats, carbohydrates, fibers, and proteins.
You can judge the nutritional value of granola by the quantity you wish to eat in a day. Excessing granola could put you or your rodent through some trouble.
However, granola has a good side too. They can prove to be a very healthy diet because of the carbohydrates they contain. Many athletes munch on granola to retrieve their energy.
Squirrels can eat granola, but excess of this meal could cause them much more harm than good. Also, granola contains a lot of sugar. Due to its sugar content, granola should be avoided and shouldn’t be fed to squirrels in large amounts. Providing them as a snack only is the ideal option.
Can Squirrels Eat Granola Bars?
Granola Bar is a mixture of oats and other ingredients such as dried fruits, raisins, nuts, coconuts, brown sugar, etc. Granola Bar is eaten as a snack.
Traditional granola is made up of a whole-grain cereal that is made up of nuts, whole oats, honey, and dried fruits. Many granola bars contain refined grains such as wheat flakes, rice flour as well as crispy rice, which is a mixture of sugar, malt extract, rice flour, and salt.
Squirrels can eat granola bars, but the feeder should ensure that they do not exceed a specific limit while feeding it to the little critter.
Granola bars can make a good breakfast or snack-time meal. However, they shouldn’t be given in abundance. Too many granola bars can cause harm to a squirrel. A granola bar contains a tremendous amount of sugar, and serving it to the squirrel can be dangerous. A squirrel can get super active after devouring a granola bar.
Hence, squirrels shouldn’t be fed granola bars in excess. They should be served occasionally and can even be used as a treat for the little rodent.
Is Granola Safe For Squirrels?
Granola comes under the label of unhealthy foods when it comes to squirrels. Granola and granola bars contain a large amount of sugar.
Sugar boosts a person with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. A squirrel, already a lively and energetic creature, gets overwhelmed after intaking sugar. After having too much sugar, a squirrel becomes super active and could even turn out to be aggressive or destructive.
To avoid such a situation, one should refrain from serving their squirrel with a large amount of any food that contains a lot of sugar content, for instance, granola.
Hence, granola isn’t very safe for a squirrel and should be served in tits and bits only. It should be given to the rodent as a treat, occasionally.
Can Birds Eat Granola?
Birds can be fed with granola without any worries. It is a fact that birds can be provided with any cereal. It is safe and secure.
Birds like to eat muesli, oat-based food products, and most importantly, granola. They can eat granola in both forms, granola bar or food meal.
Although granola has a large amount of sugar content, it does not cause any harm to a bird’s health or immunity. Putting out small quantities of granola, muesli, and oat-based foods is a wise decision because it quickly turns into an unpalatable pulp which is messy.
So, yes, birds can eat granola, and they do not cause any harm or problem to a bird’s health or immune system whatsoever.
What Cereal Can Squirrels Eat?
Cereals comprise one of the significant parts of a squirrel’s diet. Squirrels love to eat cereals because they contain nuts and grains.
A significant benefit of eating cereal is that it contains a tremendous amount of sugar. This sugar content helps to boost the energy of a squirrel. It further helps them to look for more food to eat and store for later use. However, note that cereals can overwhelm the tiny rodents and can even turn them aggressive.
Chex, Cheerios, Shredded wheat, Cap’n Crunch, and corn flakes are some of the cereals that a squirrel loves to munch upon. Let’s talk more about them.
1. Chex
Chex is a cereal that is available in different forms. It is a snack available in nine different flavors. The cereal comprises whole grain corn, salt, corn starch, baking soda, and cornmeal. Vitamin E is added to the cereal to add freshness to the meal.
Chex contains a good amount of nutritional value. It includes carbohydrates, fibers, and some amount of sugar. One serving of chex contains about six grams of fiber and five grams of sugar, and the first ingredient of a chex is whole grain wheat.
2. Cheerios
Cheerios are an excellent breakfast snack. They are affordable and are packed with significant nutrients. They are even low in fats and calories.
Cheerios are processed cereals, and some of their flavors contain a lot of sugar. These flavors should be avoided. They are made up of corn starch, whole grain oats, salt, sugar, tripotassium phosphate, and Vitamin E, which are added to preserve the freshness of the cereal.
It contains many vital nutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Calcium Carbonate, Zinc, and Iron. These nutrients can help a squirrel to grow physically.
3. Shredded Wheat
Shredded wheat is a famous breakfast cereal that is made up of whole wheat, which is finally formed into pillow-sized biscuits.
Shredded wheat biscuits are available in three different shapes and sizes: original, miniature, and bite-sized. Shredded wheat is a super healthy cereal.
It can give an extra boost of fibers and anti-oxidants if the cereal is topped with fresh and frozen berries.
Shredded wheat is the most healthy cereal of all as it contains a high amount of fiber and protein. This cereal is low in sugar, and this point makes it the best grain.
If paired with other nutritious foods, then shredded wheat appears to be the most promising cereal out of all others that have been mentioned.
4. Cap’n Crunch
Cap’n Crunch is a famous breakfast cereal that supplies grains and is an excellent source of seven vital nutrients that are required to sustain.
Cap’n Crunch is low in fat, is known to be cholesterol-free, and contains 1 gram of fiber with no lubricants. If it is taken with milk, it is believed to be the healthiest diet.
5. Corn Flakes
The corn flakes cereal is very popular and makes it to the television with its advertisements daily.
However, contrary to what is shown in the ad, corn flakes aren’t very healthy as a cereal. It does not help in weight loss. However, corn flakes are low in fat.
Corn flakes carry a large amount of sugar which substitutes for fat, and thus this makes the breakfast cereal very unhealthy.
What Foods Are Toxic to Squirrels?
There are a few food items that you should never feed to squirrels. Given below are some of the most toxic ones.
1. Junk Food
Just like humans, junk and fatty food aren’t preferable for squirrels too. Most junk food is high in sugar and salt content. The high sugar content can cause the squirrels to become hyperactive, agitated, and anxious.
Junk food items like pizza or hotdogs are also not a part of a squirrel’s diet and can upset its stomach significantly.
2. Pet Food
Pet food mainly contains meat. Now, pet food can’t fulfill the nutrient requirements of a squirrels as they aren’t carnivorous. Additionally, feeding too much meat-based content to squirrels can lead to their death too.
3. Certain Vegetables
There are a few vegetables such as bell peppers, okra, eggplant, garlic, turnip, spinach, and many more, that are toxic to squirrels. So, avoid them at all costs.
Final Thoughts
Granola is a favorite meal that is prepared from oats, honey, dried fruits, nuts, and more. It has high amounts of sugar and can be hazardous for a squirrel.
Squirrels should be fed a balanced diet, and they shouldn’t be served foods that contain a large amount of sugar. Granola bars are almost equal to granola.
Squirrels are opportunistic eaters, and they should be stopped from eating food products that carry too much sugar. We hope that this article acted as a guide for you!
