Bring squirrels back to your lawn

Plants & Pets

TreeTake Network

There are a lot of people who say that you should never feed squirrels, and are looking for ways to repel squirrels. But you might find them as a nice addition to your lawn. Learning how to attract squirrels not only livens up your home but it can be a fun activity for the kids too. Squirrels are opportunistic feeders and love eating. The quickest way to lure squirrels to your home is to scatter corn on the ground at the base of a tree, hang corn on a corn feeder, or set up a squirrel feeder with some wild squirrel food, hickory nuts, walnuts, and acorns. Squirrels have a jumpy and nervous behavior because they have a lot of predators. If you want to attract these foraging critters to your backyard, these tips will help you out.

Landscaping important in attracting squirrels

These critters love trees because they make their homes in the branches of trees. They tend to prefer large hickory beech trees. Such trees have various qualities that specifically attract squirrels, such as edible nuts or flowers, branching structure that creates the hollows and crooks that squirrels like to build their nests in, and easily scalable bark. Examples of trees popular with several types of squirrels include conifers such as spruces and pines, and deciduous trees such as willows and aspens. There can be a combination of both deciduous and conifer trees. Squirrels need a place to run and hide when they feel threatened. There are a lot of things include in your lawn or terrace to lure squirrels. You can get hedges, plant a garden or flowers, plant shrubs, and bushes, lay down stacks of wood and etc. Using natural landscape can help you attract these critters. They will only come if there are places for them to hide when they feel skittish. They usually won’t come to open wide spaces, because they feel vulnerable. Planting thick vegetation or using other forms of landscape ideas can help you make your home more inviting to them. It will make them feel safe, confident, and more comfortable to play around.

Place water bowls for them

Squirrels drink a lot of water, especially in the warm weather. You put out some fresh clean water for squirrels, which can complement their food. Use short shallow bowls or a fountain to provide a fresh source of water in your yard. Put these in strategic places where squirrels might gather, like the shrubs or tree bases. Doing this gives you the best results during the summer. You’ll most likely attract squirrels and other wildlife. Make sure that you change out the water every day. It may take a while for them to come to it, especially, if there are natural water sources around your home. Don’t feel like you need to invest in any expensive fountains to get them to drink? They are not picky; the most important thing is to ensure that it’s fresh clean water!

You can go for squirrel feeder

Invest in a squirrel feeder to start attracting them. Just like people put out bird feeders to attract birds, you can do the same for your squirrels. There are literally tons of different types of squirrel feeders that you can use. These critters love sunflower seeds and when birds start dropping the seeds on the ground, this will entice the critters to come to your yard. Just be aware, that once they get the taste of the bird seed, you’ll have a hard time keeping them off of it. This is why so many bird lovers hate squirrels because they cost them hundreds on their bird seed. If you don’t want squirrels to eat the seeds, choose seeds that are specifically designed for birds like safflower seeds. They won’t eat this type of bird food and it still attracts birds such as Doves, House Finches, Sparrows, Blue Jays etc. Don’t forget a well-fed squirrel is less likely to bother your house, bird feeders, garden or any other area you don’t want them in. As they start to trust you, then you may even be able to get them to eat out of your hand.

Feeding squirrels is one of the quickest ways to bring them to your backyard. One of the best ways to do this is to scatter corn on the ground at the base of your trees. Of course, this can also attract other rodents such as mice and rats. That’s why I recommend using a squirrel feeder instead of throwing food on the ground. You can hang a feeder from one of the branches on the tree. If you’re wondering what to feed squirrels, here are some of their favorite foods besides corn: Acorns, Hickory Nuts, Walnuts. Make sure that you replenish the food when it becomes empty. Squirrels and other wildlife shouldn’t eat raw peanuts. Though a valuable protein source, they often come with a fungal toxin called aflatoxin. It’s carcinogenic and can damage the liver of squirrels and other animals. Roasting the peanuts can help reduce the aflatoxin. However, it doesn’t eliminate it in its entirety.

When they realize that your home is a source of food for them, they will be more inclined to keep coming back. They may even start building a nest in your tree or bush. They are not picky eaters and will consume most things, that’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re feeding them the right foods. Once you are able to lure one squirrel, it won’t be long before you have several running around and playing in your yard.