Squirrels are enthusiast food eaters. They love eating foods that allow them to taste various things around them. You may give a squirrel anything to eat, and you would see them munching that food happily. But one thing that affects the mood of a squirrel’s appetite is that the taste and smell of the thing they are about to eat shall be attractive enough for them to munch on it.

So if you ask squirrels eat Granola or not, the answer to this question is yes! Squirrels eat a variety of things, like cooked or uncooked. According to the specialists, one must research a squirrel’s diet beforehand. Before giving squirrels anything to eat, one must study the pros and cons of that specific diet.

What is Granola?

Granola is a breakfast cereal liked by many. It consists of nuts, honey, oil, sugar, and rice mixed and baked until golden brown and crunchy. All like Granola in the form of granola bars that are long rectangular bars giving the perfect amount of crunch. Homemade granolas are considered very healthy since they contain a handful of ingredients ranging from dried fruits and nuts to sweeteners and oats etc.

Granola is a wholesome combination of ingredients, hence is approved and loved by all. Originally made by people in Switzerland, Granola has gathered hearts all around the world. People in the States love chomping on Granola or Granola bars as their regular breakfast. Since Granola is a blend of different ingredients, adults and children don’t mind crunching on this appealing diet daily.

Can squirrels eat Granola?

Granola or granola bars contain a lot of nuts and fruits, which gives them a big reason to be loved by squirrels. Granolas are considered to be a nutritious diet.

Walnuts, peanuts, and nuts are one of the main ingredients in granola bars, so one can never question if squirrels would like granola bars or not.Granola is considered to be a wholesome diet that offers a multitude of vitamins and minerals. So now you know that squirrels can eat granolas and would love it too because of the irresistible taste these bars offer.

Nutritional facts of Granola:

Some say granolas are a healthy diet, while some disagree with this. Some believe it is a nutritious start to the day, while others think it is merely a source of obesity since it has high calories boosting one’s cholesterol levels. Nonetheless, one cannot disagree with the nutritional values that it offers.

Only a hundred grams of granola offers;

1. Around 295 mg of Sodium
2. Around 335 mg of Potassium
3. Around 5 g of dietary fiber
4. Around 10 g of Proteins
5. Around 16% of Iron
6. Around 1% of Vitamin C
7. Around 5% of Vitamin B6
8. Around 25% of Magnesium
9. Around 6% of Calcium.
10.  With this, 29 g of Sugars and,
11. Around 470 Calories

Can Granola be harmful to a squirrel?

This topic is of quite a debate. Though granola bars are full of nutrition and consist of wholesome ingredients yet their continuous intake may cause detrimental problems. Granolas are full of sugars and sweeteners, making it a toxic food if taken regularly by your squirrel.

Following are the points which make Granola an unsafe diet for a squirrel if eaten daily;

1. Granola or granola bars are made of artificial sweeteners or sugars. According to the research, sugar is an unsafe ingredient for a squirrel’s body. It can cause obesity leading to other health problems.
2. Granolas sometimes consist of cashews. Cashews have the main element of ‘Phosphorous’ that eliminates the level of Calcium in the body. With Calcium being eliminated from the body, squirrels may face lethargy and bone and teeth defects in the long run.
3. Some people add rice to their granolas, making it a high starch diet. High levels of starch are considered to be unsafe for squirrels.

Hence, it is important to be mindful that a squirrel’s diet should encompass a variety of products. Making them eat a single food may cause serious health problems. So you should feed them granolas once or twice a week just as a great to enhance their taste buds.

How can Granola be a healthy diet for a squirrel?

According to the vets, granolas should be given very minimum to the squirrels. Some believe that one should avoid it as much as possible. While Granola may be considered an unhealthy diet for a squirrel, we are here to give you a hack to make it healthier.

Since sugars, sweeteners, and rice makes it an unsafe diet for your squirrel, you may remove these ingredients from your granola recipe to make it a healthy one for your squishy little fellow. Yet we suggest you only feed these traditional or Granola bars to your squirrel as a treat.

A squirrel’s body demands many other minerals that a granola bar doesn’t provide. A balanced diet of fruits, nuts, meat, veggies, and insects makes a squirrel happy.

What happens if a squirrel eats a lot of Granola?

Squirrels are a very active species. You can always see them running around and jumping in your backyard. These species fly and jump from one tree to another to attack their prey. Since squirrels are already very lively, feeding on granolashigh in sugars makes them excessively active, somehow causing a sugar rush.

Such a condition can lead to a squirrel being aggressive or even destructive in their environment. Also, too much sugar and calories can make a squirrel disproportionately fat over a short period making it prone to health problems like diabetes. Yes, diabetes is one of the common problems when a squirrel ingests a high sugar level daily.

In a nutshell, yes, squirrels can eat granola bars. Rather they would love to. But feeding them too many granola bars may be harmful to their health. You can always make a bar excluding sugars, sweeteners, and rice, making better and healthier Granola for your energetic tiny friend.

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