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What do red squirrels
naturally eat?
The natural diet of the red squirrel is very varied but it consists
largely of tree seeds. That's why they spend their time in the tree-tops
or on the ground nibbling away! Particular favourites are pine, spruce,
larch, fir, hazelnuts and beech mast. Acorns may be taken but red squirrels
have problems digesting them and they are not a major source of food.
Berries are also eaten, particularly those of hawthorn. Other food includes
rose hips, fungi, buds, shoots, flowers, lichen and insects. Autumn and
winter are the seasons when food is most abundant for red squirrels. Squirrels
bury seeds in the autumn to provide food throughout the winter. During
the spring and summer natural food can become scarce.
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