Feed your local Red Squirrels to help them cope with Autumn

This week is Red Squirrel Awareness Week and your help is needed.

The Central Dales is an area populated with wild red squirrels and it is their awareness week from 10th to 16th October.  If you have been helping them through the critical June to August period with some supplementary feeding, it is important to keep this going through autumn and winter.
 
There will hopefully be some mums with unweaned kits to feed and there is the all- important autumn storage time.

Vanessa Fawcett of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust advises a mix of hazelnuts in their shells, walnuts, unsalted peanuts and sunflower seeds.  Other items that can be added to the mix include sweet chestnuts and pine nuts.  A supply of clean, fresh water is also necessary.
“This is a diet rich in all the protein they need to survive the autumn and winter weather and ensure they are in good health for the spring breeding season 2023,” says Vanessa.  “Reds can suffer from a calcium deficiency and this diet plus some apples and carrots will help overcome this.   Avoid adding raisins and sultanas as this does cause their calcium levels to fall.”

Special squirrel feeders can be bought or made and these should always be located at least two metres above ground level.  Domestic cats do attack red squirrels so never put the food out on the ground.

“We need to encourage the reds to forage for themselves in the wild and not become dependent on supplementary feeding.  Putting out small amounts of food twice a week will ensure the reds also hunt for themselves.”     
 
If there are squirrel pox outbreaks in your area it is best to remove feeders to prevent disease transmission.  Regularly cleaning feeders is also good for red squirrel health.  If there are red and grey squirrels in your area, feeders can cause interaction and the RSST would recommend not encouraging this to reduce competition and disease risk between the species.

The RSST is a national charity established to ensure the conservation and protection of red squirrels in the UK.