squirrels

[bluedog]

Do grey squirrels eat mice and small birds? I saw one today with something in its mouth and it didn't look like vegitation.

[chrisandbex]

Hello as far as i know squirrels are herbivores and so only eat vegitation .I can not see it been a bird or anything with flesh ! They do eat nuts though and that comes under (in our food groups ) as a meat product. So hope this helps !!!!

christy  

[Cetti]

They are primarily vegetarian but will eat a wide range of foods when the opportunity or necessity arises.

It's quite probable you may have seen a nestling hanging out of its mouth, as along with  birds eggs and insects these make up the occasional flesh foray  - although their diet does mainly consist of nuts, fungi and shoots.

[MargeB]

Why do squirrels bury nuts? It's just what the oak tree wants!!!

[CT]

Did the something look anything like fruit pastilles? My housemate saw one on campus with a packet (yes, a packet) of fruit pastilles in its mouth.

[rio116]

It was most likely to be a baby squirrel that it was carrying to its a nest or out of its nest away from danger. Squirrels don't eat mice or small birds,they will eat birds eggs though.

[pansycow]

One of my favourite pictures of a squirrel won the Nature Photographer of the Year prize around a decade ago.  It showed a UK squirrel with a freshly caught blue tit in it's mouth.  I'm not an expert, but this suggests that;

1.  Squirrels are omnivores not herbivores.

2. I love nature in the real world, despite the more unsavoury aspects of 'cute' creatures

[hugnie21]

There are lots of squirrels near me and we see them regularly with baby birds in their mouths