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Squirrel Veggie Squares
A Mix to add vegetables to a squirrel's diet!

What Are Squirrel Veggie Squares?

Squirrel Veggie Squares are a daily food supplement to provide all the calcium,minerals, vitamins and vegetable nutrition a squirrel needs on a daily basis.

***(NEW! We now sell pre-made Veggie Squares! See the note at the the bottom of this page!)****

We also now offer Bulk Mix at tremendous cost savings on Postage. Check out our Bulk Order page
                                                                                   HERE.


How They Came About
Thirteen years ago, when we started SquirrelNutrition.com we soon realized that there was a big need among our readers for a product that would meet the nutritional needs of wild squirrels. We were providing them with the lists of foods a squirrel should and shouldn't eat, but people were writing back and telling us they could not get wild squirrels to eat the vegetables they were offering, preferring instead to eat nuts, seeds, peanuts and field corn.

After doing some experimentation with our resident and rehab squirrels, we came up with a recipe called "Squirrel Kibble" and provided it in the form of a free recipe and convenient kits that contained bags of the mix for making this food product. The mix consisted of over 90% Pecan Meal, to which was added small amounts vitamins and calcium. The instructions were to grind up two pounds of any vegetable combination, add the nut mix, then thicken the mix with baby rice cereal until it formed a dough. This dough was thinly spread in food dehydrator trays, or on a cookie sheet for drying in a warm oven. Each bag of mix would make a little over two pounds of dough, which yielded a little over a pound of finished product.

Sales of these kits were pretty much even with our Nut Square for the first few years. But as the popularity of this product spread, Squirrel Kibble mix sales started growing until it became evident that there was a problem.


Why We Are Switching To This Product

The making of each mix required us to switch back and forth between recipes for make the two mixes. Plus, Squirrel Biscuit mix was using so much of our pecan meal, that there were times that we did not have enough on hand for making Nut Squares. Since we had to keep switching back and forth to two different recipes, it was slowing our production time!

At that time, we went back to the drawing board with two goals, The first goal was to try to figure out if there was a way to produce a base mix which could be used for both products. This would eliminate the need for switching back and fourth between recipes, plus, it would even out the pecan usage over the whole product line.

The next problem we faced was how to provide more vegetables to help improve the nutritional quality of the product which would improve the nutritional status of the wild squirrels who ate them. Grinding vegetables and the whole process of making Squirrel Biscuits is very time consuming, plus the addition of ground up vegetables added a lot of water to the dough, which translated into longer drying time, ( 3 days in a typical food dehydrator!)

As we pondered this question, the thought came to me that their must be a way to increase the number of vegetables while simplifying the process of making the product. I thought, "What about adding dehydrated vegetables to a mix?"  We started searching for a product that could potentially fit this need. We found one very expensive product out of Texas that sounded promising, so we went ahead and ordered a bottle to try. When it arrived, we mixed up a batch of our Nut Square mix and added the squirrel equivalent of a recommended daily allowance of this product to the mix. We worked it out so that each of the 100 squares that the mix made would have the right amount of vegetables for a day.

This would solve the problem of the base mix and production, but the real test was still ahead. What kind of results would we get? We went ahead and mixed up a batch, and decided to stare feeding them once per day to our resident blind squirrel and our juvenile rehab squirrels.

Testing The Product
The first day to trial them came and I got up to present one Squirrel Veggie Square to each of our squirrels. Normally, I give a Nut Square to each squirrel, then go to prepare their breakfast bowls. That morning, I got distracted by some office work which delayed the preparation of the rest of the foods for a half hour. I was not prepared for the next experience.

The Results
It has always been a matter of routine when feeding our rehab squirrels that as soon as the first bowl goes in, everyone pounces on the bowl to be first to get their food, then a food fight erupts  with the usual squeaking and squawking as they all jockey for possession  of the bowl's contents. I opened the cage door and placed the bowls on the feeding shelf fully expecting the usual pandemonium, but it didn't happen. The squirrels came up, sniffed the bowls and walked away!

My first thought was, " Oh No, I made them sick to their stomachs, and now they don't want to eat!' I wasn't sure what to do next except watch and wait. They didn't appear sick, but they weren't eating their food. A couple hours later I walked by their cage and looked at the bowls. Most of the food was gone! By early afternoon, all the food was gone and the squirrels appeared perfectly normal.

The next day, the same thing. And the day after that, and the day after that. There was a change in their feeding behavior. Since then, we have tested other dehydrated vegetable powders, all with the same results. We finally settled on a brand of vegetable powder that delivers 35 different fruits and vegetables, along with vital enzymes and fiber.

Possible Reason For These Results
So, what is going on with the change in behavior? I can only speculate. The squirrel behavior before initiation of the Squirrel Veggie Squares could mean that squirrels behave that way because their body needs or craves certain nutrients. It's possible that they eat aggressively and voraciously to consume as much volume of food as possible in an attempt to extract as much needed nutrients from the food as possible. If their food supply isn't meeting all those nutrient needs. the craving continues until the needs are met.

By adding a large spectrum of fruits, vegetables and enzymes to their diet it would be logical to assume that once the need was met, the craving for that nutrient would also cease. By giving the Squirrel Veggie Square and waiting a half hour the green food in the Veggie Square may blunt their appetite enough that when the rest of the food is presented, they can take it or leave it, and leave the food for later. That seems to be what is happening.


What We Hope This Accomplishes and The Benefits
We are excited about the roll-out of Squirrel Veggie Squares, not only because it is going to make it easier to produce our product, but the fact that it is going to make it much easier to make the finished product by our customers. And, the most important benefit will be to be able to provide a product that will deliver many more fruits and vegetable than Squirrel Biscuits ever did, while making it a convenient one per day item.

Squirrels know where to go in their neighborhoods to find food! Recently I counseled a customer to become the quality feeder in her neighborhood instead of the quantity feeder. We would invite you to also become the quality feeder of squirrels in your neighborhood by obtaining some of our mix, today!


NOTICE: Before you order, Please Read:  For Canadian and orders from other countries, please read the International Order Instructions below!

Single or Double Squirrel Veggie Square Kit

With 2 to 3 day Priority Shipping

Economy Postage For a Single Kit

We offer economy First Class Postage at $5.39 for those who are only ordering a single kit.
Use the "Order Now" button below for this reduced postage.

NEW-NEW-NEW! Combination Package. Due to demand for a "Combination Order," of one Squirrel Nut Square Mix and one Squirrel Veggie Square mix, we now offer a shipment of one of each. Many were asking for combination pack to meet the needs of their captive and wild squirrels. If a combination pack is what you want, here it is!

Canadian and International Orders
The above order buttons are for domestic US Shipping. International Shipping is always more and based on destination and weight. Please contact us using the contact form at the bottom of this page, and we will gladly quote you a price based on International Shipping rates. When approved by you, we will Invoice you through PayPal where you can select your form of payment. Just fill-in that you want information about International Shipping and let us know where you live. Thank-you!

In a Hurry? You can now get Squirrel Nut Squares finished and ready to serve! We have partners across the United States who are making and selling our finished products. Fill out the form below, and we will send you the link to a seller of our finished products that is close to where you live! Simply type "FINISHED PRODUCT" and "YOUR STATE" in the Comment Box."