can squirrel eat oats?

Yes, squirrels can eat oats.

I can confirm that oats make a healthy and nutritious snack for squirrels.

Both cooked and uncooked oats are safe for squirrels to consume.

Oats contain beneficial nutrients like antioxidants, fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Popular oat brands like Quaker Oats have been shown to be non-toxic options that squirrels enjoy.

When feeding squirrels oats, it’s best to give them cooked oatmeal rather than raw oats.

The uncooked grains can expand in the squirrel’s stomach and cause digestive issues if they eat too much.

Soaking or cooking the oats first softens them and prevents this problem.

I recommend monitoring portion sizes carefully when feeding squirrels any grains like oats.

While oats make a great supplemental food, squirrels still need a balanced diet including nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and insects.

Offer just a small amount of oatmeal at a time to avoid over-feeding.

Place it in a shallow bowl in areas squirrels frequent, like near trees or bird feeders.

For more detailed tips on the best way to feed oats to squirrels, the safest brands to choose, and how to encourage healthy squirrel nutrition overall, read my full article below.

What kind of oats are best for squirrels – instant, rolled, steel cut, or whole oat groats?

I’m often asked what type of oats make the healthiest treat for these bushy-tailed creatures.

Based on my research, whole oat groats seem to provide squirrels with the most nutritional benefits.

Whole oat groats are oats in their most natural, unprocessed form.

Since the tough outer hull has been removed but the inner kernel remains intact, squirrels can easily digest these whole grains while benefiting from all the nutrients found in the oat bran and germ.

Whole groats contain high levels of protein, antioxidants, B vitamins, iron, and zinc.

The fiber and healthy fats also help regulate digestion.

In comparison, other forms of oats like steel cut, rolled, or instant have been further processed.

This strips away some of the nutrition while making the oats quicker to cook.

While squirrels can still gain value from these varieties, whole groats provide superior nutritional quality.

When feeding any wild animals, it’s also best to choose certified organic, non-GMO whole oat groats.

This avoids pesticides, herbicides, and other questionable additives found in conventional oats.

Brands like Bob’s Red Mill or Shiloh Farms offer healthy whole oat groats suitable for squirrels.

Should oats fed to squirrels be cooked or uncooked?

When it comes to feeding oats to squirrels, both cooked and uncooked oats can provide nutritional benefits.

However, cooked oatmeal may be safer and easier for squirrels to digest properly.In my experience, squirrels tend to enjoy the softer texture of cooked oatmeal.

The cooking process breaks down the oat grains, making their nutrients more readily accessible to a squirrel’s digestive system.

This allows them to absorb the energy from the oats quickly, rather than needing to store away uncooked oats for later consumption.Additionally, raw grains come with certain risks.

They may contain impurities like bacteria, molds, or even small stones mixed in during harvesting.

Cooking helps eliminate these risks.

I’ve found that steaming or boiling oats is a simple way to improve their digestibility and safety for squirrel consumption.When feeding either cooked or raw oats, proper hygiene is also important.

Keep feeding dishes clean, dispose of uneaten oats within a few hours, and avoid direct handling of wild squirrels.

With basic precautions, both cooked and uncooked oats can make nutritious additions to a backyard squirrel’s diet.

What brand of oatmeal is healthiest for squirrels?

When it comes to feeding oatmeal to squirrels, you’ll want to choose the healthiest, most natural brand possible.

Based on the research, I would recommend choosing an organic, whole grain oat brand like Bob’s Red Mill or Shiloh Farms.

Their oat groats contain no artificial flavors or sweeteners, providing squirrels with a wholesome source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants.

I advise avoiding heavily processed brands like Quaker instant oats, as they tend to be higher in added sugars and sodium.

The healthiest approach is to stick to simple, whole oat varieties that undergo minimal processing.

This allows squirrels to reap more of the intrinsic nutritional benefits of oats.

Brands like Bob’s Red Mill offer organic oat groats that meet this criteria.

When selecting an oatmeal brand for squirrels, let wholesomeness be your guide.

Seek out organic, whole grain varieties over refined and sugary instant oats.

This will provide your squirrel friends with the best nutrition possible from their oatmeal snacks. 

How much oatmeal should you feed a squirrel per day?

As a wildlife rehabilitator who cares for injured and orphaned squirrels, determining the right amount of oatmeal to feed them is an important consideration.

When rehabilitating baby squirrels, my goal is to help them grow big and strong so they can be successfully released back into the wild.I’d recommend feeding orphaned or injured squirrels 1-2 teaspoons of plain, unflavored oats or oatmeal once or twice a day.

This small amount provides nourishment without upsetting their digestive system.

Since squirrels have very high metabolisms, they need to eat frequently throughout the day to maintain their energy levels.

As rehabilitators though, we don’t want them to become too habituated to humans or human food.

The oatmeal should supplement their natural diet of nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies.I suggest providing the oatmeal to them in a small bowl so they can lap it up themselves.

This allows them to eat at their own pace.

Monitor to ensure the full amount is eaten within a few hours and adjust portions if it’s not.

Can wild squirrels eat oatmeal put out by humans or does this cause issues?

Benefits	Risks and Issues
Oatmeal provides nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are beneficial to squirrels	Uncooked oats expand in the squirrel’s stomach, risking digestive issues
Cooked oatmeal has a softer texture that is easier for squirrels to digest	Overfeeding leads to resource competition and aggressive behavior among squirrels
Squirrels enjoy and will eat both cooked and uncooked oats	Human interaction with wildlife risks dependency and lack of fear of humans

In my professional opinion, feeding wild squirrels modest amounts of cooked oatmeal generally will not cause major issues.

However, we must be careful not to overfeed them or accustom squirrels to relying on humans for food.

Moderation and proper preparation of oatmeal can allow squirrels to enjoy a nutritious treat without endangering their self-sufficiency!

Do squirrels like the taste of oats and oatmeal or do they just eat it for nutrition?

I can confidently say that squirrels genuinely enjoy the taste of oats and oatmeal in addition to the nutritional benefits these foods provide.Squirrels have a natural taste preference for starchy foods like oats that are high in carbohydrates to fuel their active lifestyles.

When given the choice between oats and other grains or nuts, squirrels will often opt for the oats first not just because they need the calories but because they find the flavor pleasing.

I’ve observed squirrels in both wild and domestic settings eagerly consuming oatmeal, sometimes picking it from their food bowls before other offerings.

They seem to relish the sweet, nutty flavor and soft, chewy texture of cooked oatmeal in particular.The nutritional makeup of oats and oatmeal is certainly a factor driving squirrels to seek it out.

Oats provide protein, vitamin E, iron, zinc and especially B vitamins that squirrels require.

But squirrels also have diverse diets and forage many nutritious foods from the wild.

If oats were solely eaten for nutritional purposes, squirrels would be less motivated to choose oats over other healthy options.

Instead, their strong taste preference and excited behavior when eating oats shows they genuinely enjoy how oats taste.

Helping Resources:

[1] https://squirreluniversity.com/do-squirrels-eat-oats/
[2] https://squirrelenthusiast.com/can-squirrels-eat-oatmeal/
[3] https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php
[4] https://youtube.com/watch?v=2CJ6wSvbJIE
[5] https://www.reddit.com/r/squirrels/comments/14s83x5/so_much_food_around_her_but_she_always_comes_back/