Squirrels are hyperactive and thus always need food to fuel their busy bodies. You may think squirrels only eat nuts, seeds, vegetables, fungi, and fruits but you’d be surprised to learn that these omnivores also munch on insects, caterpillars, worms, smaller animals, young snakes, and human snacks as well

Eggs are defenseless and thus, are eaten by a number of wild animals. So do squirrels eat eggs? This article looks into it

Squirrels do eat eggs. That is, squirrels eat eggs when there is little else to eat and the mother bird is away from her nest. Squirrels are omnivores, they eat both plant and animal matter. Their first choice of food is nuts and fruits but when necessary they will steal a bird egg and eat it.

Do squirrels eat eggs?

Squirrels are one of the few animals with a population in every continent except Australia. These small mammals aren’t picky when it comes to food. They will eat almost anything they can find in the wild and urban areas. Bird eggs included

Eggs are a natural part of a squirrel’s diet and squirrels will do anything to get their hands on eggs when the need arises – even if it means raiding bird nests or stealing eggs from chicken coops.

The fact that squirrels spend most of their time on trees makes it easy for them to sneak into a mother bird’s nest and snack on her eggs while she’s away. A squirrel living in an urban area will resort to stealing chicken eggs when faced with hunger.

Egg-eating squirrels aren’t terrible as you might start to think – they’re just desperately hungry. A squirrel will go in search of eggs only when there’s nothing else to eat.

Do eggs offer squirrels any nutritional value?

The answer is yes. Bird eggs are convenient meals for squirrels. They provide them with more protein than they can get from eating nuts like pecans, berries, almonds, peanuts, and cashews.

All animals need protein for the building of body tissue and cell regeneration. Eating food rich in protein benefits squirrels in the area of their muscle and ligaments, heart, fur, eyesight, and skin.

Do mother birds defend eggs against squirrels?

Mother birds are usually very protective over their eggs and young. A squirrel might get away with stealing eggs from a bird’s nest when the mother isn’t around but wouldn’t dare approach the same nest if she is close.

The Mockingbird, Woodpecker, and Robin, for example, are known to fiercely attack any creature that dares tamper with their egg or nestling – regardless of the predator’s size.

There have been numerous cases where mother birds attack even humans for getting too close to their young or eggs.

Do squirrels eat chicken eggs?

Yes, squirrels eat chicken eggs. While most people accuse snakes of stealing eggs from their chicken farms, the culprits can sometimes be squirrels.

Squirrels living close to human settlements have been reported to enter chicken coops and steal eggs on countless occasions.

Squirrels are hungriest during the spring season and won’t mind chewing through wood to gain entrance to a chicken coop.

If you own a chicken farm, some of the best ways to go about preventing squirrels from stealing your chicken eggs would be collecting eggs regularly, allowing a cat or dog patrol around the coop, or just installing an electric fence.

Farmers need to make sure that there are no weak spots in their chicken coop that will invite squirrels to steal eggs. Chicken feeds should be kept in secure storage cans. This is how farmers can discourage squirrels from making the coop their preferred hang out.

Do squirrels eat scrambled or boiled eggs?

Squirrels eat just about anything. A squirrel may not actually enjoy eating boiled or scrambled eggs, but when there are no other food options, it will eat any type of egg cooked in any type of way.

That being said, avoid feeding squirrels scrambled or boiled eggs. Both are human food and not part of a squirrels natural diet.

While scrambled eggs or boiled eggs are great for humans, ingesting any of such may be harmful to squirrels.

If you feed eggs to squirrels, make sure that they are still in their natural state.

Do squirrels eat birds?

Yes, squirrels eat birds. Squirrels will eat anything that appears edible and defenseless. They are omnivores and feed on animal meat sometimes.

It’s true that squirrels are notorious egg thieves, but it doesn’t end there. These innocent-looking creatures will also feast on the flesh of baby birds if they get the chance.

I read somewhere that squirrels are “rats with nicer clothes”, and there’s a bit of truth in the statement.

In areas where squirrels have little or no natural predators to control their population, these mammals will feed on other creatures such as birds when other food resources go scarce.

Squirrels, like their distant relative rats, are opportunistic feeders. When left with no choice, these creatures will resort to stealing eggs or feeding on the flesh of other mammals.

Humans may consider bird eating as unusual behavior for squirrels, but then, that’s just how they are wired.

Do squirrels affect bird population?

Yes, squirrels do affect bird populations. Studies have shown that squirrels affect the population of birds in areas where they share the same community.

The grey squirrel, for example, is widely regarded as a nest predator. They have been reported to negatively impact the population of birds in Britain. This species of squirrels affect woodland birds by stealing eggs from nests and also eating baby birds.

In woods where the population of squirrels is controlled, birds have been discovered to have more breeding success. As a result of their destructive tendencies, the population of grey squirrels is controlled in many parts of Europe.

However, grey squirrels aren’t the only species of squirrels guilty of negatively affecting bird populations. Squirrels in every other region of the world will sneak into a bird’s nest to steal eggs or eat nestlings if given the opportunity.

This article looks into the behaviors of these squirrels more deeply

Conclusion

Squirrels are natural egg and meat-eaters. If you ever were skeptical about this, we hope this article clears those doubts.

It’s important to note that squirrels will only steal eggs or eat baby birds when they have no other option. These fluffy creatures love nuts, seeds, and fruits with all their being

If squirrels have been entering into your chicken coop to eat eggs, don’t try to poison them. There are far better alternatives to keep squirrels out of your chicken pens.

Other foods that squirrels eat include mushrooms, walnuts, rats, insects, peanuts, grapes, chocolate, and almonds. Click the links to read more.