It is not a secret that squirrels absolutely love fruits. There are very few fruits that they do not eat. But can squirrels eat figs? In this article, we will take a thorough look at whether squirrels can eat figs.
We will also learn what kind of figs do squirrels eat and whether baby squirrels can eat figs. We will later learn how you can keep squirrels from eating from fig plants. So read ahead to learn more about it.
Can squirrels eat figs?
Squirrels eat figs. They indulge in the sweetness of figs whenever they can get a hold of these fruits. In fact, figs are quite vulnerable to predation by squirrels as these fruits are relatively easily damaged. It is particularly difficult for people who plant figs for a living.
Table of Contents
Squirrels love eating figs. In the following section, we will take a look at different forms of figs and how squirrels like to indulge in them.
Fresh fig fruits:
Squirrels eat fresh fig fruits straight from the tree. They enjoy eating fresh figs because they are at their juiciest in that form. This is what makes the fruits so lucrative to squirrels.
In addition, the fruit is much easier to chew, eat, and digest when they are raw and fresh. The fig fruits are quite vulnerable to predation by squirrels. And these little animals love eating these fruits when they are fresh.
This is why planters are most concerned about fresh fig fruits that hang from the tree. Note that the entire body of a fresh fig fruit is edible. Squirrels can eat all of its parts, including the skin, flesh, and seeds.
And the best part is that all of these hold great nutritional values. So fig fruits serve as a very satisfying meal for squirrels.
If they eat one fig fruit, it keeps their tummy satisfied for the entire day. All these factors contribute to squirrels’ limitless love for fresh fig fruits.
Dried figs:
Squirrels also eat dried figs. Figs get dried pretty fast. But they are still very tasty and nutritious when they are dried. In fact, the figs that pet stores sell are mostly found in their dried form.
Squirrels enjoy eating dried figs because they are easy to eat and digest. The only drawback is that in their dried form, the skin of the figs cannot be eaten.
But it still leaves the flesh and the seeds up for grabs, which the squirrels gladly indulge in whenever they can.
Can baby squirrels eat figs?
Yes, baby squirrels can get figs without any trouble. Figs are quite a sweet fruit. It is also very easy to eat and chew due to its soft nature. So baby squirrels will not have a hard time eating this fruit.
In fact, baby squirrels enjoy eating figs. These fruits are quite rich and juicy which makes them very lucrative.
Knowing the right food that you should provide to baby squirrels is very important. You should pay special attention to squirrels when they are young because they cannot eat all kinds of fruits at that stage of life.
You can offer figs to baby squirrels without any worry because figs are rich in nutritional values, easy to eat and digest, and quite delicious as well. All in all, the fruits make great food for baby squirrels.
Can you feed figs to pet squirrels?
It is very important to meet the diet requirements of your pet squirrels. They have very specific nutritional needs and you will want to adhere to them in order to ensure good health of your pet squirrels.
You can feed figs to your pet squirrels. These fruits are rich in nutrition, in all their forms. You can feed them figs in raw form, dried form, or even unripe form – it is healthy at all times.
Another great thing about fig fruits is that all of its parts are edible. So your pet can eat an entire fig without having to throw anything away. And each part of a fig fruit holds great nutritional value, so it will be a rather satisfying meal for them.
Do squirrels eat figs off trees?
Yes, squirrels eat figs off of trees. In fact, that is how most squirrels can get a hold of figs. It is a nightmare for fig planters though.
Fig plants are quite prone to squirrel predation. These animals love to eat figs and they will eat this fruit off trees without any hesitation. They will not adhere to any boundaries when it comes to fig fruits in trees.
So it is a common concern among fig planters how they can keep squirrels away from their fig plants. Squirrels will surround a fig plant and hang around until they eat the last hanging fig fruit from the tree.
They also like to indulge in dried and unripe fig fruits. So the fruits are never safe in the trees until you protect it with some netting.
How to keep squirrels eating figs out of fig trees?
Figs are prone to squirrel predation. Squirrels love eating these fruits and they will eat them off trees. So planters need to be alert and establish some boundaries if they notice any signs of squirrel predation on their fig trees.
Here are some tips that you can follow in order to keep squirrels eating figs out of fig trees. These methods have proven to be quite effective in the past and with the right setup, you can make full use of them as well.
Nettings:
You can find many animal nettings for plants in the market. These nets are mostly made of plastic and designed to keep birds and predator animals away from fruits hanging from a tree.
The nets come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. If you’re getting a net to keep squirrels eating figs out of fig trees, make sure to get some nets that have very little holes.
Nets with larger holes will be able to accommodate squirrels easily, therefore failing your purpose.
You can hang the nets in two ways. You can either set poles surrounding the plant, establish a structure, and hang the net from the poles surrounding the entire plant. Or you can attach the nets from individual branches of the tree.
The latter method will offer you more flexibility as you can remove the nets from a branch that no longer holds fruits. Attaching and removing the nettings will seem rather easy then.
Traps:
Another effective method to keep squirrels away from fig trees is to set traps around the fig trees. These traps will catch any predator squirrel that tries to reach the tree.
Make sure to catch the squirrel and release them a few yards from the grounds. This will then keep the squirrels away from your fig tree.
To attach the squirrels towards the trap, you will have to set some dry fruits at a distance from the plant. You can put some walnuts and raisins in a bowl.
The squirrels will be attracted toward the bowl because they enjoy dry fruits. In addition, they would reach out to the more accessible fruits instead of the figs.
This will help you catch the squirrels that are eating fruits off your fig tree and drive them away from your grounds.
What is eating my figs at night?
We understand your frustration when you wake up in the morning only to find out that the figs hanging from your tree have been half eaten. You will definitely find yourself wondering who is doing it.
It may sometimes be birds, sometimes squirrels, or even other animals. There are some tips you can follow to find out. Wondering what is eating figs at night? Find out here:
Squirrels:
Squirrels are the most likely culprits when you notice your figs have been eaten at night.
They will leave sharp and rounded bite marks on the fig fruits after having eaten them. To control squirrels, you can set up some traps, nets, or leads.
Raccoons:
Another common culprit of hunting figs during night time are raccoons. These animals only hunt during night time and will keep coming back as long as there are figs left in your tree.
You can set up fences, traps, or nets to protect your fig tree from raccoons.
Ants:
Ants are also likely to eat your figs at night. If you notice an ant infestation around your home, you should immediately start working on eliminating them. Otherwise, they will attack your plants and bushes.
Final thoughts
Squirrels can eat figs. Figs are quite rich in nutritional values, and it makes a very fulfilling meal for squirrels. You can offer figs to both young and adult squirrels without any hesitation. They eat figs in all forms – whether the fruits are raw, unripe, or dried.