Are squirrels omnivorous?

Question

I see squirrels climbing trees where birds have nests. I saw an opossum do this and grab a fledgling. Never have evidence of squirrels, but why do they go into nest. I did see them steal bread.

Answer 1

They are scavengers. They will eat whatever they can, so I would imagine they are omnivorous. The best way to tell what animals are what, is by looking at their teeth. If they have sharp teeth, and molar type teeth, then they are omnivorous. e.g. Cats only have sharp teeth. They are carnivorous.

Answer 2

Squirrels are omnivorous to a degree, yes. They will eat insects, birds' eggs and nestling birds when they get the chance. However, they are less omnivorous than certain other rodents, such as rats and mice, which can and do eat almost anything.

Answer 3

No. They are largely herbivorous, they mostly eat seeds and fruit

Answer 4

Squirrels are omnivores; they eat a wide variety of plant food, including nuts, seeds, conifer cones, fruits, fungi and green vegetation, as well as insects.

Unlike rabbits or deer, squirrels cannot digest cellulose and must rely on foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, and fat. In temperate regions early spring is the hardest time of year for squirrels, since buried nuts begin to sprout and are no longer available for the squirrel to eat, and new food sources have not become available yet. During these times squirrels rely heavily on the buds of trees.

Predatory behavior by various species of ground squirrels, particularly the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, has been noted. Bailey, for example, observed a thirteen-lined ground squirrel preying upon a young chicken. Wistrand reported seeing this same species eating a freshly-killed snake. Whitaker examined the stomachs of 139 thirteen-lined ground squirrels, and found bird flesh in four of the specimens and the remains of a short-tailed shrew in one; Bradley, examining white-tailed antelope squirrels' stomachs, found at least 10% of his 609 specimens' stomachs contained some type of vertebrate — mostly lizards and rodents.  Morgart (1985) observed a white-tailed antelope squirrel capturing and eating a silky pocket mouse.  Black squirrels in Russia have been accused of pack behavior in the murder and consumption of a dog.

Answer 5

yes they are they eat pretty much anything they can

Answer 6

For the most part no, they eat plants and plants parts, especially woody vegetation.  However, they will and do raid birds nest for eggs.  An animal is classified my it's primary food source, not by what it occasionally eats.  After all, carnivores like wolfs, occasionally eat grass, but that does not make them omnivores.

However, squirrels living in close association with humans are more rat like, and will eat just about anything, especially if people have been feeding them.  You see in cities and on college campus the ecology of the squirrel is nothing like that of its wild cousins.  The local population maybe be well beyond the carrying capacity of the given habitat.  So in order to exist, with lots of squirrels around, they include human foods found in the garbage or pet foods left out or hands outs.  That's one reason squirrels living in cities usually don't look as healthy as the wild ones.

Answer 7

In wild they are not, when they are around humans they tend to change. Humans can influence most animals to be omnivorous.  

Answer 8

Squirrels are herbivores but, like most herbivores, they'll take meat if it's available.  Comparing their diets and habits to opossoms could be misleading.  Possums are omnivores.

Answer 9

yes, believe it or not, those cute squirels will eat baby birds, not just nuts and fruits.