Do you have an eggplant plant in your garden that's being ravaged by squirrels? You're not alone. Squirrels love to eat eggplants. They especially like to eat cooked eggplant. Just make sure to not add a lot of salt or leave it out altogether.
In this post, we'll explore why squirrels love to eat eggplant, the nutritional benefits of eggplant for squirrels, and how to best feed eggplant to squirrels. We'll also take a look at some of the dangers of feeding too much eggplant to squirrels and offer some tips on how to prevent squirrels from eating your eggplant plants.
Why Do Squirrels Love to Eat Eggplant?
Squirrels love to eat cooked eggplants because they're sweet and nutty in flavor, much like acorns. In addition, eggplants also contain a high amount of folic acid, niacin, and potassium - all nutrients that squirrels need in order to stay healthy.
While most humans enjoy the bitter taste of raw eggplant, not many animals do (apart from squirrels), which is why they often go untouched by larger animals such as deer. This makes them easy pickings for hungry squirrels who aren't afraid to chow down on an eggplant when other sources of food become scarce during the winter months.
Just like other types of plant foods, eggplants offer lots of healthy nutrients for squirrels. One cup of boiled and drained eggplant contains 20 calories, 0.1 g fat, 4.8 g carbohydrates, and 0.8 g protein, making it a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C.
What Type of Eggplant Do Squirrels Like to Eat?
Squirrels will eat on a variety of eggplants. Pretty much any eggplant we eat, squirrels will eat.
There are many types of eggplant, but the most common type is the dark purple eggplant. Other types of eggplants include white eggplant and green eggplant. The white eggplant is a light-colored eggplant that is less bitter than the dark purple eggplant. The green eggplant is a smaller, more bitter variety of eggplant.
But what's even more important - there are many harmful effects of feeding too much eggplant to squirrels. And that brings us to our next topic:
Is Eggplant Dangerous for Squirrels?
While eggplants offer wonderful nutritional benefits to squirrels, there can also be adverse side effects if eaten in excess. In particular, it has been noted that excessive consumption of eggplants may cause solanine toxicity in animals such as squirrels and other rodents due to their chemical makeup. This can cause a host of health problems such as hypothermia, fever, paralysis, and death.
So what does this mean for your squirrels? If you've been feeding too many eggplants to your furry friends, there's a chance that they may get sick. But don't worry - it won't happen overnight. It will take weeks of continuous consumption before any significant issues arise, but try to limit the amount of eggplant they eat during summer and autumn months.
What's the Best Way to Feed Eggplant to Squirrels?
You can feed raw eggplant or cooked eggplant to squirrels. Raw eggplant tends to be bitter. Your squirrels may like it bitter. If they don't like it bitter you can try cooking it for them. Cooked eggplant is less bitter and tastes sweeter than raw eggplant.
Also, you might try feeding your squirrels Chinese eggplant. It is usually not bitter.
How to prepare cooked eggplant for squirrels to eat
You will need:
- Eggplant
- Bowl
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Salt
1. Wash your hands thoroughly before handling any food (especially fruit like eggplants).
2. Wash your eggplants thoroughly under running water, and let them dry off.
3. Slice the top and bottom of the eggplant.
4. Cut slices about 1/4" thick. Repeat this process until you have sliced all of the eggplants.
5. Wash your eggplants thoroughly under running water, and let them dry off.
6. Lay them down on a non-stick pan and add some oil to it (1 tablespoon for every 1lb of eggplants). You can also add some fresh spices like garlic powder or crushed basil leaves to give them a little extra flavor!
7. Cook until your eggplants become soft and tender (about 5 minutes per side). Check if they're cooked by cutting into one slice with a knife – you should be able to tell when the inside has become a little mushy and soft.
8. Feed it to your squirrels for them to enjoy.
How to keep squirrels from eating eggplant
The eggplants in your garden are being eaten by squirrels. You could try to scare the squirrels away with a loud noise, but they may just be scared for a little while and come back later. You could also try to trap the squirrels, but that may only work for a short time and then you will have to find another way to keep the squirrels from eating your eggplants.
The best way to prevent the squirrels from eating your eggplants is to fence in your garden so that the squirrels cannot get in. You can use chicken wire or mesh fencing. Either one will work well as long as the holes are small enough that small animals, such as squirrels and birds cannot fit through them. If you plan on keeping larger animals out of your garden with a fence, you will have to find a stronger material.
Can squirrels digest eggplant?
Eggplants contain a fair amount of fiber. The fiber eggplants have is mostly pectin. This makes it very easy for squirrels to digest eggplants.
Can baby squirrels eat eggplant?
Eggplant shouldn't be given to baby squirrels. While eggplants aren't dangerous for squirrels to eat, there are better foods you can give to baby squirrels. I would recommend waiting until your squirrels are physically mature before feeding them eggplant.
Do squirrels eat eggplant summary
Squirrels eat eggplant because it is a nutritious food. Squirrels like to eat the green part of an eggplant, which has more nutrients than other parts of the plant. Eggplants are also high in potassium and vitamin C, so squirrels will get plenty of nutrition from eating them.
