It’s no question that the squirrels on LSU’s campus are well-fed, but is what they are being fed by humans good for them? A mammologist says for the most part, the answer is no.
Mammologist and biology professor Jacob Esselstyn says feeding the squirrels processed and fast foods, as students often do, is not healthy for them. These foods are just as bad for squirrels as they are for humans.
“If you want to make a squirrel fat and diabetic, feed them fast food,” Esselstyn said.
Squirrels thrive from a natural diet of unprocessed foods. Esselstyn said a healthy squirrel diet consists of wild nuts, fruits and insects. Squirrels have adapted to this diet over millions of years and are better equipped to live off these types of foods.
Esselstyn says squirrel populations do well when oak trees produce a lot of acorns for the squirrels to harvest and consume, but populations do decline in years that fewer acorns are produced.
If anyone wants to feed the squirrels, Esselstyn recommends unprocessed wild foods, such as seeds and nuts.
Biology sophomore Taylor Lang said students should probably stick to feeding squirrels foods closer to what they would encounter in the wild.
When it comes to feeding the squirrels, Esselstyn does not recommend it as a general practice. He suggests leaving the squirrels to gather food on their own and not feeding them processed snacks or leftover Chick-Fil-A fries.
Esselstyn also suggested a few ways to make LSU’s campus a healthier environment for the squirrels and other wildlife. He says although the oak trees provide great places for squirrels, birds and insects, he wishes there were more flowers and native plants growing under these trees to support a healthier ecosystem and attract more wildlife such as butterflies, bees and amphibians.
A squirrel nibbles on a nut on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, in the LSU Quad in Baton Rouge, La.
