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Can Squirrels Eat Bananas? Yes, and Mostly They Shouldn't

Bananas are not toxic to squirrels and they take them eagerly — but they are sugar with almost no calcium, which is the diet problem rehabbers see.

By Zakaria 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A grey squirrel on a branch gripping a green pear it has taken from the tree
Photo: DANNIEL CORBIT, Pexels License, via Pexels
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Yes, safely — and that is exactly why it becomes a problem. A squirrel offered banana will choose it over anything better on offer, every time.

What a banana actually provides

Banana against what a squirrel needs
BananaNuts in the shell
SugarHighLow
ProteinLowModerate
FatVery lowHigh — winter stores
CalciumVery lowLow, better balanced
Work to eatNoneGnawing, which wears the teeth
ToxicNoNo

The calcium line is the one that matters. Squirrel incisors grow continuously and the skeleton needs a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio that sugary, seedy food does not supply.

Metabolic bone disease is what a treat habit produces

It is the commonest diet-related condition rehabilitators see in squirrels, and it comes from exactly this: seed, corn, peanuts and sweet treats, day after day.

The animal looks fine for a long time, then becomes weak and shaky, and eventually cannot climb.

An occasional slice does nothing. A reliable daily banana is a different thing entirely.

The peel

They can eat it. Skip it anyway:

  • Pesticide residue concentrates in the peel on non-organic fruit
  • Tough and low in nutrition
  • Usually abandoned half-eaten, then attracts flies and rats

If you are putting fruit out, put out flesh in small pieces and clear what is not eaten by evening.

Better things to offer

  • Nuts in the shell — walnuts, hazelnuts, hickory, pecans, acorns. Unsalted, unroasted
  • A little fresh fruit or vegetable alongside. Apple, pear, berries, melon are all fine in the same small amounts
  • Scattered, not stationed

Never: anything salted, roasted or flavoured; chocolate, caffeine, onion, garlic; bread and processed food; raw peanuts, which can carry a mould toxin.

The honest position on feeding

Squirrels do not need it. A garden squirrel is an exceptional forager and is not short of food, so feeding is for your enjoyment — a perfectly good reason, as long as that is the one being given.

The costs are real:

  • Fed squirrels lose their wariness, and a squirrel with no fear of hands eventually bites one
  • Feeding stations concentrate animals, which spreads parasites
  • Spilled food draws rats
  • Habituated squirrels get into roofs and bins more readily

Small amounts, occasionally, scattered rather than stationed — and nothing that becomes a habit.

Common questions

Can squirrels eat bananas?

Yes. Bananas are not toxic to squirrels and they take them enthusiastically, which is precisely the problem — a squirrel will choose banana over better food every time. Nutritionally it is sugar and potassium with very little protein and almost no calcium, so it works as an occasional scrap and fails completely as anything regular. A slice now and then does nothing; a banana habit contributes to a real and common condition.

Are bananas bad for squirrels?

Not directly poisonous, but they feed the diet problem wildlife rehabilitators see most. Metabolic bone disease is the commonest diet-related condition in squirrels, and it comes from diets heavy in seed, corn, peanuts and sweet treats where the calcium to phosphorus ratio is wrong. Bananas sit squarely in that group. The animal looks fine, then becomes weak, shaky and eventually unable to climb.

Can squirrels eat banana peel?

They can and some will, but it is worth skipping. Peel is where pesticide residue concentrates on non-organic fruit, it is tough and low in nutrition, and squirrels usually abandon it half-eaten so it sits around attracting flies and rats. If you are putting fruit out at all, put out the flesh in small pieces and take away what is not eaten by evening.

What fruit is better for squirrels?

In small amounts, apple, pear, berries, melon, grapes and plums are all fine and no worse than banana. But the honest answer is that fruit generally is a treat rather than food for a squirrel, and nuts in the shell are the thing to offer instead — walnuts, hazelnuts, hickory, pecans, acorns, unsalted and unroasted. The shell matters too: gnawing wears down incisors that never stop growing.

Should I feed squirrels at all?

In almost all circumstances, no. Squirrels are exceptional foragers and a garden squirrel is not short of food, so feeding is for your enjoyment rather than their survival — which is a fine reason as long as it is the stated one. It has costs: fed squirrels lose their wariness and eventually bite a hand, feeding stations concentrate animals and spread parasites, and spilled food draws rats.

What should never be given to a squirrel?

Anything salted, roasted or flavoured, because squirrels handle salt poorly. Chocolate, caffeine, onion and garlic. Bread and processed human food, which provide nothing. Raw peanuts, which can carry a mould toxin. And nothing at all in quantity — the failure mode with squirrels is rarely one bad item, it is a steady supply of the same easy, sugary, calcium-poor thing.

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