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Can Squirrels Eat Raisins? Safe for Them, Lethal for Dogs

Raisins are harmless to squirrels and toxic to dogs, which is the real reason not to scatter them. What they provide, and the safer things to offer.

By Zakaria 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A grey squirrel sitting upright on bare ground holding food to its mouth
Photo: TheOtherKev, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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Safe for the squirrel. Potentially lethal for a dog that finds them — which is the part that actually decides whether you should put them out.

The dog problem

This is the reason to say no, and it has nothing to do with squirrels.

Grapes and raisins cause acute kidney failure in dogs. What makes them unusually dangerous:

  • The toxic dose is unpredictable. Some dogs react to very small amounts, others tolerate more, and there is no way to know in advance which dog you have
  • The mechanism is still not fully understood, so there is no reliable safe threshold
  • Onset can be delayed, which means the connection is often missed
  • A handful on a lawn is exactly where a dog finds them

If a dog eats raisins, ring the vet immediately

Do not wait for symptoms. Treatment is far more effective before kidney damage develops, and “it was only a few” is not reassurance given how variable the dose response is.

This applies to grapes, raisins, sultanas and currants alike.

A garden is not a sealed space. Dogs walk through it, visit it, and get walked past it. That is enough reason to keep raisins out of the feeding rotation entirely.

For the squirrel itself

What raisins provide
RaisinsNuts in the shell
SugarVery highLow
ProteinLowModerate
FatVery lowHigh — winter stores
CalciumVery lowLow, better balanced
Work to eatNoneGnawing, which wears the teeth
Toxic to squirrelsNoNo

Harmless in themselves, poor as a staple. The concern is the same as for corn and peanuts: metabolic bone disease is the commonest diet-related condition rehabilitators see in squirrels, and it comes from diets heavy in seed, corn, peanuts and sweet treats where the calcium to phosphorus ratio is wrong.

Occasional raisins do nothing. A raisin habit contributes.

The same is true of the bird-table standby: sunflower seeds are taken just as readily and fail the ratio just as badly.

Chipmunks

Same answers, with one adjustment: chipmunks are much smaller, so a given quantity is a far larger share of daily intake than it would be for a grey squirrel. They will also pouch them enthusiastically and cache them, which spreads the sugar out but does not change the arithmetic.

What to offer instead

  • Walnuts, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, acorns — in the shell, unsalted, unroasted
  • Pecans, almonds in moderation
  • A little fresh fruit or vegetable
  • Nothing salted, roasted or flavoured. Squirrels handle salt poorly
  • Small amounts, scattered, rather than a fixed feeding station

And the honest position on feeding

Squirrels do not need it. They are exceptional foragers and a garden squirrel is not short of food, so feeding is for your enjoyment — which is a perfectly good reason, as long as it is the stated one.

It does have costs:

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

Small amounts, occasionally, scattered rather than stationed, and nothing that harms the dog next door.

Common questions

Can squirrels eat raisins?

Yes, safely. Raisins are not toxic to squirrels and they take them readily, as do chipmunks. The caveats are the ordinary ones for any treat: raisins are concentrated sugar with very little protein or calcium, so they are a snack rather than food, and they should be a small part of what a squirrel eats. Unsulphured raisins are preferable to sulphured ones, though neither is harmful in the amounts involved.

Are raisins bad for squirrels in any way?

Not directly, but the same logic applies as to corn and peanuts — a squirrel that fills up on sugary, low-calcium food is eating badly. Metabolic bone disease is the most common diet-related condition seen in squirrels by wildlife rehabilitators, and it comes from diets heavy in seed, corn, peanuts and sweet treats where the calcium to phosphorus ratio is wrong. Occasional raisins do nothing; a raisin habit contributes to a real problem.

Why should I not scatter raisins outdoors?

Because raisins and grapes are seriously toxic to dogs, and scattering them puts them where dogs find them. Even small amounts can cause acute kidney failure, the toxic dose varies unpredictably between individuals, and there is no way to know which dog will react badly. A handful thrown onto a lawn for squirrels is a genuine hazard to any dog that walks there — which is reason enough not to do it.

Can chipmunks eat raisins too?

Yes, and they will stuff their cheek pouches with them enthusiastically. The same considerations apply as for squirrels: harmless in themselves, nutritionally poor, and not something to put out where dogs go. Chipmunks are also smaller, so a given quantity represents a much larger share of their daily intake than it would for a grey squirrel.

What should I feed squirrels instead?

Nuts in the shell — walnuts, hazelnuts, hickory, acorns, pecans — unsalted and unroasted. They are closer to a natural diet, better balanced than sugary or starchy treats, and the shell gives the animal something to gnaw, which wears down continuously growing incisors. A little fresh fruit or vegetable is fine alongside. Nothing salted, roasted or flavoured, since squirrels handle salt poorly.

Do squirrels need feeding at all?

In almost all circumstances, no. Squirrels are extremely capable foragers and a garden squirrel is not short of food, so feeding is for your enjoyment rather than their survival. It also has costs: fed squirrels lose their wariness, and a squirrel with no fear of people is the one that eventually bites a hand. If you do feed, small amounts occasionally and scattered rather than in a fixed station is the least harmful way to do it.

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