Can You Eat Squirrels? Is it safe?

Can you eat squirrels? Well, many people go hunting squirrels in forests and those squirrels that come into their gardens. In short, they are safe to eat and are so delicious. But eating squirrels in some seasons can also affect your health.

Do Squirrels are Delicious to Eat?

Squirrels’ taste is delicious. They taste like a subtler version of rabbit; their meat tastes like a mixed breed of rabbit and chicken. Squirrel meat gives us a sweet and nut-like taste. Now you will think about why they give a taste of nuts. Simple is that you also know that nuts are the most common food for squirrels, and they like to eat nuts, so this is why they give a taste to nuts.

Is it Healthy to Eat Squirrels?

Squirrels give a delicious taste. The squirrel’s meat contains iron, niacin, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12, and it is also the source of other proteins. Because of the source of different vitamins and proteins, you can be considered them a healthy food to eat. 

Are there Disadvantages to Eating Squirrels?

As we previously discussed, they are good sources of proteins and vitamins. But eating squirrel meat can be dangerous in the summer season. Because in summer, they are likely to have ticks, parasites, and fleas. Also, avoid eating the squirrels that come to your garden because they might have eaten toxins and pesticides. It is especially for wild squirrels because wild squirrels usually carry these diseases, so that’s why there is a risk of eating wild squirrels. 

Do Squirrels Eat Apples?

Can We Get Sick From Eating Squirrels?

Wild squirrels carry different bacteria and diseases. The common disease found in them is a mad-cow disease, and eating too much can have more risks of this disease. This disease is known for eating holes in your brain, which can be lethal. Squirrels also eat different plants and seeds; for them, they are not harmful, but when humans eat those squirrels, they become harmful.

Which Squirrel Should We Eat?

Squirrels are not as safe to eat as you think, but they would be safe to eat if taken through precautions. We will discuss grey, wild, and the squirrels that come to your gardens and whether they are safe to eat. So it will be easy to choose the squirrel you want to eat. 

Grey Squirrel

Grey squirrels are mainly found in the eastern United States and are hunted a lot there. Because they live in wildlife habitats so they carry diseases. But they are safe to eat when cooked. The meat of grey squirrels is like rabbits, and the meat gives a delicious nutty taste. 

Why do squirrels have bushy tails?

Wild Squirrel

People have hunted wild squirrels for many years. Because they are wild animals, it is confirmed that they carry diseases like parasites, fleas, and ticks. While hunting, their bacteria can also be transmitted into your body if they bite you, so be careful about that. Because they are wild animals and carry bacteria and diseases, is it safe to eat them? These squirrels are safe until they are cooked perfectly well. You have to cook well to eat these squirrels so that all such diseases disappear.

What do wild squirrels eat?

Home Squirrel

Home or backyard squirrels are the squirrels that often come to your garden for feeding. These squirrels eat so many harmful things that you don’t know. So you should avoid these types of squirrels. In cities, many harmful and toxic chemicals exist, so you don’t know they have eaten those poisonous things. It is better for you and for your health not to eat them.

What do ground squirrels eat?

Urban or Suburban Squirrel

People eat squirrel meat because it is delicious, but they are not a good source of calories. But they don’t have much meat on their bones that can fill your belly. But still, people hunt them. Poison is also found in urban squirrels, so beware of getting bitten by them. When you hunt, try to cook them as soon as possible. 

When it comes to suburban squirrels, your neighbor, whenever he sees them, tries to kill them almost by spraying poison on them. So that’s not good for them and to them that eat them because that poison can be transferred into your body. Almost all the squirrels living in cities are not good for your health because so many harmful chemicals are injected into their bodies while taking food. So it would help if you avoided eating these squirrels. 

Are Squirrels Nocturnal

Which Part of Squirrels Should We Eat?

The parts that you can eat are the meat on the backstraps, front legs, hind legs, and shoulders. To add more taste, you can also eat ribs and the rest of the back and the belly because most squirrels carry harmful diseases and toxins in them, so you should avoid eating heart, brain, and spinal fluids, and don’t forget to remove the glands before cooking. We have already discussed that they carry parasites and bacteria, so you should not eat raw meat. But most bacteria are killed while cooking, so you should cook the meat perfectly. 

Is Hunting Squirrel Legal?

Hunting squirrels is legal in some states and also illegal in some. You have permission for hunting grey squirrels in the US. People often go hunting these squirrels. But hunting squirrel with a shotgun is legal only in hunting season. But in some states, a person requires an official license from the wildlife authority so that they can hunt squirrels. In California, you will need a permit or a license before hunting a squirrel. Some states also allow hunting squirrels in the winter, and hunters are safer killing them in the winter because their parasitic load is lower during this season. But the best time for hunting squirrels is in sunny weather because, in this weather, they come out from their nests and come to sit on the tree branches and treetops, so the hunters kill them easily.

Do Squirrels Bite

Avoid From Eating These Squirrels

It would help if you avoided eating these squirrels;

1- Don’t eat a dead squirrel; avoid touching them because their bacteria can enter your body.

2- Don’t eat squirrels containing toxins and chemicals like backyard or home squirrels. 

3- Don’t eat injured or sick squirrels

4- Squirrels usually carry diseases that can cause prions, so also avoid these squirrels.

5- Avoid eating squirrels in the summer because they can get fleas, parasites, and ticks in the summer season. 

FAQs

Conclusion

After a long discussion, it is clear that you can eat squirrels. The type of squirrels that we can eat is also discussed. Someone rightly said that squirrel meat tastes like rabbits because I also tasted squirrel meat, so that’s why I can also say that they taste like rabbits. But you must always check which squirrel you will eat and examine it because wild squirrels and backyard squirrels are those squirrels that carry different toxins and diseases with them. So that’s why it is also important for you to check it. If you mistakenly eat those bacterial squirrels, you can face a harmful disease, and the caution we have discussed must keep it in your mind.

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