Red Squirrel Supplementary Feeding: Best Practice

Supplementary feeding supports red squirrel populations in managed reserves and on islands but requires careful management to avoid attracting grey squirrels.

Key Facts

Red squirrels require supplementary feeding in winter when natural food sources are depleted
Feeders should be designed to exclude grey squirrels through size and positioning
Providing hazelnuts, pine nuts and sunflower seeds attracts red squirrels to observable feeding stations
Feeders should be regularly cleaned and disinfected to prevent disease transmission
Population monitoring through feeder cameras allows non-invasive density assessment

Welfare Considerations

Supplementary feeding directly benefits individual red squirrels by reducing winter food stress and providing reliable nutrition during periods of natural food scarcity. Grey squirrel exclusion from feeders is essential to prevent the welfare harm of competition for a limited resource. Well-managed feeding stations that attract red squirrels without grey squirrels provide individual welfare benefits while contributing to population monitoring through camera trapping. Combined with grey squirrel control, supplementary feeding is an effective welfare intervention in managed red squirrel conservation areas.

What You Can Do

Install red squirrel-specific feeders with appropriate exclusion mechanisms if in red squirrel range
Report red and grey squirrel sightings to local wildlife trusts for population monitoring
Join local red squirrel conservation groups for guidance on best practice feeding
Support grey squirrel control programmes that make red squirrel conservation viable