. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We are Glendale Wildlife, and we solve conflicts between people and wild animals. From squirrels in your attic, to raccoons in your trash, to bats, rats, birds, and snakes, we do it all. We specialize in safe and effective solutions to Arizona critter problems. We service the greater Glendale region, and we offer fast service - we can usually schedule a same-day appointment. Give us a call at 747-242-2926 any time, 24/7, and we will discuss your unique wild animal problem, and give you a free price quote over the phone. We're ready to take your call now!

Our service range: We service Yavapai County, Yuma County, La Paz County, Pima County, Pinal County, Gila County, and more. We also service Jonesboro, Phoenix, Surprise, Litchfield Park, Tolleson, Scottsdalde, Buckeye, Mesa, Avondale, Goodyear, and more.

Glendale Wildlife Education: What Is A Rodent’s Natural Diet?

It is impossible to make sweeping generalizations about the natural diet of rodents. After all, there are several major categories of rodents, each of which includes multiple animals. While you may think of rodents as just being mice and rats, these two species are actually in the same rodent group as hamsters, gerbils, voles, and lemmings. Woodchucks, marmots, chipmunks, gophers, and prairie dogs are also rodents. So are porcupines, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and capybaras. With so many different types of rodents, you need to research a particular animal to figure out their natural diet. Here is information on some of the most common types of rodents and what they eat in the wild.



Chipmunks
Chipmunks are naturally omnivores and they are not picky eaters at all. They enjoy vegetation like grains, seeds, nuts, mushrooms, and berries. They will also eat smaller wildlife such as bird eggs, frogs, baby birds, and insects.

Groundhogs
Groundhogs are mostly herbivores, although they will occasionally show their omnivore tendencies. These animals love foliage from bushes, grains, flowers, ferns, nuts, fruit, and grass. Among these general rules, some of their favorite plants are clover, sorrel, asters, plantains, dandelion, and chickweed since they tend to choose juicier plants. In terms of fruit, groundhogs prefer blackberries and cherries. You can also find groundhogs eating certain cultivated crops, such as squash, beans, peas, lettuce, soybeans, corn, and broccoli. This is part of what earns these animals their reputation as a nuisance. When groundhogs eat food that isn’t plant-based, they tend to pick larger insects like grasshoppers or June bugs. They will also eat snails, eggs, and juvenile birds.

Mice
Mice enjoy grains, seeds, and fruits. Although these are their favorite foods, they are omnivores which means that they will eat meat as well. In fact, common house mice will eat nearly anything they can find, both in the wild and in urban areas. In times of scarcity, they will sometimes eat each other. No matter what mice eat, they do so often. They tend to have a meal or snack between 15 and 20 times each day. This is why they typically live by a food source.

Porcupines
Compared to other rodents, porcupines have a more varied diet. They mostly eat plant matter like potatoes, cassava, carrots, bark, fruit, buds, and tubers. In the winter, they vary their diet to eat tree bark also. Some of their favorite trees include red spruce, larch, beech, white pine, sugar maple, and yellow birch. They will also eat stems and leaves of these trees in addition to the bark and cambium.

Occasionally, porcupines will also make a meal of meat from decaying animal carcasses. In this case, they will bring the carcass to their burrow and eat there. Because porcupines eat a lot of potassium-rich foods in the summer, such as acorns, fruits, berries, beechnuts, herbs, and nuts, they tend to crave sodium. This means that it isn’t rare to find a porcupine searching for waterlilies or other aquatic plants with a lot of salt by ponds. Unfortunately for humans, porcupines will also sometimes get sodium from chewing on brake lines, tires, tool handles, or canoe paddles.

Rats
Rats are one of the most opportunistic rodents you will find. They will eat an incredible range of items, from fruit to carcasses. There is some variation in terms of preferences based on species. Norway rats, for example, prefer foods with higher amounts of protein, like meat scraps. This is why they eat pet food in urban areas. Roof rats typically prefer fruit, which is why you will find them in areas with fruit trees. Of course, if rats live near humans, they will take advantage of human scraps from the garbage and pet food. They have also been known to cannibalize dead rats.

Squirrels
There are two main types of tree squirrels that people typically see and they have slightly different diets with some overlap. Both grey and red tree squirrels mostly eat fruit and seeds. They are opportunistic, which means they will change their eating habits depending on what is available. Because of this, red squirrels tend to eat needs such as beechnut and hazelnut or seeds such as pine and spruce. Other favorites of red tree squirrels include insects, acorns, fungus, and tree bark or soil. The last two of these are typically used as last resorts in scarcity, but they do provide roughage and minerals.

In the spring, grey tree squirrels will typically eat tree buds, flowers, acorns, and berries. They also occasionally have small insects, sap tissue, roots, nuts, and beech mast. On vary rare occasions, they also eat baby chicks or small bird eggs. An interesting note is that both red and grey tree squirrels bury food to store for later, but red squirrels tend to forget where they did so while grey squirrels will remember, and even find the food buried by their red counterparts.

Previous Education Articles
Do Glendale Rats Kill Mice?
What Attracts Glendale Snakes?
How Big Do Glendale Mice Get?
How Do Glendale Snakes Communicate?