Whole Hazelnuts Wildlife Food 1kg

Hazelnuts are a natural whole food and are chosen by a variety of wildlife species as part of their diet. Both Red and Grey Squirrels love them and they contain nearly all the nutrition they need, whereas feeding too many peanuts can leave them with calcium and vitamin deficiencies.

Hazelnuts are also eaten by various species of mammals and birds. You can tell who has visited the garden by how they eat a hazelnut, Squirrels tend to split the shell in two whereas voles, mice, and dormouse gnaw a hole. Depending on the gnaw marks you can even make an accurate guess as to which animal had a chew. Gnaw marks are so distinctive they are used in wildlife surveying to see if dormice are present in the area.

Some Birds Love Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts are eaten by various birds including Jays, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers, and Wood Pigeons, smaller birds such as Robins and Tits will also eat them but not in their shell. If you want to feed smaller birds you can shell the Hazelnuts and crush them into smaller pieces as small or young birds may choke if the pieces are too large

Nuthatches and woodpeckers sometimes wedge the nuts into a hole so they can have a good chance of breaking the shell otherwise they break them into pieces to get at the nut.

Hazelnuts Provide a Healthy Activity for Native Mammals

Rodents, like squirrels, mice, and voles have teeth that continue to grow, and gnawing is an essential activity to keep their teeth at the correct size. These hazel nuts in shells will help them keep up a natural activity that is vital for rodent health.