Woman Sets up Adorable ‘Farmers Market’ for Neighborhood Squirrels and It’s a Hit

Some people get very creative when it comes to interacting with the animals that live with or around them. We share our backyard with the neighborhood squirrels, and I spend most of my time trying to keep them from eating from the bird feeders that I always fill up for the birds...it never occurred to me to feed the squirrels instead of trying to get rid of them! But that's exactly what animal lover Brooke Walding did in her backyard, and her DIY farmer's market is a must see!

Brooke shared a video on Instagram at the beginning of July. She used wooden craft sticks to build a fruit stand and fruit boxes and filled them up with a variety of nuts for the neighborhood shoppers. She even cut the ribbon to declare Jim's market officially open! Watch what happens as the squirrels begin to fight over the goods, and a cunning chipmunk goes in for the kill!

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This whole video was just too cute! I love that everybody has a name and that unexpected shoppers showed up at the farmer's market. And while I'm not crafty at all, this is a DIY project I think I could probably do successfully for the squirrels in my backyard!

Commenters left hundreds of comments about Brooke's creative video. @DerrickDowneyJr, who has his own neighborhood squirrels that keep us all entertained shared, "Sandy isn’t wasteful. She will repurpose that basket… I just know she will!" @home_reimagined_ said, "This escalated so quickly and I legit LOVED every second LOL!" I agree with @milkshakethepug what added, "I'm gonna need 8 seasons at least!" And @melissa magbitang asked the same thing I wondered, "Are you accepting franchises?!"

What Kind of Nuts Can You Feed to Squirrels?

Commenter @missatomicbomb cautioned Brooke about one of the nuts she set out for the squirrels, "Hi please know Brazil Nuts are not good for squirrels. They basically make them drunk and make them weak, exposing them easily to predators because they are unable to defend themselves while intoxicated. Please research what nuts are best! I found almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios are best!"

I did some quick research and found that the commenter was wrong; Brazil nuts are indeed good for squirrels...in small quantities. A to Z Animals shared, "These nuts are high in healthy fats, protein, and essential minerals like selenium." These nuts should only be fed as occasional treats. And stay away from processed or salted Brazil nuts (or any nuts for that matter), as they can lead to tummy issues.

Walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, and unsalted peanuts (all raw) are all fine to feed to squirrels. There are some nuts you should avoid giving to squirrels, and those include: prepackaged and/or salted nuts of any kind, dried cashews, roasted peanuts, and hickory nuts. While a squirrel will eat any nuts, these nuts don't have the proper nutritional value that they need, even though they'll gobble them down like cookies. Too much of a good thing is never a good thing, so avoid feeding squirrels foods they don't need.

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