If you like to put birdseed out to attract fine-feathered friends to your yard, you've probably already been annoyed by these thieving rodents

Those cute cuddly squirrels at your birdfeeder are after your birdseed!

Of all the animals in the rodent family, squirrels and chipmunks have to be the cutest. When we go camping, the kids are always excited when they can spot a ground squirrel scurrying into its underground burrow or a chipmunk running up the trunk of a tree. I thought they were sweet, too, until the year one stayed up all night, dropping nuts onto the roof of our tent and keeping us awake until all hours.

Squirrels in Pop Culture

Because they are adorable, squirrels have made frequent appearances in pop culture, showing up in television cartoons like "Rocky and Bullwinkle" and "Spongebob Squarepants;" in classic children's literature like C.S. Lewis's "Prince Caspian," Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series, and the works of Beatrix Potter; and in animated features like "Over the Hedge" and "The Wild."

Squirrels as Nuisances

Squirrels are cute and cuddly, but they can be nuisances in residential neighborhoods. Like all rodents, their teeth are continually growing. Because of this, a squirrel must chew on hard items to keep its teeth filed down and avoid injuring itself. Many homeowners have been annoyed by squirrels who like to chew garden hoses, or even like to nest in their attics and basements.

Squirrels are smart creatures, and will dig up flower bulbs to eat and steal seed from bird-feeders. If you like to put birdseed out to attract fine-feathered friends to your yard, you've probably already been annoyed by these thieving rodents. Why are they attracted to the birdseed? What do squirrels eat, anyway?

Squirrel Food

Like other rodents, squirrels are natural vegetarians.

• Squirrels like to eat nuts of any kind, with their second choice being seeds. The sunflower seeds in your birdfeeder are what tempt them to clean you out of birdseed.
  

• Many species will eat fruit and insects, too.
  

• When faced with extreme hunger, squirrels will also eat bird eggs and snakes.
  

• As humans have encroached on squirrels' natural habitats, squirrels have learned to eat human food, and will usually eat whatever people food they find lying around.

What do squirrels eat? They mostly eat nuts and seeds, but will also eat whatever else we humans leave out for them to find.