Many people set up squirrel feeders to attract red squirrels to their garden. Supplementary feeding however is not thought to be necessary or a useful means of sustaining red squirrel populations.  There is also concern that feeding many squirrels in one place might actually increase the spread of disease amongst the reds as feeders are used by both red and grey squirrels and can serve to spread the squirrel-pox disease. There are further dangers to the red squirrel such as road casualties, cat predation, or drowning in the water butts, as a result of squirrels being attracted to supplementary feeding spots.

The UK Red Squirrel Group does not recommend supplementary feeding in light of the possible risks it brings. An alternative they suggest would be to encourage the growth of their preferred food plants in your garden.

It is certainly not advised to provide supplementary feeding where there are both red and grey squirrels as there is a very high risk of transmitting squirrel pox between them. Where there are no grey squirrels and you wish to provide feeding for red squirrels, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee provides a valuable advice note at:

http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/rs_supfeed_v5.pdf