Gregory's Server@IdahoLark I wonder if you tried a design that only scraped the surface (rather than one that goes all the way through the meat) whether that would confuse the squirrel (like that witch's eyes? https://www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkins/how-to-etch-a-pumpkin/
@davidpwhelan I think that it would still be too tempting for a squirrel, especially since they can smell the "fresh meat" from a scraped surface. They are such little sh*ts.