Month: June 2016

When Do Squirrels Have Babies?

Different species of squirrel can give birth at different times of the year. For example, white-tailed antelope squirrels have their babies in the spring while southern flying squirrels produce one litter in spring and another in fall.1 There are dozens of different kinds of squirrels in North America alone,2 so as usual, we’ll focus on the most commonly recognized one, the eastern gray squirrel.

When Is the Eastern Gray Squirrel Breeding Season?

Gray squirrels can have up to two litters every year.1,2,3 They usually mate in January and then again in June.3 You can tell they’re getting ready to breed if you see them performing their “pre-mating ritual”, which involves a female leading one or more males on a merry chase. After becoming pregnant, the female squirrel will carry her babies for about 6 weeks before giving birth.1 Most baby gray squirrels are born in the months of March and July.2,4

Baby gray squirrel
Baby gray squirrel

How Many Babies Do Squirrels Have at a Time?

The number of babies in each squirrel litter is variable. Typically, gray squirrels give birth to 2 – 4 babies at a time, but their litters can contain up to 8 young.2 Birth occurs in the nest where the infants will remain until they’re weaned.

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References

1 Jackson, T. (2006). The illustrated encyclopedia of animals of America. London: Lorenz Books.

2 Reid, F. (2006). A field guide to mammals of North America (4th ed.). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

3 Webster, D., Parnell, J., & Biggs, W. (1985). Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press.

4 Hefner, J. (1971). Age determination of the gray squirrel (Master of science thesis). Retrieved from https://etd.ohiolink.edu/rws_etd/document/get/osu1392069904/inline

Where Do Squirrels Live?

There are 3 broad types of squirrels: tree squirrels, flying squirrels, and ground squirrels.1 As their names suggest, tree squirrels live in trees and ground squirrels live in burrows in the ground (in case you were wondering, flying squirrels also live in trees). Most people are familiar with tree squirrels, particularly eastern gray squirrels, so they’ll be our focus.

Where Do Squirrels Sleep?

Squirrels sleep in nests in trees. Usually, they build their nests in the branches of their chosen  tree, but they sometimes den in tree hollows as well.2 Squirrels construct nests out of twigs and leaves and then line and insulate them with moss or other soft materials.3,4

Fun fact: Squirrel nests are called dreys.

From the ground, squirrel nests look like big balls of leaves up in the trees and are easiest to see in the winter when tree branches are bare. Each squirrel can have multiple nests.4

A squirrel nest!
A squirrel nest!

Do Squirrels Live Alone?

Adult squirrels usually live alone, but in cold weather, they may den with other squirrels.4 Of course, baby squirrels live with their siblings and mother in the same nest until they’re old enough to be independent. If the mom has two litters in one year, she’ll move into a new nest to raise the second litter, abandoning the first.1

Other Popular Questions

References

1 Webster, D., Parnell, J., & Biggs, W. (1985). Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press.

2 Jackson, T. (2006). The illustrated encyclopedia of animals of America. London: Lorenz Books.

3 Haupt, L. (2013). The urban bestiary: encountering the everyday wild. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

4 Reid, F. (2006). A field guide to mammals of North America (4th ed.). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

What Do Squirrels Eat?

Squirrels spend huge amounts of time each day foraging for food. So what are they looking for? Squirrels eat nuts (especially acorns), seeds, flowers, fruit, buds, fungi, and sometimes even insects and baby birds.1,2 If you’ve ever seen a squirrel going through the trash, then you know they love to eat human food as well!

Of course, squirrels don’t eat the same foods all the time. Their diet depends on what’s available during each season. For example, squirrels eat buds in the spring when plants are developing new leaves and flowers and then fruit in the summer when it appears.2

A Quick Guide to Squirrel Nutrition

If you have a pet squirrel, you may be wondering how much of each type of food to feed your furry friend. Fortunately, a healthy and balanced squirrel diet is extremely easy to achieve. Nuts and seeds make up as much as 95% of the eastern gray squirrel diet.3 In particular, squirrels prefer acorns, hickory nuts, and beech-nuts.1,4 Insects and other food derived from animals make up under 2% of a squirrel’s diet.2

What do squirrels eat image

To prevent your pet squirrel from eating too much or too little, we should also figure out the total amount of food he or she needs every day. Let’s start with the fact that the average squirrel eats about 100 pounds of food each year.2 Some simple math will give us our answer:

What do squirrels eat equation

So, your squirrel will need just over a quarter pound of food every day.

What About Baby Squirrels?

Like other young mammals, baby squirrels drink milk from their mothers. Squirrels nurse their young for about 3 months, which is a long time by rodent standards.5 Every mammal produces its own unique type of milk, and squirrels are no exception. Compared to cow milk, gray squirrel milk has less water and sugar but more protein and fat.6

If you’re raising a baby squirrel, you can make your own squirrel milk using this recipe.

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References

1 Reid, F. (2006). A field guide to mammals of North America (4th ed.). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

2 Webster, D., Parnell, J., & Biggs, W. (1985). Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press.

3 Chung-MacCoubrey, A., Hagerman, A., & Kirkpatrick, R. (1997). Effects of tannins on digestion and detoxification activity in gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Physiological Zoology, 70(3), 270-277.

4 Nixon, C., Worley, D., & McClain, M. (1968). Food habits of squirrels in Southeast Ohio. The Journal of Wildlife Management, 32(2), 294-305.

5 Haupt, L. (2013). The urban bestiary: encountering the everyday wild. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

6 Nixon, C., & Harper, W. (1972). Composition of gray squirrel milk. The Ohio Journal of Science, 72(1), 3-6. Retrieved from https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/5665/V72N01_003.pdf?sequence=1