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SQUIRRELS

Squirrel's belong to the order "Rodentia", with 1650 species, it is the largest group of living mammals.  It also comprises forty percent of all present day mammal species.

There are over 365 species of squirrels in seven families. They include the tree squirrel, ground squirrel, and flying squirrel. Plus many squirrel-like mammals such as the gopher, ground hog and prairie dog.

Squirrels are the most active in late winter,  when the mating season begins.   The males will chase a females, as well as, chase off other suitors. This ritual of chasing, occurs through the trees at top speed.  While they perform some of the most breathtaking acrobatics imaginable.

The period of gestation varies from 33 days in the smaller species of pine squirrels, up to 60 days for the larger species such as the common gray and fox squirrels.

Squirrels are usually born in the early spring. The average litter consists of four. This varies with climate and location.  A second litter can occur in mid summer,  if there is an adequate food supply.

A female squirrel will choose the strongest male during mating season, but is unlikely to breed with that male again. This is natures way of reducing inbreeding,  and to preserve the species.

A baby squirrel weighs approximately one ounce at birth,  and is about one inch long. They do not have hair or teeth, and are virtually blind for the first six to eight weeks.

Gray squirrels come in many colors.  Shades of gray are the most common followed by shades of brown. There are also pure white and pure black squirrels,  but both are variations of the gray squirrel.

The common Red squirrel can have an all black coat.  While the Kaibab squirrel has a black body with a white tail. Both are found in coniferous forests.

In the summer squirrels are most active two to three hours after sunrise, then they'll rest in the afternoon. Resuming activity again two hours before sunset. The squirrel will retire to its nest well before dark,  and will rarely leave the nest in the dark.   In the winter, the squirrel will complete its activities between dawn and mid- day, and will remain in or around the nest until the next day.

During winter storms, or severe cold, the squirrel may not leave the nest for days.   But,  the tree squirrel does not hibernate!

An adult squirrel normally lives alone. But will, in severe cold, share its nest with other squirrels to conserve body heat. Once the temperature rises, the guests will be on their way.

Squirrels eyes are located high, and on each side of their head.  This allows them a wide field of vision, without turning their head.

The gray squirrels diet consists of nuts, seeds and fruit. It will eat bird eggs, bugs, and even an animal carcass if there is no other food source available.

The gray squirrel requires some salt in its diet, and may find this salt in the soil along roads where snow and ice may have been.

Squirrels chew on tree branches to sharpen and clean their teeth. That's why you may see many small branches on the ground around large trees. They will also chew on power lines for the same reason, this has caused many major power outages throughout the country.

A squirrel's brain is about the size of a walnut.

The average adult squirrel needs to eat about a pound of food a week to maintain an active life.

Squirrels communicate through a series of chirps. The frequency,  and the duration of the notes communicate everything from laughter to alarm. Their frequency range is normally between .01 KHz. and 10 KHz. (kilohertz). These sounds when used in conjunction with tail gestures, form the basis for squirrel  communication.

If a squirrel has taken up residence in your attic or crawl space, the only practical way to remove them is by trapping.

A squirrel will break the shell of a nut with its teeth, then clean the nut by licking it or rubbing on its face before it is buried. This action applies a scent to the nut which helps the squirrel find it later, even under a foot of snow.

The sweat glands of a tree squirrel are located on their feet, between the foot pads and on their paws between the toes. When hot or excited a squirrel will leave wet tracks on a dry surface. This scent is also used to mark the trees in their territory.

If a squirrels nest becomes infested with fleas or other parasites, it will move to, or build a new nest. This is why there may be more nests then squirrels in a given area.

The gray squirrel has been known to build a nest in many unusual places, in an attic or a crawl space seems to be the most common. Squirrels have also built nests in automobiles, chimney's, barbecue grills and under porches.

When a squirrel senses danger, its first instinct is to stand motionless. If on the ground it will race to the closest tree, or other climbable object to escape. If it is in a tree, it will circle the trunk with its body pressed tightly to the bark.

The squirrel's erratic path while crossing a street is an attempt to confuse the oncoming vehicle... thereby causing it to change direction. This is obliviously the squirrels biggest, and often last mistake.

The male tree squirrel takes twice as long, as the female, to groom itself. They are the cleanest animal in the rodent family.

A squirrels teeth grow continuously. Their incisor's will grow six inches per year, but stay short due to the constant wear they receive.

The most common type of squirrel bite is a result of feeding a squirrel by hand. Never hold the food between your fingers, chances are very good you will be bitten. A squirrel's eyes are always looking for predators and they rarely focus on what they are eating.

MORE INFORMATION

Get Rid of Tree Squirrels Through Exclusion

Critter Control can help prevent damage to nut orchards by applying sheet metal to trees that the tree squirrels are damaging. We also close off openings to structures (homes, businesses, etc.) to keep the tree squirrels from entering inside. 


Tree Squirrel Control by Habitat Modification

Sometimes the best way to get rid of tree squirrels is to modify their habitat. Critter Control will trim the trees on your property where they may be living. This will help to prevent access into your home or place of business.


Repellents for Tree Squirrel Removal

There are a few repellents that can be effective in keeping tree squirrels away – like moth balls, capsaicin, etc. – but it is important to let a professional animal control officer apply these repellents to ensure your safety and the effectiveness of the treatment. Contact Critter Control for more information on repellents for tree squirrels.


Using Toxicants and Fumigants to Get Rid of Tree Squirrels

Currently there are no toxicants or fumigants that are permitted to be used for the removal of tree squirrels.


Tree Squirrel Trapping Methods

There are a few traps that can be used to catch tree squirrels so they can be relocated away from your home. The most common are box and cage squirrel traps. Squirrel trapping is only effective for catching squirrels if the traps are set up correctly so you should contact the Critter Control office in your area to assist you with squirrel trapping.

 

Tree Squirrel Damage Identification


Tree Squirrels in Attics

Squirrels will commonly cause damage to attic insulation, or will chew wires in the attic. More significant, however, is the amount of damage they can do to the outside of the attic, on the exterior of the home. As more litters of squirrels are born in or near the home, these squirrels will grow up, leave the nest and search for new areas within the attic to build their own nests. If squirrel populations are not controlled, they will continue to chew holes around the outside of the attic, sometimes in every corner of the house! The longer the squirrels live in an attic, the more entry points they are going to create.

If you think you have tree squirrels living in your attic, contact a Critter Control office today for professional squirrel control and removal services.


Tree Squirrel Damage to Lawns and Landscaping

Tree squirrels living near your home can be a pain. If a tree squirrel gets hungry enough and cannot find food, it will dig up lawns in search of nuts. This will drive you nuts! They will also steal food from your bird feeders or prey on birds living in your birdhouses. If you have a garden with freshly planted seeds, be certain to look out for tree squirrels, as they will commonly dig them up, along with mature fruits and vegetables.


Tree Squirrel Damage to Forests and Orchards

Tree squirrels tend to cause significant damage to forest trees, from eating pinecones to chewing bark, which can commonly interfere with the reseeding process. Ponderosa pines, paper birch trees and jack pines are typically damaged by pine squirrels, while fox squirrels typically damage other pines, like loblolly pines. Sometimes tree squirrels will remove up to 80 percent of pinecones from Ponderosa pine trees. Not only does this hurt wild forests, but commercial forests are affected as well.

Tree squirrels can also damage the production of nuts in nut orchards and fruit in fruit orchards. Pine squirrels will sometimes eat premature cherry blossoms and ripe pears, right off the tree! Chewing the bark off of orchard trees can also cause significant damage to them.

 

The First Step to Getting Rid of Large Tree Squirrels: Identifying the Tree Squirrel


There are four common types of large tree squirrels that could be causing problems in or around your home: the fox tree squirrel (Sciurus niger), the eastern gray tree squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), the western gray tree squirrel (Sciurus griseus) and the tassel-eared tree squirrel (Sciurus aberti). Fox squirrels and gray tend to live in the same types of trees, both hardwood and coniferous. However, there are usually several more gray tree squirrels within a population living near forested trees. Other areas with less forest trees will have an equal amount of fox tree squirrels and gray tree squirrels.


Fox Tree Squirrels

The fox tree squirrel can be found in the central and eastern areas of the U.S. More recently, they have been appearing around homes in the western U.S. The fox tree squirrel can vary in appearance depending on where you live, but they are all typically the same size: 18 to 27 inches from the nose to the tail tip. They can range in weight, but are commonly between 1.75 pounds to 2.25 pounds. If you live in Florida, you may see fox tree squirrels that are all black. In Maryland, fox tree squirrels are silver gray with a white underside. In the Midwest (Ohio and Michigan), fox tree squirrels are gray-brown with an orange belly. Tree squirrels can also vary in color in one population.


Eastern Gray Tree Squirrels

Eastern gray tree squirrels are also commonly found in the central and eastern United States, with some populations in the west; however, they do not tend to live in the same areas as fox squirrels. It is important to contact a professional animal control expert to help you identify which type of tree squirrel is in your area. Eastern gray tree squirrels are different in appearance than other tree squirrels, with shades of red in their gray coats. There are also black eastern gray tree squirrels that live in the north. These squirrels are smaller than the fox tree squirrel, ranging in length from between 16 and 20 inches, and in weight from between 1.25 and 1.75 pounds.


Western Gray Tree Squirrels

If you live on the west coast, it is most likely that the tree squirrels causing damage to your property are western gray squirrels. These gray tree squirrels can also be found in western Nevada and tend to prefer mixed hardwoods and conifers to make their homes. Western gray tree squirrels are very similar to eastern gray squirrels when it comes to their size, but these squirrels are different in that they have a white underside. If you think you have a western gray tree squirrel problem, it is important to contact a Critter Control professional to help you get rid of these squirrels. 


Tassel-Eared Tree Squirrels

The most common large tree squirrel in the southwest is the tassel-eared tree squirrel, including Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. These squirrels are usually found at altitudes above 5,000 feet. Tassel-eared tree squirrels get their names from their black tufted ears. They can vary in color but the most tassel-eared squirrel is gray, sometimes with red on the back.

 

Pine Tree Squirrels: Are These Tree Squirrels Near Your Home?


Pine tree squirrels and flying tree squirrels can cause significant damage your property. This is why it is important to be able to identify what type of squirrel you are dealing with. Pine tree squirrels have two common species: the Douglas pine tree squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) and the red tree squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Both of these types of pine tree squirrels can weigh up to 2/3 lbs. and can grow anywhere between 10 and 15 inches. Don’t be fooled; though smaller in size, these tree squirrels can still cause a significant amount of damage to your property. They are commonly found throughout the United States and other areas of North America, and prefer coniferous forests to make their homes.

The Douglas pine tree squirrel is usually only found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to northern Baja California. These tree squirrels are distinct from other pine tree squirrels with their yellow undersides. Red tree squirrels look different from the Douglas pine tree squirrel, with their white undersides and red-brown bodies. Pine squirrels are unique in appearance in that both the Douglas pine tree squirrel and the red tree squirrel have black stripes separating their underbellies from the upper color of their bodies.

 

How to Identify the Flying Tree Squirrels in Your Area


Although the two species of flying tree squirrels in North America are called the northern and southern flying squirrels, their names do not entirely hold true. The northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) can be found anywhere across the United States, extending even in the south. The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) lives in the eastern and central U.S., typically not in the south at all!

Because these squirrels have very similar characteristics, it can often be difficult to identify which flying tree squirrel is living near your home. One easy tip is that the northern flying tree squirrel is typically 1-2 inches longer than the southern flying squirrel, with the southern flying tree squirrel ranging between 8 and 10 inches. Though not actually flying, these squirrels get their name because of the webs of skin between their fore and hind legs, and their tails, allowing them the ability to glide through the air as they jump from tree to tree.

 

Tree Squirrel Precautions and Public Health


If you may be thinking of taking care of tree squirrel problems on your own, it is important to take the proper precautions when dealing with them. Fox and gray squirrels tend to carry diseases and parasites, including mites, fleas and ticks. Try to keep your pets away from tree squirrels, as they are at high risk of contracting these diseases and parasites. Some tree squirrels carry bot fly larvae – commonly referred to as “wolves” or “warbles”. Squirrel hunters tend to notice bot fly larvae on tree squirrels; however, bot fly larvae do not have a negative affect on squirrel meat.

The safest way to get rid of tree squirrels is to have a licensed animal control officer perform effective squirrel removal methods. Contact your local Critter Control office for tree squirrel control services.

 

Tree Squirrel Legal Status


The legal status of tree squirrels varies between squirrel species and by your area. It is usually legal to hunt fox and gray squirrels, but tassel-eared squirrels are normally protected. Check with local or state authorities to determine legal status of tree squirrels in your area.

 

Tree Squirrel Facts and Trivia


Tree Squirrel Breeding Season

Tree squirrels will make noisy mating sounds while the male chases the female through the trees.


Tree Squirrel Litters

A litter of tree squirrels usually consists of only three squirrels. When they are born, tree squirrels are blind, their ears are closed and they do not have any hair. They typically weigh .5 oz. when they are born and progress up to 4 oz. by 5 weeks of age. It is common for tree squirrels to leave their nests between 10 and 12 weeks.


Home Ranges of Tree Squirrels

In the fall, squirrels will travel until they find a food source, sometimes over 50. They tend to live in areas from 1 to 100 acres, depending on the season and food availability. The size of tree squirrel populations will fluctuate throughout the year; during periods of high populations, tree squirrels will travel in large groups seeking new habitats.

There are several species of squirrels, but here we are covering the
tree squirrels that inhabit the attics causing damage and noise.

Squirrels are abundant in the wilds because their
natural predators are less abundant.
Because of this population increase and a decreasing natural habitat due to construction,
we start to see them in our attics.
They seek warm, safe shelter during the fall and winter months in particular.

A frequently asked question is: What can I do to run them out of our attic and keep them out?

Answer:
If you do run them temporarily(example moth balls), it would run you out as well.
Even at that, after sealing up their entry points,
they would gnaw inside making another entry point.

However there has been positive testimonies from the product called Squirrel Evictor:


Squirrel Evictor
Make your home "OFF LIMITS" for squirrels. All you have to do is hang it and plug it in. Homeowners have been amazed at how quickly their squirrel problems were solved. Most in less than 24 hours!




A consistent trapping program is best for squirrel complete control.

SQUIRREL CONTROL RECOMMENDATIONS:

FLYING SQUIRRELS


©Photo courtesy of: Grolier Encylopedia

Normal habitat is inside tree cavities in hardwoods.

Smaller than the grey squirrel,entering the smallest of cracks and holes.
They are about 9 inches long, which includes a 3-4 inch tail, weighing about 3 ounces as an adult.
The have a dense soft brown fur, white belly.

The flying squirrels don't really fly, but glide into attics from trees. They do this by means of a thin skin that extends out from the sides of the body and connects the front and hind legs as shown in the above picture. In "flying," the squirrels leap spread-eagled and use their outstretched gliding membranes for gliding and their bushy tails for guidance. Glides of 60 metres (almost 200 feet) or more have been recorded.

Flying Squirrels can enter the attics through the eaves and soffits thru small cracks. These squirrels may easily enter the space between the roof top and facia board , chewing the area for a wider entry point.

These squirrels chew on ornamental and potted plants. Damages screens.
They may gnaw on wood, electrical wiring and insulation causing fires.

Fly squirrels are nocturnal with their major activity at night. They are known to make plenty of noise during the night. Can by commonly heard,making a great deal of noise at night between sunset and sunrise.
May be heard landing on the roof or the sides of the house.

More Features:

  • Normally have 2 litters a year, 2-4 young per litter.
  • Will seek shelter and a hiding place,likes to hide in the insulation.
  • Diet: Seeds,nuts, insects,bird eggs,fruits
  • When trapping for these squirrels: place the traps in the attic, where they are commonly found.

GRAY SQUIRRELS:


©Photo courtesy of: Grolier Encylopedia

GRAY SQUIRREL FEATURES:

  • Gray squirrels are about 18 inches long, including their 9 inch tails..
    larger than the flying squirrels.
    They weigh about 1-1.5 lbs. as an adult.
    Their coloration is usually gray, salt and pepper,
    but can have tan hairs in the fur as well, white belley.


  • The winter coat is grey above with a white underside;
    the summer coat is shorter, sleeker and brownish grey above.
    Red squirrels have red/brown upper parts in summer
    but may show some grey on the back in winter,
    leading to some confusion.
    Reds are smaller, lighter, have ear tufts,
    prominent in the winter coat and brown on the legs and tail.
  • Natural habitats are wooded areas in tree cavities,
    can be found near hardwoods like oaks and hickory trees.
    Will construct feeding shelters out of leafs.


  • Generally have 2 litters a year,2-4 young per litter.
    They normally breed in midwinter and late spring. Gestation is about 44 days.


  • Diet consists of bird eggs, insects, berries, fruit,
    vegetables, nuts and nestling birds.
    They like to hoard their food.


  • Gray squirrels are active during the day,
    expecting to hear them during the daytime.


  • Can inhabit the attic areas as well as crawl spaces.
    They like to enter the attic areas from your gutters
    and nearby trees and bushes.
    Installing gutter guards, or down spouts with screen may
    prevent them from climbing up to the roof through a down spout.