A gray squirrel eats about 2 lbs. a week. Put pole mounted bird feeders at 5-6 feet off the ground and 10 feet from the nearest jumping off spot.
Did you know that:
The gray squirrel is Connecticut’s most frequently observed mammal.
66 squirrel species are native to North America. Connecticut has six “squirrels”: the woodchuck, Eastern chipmunk, red squirrel, Eastern gray squirrel and both Northern and Southern Flying Squirrels. All are active in daytime except the flying squirrel, which is nocturnal.
Squirrels have a sweet tooth. For example, red squirrels may bite into the bark of sugar maples to start sap flowing.
Flying squirrels are found in Woodstock. They can cover 80-150 feet in a single glide.
In the original folktale, Cinderella’s slippers were made of squirrel fur, but a mistaken translation turned them to glass.
A squirrels leafy bed is called a drey.
Researchers estimate that squirrels recover 85% of nuts they bury, mainly by smell.
Gray squirrels live 7-8 years, and up to 20 years in captivity.
Squirrels can eat a variety of poisonous plants and mushrooms (like amanitas) without getting sick.
Red squirrels hoard food like cones and twigs in huge piles called middens. Some have been measured at 20 feet x 12 feet x 3 feet deep.
Female red squirrels tolerate the presence of their mate for just one day in late winter. Maybe that’s because male squirrels take twice as long to groom themselves as a female.
Flying squirrels will eat insects, birds and eggs, and may nest in bluebird boxes.
Chipmunk burrows are typically 20-30 feet long, with a master bedroom, storage areas and separate escape tunnels.
Squirrels use their tails to communicate, for balance, and to shade out sun or shed rain.
A camel’s hair brush is really made out of squirrel fur.
Squirrel-Proofing
Squirrels can inflict considerable damage to structures, gardens, insulation, and electrical wiring, and may leave fleas behind. Never attempt to pet or feed a squirrel by hand. They are wild animals, and will bite with their razor sharp teeth.
A gray squirrel eats about 2 lbs. a week. Put pole mounted bird feeders at 5-6 feet off the ground and 10 feet from the nearest jumping off spot. Use a baffle on the pole/above a tree hung feeder. If you have a second story house, put feeders on a pulley system. Use a cube within a cube suet feeder. Offer nyger (thistle), or safflower seeds which squirrels don’t prefer.
Trim back tree limbs within 20 feet of your roof.
Put “Ropel” (a nasty tasting contact repellant) on feeders or structures squirrels are gnawing on. “Hinder” is a repellant approved for use on food.
Old timers used to grind dried hot peppers mixed with mineral oil and paint it on corn silk to deter squirrels.
Unlike mammals, birds lack pain receptors for natural capsaicin which causes the 'heat" in hot peppers, so it can be added to bird food to deter squirrels, raccoons and bears.
To keep squirrels out of attics and eaves, seal them with strong ½” wire mesh (making sure no squirrels are inside first!) Squirrels may be repelled by the smell of mothballs.
To get squirrels OUT and prevent their return, put in a one-way door made of hardware cloth. See instructions at www.urbanwildliferescue.org, Humane Eviction>Squirrels>Construct a One-Way Door.
If a squirrel gets in the chimney, drop a thick rope in to help it climb out.
Put a pile of bricks or cinderblock in a water trough to keep squirrels from drowning.
Wire mesh fences around gardens need to be two feet high and buried one foot underground. Mixing blood meal with the soil may deter squirrels.
Hunting gray squirrels is legal from Jan 1 - Feb 28, Sep 1 - Sep 30, Oct 15 - Dec 31.
Trapping has limited effectiveness. If you do trap, relocate squirrels 3-7 miles away. A Havahart or Tomahawk trap is best, and can be baited with shelled pecans, peanuts, peanut butter or apple slices.
For more information on how to manage problem squirrels or for a referral to a licensed Nuisance Wildlife Control Operator, contact the CT DEP Wildlife Division at (860) 424-3011.
by R.M. Hart
