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What animals are squirrels afraid of


How to Keep Squirrels Away (2022 Edition)

There are quite a few different DIY ways to keep squirrels out of your yard but not all of them are going to be effective for your particular region or squirrel problem. Knowing all the best methods for deterring squirrels can help you decide which one will be best for your specific circumstances.

Get a Motion-Activated Sprinkler

While squirrels are not necessarily repelled by water, they are not big fans of being startled. They are incredibly skittish creatures and will be less inclined to go in your yard if there are things there that can take them by surprise. Motion-activated sprinklers are a great way to let squirrels know that they will not be able to be comfortable in your yard.

One of the best ways to set up motion-activated sprinklers is to film your backyard and take note of where squirrels are getting in and what their access points are. Then, you can set up the sprinklers in those areas and make sure the squirrels don’t make their way into the yard at all.

Get Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeders

Having bird feeders in your yard can be incredibly relaxing and bring a pleasant atmosphere to the house. However, they can also attract squirrels and other rodents like rats and mice. These intruders will not only eat all the bird food, but they can also potentially spread diseases to the birds and pass on parasites that can be harmful to the bird population.

Luckily, squirrel-proof bird feeders are a very effective way of keeping these pests out of your backyard and away from your home and vegetable garden. Squirrels and other rodents will quickly learn that your backyard is not a good food source and move on to another spot.

Use Ultrasonic Deterrents

Like many other animals, squirrels can hear frequencies that humans can’t detect. You can use this trait to your advantage by installing ultrasonic deterrents in your yard that will help protect the perimeter and keep squirrels and other rodents away from your home.

Ultrasonic deterrents are small devices that can be installed around your yard that emit a sound that is repellent to all kinds of rodents and other wildlife. However, because the human ear only has a specific range of frequencies that it can hear, you and your family won’t be disturbed by the sound. This is an excellent option if you want to use something discreet for your squirrel deterring techniques.

Apply Fox Urine

One of the best ways to keep wildlife out of your yard is to introduce other natural predators. Squirrels aren’t afraid of much, but they are terrified of the other animals in the wild that are solely focused on eating them. One of their most feared predators is the common fox.

While you don’t have to get a pet fox to keep squirrels out of your yard, you can create the illusion of a fox nearby. Fox urine can be purchased at almost any hunting and fishing supply store and is an excellent squirrel deterrent. By spreading the predator urine around your yard, you can be sure that the squirrels will stay away.

Use Live Traps

If you have tried all the above deterrents and none of them have worked, you can always try physically removing the squirrels. This method is beneficial if a squirrel has made its home in a place like your garage or basement. It may be difficult to lure it out with any other methods.

Live traps are cages that will close as soon as a squirrel makes its way inside. Place some food like peanut butter or acorns in the trap and place it near your trash cans or under the eaves of your porch. Keep an eye on it to ensure you don’t leave the squirrel in it for too long. Once you catch one in the squirrel trap, you can relocate it to another area far away from your home where it will be able to live freely and happily.

What Frightens Squirrels? (Our Full List!)

Squirrels are pests in your garden, and not all of them can be easily deterred. But what are they afraid of, what frightens squirrels and can we use this to help keep our gardens squirrel-free?

There is a range of things that frighten squirrels including predators and other animals, strong smells and disturbing sounds.

What are Squirrels Afraid of?

Squirrels are afraid of a large number of things. They can be scared of both things that they see and the things that they smell.

You can organise these fears into a few main categories, which will follow in this article. Most of their worries are predatory based, but there are some different fears that we will also explore.

What Animals Frighten Squirrels?

Squirrels have many predators, which means that they can be easily frightened by other animals.

We can use this to our advantage in several different ways.

Below is a list of some animals that squirrels are afraid of and some ideas for using this fear to deter squirrels from coming into your garden.

Dogs and Cats

Two of the most common domestic animals and squirrels are afraid of them both.

If you have a pet cat or dog, you already have an advantage in keeping squirrels at bay. Dogs will bark and chase squirrels, and they will then be less inclined to return to this area.

If you are worried about squirrels entering your garden when your pets are not there, you can leave hair clippings around the base of commonly disturbed plants. This will make them smell the predator and remind them that the animals are still there.

Foxes

It is not plausible to have a pet fox to keep squirrels off of your lawn. However, you can still use this knowledge to your advantage.

You can purchase predatory urine (such as fox or wolf urine) from pest control suppliers. Applying this around your garden will make the squirrels believe that there is a predator nearby, and they will vacate the area due to fear.

The downside to this, though, is that you may also be able to smell this, and you will have to continue to reapply it after every time it rains, meaning it isn’t convenient if you live in a country that frequently has wet weather.  

Owls

If you live in an area with many owls, you already have a head start here.

Make your garden appealing to the nearby owls. Not only does it help them, but their presence will also keep the squirrels at bay as they will not go near areas fraught with predators.

If there are no owls near where you live, then don’t worry, there are still things you can do. You can purchase plastic owls that act similarly to scarecrows. They will make the squirrels think that an owl is nearby and will cause them to leave out of fear.

However, if you use this method, we advise that you periodically move the plastic owl around your garden. Squirrels are quite smart, and if the owl does not move, they may soon realise that it is not a real danger to them. 

These methods have all been known to be effective in deterring squirrels.

However, as mentioned, some squirrels may realise that the danger isn’t real, so you should change your setup now and again and switch out these methods to keep the squirrels on their toes.

Another great benefit of using these methods is that they can also scare away other kinds of pests, such as rats and mice as they have the same predators. 

Do Fake Owls Scare Squirrels?

Yes! Fake owls do scare squirrels effectively. As soon as they catch a glimpse of what they believe to be an owl, they will run. However, it’s a good idea to move the owl around every week so they don’t get used to it in the same place.

What Flowers Frighten Squirrels?

Some flowers are very effective at deterring squirrels due to their pungent smell.

However, whether this is because they are afraid of the scent is heavily debated. That being said, there are a couple of toxic flowers which squirrels can identify by their smell and therefore, some are believed to be capable of frightening squirrels. 

Daffodils

These flowers are said to be the main ones that squirrels are afraid of. Every part of the daffodil plant is toxic to rodents.

They have a very strong smell, and squirrels can identify it as the smell of daffodils and are aware that this smell means a toxic substance is nearby. Therefore, they will leave the area alone for fear of poisoning themselves.

However, they may still disturb other daffodil-free areas of your garden. The best way to utilise daffodils to prevent squirrels is by interspersing them with flowers that are often disturbed by squirrels, as they will then make sure to leave this area alone. 

Mint

Squirrels have an extremely strong sense of smell. This is why you can use strong smell plants to ward them off your flower beds. Peppermint and spearmint are both punchy varieties of mint that have been known to keep squirrels away.

Fed Up With Squirrels Ruining Your Garden?

We’ve Put Together a Complete and Free Guide on How to GET RID of Squirrels Finally! – Including Deterrents and Preventative Measures to Take:

Read Our Guide

What Sounds Frighten Squirrels?

As well as smells and sights, squirrels can also be frightened away by sounds. Let’s have a look at a couple of the most effective sounds that frighten squirrels:

Dog Barks

Admittedly, this is not a very ideal or practical solution. If you have a dog that naturally barks at squirrels, then let them bark away, it will stop them from coming back so often.

You can also play recordings of dog barking if you see squirrels trying to go into your garden. But of course, this isn’t the best solution as they may soon realise the threat isn’t real. 

Why Do Dogs Bark at Squirrels?

Dogs bark at squirrels because they get easily frustrated by an unknown animal. Squirrels move in an erratic way which instantly gets on a dog’s nerves, hence the barking.

Ultrasonic Sounds

Ultrasonic pest deterrents have become quite common because they emit sounds that humans cannot hear but are very painful for the squirrels.

Because the sound causes them a lot of discomfort, squirrels will become afraid of the areas where this sound is produced, so they can be quite useful to use in your garden.  

Whilst these solutions have been praised by gardeners. They have their limitations. Sound is often quite directional, and squirrels will usually get past by learning where the sound devices are.

Like other methods, you should change up the positioning now and again to keep them alert. 

Summary

To summarise what frightens squirrels, they are primarily scared of their predators, such as dogs, cats, foxes and owls. You can use visual, aromatic and auditory methods to scare squirrels from your garden by making them believe that there are predators nearby.

Squirrels are smart and may catch on that there are not predators in your garden, so be sure to frequently update your setup to keep the squirrels alert.

The most effective way to frighten squirrels from your garden is to use a combination of the methods mentioned above. 

Table of Contents
  1. What are Squirrels Afraid of?
  2. What Animals Frighten Squirrels?
    1. Dogs and Cats
    2. Foxes
    3. Owls
  3. What Flowers Frighten Squirrels?
    1. Daffodils
    2. Mint
  4. What Sounds Frighten Squirrels?
    1. Dog Barks
    2. Ultrasonic Sounds
  5. Summary

Ryan Finch

Ryan is a keen gardener from the UK who’s spent years dealing with countless, common pests over the years so knows the ins and outs of how to deal with pests in the garden

What animals are not afraid of a squirrel.

Squirrel breeds

The way from home to my work passes through the forest. Every morning on the road I meet nimble squirrels. They jump so fast from one tree to another that you can't even follow them. I have always been very curious to watch these nimble creatures and wonder where they live. Armed with a camera, I go in search of squirrel shelters.

Where the squirrel lives

Having met another jumper in the forest, I try to quietly follow him. But catch up the squirrel turns out to be completely impossible . She is instantly out of sight. Here and there, her beautiful fluffy tail flashes, which, by the way, is almost equal in length to the size of the entire body of the rodent (2/3). The idea is close to failure. But without losing my last hope, I just go deep into the forest in search of squirrel dwellings. Here it is. Duplo squirrels. Its size is approximately equal to 25-35 cm. The squirrel can be called an excellent housewife. All 9 in the hollow0007 is well equipped. At the bottom is a bedding of leaves, twigs, wool, grass. The cracks are prudently sealed with moss. Moreover, the squirrel does not have one “apartment”, but 15 pieces throughout the forest. Every 3 days the rodent changes its shelter. In addition, each hollow has a spare passage so that in case of danger you can quickly escape. Male squirrels are lazier. They do not waste time on home improvement, but occupy empty bird nests.


In general, squirrels live everywhere except Australia. In Brazil, red and brown squirrels live, in Mexico - gray-black, in Turkey - bright chestnut. In Russia represented by more than 15 kinds of squirrels . For example, such:

Why hunters need squirrel

First of all, they do it in order to get valuable fur. Original models of fur coats are sewn from it, used as decoration, blankets are made. They also make stuffed animals out of squirrels. As a child, stuffed squirrels also hung in our house. In the 90s it was very popular.


Although, it seems to me that killing this cute, bug-eyed animal is somehow very pitiful. Yes, and fur coats from it are actually obtained not very warm.

Squirrel is one of the most popular hunting objects. Especially considering the fact that the world is inhabited by a number of varieties of these fur-bearing animals, which have been learned to be hunted everywhere. However, every hunter will say that a good knowledge of the habits of these animals is necessary for the success of his event.

Squirrel is a small animal of the mammal class, a rodent. The common squirrel is also called veksha. In addition to it, there are other types of squirrels, for example, red, palm, flying squirrel.

On the territory of the European, Asian part of the world, including in our country, they hunt most often for an ordinary squirrel, so we will talk about it.

Appearance

The peculiarity of the animal is a large tail, which can be even longer than the body of the squirrel itself. In general, the body length is 20-30 cm, the weight of the animal is an average of 300 grams. The hind legs are noticeably shorter than the front.

Muzzle extended forward, black shining eyes. Squirrels are known for tassels on rather large erect ears.

In winter, the squirrel has a fluffy thick grayish fur. In warm weather, the animal is covered with sparse and coarse hair of dark brown, orange, yellowish, red colors. The belly is usually lighter. Differences in the color of the main fur are associated with the habitats of the squirrels. Twice a year, in spring and autumn, the squirrel molts. The tail is shed only once a year.

The animal has good claws and strong teeth, which help in the extraction and chewing of food.

Where squirrels live

The most suitable place for squirrels to live is a forest, especially a deaf one, with tall trees, with hollows. What squirrels do not like is bright direct sunlight and, at the same time, dampness. Therefore, they choose places where there is neither one nor the other. If there is a forest, then most likely there will be squirrels there, unless it is Australia. And so squirrels live throughout Europe, most of Asia: in Siberia, Altai and the Urals.

Squirrels like to build their nest in tree hollows, but if the animal is not lucky enough to find such a place, it builds an open nest. Usually in a fork between branches. The nest looks like a bird's nest, only covered with a flat roof from above to shelter the animals from snow and rain.

Hunters should be aware that the exit from the lair usually faces east and is slightly off center. However, near the trunk, the squirrel also makes an emergency move, suddenly an enemy tries to climb into the main hole. The bottom of the nest is often bonded with earth, clay - this is an inheritance from crows, whose nests squirrels often take as a basis. Inside, everything is lined with moss, it turns out soft and dry.

Squirrels feed mainly on plant foods. They eat:

A favorite food is the seeds of coniferous trees, which squirrels skillfully extract from cones. They will not refuse the eggs of a bird, and if there are chicks in the nest, they will also go to food. In the spring, when the seeds germinate, there is not enough food for the squirrels and they can eat insects, frogs, and small birds.

Interestingly, proteins cannot digest fiber. In general, their diet is quite rich in fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Many interesting habits of squirrels are related to nutrition. Since childhood, we have all heard that animals can make stocks of mushrooms and nuts. And indeed it is. Squirrel mushrooms eat both fresh and dried. He drags off excess mushrooms, clings to branches in the hope of using them later. In addition, they are especially active in hiding various nuts, as well as fruits and seeds. On the ground, in hollows, stumps, between stones, old nests and various other secluded places. Moreover, it cannot be said that the squirrel has a directly human memory. Rather, it is an instinct to hide and seek. Therefore, she does not find everything that she hid, and she can also find and use the supplies of her neighbors.

Another sign related to the feeding of squirrels: in winter they look for food on trees, get cones, peel and get seeds. Broken branches, parts of cones on the snow - evidence that the squirrel made its way along the top. And perhaps somewhere here and is. In the spring, squirrels have to go down in search of food. When there is a lack of food, animals can roam from place to place, sometimes their transitions exceed 300 km, but in favorable conditions they live settled. During migrations, they move not en masse, but one by one, but in a wide line.

In the warm season, in the morning, the squirrel leaves its shelter and goes to feed. Moreover, it is known that a strong wind awakens the animals earlier, at dawn. And in calm weather, squirrels can sleep longer. This information will also help hunters.

Squirrels quickly get used to taking food from a person and stop being afraid of him.

Habits of squirrels

By nature, squirrels, despite their cute appearance, are moderately aggressive and suspicious animals. However, they are quite smart and cunning.

A hunter who is learning to read animal tracks needs to know about squirrels that squirrels follow old tracks, forming real paths. The path leads from the tree where the animal left the lair to the feeding grounds. The further the winter, the longer the transitions of squirrels in search of food. It is noteworthy that a hungry squirrel, going in the morning for fattening, makes long jumps, placing its hind legs side by side. A narrow trail is formed. The squirrel that has eaten is heavier, lazier, does not jump so far, and puts its paws farther apart. So in the footsteps you can understand where the squirrel went - to feed or to rest.

In general, squirrels have many interesting habits. For example:

Reproduction

The female usually gives birth twice a year. The first mating season occurs in February-March, the second occurs in the summer. At this time, up to a dozen males gather around the squirrels, who sort things out with the help of teeth and claws. After mating, the babies appear a little later than a month later.

Males do not take care of offspring, and females are very caring mothers. They can bring from two to twelve babies. Baby squirrels are born blind and naked. If the mother leaves the nest, she covers the children with moss.

Approximately two weeks later the hair grows back, the eyes open later, the teeth grow. The babies begin to look out of the nest, they are very curious and may suffer because of this - fall out of the den, become prey to predators. Grown up squirrels themselves often get out of the nest down the trunk, making sounds like a clatter. At forty days, the young can already look for food on their own, moving from mother's milk to the usual diet for an adult squirrel

When the second, summer brood grows up, the parents unite the whole family and settle in one part of the forest. Puberty of young animals occurs at 5 months. In captivity, a squirrel can live up to 15 years, but in natural conditions this figure is less.

In our online store you can, in the catalog, there are many high-quality and detailed photographs of stuffed animals from different angles, so that you can best evaluate the finished product.

This adorable animal, which is liked by both adults and children, has recently become a pet of many townspeople quite often. A funny animal seems to be created to decorate our nature - a city park or indoor living corner.

The squirrel is very attractive in appearance. This is a very proportionally built animal with thick fiery-brown hair in summer and silver-yellow in winter, dark tassels on sharp ears and a fluffy tail. Her muzzle is decorated with smart black eyes. All this together creates the impression of sophisticated elegance.

Have you ever watched a squirrel move? The description of her movements can be reduced to a few words - lightness, dynamics and grace. All movements and postures of this beauty are graceful and refined - whether she climbs a huge tree trunk, “flies” from branch to branch with lightning speed, or enthusiastically gnaws a bump, grabbing it with small but strong paws, while fluffing her unusual tail.

Habitat

The life of squirrels has always interested not only scientists, but also ordinary travelers. It is always interesting to observe the behavior of the animal, its incredible activity, curiosity, sweet gullibility, lightning-fast transitions from one action to another.

These are wild animals. Protein in natural conditions in Russia is found in the forest-steppe and forest zone. Since the end of the 20th century, this animal began to inhabit parks and gardens near various settlements, and sometimes even on their territory. They are not afraid of big cities either.

The squirrel, whose description can be found in many publications, from school textbooks to special reference books, settles in hollows or in special ball-shaped nests - gains, which she makes from rough branches on the outside and soft bark on the inside.

In settlements, it often takes pleasure in birdhouses and other bird nests.

The squirrel is an extremely intelligent animal. She is in no hurry to migrate to warmer climes even in a very severe winter if she has no problems with food or people feed her.

Squirrel: description, external features

The common squirrel is a rather small animal with a slender, slightly elongated body, a combed tail and a regular, rounded head. The ears are elongated, pronounced brushes appear in winter.

There are special vibrissae on the muzzle, abdomen, front legs, which help animals to better navigate in space. The hind legs are much longer than the front ones, and the toes are crowned with sharp, tenacious claws. On the sides of the tail, the hair is longer than on the entire body, so the tail has a somewhat flattened shape.

The squirrel acquires soft, high and fluffy fur in winter. In summer it is more rare, hard, short. Color changes seasonally, within the same population. The animal sheds twice a year (except for the tail - it sheds only once).

In spring, molting occurs in April-May, and in autumn - in September-November.

Squirrel food

This cute rodent is a typical forest dweller. Perhaps that is why the basis of her diet are the seeds of trees and shrubs. The squirrel prefers to live in mixed conditions. Here it has the best feeding conditions. In addition, the animal is very fond of mature dark coniferous plantations - spruce forests, cedar forests, fir forests; they are followed by deciduous plantations, mixed pine forests, thickets of elfin cedar. In the Caucasus and Crimea, the common squirrel feels very comfortable in cultural landscapes - vineyards and orchards.

Lifestyle

The squirrel is an active and lively animal. She easily makes huge "flights" from tree to tree. Sometimes they “fly” in a straight line up to 10-15 m, while skillfully “steering” with their tail. In snowless time, as well as during the rutting period, it spends a long time on the ground, on which it moves in jumps.

In winter, squirrels move mainly along the "tops". At the slightest danger, it hides in trees, usually hiding in the crown. Active in the morning and evening. Up to 80% of the time she spends in search of food.

In the dead of winter it leaves its nest only for feeding, in severe frosts it does not leave the nest, falling into a half-drowsy state. The squirrel is not territorial - individual areas are expressed weakly.

Squirrels are distinguished by the ability to hide and find hidden seeds and nuts, they quickly understand that people can be a source of food and get used to eating from their hands.

Despite being charming, they are quite aggressive, moderately suspicious and even quarrelsome. These cute little animals can easily be tame animals, but they are unlikely to be pets in the usual sense. They cannot be attributed to animals that can be caressed or “cuddled”. Even with the warmest friendships, you will only occasionally be able to stroke the animal's fur.

It is very rare for a squirrel to become so tame that it allows itself to be picked up. Young animals adapt much faster to new conditions than adults.

Species of squirrels

Animals kept in captivity include the common squirrel and the teleutk squirrel.

Common squirrel belongs to rodents, it is familiar to every person - an adult and a child, even if he saw it only in the picture. Distributed throughout Russia. The only exceptions are the zones of deserts, steppes and semi-deserts.

The Teleut squirrel is a special subspecies of the common squirrel. It is mainly distributed in Eastern Siberia, but not acclimatized in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

These types of squirrels differ from each other only in size and color - the teleut is larger.

Life expectancy

On average, these animals in natural conditions is no more than 3.5 years. At home, when the animal is not threatened by frost, it is provided with food and protected from predators, squirrels live up to 10-12 years. Cases where squirrels live up to 16 years in captivity are rather an exception to the rule.

Squirrel nutrition

The diet of this small animal is varied. It consists of more than 130 items of various feeds. The main part among them are seeds of coniferous plants - pine, cedar, spruce, fir, larch.

In southern, oak forests with undergrowth, squirrels enjoy eating hazelnuts and acorns. In addition, she eats mushrooms, shoots and buds of trees, tubers and rhizomes, berries, lichens, grass. Quite often, with a lack of feed, protein actively eats spruce buds, thereby causing significant damage to these trees.

During the breeding season, does not refuse animal food - insects and their larvae, feeds on eggs, chicks, small vertebrates. The daily amount of food consumed largely depends on the season: in spring, during the rut, it can be up to 80 g of food per day, in winter - about 35 g.

nests or hiding them among the roots. In addition, she dries mushrooms like a good housewife, hanging them on tree branches.

However, quite often she forgets about her warehouses and finds them in winter quite by accident. This is often used by small rodents, birds and even a brown bear. Squirrel herself uses the reserves of her forest neighbors (nutcrackers, chipmunks, mice), which she feels even through a one and a half meter layer of snow.

The domestic squirrel is a creature with irrepressible energy that can jump and run for hours. To keep it in the house, you need a spacious aviary or a large cage.

For one animal you will need a cage 50x60 cm and 150 cm high. It is better to make the rods galvanized, or cover them with a good powder paint. The gap between the bars should not be more than 2 cm. The cage must be equipped with a pull-out tray to make it easier to clean. Put hay, reeds, or forest moss on the pallet.

There must be a drinking bowl, a feeder and houses in the cage, where squirrels usually arrange nests. One animal needs two houses, which must be well fixed at a sufficient height. Put in the cage pieces of soft cloth, pieces of woolen yarn, small sawdust, some cotton wool, which the squirrel must use when organizing a nest.

The owner must have access to the house (this can be done using a drop roof or a wide entrance). Do not forget about mineral and salt stones, which should be installed in a place convenient for the pet, it is better if this is a place next to a drinker or feeder.

We have already said that squirrels are in dire need of movement, so you cannot do without various ladders, hammocks, swings, large branches and wheels.

The domestic squirrel will feel comfortable in a cage set away from drafts and direct sunlight. It should be removed every other day. This will protect your pet from infectious diseases.

Breeding

In mid-latitudes, under natural conditions, squirrels breed twice a year. Up to 12 cubs are born in a litter. Pregnancy squirrels at home lasts 5 weeks. Immediately after giving birth, the squirrel begins to fulfill its maternal duties. She is a very good mother, surrounding squirrels with care and attention. At the age of two weeks, the cubs are covered with fur, at the age of 4 weeks they begin to see clearly. By the 40th day, the babies begin to look for food themselves, at 2 months they switch to an independent life completely. Full puberty occurs by five months.

Keep in mind that squirrels do not breed often at home. The description of experts suggests that this process in captivity is possible only with good care for the animal and its quality nutrition.

This nimble red-haired animal (known to zoologists under the species name "common squirrel") is so common in Russian open spaces that it has found its way onto the coats of arms of cities and villages. Two squirrels flaunt on the coat of arms of Zelenograd, one adorns the coat of arms of Yakutsk and a pair of squirrels is depicted on the coat of arms of the village of Yarensk (Arkhangelsk region), until 1924 years of city status.

Description of the common squirrel

A rodent belonging to the family is called Sciurus vulgaris in Latin and has another half-forgotten name - veksha . Of all the representatives of the genus squirrels (and these are 30 species living in Europe, Asia, South and North America), only one single species, the common squirrel, lives on the territory of Russia.

Appearance

This cute fast animal is similar to other squirrels. Veksha has a well-proportioned slender body that ends in an extremely fluffy, somewhat flattened tail from 13 to 19cm (about 2/3 of the body length). The tail looks flat due to long hairs (3-6 cm), splayed in both directions.

Common squirrel grows up to 19-28 cm, in adulthood gaining a mass of about 250-340 g. The animal has a rounded head with dark beady eyes and long funny ears topped with tassels sticking up (in winter they become more noticeable).

Vibrissae, which are especially sensitive, adorn not only the muzzle, but also the front paws and abdomen. The squirrel belly, by the way, is always lighter than the top or painted white. The front legs are much shorter than the hind legs. The limbs are equipped with sharp, tenacious claws.

Important! The size of the common squirrel decreases from the mountainous regions to the plains, the size of the skull also becomes smaller from south to north, and the color of the fur brightens towards the central point of the range.

By winter cold, the common squirrel grows taller and more fluffy fur, but in summer it changes its structure, turning into short, hard and sparse.

Coloration

In terms of color variability, Veksha is the undoubted leader among the numerous fauna of the vast Palearctic region: it changes coat color depending on the season, subspecies, and even being within the boundaries of its population.

In summer, the squirrel outfit is brown, red or dark brown, in winter the coat becomes gray, sometimes almost black (occasionally with a brown tint). There are also piebalds among Vekshas, ​​whose coat is diluted with white spots, as well as specimens with completely black fur (melanists) and, conversely, with a complete absence of pigment (albinos).

Far Eastern, Carpathian and Manchurian subspecies of the common squirrel are characterized by brown and black shades of winter coat. And teleut squirrels (the largest representatives of the Veksha on the territory of the former USSR) show a silver-gray and bluish color in winter, as well as a pale gray (with an admixture of black and yellowish-rusty) tail.

Teleut squirrels belong to the so-called grey-tail squirrels (which is determined by the winter color of the tail). Along with them, veks are divided into "browntail", "redtail" and "blacktail".

Shedding

The change of coat in the common squirrel happens, like in most animals, twice a year . The squirrel tail has its own cycle of fur renewal: it sheds only once a year. The spring molt occurs, as a rule, in April - May, and the autumn molt takes place from September to November.

As is known, the molting of all mammals is controlled by the length of the daylight hours, which regulates the functioning of the pituitary gland. The latter produces thyrotropin, which (in turn) acts on the activity of the thyroid gland, which triggers the molt.

This is interesting! Sexually mature males always begin to molt earlier than females and young vexies of the year born in the current year. The spring change of fur goes from the head to the base of the tail, and the autumn one - from the root of the tail to the head.

The timing of the moult is very variable, as it depends on the availability of food and climatic conditions. With an abundant forage base, the change of squirrel wool begins and ends earlier, in lean crops it is not only delayed, but also stretched.

Way of life, character

This agile rodent is not distinguished by territoriality, therefore the individual sections of the squirrel are usually not only not expressed, but often overlap one another.

Veksha leads mainly an arboreal lifestyle, showing particular cheerfulness in the morning and evening hours . It is at this time that she scours the forest in search of food, which takes 60-80% of her active time. Noticing the danger, he prefers to hide in the crown of a tree.

The squirrel easily flies from one tree to another, covering 3–4 m in a straight line and 10–15 m in a downward arc, using its tail as a rudder. In winter, in order not to freeze its paws, it jumps more on the tops. During the mating season, as well as in the absence of snow, it usually moves along the ground (by jumps up to 1 m).

In the most severe frosts and during rampant bad weather, she is able to sit in the shelter all the time, falling into half-asleep. Only a persistent feeling of hunger can force a veksha to come out of hiding in winter.

Where the squirrel lives

Whatever the squirrel's house, it will always be located on a tree. In a deciduous forest, the squirrel likes to settle in hollows, stuffing them with tree lichens, grass and dry leaves.

In a coniferous forest, she usually builds nests (25–30 cm in diameter), placing them at a height of 7–15 m among dense branches. Veksha gives the shape of a ball to such a nest, called a gain, lining it inside with leaves, hairs, moss and grass.

This is interesting! In order not to bother with building a nest, a squirrel occupies a birdhouse. Males do not bother building their own nest, but settle in housing left by females or in empty nests of magpies, thrushes and crows.

Information about large-scale migrations of squirrels can be found in old Russian chronicles.

Migration occurs at the end of summer - beginning of autumn, and forest fires and drought often become a motivating factor, but more often - a poor harvest of the main squirrel food, nuts or seeds of coniferous trees.

Long-distance and long migrations of 250-300 km are rare: as a rule, squirrels move more modest distances to the neighboring forest area.

During migration, rodents hop alone, but form a wide front (approximately 100–300 km), without straying into flocks and large groups. Mass character is observed only in front of natural obstacles .

During migrations, the squirrel crosses many natural zones and barriers, including:

Migration is always accompanied by the death of squirrels that drown, freeze, die of exhaustion and fall into the teeth of predators.

Along with mass migrations, seasonal migrations are observed, which are associated with the transition of young animals to independent life, as well as with gradual maturation of food. Seasonal migrations with lack of fodder are transformed into migrations.

The dispersal of juveniles occurs in August/September and October/November, when they move 70–350 km from their native nests.

True, some of the mature squirrels remain in place. They only change the composition of the diet, switching to low-calorie vegetation with a high concentration of fiber:

It is this group of rodents that becomes the basis for the restoration of the local squirrel population.

Lifespan

In nature, the common squirrel has a very short lifespan: an individual older than 4 years is considered old. Such "long-livers" in the population make up no more than 10%. But in captivity (without enemies and with good nutrition), the veksha lives up to 10–12 years.

Range, habitats

The common squirrel (represented by 40 subspecies) has chosen the boreal zone of the Eurasian continent from the Atlantic coast to Kamchatka, Sakhalin and about. Hokkaido.

The animal flooded Siberia, the Far East and the European part of Russia . The first squirrels entered Kamchatka around 1923–24. Veksha even adapted to life in the Tien Shan, and in the Caucasus and Crimea, she settled into cultural landscapes (vineyards and orchards).

The squirrel, as a typical forest dweller, prefers mixed coniferous-broad-leaved forests with an abundant forage base (tree seeds).

In addition, the animal willingly settles in plantations such as:

It has been noticed that the density of the squirrel population decreases towards those northern regions where pine and larch woodlands predominate.

Nutrition of common squirrel

Gastronomic interests of veksha are extensive (over 130 items), but the main food is coniferous seeds, including common pine, spruce, Siberian cedar, larch and fir. In the southern regions, where there are many oak forests (with thickets of hazel), it willingly gnaws on hazelnuts and acorns.

In case of crop failure of the main fodder, the protein passes to the buds and shoots of trees, rhizomes and tubers, lichens, berries, herbaceous plants and mushrooms (preferring deer truffle).

When there is a shortage of food, the squirrel turns into a pest, eating the flower buds of fir trees. During love games, it often switches to animal food - insects with larvae, chicks, eggs and small vertebrates.

The squirrel is prudent and stocks up nuts, acorns and cones for the winter, stuffing hollows with them or burying them between the roots . In addition, she dries the mushrooms by hanging them among the branches. Veksha has a short memory: she forgets about her storehouses and stumbles upon them by accident.

This is interesting! Squirrel "sclerosis" is used by other forest dwellers (bears, rodents and birds), eating up its "canned food". However, the veksha pays them in kind, finding supplies made by mice, chipmunks and nutcrackers under a 1.5 m layer of snow.

Coming out of the winter, the squirrel does not shun the bones of dead animals and visits salt licks. The daily food intake varies depending on the season: in spring, during the breeding season, the squirrel eats up to 80 g, in winter - no more than 35 g.

This funny animal often pleases us with its appearance in city parks or forests. Sometimes the behavior of a squirrel seems funny and funny, especially "begging" for something tasty, and sometimes a little brazen. Well, that's her nature.


The squirrel is one of the most widespread representatives of the squirrel family. Even in ancient times, it was the main object of the fur trade, of course, after the arctic fox. And her skins served as the main bargaining chip - white. Hence the modern name of this animal.


The common squirrel has about 40 subspecies, the main difference between which is the color. This furry animal lives on a vast territory stretching from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to Kamchatka, Sakhalin Island and the Japanese island of Hokkaido. You can meet him in any mixed forests.


Common squirrel habitat

Squirrel life is fraught with many interesting facts that we don't even know about. And here are some of them.

1. Squirrel fur

We are most familiar with the image of a red squirrel. But this is not all of its color options. The coloring depends on the season. In summer they are mostly red or brown, and in winter they are gray or dark brown. But the abdomen, regardless of the season, remains light.


But among them there are pure black, piebald (with light spots) and even albino squirrels. One regularity is observed in their coloration - the closer to the center of their habitat, the lighter the coat.

The squirrel changes its coat twice a year. First in spring - in April-May, and then in autumn - from September to November. The spring molt begins with the head and body, and the autumn molt begins with the tail. How quickly it will pass, and how beautiful the new coat will be, will depend on the amount of food supplies and weather conditions.


Black squirrel

2. Lifestyle

Alfred Bram nicknamed the squirrel "northern monkey" for his agility and dexterity. She jumps from tree to tree with ease. A distance of 3-4 meters for her is not a serious obstacle. On the ground, they move in small jumps. If the squirrel senses danger, it immediately climbs the nearest tree.


Movement on the ground
While jumping

3. Squirrel nests

Squirrel and forest are two inseparable things. She spends most of her life on trees, with the exception of the migration period and during the breeding season. Here the animal equips spherical nests from twigs, which are called Gaina. Or, thanks to its combative and cocky character, it wins back some hollow or nest, or occupies an empty one.

Squirrel's Nest - Gaina

The inside of the nest is insulated with leaves, moss, dry grass or tree lichen. If necessary, where it is necessary to correct, patch up and build on the roof. In winter, from 3 to 6 squirrels can sleep in one nest, warming each other and plugging the entrance with moss. Therefore, during winter frosts, the temperature in the nest reaches 15-20 degrees. In a strong cold, squirrels do not crawl out of their “bedroom”.


In a hollow
A female with a squirrel

The squirrel's nest has 2 exits: the main and the spare, which is directed towards the trunk, so that in case of danger you can quickly slip out and run away from the enemy.

3. Squirrel migrations

At the end of summer - beginning of autumn, squirrels begin their migration period. At this time, squirrels do not form large clusters, but travel alone. Most often, the cause of this phenomenon is a lack of food, forest fires or drought.

Squirrels can migrate both for short (to the nearest forest) and for long distances (up to 100-300 km). At this time, the animals are ready for anything, even to swim across small rivers and bays. Sometimes their path passes through settlements. Unfortunately, a lot of animals during migrations die from hunger, cold, predator attacks, or simply drown.

4. Food

The main food for squirrels is the seeds of coniferous trees: pine, larch, spruce, fir and others. Their protein bumps are gutted professionally. In 3 minutes, it will leave only a pile of scales from a small pine cone. At this rate, in a day, 1 small squirrel can empty 15 spruce and about 100 pine cones.


Gnawed cone

In addition to them, the squirrel enjoys eating hazelnuts, acorns, berries, shoots and buds of trees, mushrooms, rhizomes, tubers, and lichens. In times of famine or during breeding periods, it does not disdain insects and their larvae, as well as chicks, eggs and small vertebrates. In general, squirrels are omnivores.


5. Stockpiles

They store small excesses of food in reserve for the winter. Squirrels build warehouses in hollows or bury food in the ground between the roots, after which they calmly forget about it and can no longer remember. Such is the peculiarity of their memory. She finds them by accident, which makes her very happy.


The squirrel's short memory is happily used by other animals - birds and small rodents, and the squirrel itself sometimes eats stocks of mice and chipmunks, which it easily finds even under a thick layer of snow.


6. Reproduction

During the breeding season, males become quite aggressive towards each other and often fight. Up to 6 males can run after one female at the same time.

After mating, the squirrel goes to build a brood nest. In one litter there are from 3 to 10 cubs, of which only 1-4 survive. They are born weighing only 8 grams, completely naked and blind. After 2 weeks, they begin to become covered with wool, after 1 month they begin to see clearly and are already getting out of the nest. Up to 1.5 months, the mother feeds them with milk. After 8-10 weeks, they already leave the parental home. The interval between broods is about 13 weeks.


Two-week-old squirrel

7. Enemies of the squirrel

In their natural habitat, squirrels live no more than 4 years, while in zoos they live up to 10-12 years. What is the reason for such a large age difference? Firstly, in the forest expanses there are many wild animals that will gladly feast on these beautiful creatures.


The most dangerous enemy for the squirrel is the pine marten, not the owl or the owl. You can still run away from the bird if you notice its approach in time. Moreover, the rescue tactics are quite unusual: in the event of an attack, the squirrel begins to run down the tree in a spiral, periodically hiding from the eyes of the bird behind the trunk. As a result, the eagle owl must fly around the tree, thereby losing precious time.

Images of squirrels can be seen both on the coats of arms of Zelenograd, Yakutsk and the German city of Eckernförde, as well as on the Belarusian currency - a 1992 banknote of 50 kopecks. I will not say anything about the numerous stamps with her image.

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The squirrel came: how red rodents capture cities

https://ria.ru/20180802/1525773605.html

The squirrel arrived: how red rodents capture cities

The squirrel arrived: how red rodents capture cities - RIA Novosti, 03.03. Squirrels have a sharp mind and a good memory. Based on personal experience, they are able to quickly find hidden nuts. Masterfully RIA Novosti, 02.08.2018

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MOSCOW, August 2 — RIA Novosti, Alfiya Enikeeva. Squirrels have a sharp mind and a good memory. Based on personal experience, they are able to quickly find hidden nuts. Masterfully predict human behavior and quickly adapt to life in big cities. How squirrels conquer megacities and why they feel better there than in the forest - in the material of RIA Novosti.

Sharp mind and tenacious memory

February 24, 2018, 5:18 pm

Squirrel "participated" in slalom at the Olympics supplies, scientists from the University of California at Berkeley came to the conclusion that these animals can group nuts by variety and remember what and where is hidden. The researchers equipped the squirrels with GPS transmitters and fed four varieties of nuts. The animals laid out various types of nuts in different caches and always returned to where they were given free food.

So well developed spatial memory allows squirrels to navigate the terrain and find their hiding places. With long-term memory, which, by the way, not all animals have, they also have everything in order. As zoopsychologists from the University of Exeter have found out, squirrels remember successful past experiences and can successfully reproduce it in similar circumstances.

Scientists taught five rodents to solve puzzles - to get a hazelnut, they had to press the lever of a special device. The training did not take much time, and if at first the squirrels spent eight seconds completing the task, then only two seconds.

Subjects were left alone for 22 months and again asked to press the lever to retrieve the nut. Trained squirrels, after a little thought, got a treat in three seconds. If the device changed its shape (it turned from a square into a triangle), the animals still quickly coped with the task. "Get out of here!" A daring squirrel pushed an owl out of a hollow

In other words, squirrels are not only able to quickly figure out how to get to food (especially if it is a treat for birds in a specially protected feeder), but also remember what to do in such situations. According to British scientists, rodents steal up to half of the food in bird feeders, forcing the birds to change their eating behavior.

Researchers from the Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who have been observing the squirrel population in the residential and institutional areas of the Novosibirsk Akademgorodok for forty years, note that the number of rodents living there increased significantly with the presence of winter feeding of birds. When there was less food and feeders, then the squirrel population was sharply reduced - sometimes by twenty times.

"Squirrels living in large cities are completely different in behavior than forest dwellers. They interact differently with humans and can correct their behavior. But they are also physiologically different from forest relatives. They have a different diet - there is more food, but in the diet there are practically no nuts. Roughly speaking, in the forest there is nowhere for a squirrel to get white bread with butter, but in the city you can treat a person and you can find it in the garbage, "explains Viktor Panov, Ph. D. in Biology, a zoologist from Novosibirsk, specializing in small rodents and insectivores mammals.

The scientist notes that a few decades ago, when not all families had refrigerators and in winter many people kept food outside the window, squirrels often emptied these makeshift freezers.

Urban mischievous squirrels

Squirrels have become so adapted to life in megacities that they have become much more successful than forest relatives, researchers from John Curtin University believe. Rodents are able to correctly interpret human behavior by their posture and facial expression.

Squirrels try to avoid people with pets and small children, but they are not at all afraid of ordinary passers-by. According to zoologists, they understand when and where you can get food without any risk. Therefore, it seems that city squirrels are tame.

However, experts warn, this is an illusion. Squirrels are rather aggressive animals, infanticide (killing of young by adult males) and cannibalism are common among them. Moreover, this is typical for squirrel populations in relatively well-fed years. At the slightest danger from a person, the animal uses sharp claws and teeth - an adult squirrel is able to bite through the finger of an adult, not to mention a child.

In addition, according to Viktor Panov, these rodents can be carriers of parasites and infections. So, two years ago, a protein was discovered in the UK - carriers of human leprosy bacteria.

Unfortunate electricians and good gardeners

"It is typical for squirrels to build nests in trees. But those living in cities sometimes settle in ordinary boxes - the main thing is that the distance between the boards should be 20-30 centimeters," says Panov. Squirrels can also make nests in basements and attics.

In addition, rodents who like to sharpen their teeth on tree branches sometimes use electric wires as this, which causes short circuits. Squirrels have caused power and internet outages 1,213 times since 2013, according to Cyber ​​Squirrel 1, twice as many as birds, which are often blamed for damaging power lines.

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