Fun Facts About Your Neighbor The Squirrel

There are few creatures that across the United States, whether you're a city dweller or live in the country that are as well recognized. It's your neighbor the squirrel. Anyone who has a yard or took their lunch to the park has come face to face with them. They sit there and look all cute... and we feed them. They win! But not really, they should be out there eating their natural food instead of part of our sandwich. More than a few times I have been left scratching my head thinking how the heck did they do that?!? If you've ever had a bird feeder, you've battled wits' with a squirrel. Don't take it personal... after all they don't have T.V. or computer. They are intelligent, agile, and quick you have to be on your toes when dealing with a squirrel. That's why I love them! They love a challenge and will do almost anything for food. There has been many a debate on how to keep them out of things they wanted in! Just as we figure out a way to put out the seed they figure out a way to get to the seed. But, in their defense, their 4 front teeth are always growing so they have to nibble all the time to keep their teeth from growing too big. Then they can't crack nuts or eat properly. We have rehabbed squirrels for over a decade and they still keep us on our toes and thinking. When squirrels are presented with a challenge you can just see their little wheels turning at high speed and... BAM! They have a plan and are in motion.

Over 200 species of squirrels span across the globe on every continent with the exception of Australia. Those 200 species fall into 3 main groups; Tree or Fox Squirrels which make nests in trees, Ground Squirrels which nest in tunnels under rocks, and Flying that sometimes seem to live more like birds... high up in the trees.

Here in Colorado, mom Tree Squirrel will have her babies in either February or August. It depends on her and environmental factors. She will pick a warm safe spot and fill it with leaves, inner bark, and other soft things. After all who knows what Colorado weather will have in store for them? She will have 2-8 babies. The babies are born blind, deaf, and naked. At about 3 weeks their eyes and ears open.

It will take 8-10 weeks for mom to totally wean them. When rehabbing Squirrels it takes until around 10-12 weeks for us to get them weaned, finding all natural foods (we hide around cage while they are hiding in nest box) so they can be released back into the wild, and able to make a living. Whether the young squirrel lives with their "real" family or with our surrogate family it will be 2-3 months for them to go out on their own.

Squirrels have a basic diet that they all will eat. Nuts, berries, bark, roots, leaves, seeds, flowers, caterpillars and other insects, corn, many other vegetables and plants are all on the main diet, but the diet also varies on location. For instance a squirrel that lives in the tree in your backyard will eat more sunflower seeds than the squirrel that lives in the country.

Wildthings Wildlife Rehabilitation Center rehabilitates Native Colorado Wildlife and has successfully rehabbed and returned to the wild hundreds and hundreds of squirrels.