island rehabber
05-19-2008, 08:10 AM
This detailed account of how squirrel moms actually raise their babies is cross-posted from another wildlife board, with permission of the author. The author is a 30+year rehabber (:bowdown) who has carefully watched and documented the squirrel moms who live in her backyard nest boxes and raise generation after generation of little fuzzers. It says SO much about what "real" squirrel moms do, and we can learn a lot from it, so read on:
Here are my observations, based on the fact that we have squirrel nesting boxes put up all over our property and I've watched multiple mom's raise their babies in them over the years. (Have one litter of 5 right now--not ones I've raised/released--that have two solid blacks and three 'normal' color grey babies---thanks to two solid black males who moved into our area last year!)
In the first few weeks, moms seem to go into the box every two-three hours, presumably to nurse / care for their babies. By about week five, that seems to stretch to three to four hours during daylight--with the exception of cold, rainy etc. days, when I've seen them come out to eat and then go right back in and stay there.
Around 7-8 weeks the babies are peeking out of the hole in the nest box, some venturing as far as to hang half way out of the hole. Mom always seems to be somewhere nearby--ready to rush back and scold the babies severely if they attempt to leave the box and climb up or down the tree. She gets them back into the box, but doesn't seem to stay with them long enough to nurse during these 'lessons.' From what I can tell, she is in the box from dark till dawn, then I might see her back there once for what I consider enough time to nurse the litter around mid=day. Otherwise, I see the moms out and about, finding food, burying it all over my yard, running up and down trees etc.
In my yard (northwest NJ) I watch them bring acorns, tree buds, black walnuts, wild grapes, blackberries and pinecones into the nesting boxes. I'm sure they're finding various seeds of different plants, too. I've also seen them bring 'greens' in--dandelion leaves and lawn plantain seem to be preferred. (I often offer it to the rehab squirrels and some eat it, some don't.)
And, since my outdoor release cages are readily accessible to the wild ones, they gather anything that the rehab squirrels push out of the caging--sunflower seeds, corn, birdseed, bits of chow etc.
We compost, so if there's any veggie scraps, corn cobs etc. accessible, they'll get those and bring them into the boxes. I've also watched them raid pet food bowls (neighbors) for kibble and bring that back to babies as well as bury it.
By the time the babies are about 10 weeks old, mom's allowing them to venture out of the box and up and down the tree, sometimes even letting them get a few feet from the tree. At that point, the little ones are scavenging around themselves for 'buried treasure troves' of food. They also seem to nibble on everything they can from trees to leaves to grass and weeds--guess trying to decide if it's edible or not. At any hint of danger (crows calling, hawks flying by etc.) mom is right there screaming at them to get back into the box! They all are back in the box by dark, with mom, but I don't see her frequenting the box during daylight hours. So she must nurse them overnight, how frequently during those hours, I don't know.
Within about two weeks after that, I see the babies all over our acreage. They're interacting with other babies and adults and we get occasional screaming matches as they explore one anothers nesting boxes. They're foraging, burying food, acting like 'real' squirrels.
Dark finds them all back in the nesting box again, mom included. I find the family unit uses that same box until about end of June to mid July, then move on (sometimes to someone elses box!) I've had one mom reclaim her own box for both litters each year for three years now....think I'm going to have to raise her rent!! She actually kicked out a unit of flying squirrels who'd taken over 'her' box one year.
Since many of the mom's follow me to my outside cages when I feed (hoping for the handout I always provide) I get a decent look at their nipples as they sit up to eat. Not that this is scientific in any way, but by the time those babies are about 10 weeks old, her breasts don't look as full and by the time they're about 12-14 weeks old, the hair around the nipples is almost covering the now shrunken nipples. So I'm assuming she's not allowing the babies to nurse with any frequency.
I know my rehab babies will decrease the amount of formula they want as they increase their solids...to the point of stopping taking it altogether sometimes. (I offer it in hanging bottles as soon as possible which makes feeding quantities much easier.) So I'm assuming wild babies go the same route of not wanting to nurse as they transition to total solids.
Anyhow, those are my observations of eastern grey squirrels.
Linda Mihatov
NJ St Rehab, mammals, 30+ year exp.
Here are my observations, based on the fact that we have squirrel nesting boxes put up all over our property and I've watched multiple mom's raise their babies in them over the years. (Have one litter of 5 right now--not ones I've raised/released--that have two solid blacks and three 'normal' color grey babies---thanks to two solid black males who moved into our area last year!)
In the first few weeks, moms seem to go into the box every two-three hours, presumably to nurse / care for their babies. By about week five, that seems to stretch to three to four hours during daylight--with the exception of cold, rainy etc. days, when I've seen them come out to eat and then go right back in and stay there.
Around 7-8 weeks the babies are peeking out of the hole in the nest box, some venturing as far as to hang half way out of the hole. Mom always seems to be somewhere nearby--ready to rush back and scold the babies severely if they attempt to leave the box and climb up or down the tree. She gets them back into the box, but doesn't seem to stay with them long enough to nurse during these 'lessons.' From what I can tell, she is in the box from dark till dawn, then I might see her back there once for what I consider enough time to nurse the litter around mid=day. Otherwise, I see the moms out and about, finding food, burying it all over my yard, running up and down trees etc.
In my yard (northwest NJ) I watch them bring acorns, tree buds, black walnuts, wild grapes, blackberries and pinecones into the nesting boxes. I'm sure they're finding various seeds of different plants, too. I've also seen them bring 'greens' in--dandelion leaves and lawn plantain seem to be preferred. (I often offer it to the rehab squirrels and some eat it, some don't.)
And, since my outdoor release cages are readily accessible to the wild ones, they gather anything that the rehab squirrels push out of the caging--sunflower seeds, corn, birdseed, bits of chow etc.
We compost, so if there's any veggie scraps, corn cobs etc. accessible, they'll get those and bring them into the boxes. I've also watched them raid pet food bowls (neighbors) for kibble and bring that back to babies as well as bury it.
By the time the babies are about 10 weeks old, mom's allowing them to venture out of the box and up and down the tree, sometimes even letting them get a few feet from the tree. At that point, the little ones are scavenging around themselves for 'buried treasure troves' of food. They also seem to nibble on everything they can from trees to leaves to grass and weeds--guess trying to decide if it's edible or not. At any hint of danger (crows calling, hawks flying by etc.) mom is right there screaming at them to get back into the box! They all are back in the box by dark, with mom, but I don't see her frequenting the box during daylight hours. So she must nurse them overnight, how frequently during those hours, I don't know.
Within about two weeks after that, I see the babies all over our acreage. They're interacting with other babies and adults and we get occasional screaming matches as they explore one anothers nesting boxes. They're foraging, burying food, acting like 'real' squirrels.
Dark finds them all back in the nesting box again, mom included. I find the family unit uses that same box until about end of June to mid July, then move on (sometimes to someone elses box!) I've had one mom reclaim her own box for both litters each year for three years now....think I'm going to have to raise her rent!! She actually kicked out a unit of flying squirrels who'd taken over 'her' box one year.
Since many of the mom's follow me to my outside cages when I feed (hoping for the handout I always provide) I get a decent look at their nipples as they sit up to eat. Not that this is scientific in any way, but by the time those babies are about 10 weeks old, her breasts don't look as full and by the time they're about 12-14 weeks old, the hair around the nipples is almost covering the now shrunken nipples. So I'm assuming she's not allowing the babies to nurse with any frequency.
I know my rehab babies will decrease the amount of formula they want as they increase their solids...to the point of stopping taking it altogether sometimes. (I offer it in hanging bottles as soon as possible which makes feeding quantities much easier.) So I'm assuming wild babies go the same route of not wanting to nurse as they transition to total solids.
Anyhow, those are my observations of eastern grey squirrels.
Linda Mihatov
NJ St Rehab, mammals, 30+ year exp.