Squirrel crying or "Cooing" noise. What does it mean?

[Kysska]

Sometimes Cherry will be looking out the window or something and just start making this terribly sad sound like "Coooooo" or mewing / crying noise in a few second intervals. It'll go on for a minute or two and then she's back to normal. I wish I could record a video of it but I don't have anything that can.

Anyway does anyone know what this noise means? Is she just alarmed at something she saw outside? Or sad / in pain? Perhaps bored or lonely?

Thanks in advance! :thankyou

[SammysMom]

I know that noise! Sammy did it for the first time when he spotted a hawk outside the window. It is a VERY "sad" noise, but I think it is a warning noise. It went on for at least 20 minutes when he did it that first time. I think he sorta got "stuck" in the moment...:rotfl The hawk was long gone (Sammy's Mama went flying out shouting and waving her arms :D ) and he kept at it!

[island rehabber]

That's the alarm call. Sometimes it's a whine or a "coo", other times it's a bark-and-whine like "CHK! CHK! Wheeeeeeeeeeee". She heard or saw something that she perceives as danger, and she is alerting everyone around her that it's there. Once they start alarming, they really can't stop immediately. They seem to go into a trance-like state for a few minutes. Sometimes I like to hand mine a nut when they are doing that, so I can hear them go "bfk! bfk! wfffff!" with the nut in their mouth....:rotfl:rotfl

[Kristin Ward]

That's the alarm call. Sometimes it's a whine or a "coo", other times it's a bark-and-whine like "CHK! CHK! Wheeeeeeeeeeee". She heard or saw something that she perceives as danger, and she is alerting everyone around her that it's there. Once they start alarming, they really can't stop immediately. They seem to go into a trance-like state for a few minutes. Sometimes I like to hand mine a nut when they are doing that, so I can hear them go "bfk! bfk! wfffff!" with the nut in their mouth....:rotfl:rotfl
It is very funny to hear them whine with a mouthful.
Willie will take a couple bites, whine, chew, whine chew.:jump

[sage4dylan]

does it sound like this?

http://s1279.beta.photobucket.com/user/sage4dylan/media/Flipchirping_zps90cb7f33.mp4.html

that is Flip "chirping" ... I have one of him barking too when he was scared. we gave him some banana thinking we could bribe him to calm down and he just kept doing it in between bites. I was a little concerned to start with but it is kinda funny lol. I felt bad for him!

http://s1279.photobucket.com/albums/y529/sage4dylan/?action=view&current=Flipbarkingwbanana.mp4

[Kysska]

RE: Sage4dylan
It sounds closer to the first video, a somewhat prolonged "Chuuuu.."

Anyway thank you everyone for putting my worries to rest. The sounds itself sound so heartbreakingly sad that I was worried something was wrong. I'm glad to hear it's just a normal thing they do when they see something scary outside.

:rotfl about giving them a nut when they do that! I might have to try it, because right now hearing it makes me want to cry. Turning it into something funny is a good idea :thankyou


Sometimes it's a whine or a "coo", other times it's a bark-and-whine like "CHK! CHK! Wheeeeeeeeeeee".
Hahaha! That is the perfect way to describe the other noise she makes. That one at least sounds like an alarm or like she's yelling at someone, so it worried me less.

[Saverywood]

When I hear that cry I often find my neighbor's cat lurking somewhere (hate that cat) then I scare cat off and then all my babies eventually quite down. One afternoon, I found a pretty grey fox lurking about & all my wilds were calling a "fox alert". I think it is cool how they alarm each other. However, I do have two spoiled rotten boys who will sometimes sit up there & cry when they are hungry. It makes me feels so sad, because I feel like a rotten squirrel moma that didn't teach them how to find thier own food. :sanp3 I give them a nut & sometimes they continue to whine while eating; it does sound funny. I tell them that can't cry and eat at the same time, but they don't listen. Spoiled rotten boys! :Love_Icon

[Squirrel Girls Mom]

When I hear that cry I often find my neighbor's cat lurking somewhere (hate that cat) then I scare cat off and then all my babies eventually quite down. One afternoon, I found a pretty grey fox lurking about & all my wilds were calling a "fox alert". I think it is cool how they alarm each other. However, I do have two spoiled rotten boys who will sometimes sit up there & cry when they are hungry. It makes me feels so sad, because I feel like a rotten squirrel moma that didn't teach them how to find thier own food. :sanp3 I give them a nut & sometimes they continue to whine while eating; it does sound funny. I tell them that can't cry and eat at the same time, but they don't listen. Spoiled rotten boys! :Love_Icon

I love the eat-gripe-eat-gripe thing. Talk about spoiled rotten; when I let Cheeky & Johnny out to play, if I leave the room Johnny climbs to the top of the cage and wails like a professional mourner until I come back in. Then I have to let him sit on my shoulder with his butt against my neck and tell him how sorry I am and what a poor mistreated boy he is. How I'll ever release this boy I'll never know!!
Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb50hEmaE2k
He didn't to the actual wail this time, but this is how he starts . . .

[Dinomacc]

Ours started last night with series of 3 sounds like "cool coo coo" doesn't seem alarmed at all. Today she was on my shoulder digging through my hair and such, looking at me and playing and making very light chattering sounds with the 3 coos again. Again she didn't seem alarmed in fact she made the 3 coos while wrestling with me. I'm assuming it's an affectionate sound. It seemed anyway. BTW she's 12-13 weeks now.

[island rehabber]

This is a very old thread, but thanks for reviving it as it is still relevant. 11-12 weeks is right about the age when squirrels learn to use their voices, especially for the alarm call. Once they start alarming, I have read that it takes 20 minutes or so for their natural alarm reaction to be over. So, you will see them behaving normally while whining, cooing, or even "ck! ck! ck!" ing.

I think it's so much fun to give them a treat while they are doing this, and hearing them go "mrrff! mrffff! wheeeeeeee!" :rofl4