Enough Water

[Rocky1]

Okay, I don't mean to beat a dead horse, but I'm worrying...

How do I know if my wild squirrels will have enough water if I stop providing water? Every time I put a dish of water out, they drink LOTS of it, like they are very very thirsty. I know of no where else they can get water for blocks. And if they go there, there are a couple busy highways they have to cross. I've heard that just licking water off of leaves is enough, but I wish I had more reasons to believe that. My difficulty with that is that there doesn't seem to be enough water on leaves, or even a comparable amount to what they drink when I put the bowl out. When it comes to getting liquid from wild foods, I'm unsure what specifically they would get that from. I've looked high and low and can't seem to find anything that would release much liquid if chewed. Can anyone reassure me? Or if the hard truth is that there isn't enough water, I would rather just hear that.

I would feel awful if I stopped putting it out and they suffered, or got ran over trying to get some blocks away. I might try to wean them off by occasionally using grapes instead, but that's complicated too.

This is my first experience somehow loving squirrels, who seem to be at so many terrible disadvantages. I wish I could find a way to help, and truly help without having my "help" backfire into a worse situation.

[farm mom]

You can't tell but they lick the dew off the leaves in the morning. And after rain there are always puddles. But your right about them drinking a lot. Mine drink from the pond every day. If its not too much trouble I would just keep the water dish going.

[Rocky1]

Yeah, they sure do drink a lot. I watch and hear them drink and drink and drink for maybe up to a minute non-stop. Squirrels seem to get dehydrated easily and require lots of water. Puddles around here tend to be polluted.

The neighbors don't like squirrels on our roof, so I'm putting the water out on my balcony when I think my neighbors are gone to work during the day, same time every day except for weekends. Hopefully, squirrels will recognize the time that it's generally there and not there, and only show up when no neighbors are around. I may be moving so I would like to wean them off the water before it gets hot outside. I've been brainstorming about how to make a way for them to get water once I leave.

I've been talking the lady next door who likes rabbits into putting water out "for the rabbits." She doesn't do it regularly though and there's little kids in her building which might conflict with wildlife. I have been trying to find more people like her. But I would like additional ideas.

[Fireweed]

They do tend to drink a whole lot more when they eat food that we give them, I think. Like blocks, nuts, seeds etc.
Vegetation has water in it. Squirrels will eat leaves, some grasses, inner bark, berries, insects, buds, etc. All that has some water in it. Plus the dew they lap up and water from puddles, etc. They also eat snow.
Providing water for them is helpful, though. But they will survive without it if you have to wean them off. Also, in a neighborhood it's likely someone else close by has water out for birds/squirrels.

But I understand the worry :hug: What if you made a kind of small, shallow pool somewhere on the property that collected rain water but drained slowly so it wouldn't stagnate? Something that looked natural so your neighbours wouldn't remove it. That way if you leave, there would always be water for them. :dono

[Rocky1]

They do tend to drink a whole lot more when they eat food that we give them, I think. Like blocks, nuts, seeds etc.
Vegetation has water in it. Squirrels will eat leaves, some grasses, inner bark, berries, insects, buds, etc. All that has some water in it. Plus the dew they lap up and water from puddles, etc. They also eat snow.
Providing water for them is helpful, though. But they will survive without it if you have to wean them off. Also, in a neighborhood it's likely someone else close by has water out for birds/squirrels.

But I understand the worry :hug: What if you made a kind of small, shallow pool somewhere on the property that collected rain water but drained slowly so it wouldn't stagnate? Something that looked natural so your neighbours wouldn't remove it. That way if you leave, there would always be water for them. :dono

That's a good idea. I might try something similar. My neighborhood is full of kids, multiple story houses, dogs, and very watchful people. I should be very careful about going on anyone's property as people are a little paranoid around here, potentially with nanny cams watching over the yard. Your idea got my thoughts going though. I think I could find some natural looking objects at Petco or similar that look like rocks or wood that would hold some rain water. I could carefully put those in people's yards in inconspicuous areas, maybe one on top of a flat roof garage if I am very careful. I figure I could act as though I dropped something or need to tie a shoelace, put it down, and appear to forget to pick it up. I will also continue to start conversations about the cute rabbits around here to see who else likes wildlife and may be amenable to putting out water.

[BigNibbler]

Hi Rocky, now I understand why you are #1. You really care! It is great and I believe ultimately leads to a more realistic assessment of this world for those who are in it.

Just wanted to say that generally FWIW a squirrel can drink for as long as 60 seconds. Pausing only to look around, or even not, just straight. So having a water source is a big help. There simply may not be enough natural resources available for all. Possibly you could find a valve that provides exterior water to hoses, etc and adjust it so it just drips the slightest. But I am sure it would be noticed soon.