All-seasons nestbox suggestions?

[Emssiee]

Hi everyone, I'm currently in the process of releasing my little Adam and would like to built her a nestbox to put on our tree. I am located in Canada, Ontario, so we live in a subarctic climate (long and very cold freezing winters, and shorter mild to very hot summers) So i was wondering if anyone would know or have ideas to how I should build Adams nestbox based on interchanging climate? I read about drilling holes at the bottom for air circulation for summer heat as well as insulation ideas for colder climates but I'm not sure if either or would be adequate when the weather starts changing? Thank you so much in advance for any help!!
Marie

[Nancy in New York]

Hi everyone, I'm currently in the process of releasing my little Adam and would like to built her a nestbox to put on our tree. I am located in Canada, Ontario, so we live in a subarctic climate (long and very cold freezing winters, and shorter mild to very hot summers) So i was wondering if anyone would know or have ideas to how I should build Adams nestbox based on interchanging climate? I read about drilling holes at the bottom for air circulation for summer heat as well as insulation ideas for colder climates but I'm not sure if either or would be adequate when the weather starts changing? Thank you so much in advance for any help!!
Marie

Here's an excellent link from our member iwonka who lives in Montreal.
I hope this helps.
You may want to reach out to her via pm to see how these boxes worked out,
and to see if she made any modifications.

https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?37555-Nest-box-for-the-Canadian-Winter&highlight=

[Lighten-Up]

I love your idea.

I don't know if it's possible to build one that suits both, without making a modification to it each season, much like we take off the storm windows and install screens on our houses in the summer.

From what I have heard and witnessed, squirrels use the nest boxes in winter, and leave them for the summer, as they prefer to build a drey that is cool and breezy up high in the tree tops, away from mosquitoes etc in the hot weather, then when winter returns, they go back to the nest boxes.

You could possible build a double decker nest box, one that has a screened in porch on top, and insulated winter use on bottom. The screened in porch section would have to be predator proof, so maybe use hardware cloth. Note, I have never see this done, I've only thought about doing it myself. :grin2

[Emssiee]

Hi Nancy!! Thank you so much for the kind reply and useful information!! This is actually quite a clever idea!! I would have never thought of it, thank you! I will indeed this out with my diy skills 💪😝 haha thank you Nancy, that was very helpful and I appreciate it.

Marie

[Lighten-Up]

Emssiee,

I just read that you have lots of raccoons in your area, if you were to think about the hardware cloth squirrel summer sleeping porch nest box addition concept, I would strongly consider making it have a double cage, meaning hardware cloth inside hardware cloth with a good predator guard. That way the inner squirrel space surrounded by hardware cloth, has yet another layer of hardware cloth outside that. Think double pane window. I'ts more work for you. But you don't want a squirrel sleeping in a breezy nice open summer box, to have a raccoon hand reach in through the bar spacing in the middle of the night. I don't know what squirrels do in their dreys about that, but many times nest boxes are put at levels humans can get to to clean etc, so they are more easy for predators to get to, so think about making them raccoon proof, whatever you do. :-)

[Emssiee]

Emssiee,

I just read that you have lots of raccoons in your area, if you were to think about the hardware cloth squirrel summer sleeping porch nest box addition concept, I would strongly consider making it have a double cage, meaning hardware cloth inside hardware cloth with a good predator guard. That way the inner squirrel space surrounded by hardware cloth, has yet another layer of hardware cloth outside that. Think double pane window. I'ts more work for you. But you don't want a squirrel sleeping in a breezy nice open summer box, to have a raccoon hand reach in through the bar spacing in the middle of the night. I don't know what squirrels do in their dreys about that, but many times nest boxes are put at levels humans can get to to clean etc, so they are more easy for predators to get to, so think about making them raccoon proof, whatever you do. :-)


Hi @Lighten-up!! I'm just seeing that my previous reply was meant to be addressed to you 🙈 I somehow thought that Nancy wrote it and didn't even see her actual post, this is so strange haha. Thank you so much, and that's very true!! I was thinking maybe to have the bottom part insulated as you suggested and have the top level in wood instead of hardware cloth but non-insulated with a few drilled holes for a bit of air circulation. I haven't spent much thoughts to it yet as I've been occupied with my RC roof situation, as well as fighting with coons at night lol.. 😩

[Lighten-Up]

Hi @Lighten-up!! I'm just seeing that my previous reply was meant to be addressed to you 🙈 I somehow thought that Nancy wrote it and didn't even see her actual post, this is so strange haha. Thank you so much, and that's very true!! I was thinking maybe to have the bottom part insulated as you suggested and have the top level in wood instead of hardware cloth but non-insulated with a few drilled holes for a bit of air circulation. I haven't spent much thoughts to it yet as I've been occupied with my RC roof situation, as well as fighting with coons at night lol.. 😩

Hi Emssiee,

I recognized that you addressed another for my post, no issues, I could see how easy that would be too do. That you were happy with the info was what I cared about. :-)

Your non-insulated wood box with lots of holes, (so long as a coon can't get his paw through the hole size), sounds like a viable idea. Best to you with the coon issue. When I put my squirrels in the release cage, that first week, I had a stray cat come and decide to make it's home at the base of the RC; it lived there 24/7. My squirrels were in the RC almost 2 months while I tried to figure out what to do with the cat. Up until then, I had never had a stray cat come and live in my yard..... The RC sure can attract things, huh? I recognize that the cat was much less of an issue than raccoons would be, so I cheer you on.

[Squirrellove10]

Hi there, I live in Minnesota and have a ton of Raccoons and other predators in my area. I actually reached out to the man who runs nutsaboutsquirrels. He builds really nice nest boxes that last year-round and are very good quality for around 60 bucks each. He makes his boxes out of pine and never uses cedar or cherry wood. He puts predator blocks on the inside and outside and works with your preferences. They have two levels as well and a porch/deck area with another predator block there. He asks you what side you want the mounting board to be on if you are putting up in different trees/directions. I have 4 of his nest boxes around my trees and I swear by them-so do the squirrels. I have had them up for 4 years straight now through all of our crazy seasons and they are still going strong. All the squees love them and fight for them too. Many litters have grown up in these boxes and it's fun to see their little heads pop out for the first time :) Below is a picture of one of my rehab squirrels that is 5 years old and still using the box. Looks like she found some treats!

http://i611.photobucket.com/albums/tt197/squirrellove10/20170511_201720_zpshfy9vyqz.jpg (http://s611.photobucket.com/user/squirrellove10/media/20170511_201720_zpshfy9vyqz.jpg.html)





You can reach him at: info@nutsaboutsquirrels.net

or look at his work at: www.nutsaboutsquirrels.net

ps-I actually cut some insulation to fit each side of the nest box and put it on the outside of the box. I then put another piece of wood on top of that (thinner board cut to size) to "sandwich" the insulation onto the house. That has worked perfectly for the harsh winters that we have here.

[Emssiee]

Thank you so much for your replies! I have looked at the beautiful nestboxes from nutsaboutsquirrels but unfortunately they do not ship to Canada :( But i made my own :) Inspired from your ideas all together! I mad research and apparently insulation works for both winter and summer to provide warmth/cool, just like in a regular house. So I made double walls with insulation boards like @iwonka did, but I added vents on each sides of the box just under the roof, which are sealed with bolts and an and a nut from the inside and a wood cover piece, so it’s closable/openable for each season. I also made frames with hardware cloths inspired by @lightenup’s idea to prevent chewing on both parties. Inspired by nutsaboutsquirrels, the box has a predator guard on the outside, and I added a full shelf inside with a 3” hole to then access the below room; serving as both an insulation to keep warmth from escaping and a second predator proof. This shelf is also removeable for cleaning and will replace it with a more opened-air-style one for the summer for greater ventilation 😬

[Lighten-Up]

Thank you so much for your replies! I have looked at the beautiful nestboxes from nutsaboutsquirrels but unfortunately they do not ship to Canada :( But i made my own :) Inspired from your ideas all together! I mad research and apparently insulation works for both winter and summer to provide warmth/cool, just like in a regular house. So I made double walls with insulation boards like @iwonka did, but I added vents on each sides of the box just under the roof, which are sealed with bolts and an and a nut from the inside and a wood cover piece, so it’s closable/openable for each season. I also made frames with hardware cloths inspired by @lightenup’s idea to prevent chewing on both parties. Inspired by nutsaboutsquirrels, the box has a predator guard on the outside, and I added a full shelf inside with a 3” hole to then access the below room; serving as both an insulation to keep warmth from escaping and a second predator proof. This shelf is also removeable for cleaning and will replace it with a more opened-air-style one for the summer for greater ventilation 😬

Would love to see a photo of your work!! :Love_Icon

[Emssiee]

The roof ended up not closing tightly with the hardware cloth frames so I tweaked it a little with bolts & washers in each holes to block air in the winter and then just unscrew and remove them in the summer. I also added a silicone mat on the roof to ‘waterproof’ it, as well as being grip-able. And added a hanging mechanism on the back that slides in/out to a cedar board drilled into the tree, so that it made it easier to put it up on the tree and for cleaning maintenance. After all of this she ended up not even having a peak in it and left without returning ‘home’, yet.. :sniff

Here are some photos :)


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