Will Mama Know Her Baby?

[WilliamH4]

When I release Emma (red squirrel we're keeping through the winter), will her mom know her? I read somewhere the mother squirrel cedes her territory to offspring and finds another territory.

[island rehabber]

I have heard that sometimes grey squirrel mammas 'may' do this, but not always. I wouldn't count on it. Hopefully there is room for both ladies in your yard. :grin2

[Diggie's Friend]

When I release Emma (red squirrel we're keeping through the winter), will her mom know her? I read somewhere the mother squirrel cedes her territory to offspring and finds another territory.

Likely she will know her, just not necessarily allow her to stay in her territory. If she does, it will be to share part of her territory, and possible have access to her midden. Thing is this is most common at this time of year with the reds, for without a significant cache of seeds, pinecones and nuts, they don't do well to survive to the next spring save people feed them nuts.

I've seen our fox squirrels come up to touch noses, mostly syblings, but also the juvenile young; yet it is the dominant breeding female, who save for mating season, rules the proverbial squirrel roost.

Our foxer girl, Ms. Diggie, would run off her young out of dominance when they neared maturity to make room for her next litter till again she was ready to give birth. Most of the bouts occurred between two breeding females vying for the same territory. We had a boy of here's that nested over and down one house; he would give way to her, but the last year of her life they were about equals, no fights as far as I know.