Bizarre Vocalizations!

[thelema93]

So our squirrel friend "Lil Mama" who we consider an indoor/outdoor squirrel started making some very very crazy sounds today. She lives/sleeps outdoors but started coming in last spring to hang out inside with us and hide nuts under pillows, she likes head scratches and pets and is the most gentle little critter I've ever met, she was always strangely friendly though being a wild. She doesn't poop or pee inside either! What an angel..ha!

Anyways she went missing for almost 4 days which is unusual. We usually see each other at least once a day, sometimes more, sometimes we miss a day but never that many. So today I heard her and ran to the window to open it and holy crap... She sure had a story to tell me!!! I've never in my life heard a squirrel make the sounds she was making. Almost like she was telling a story! " Oh mannn, you wouldn't believe what happened to me last night!!..." LOL! And she went on and on. My husband was in stitches laughing too. It sounded like a Gremlin had hatched on our fire escape and I can only imagine what the neighbors are thinking. I took a sound recording and a video in case it wasn't believed that a squirrel had such a vast repertoire of sounds/vocalizations. They are incredibly expressive creatures! Personally I've never heard anything like it at all, but then I don't live with her full time but I do talk to her a lot. What do you guys think? Was she trying to tell me a story!? There was noone and nothing else around and she's never made sounds like that, she seemed to be addressing me.
She also didn't appear to be injured in any way. I think it's mating season so maybe she was telling me about her wild weekend? Lol.. She only stayed for about 5 minutes after eatting only a couple of almonds and a walnut which is also unusual. She ran off to bury the last walnut I gave her and didn't return. Sometimes we spend hours together and she'll run back and forth burying almonds and hang out inside a bit.. Not today!
So I am going to try to upload a video and an audio file from my phone. The audio file was even more bizarre, she was chirruping, beeping, quking and making Chuppacabra gremlin sounds. She seemed to respond to my voice. Please try to ignore my silly baby talk voice , it's embarrassing hehe...also the loud bashing about..apologies!


https://streamable.com/kjp1ba

https://voca.ro/17R208ZQocWl

That is the video and then the audio file above.

I'm curious as to what she may have been trying to communicate, if anything at all. Those of you that have indoor babies, do they ever go on tangents of making strange vocalizations? It had to be related to the fact we hadn't seen each other for almost 4 days, which is very out of routine for her.

Thanks for reading and hope you're all staying safe out there!!

[island rehabber]

:rotfl
That is a combination of the Alarm Call and Stuffing My Face....omg i love when that happens!

The chk!chk! weeeeeee! is the classic alarm call. Something scared her, and once they start alarming they reallly can't stop, but she keeps eating, so you get these weird Mogwai sounds. So cute!!! :rotfl

[Chirps]

It's hard to tell with so much other background (foreground?) noise, but I think I hear another squirrel alarming. Not sure though. Hard to pick it out. If so, maybe she's echoing back and forth with that one.

[Scooterzmom]

One of my girls was vocalizing a lot last week. It lasted about a day abbnd a half. It was almost non-stop. By the 2nd day it was more intermittent. Then I found out why: She was in estrus. :shakehead Yup... over here some of the females are already gearing up out there, and the boys are getting excited out there.

[thelema93]

Ha!! Thank you guys! She has never freaked out like that and I didn't know what to think especially after her disappearing for longer than usual.. So she was spooked/freaked out over something/someone? I'm brand new to squirrel speak. I've heard the usual quks and quas before but that ordeal just really cracked me up! She was just so worked up over something and couldn't even stop her tangent to eat an almond. I didn't know what it could possibly mean, if anything, so I was just extremely curious. ❤

[thelema93]

Thanks Scooterzmom! I think that may be the case here in New York too... I noticed males were chasing her around right before she disappeared for 4 days..so that may be a good idea as to why she was so worked up. Awww, she's going to be a mama again. Last year she started coming around when she was pregs...Here is a pic when she was exhausted and huge! 317312317313

[island rehabber]

So right -- just realized you are my 5-borough neighbor (Hello Brooklyn!) and we are in the heart of mating season, now. I have been seeing mating chases for over a week now at the nature center where i work. :icon_devil:squirrel3:grin3

[thelema93]

Howdy NY neighbor! ❤ That would absolutely explain her "strange" behaviour and vocalizations.
I just didn't know what to think as I've only heard the basic squirrel sounds before, quks, quas and quk quees and she was so frantic. I couldn't help but imagine that she was telling a really exciting story about her 4 day disappearance. Hehe.

[CritterMom]

The best part is that if the light is right, you can see them spitting a fine spray of ground nuts as they yell and eat!