Out At Night, Sleeping All Day?

[RachelArcher]

Dear all,

Hi, just curious: is it at all normal for a grey female squirrel in the city (her nest is a soft fleece-type blanket wedged tight through a crack in my window and hanging onto my windowsill that's like a bag essentially, she's cozy in there, been with me more over 3 months now) to not come out and do her morning thing, and/or run off for other morning activity, ever???

She's never done this before to my knowledge. I don't think she's pregnant from the looks of her lately. Her nest was empty the night before last though for the first time since she came here at the beginning of June. The nest was empty too when the sun set last evening, and despite looking several times throughout the night, I could see it was empty. Then somewhere between 4 and 6am today, she found her way back home (unless it's another squirrel, a possibility). Now she (or whatever squirrel's in there) is simply sleeping, I can see their breath raising the blanket a tiny bit, calmly and slowly, as when sleeping. But the sun's up now!

Any info on what might cause a squirrel to declare a "sick day" so to speak and stay in all day would be appreciated.

Fondly,

Rachel :)

[RachelArcher]

OK, may have posted too soon, lol .... 8:15am she just poked her head out, then crawled out, grabbed 3 or 4 almonds (I had put them out on the window ledge for her yesterday after she never came home Saturday night), sat and stared at the world below for a while with them in her mouth, then made sure they were in there good and went off to bury em I presume.

She just always is up and off for her morning whatnot before the sun hits the buildings in the distance, so I was surprised. Guess even squirrels like to sleep in sometimes eh? ;)

All the same, answers to my questions in the first post would be appreciated, it never hurts to know these things for when they happen. Thanks in advance! *hugs* :grouphug

Fondly,

Rachel :)

[thundersquirrel]

hi rachel! :Welcome

i'm thinking about her pregnancy, if she is pregnant. momma squirrels will often build more than one nest before giving birth so that, if their nest is destroyed or in immediate danger, she can move her babies somewhere else.

as a guess? i think she spent the night in her other nests. she'd probably be pretty tired from making them in the first place, and so didn't feel like journeying home for the night.

if it turns out she isn't pregnant...i don't have a clue! :thumbsup

[Buddy'sMom]

When Buddy was first venturing away from home after we released him, the times he stayed away for a couple of days, he ALWAYS came home tired and hungry -- and just wanted to sleep, sleep, sleep. Never did figure out what he did out there that was so exhausting -- LOL, we figured it was the bachelor nightlife! :D -- but maybe he was off building nests like a good squirrel.

Also, may depend on the weather -- if is was windy or a storm approaching, the squirrels here seem to stay in their nests.

:grouphug