Strange aggressive behavior

[FurBabyMom80]

We have 2 squirrels that were captive bred, both females. One is 2 yrs old and the other is 3 yrs old. They live together and 99% of the time, they LOVE one another, sleeping in the same nest even though they have 3 in their giant enclosure (which is a huge 6ftx6ftx6ft cage that my super talented husband built!) They love playing together, wrestling and squeaking and popcorning around! And of course they are always grooming on each other too. It's incredibly adorable to watch! :safe

But, starting around the time the younger squirrel turned 2 yrs old, she began exhibiting a strange behavior. At first it only happened after they'd been outside the cage for their play time with us. After putting them back in together, the younger squirrel gets very aggressive towards the older one! She will growl and chatter her teeth, then full on chase her around the cage and will NOT stop. Normally this eventually results in us having to separate them. She's never actually caught/hurt the older girl, but we don't want that situation to occur. At first this would only last 10-15 mins but now it's gotten to the point where we have to separate them for several days at a time before the younger one stops it. Then suddenly, we put her back in one day and all is well again and they're back to loving on each other and sleeping together...only to have it start all over again after we take them out and play with them again!

We have even tried just going into their cage to play with them instead of taking them out, but as soon as we leave their cage, it starts up again. It's SO odd! Hopefully it's just some sort of phase, but it's been going on now for about 6 months, since the younger one turned 2. Anyone have any experiences like this or think you know what may be going on? Thanks!

[Rock Monkey]

I don't think what you are witnessing is some sort of phase.

Squirrels are very territorial. This can occur even if the squirrels are related. Food is the key to health and survival of one's offspring. The more ways the food is divided, the lower the odds of both. If you win the territorial battle you win exclusive access to food in a given area. If you lose, and get chased off by other squirrels as well, you may end up in a territory that is predator rich and poor in squirrel foods. So, it is very high stakes battle.

There is a squirrel that I have been feeding for the last couple of years that lives in my very large, old pecan tree. Her name is Theresa. If some other squirrel breaches the boundaries of what she perceives to be her territory, she puts the pedal to the metal and pursues the intruder with full vigor. This may include biting the intruder in the course of the chase. She stops the chases at the boundary. Then she usually angrily twitches her tail and usually gives the intruder a scolding. I have never seen her loose such a battle. I have seen her chase out squirrels almost twice her size. She has hutzpah. When babies are imminent or present she is even more fierce.

Last April she had three babies, two males and one female, Samantha. The males hung out and played together up in the tree. The female was bolder and began to venture down near the ground much sooner. One day I saw her get jumped by another squirrel. I angrily shouted the attacker away and shadowed her as she dragged her rear leg back to the tree. She went right back to their hollow and went to sleep midday and limped for several weeks after. An hour later I saw Theresa return to the tree totally bedraggled, head to toe. I had never before seen her mussed up. I am pretty sure she had gone and vigorously kicked the attacker's ass.

From that point onwards Samantha never went exploring without her Mother right there with her. In due time the both males go their own way, leaving Theresa’s territory.

Samantha stayed around. However, that doesn't mean that it was all lovey dovey between Samantha and Theresa. On many occasions I have seen Theresa chase Samantha, with varying degrees of vigor. Particularly if Samantha has gotten one of the nuts that I have wedged into the pecan tree's bark. I get the distinct impression that Theresa regards everyone of those as hers. On numerous other occasions I have seen Theresa chase Samantha around the tree, pedal to the metal, independent of the presence of food. On at least three occasions I have seen Samantha leap out of the tree, (It is a tall tree.) either because she found herself at a dead end or was really getting nipped. I have seen Theresa lower her head and charge into Samantha when she had snagged a nut I put out. Yet, Samantha keeps returning.

If Theresa didn’t want Samantha around, she is quite capable of making that unequivocally clear through unrelenting physical dominance. I believe that they both still reside in the same tree. There are two nests there and I am not quite sure if they share the same nest, but there would a lot of body heat and calories saved from snuggling with one another during these winter months. We have gotten as low as 2 degrees.

Circling back to your post, my impression is that Theresa’s actions of dominance of Samantha are much more likely to occur when I am around. I am a valuable resource, a life altering one. I put out food every in her tree every, put out water and chase off cats and birds of prey that happen to wander in when I am around. I believe that Theresa is trying to demonstrate her dominance to me, and to Samantha.

Today I went outside onto my back porch and saw a squirrel in the pecan tree and started to engage verbally and visually. I was trying to determine which of the two I was looking at since I hadn’t seen Samantha in quite some time. Within seconds Theresa comes barreling into the picture and the chase was on, but within less than 20 seconds they were both on the ground ambling out of view calmly. I was happy because I realized that the first squirrel that I saw was Samantha.

[FurBabyMom80]

I never really thought of my husband and I as resources to guard, but I mean it makes sense! They LOVE the attention we give them and we are their feeders so it would make sense! It's just so odd that the younger squirrel waited until she was 2 years old to start exhibiting this behavior. That's what I'm scratching my head about!

[Stevelisa]

Hello FBM are your squirrels grays or reds ... just curious as we are overwintering 2 red girls 9 & 6 months. They are in separate cages only a foot away from each other. So far we haven't let them free run in house at same time. When the older chippy girl is out she is very affectionate and playful with us. The younger coco does not climb on us much, but she is not agressive either. I would love to see them play together during free run time - if I could be pretty sure they wouldn't fight.
Does anyone think this worth a try with 2 reds ? They are not siblings but they've been beside each other's cage for almost 5 months now.

[Diggie's Friend]

Normally they just posture and threaten, but sometimes they will fight and bite. This time it went farther than I have ever seen occur in all the years we have put out food for the squirrels, one nearly killed the other. This kind of behavior can escalate to one killing the other.

Strongly advise never again feed them in the same enclosure, nor feed either outside of it. Feed each separately. If it were me I wouldn't wait to separate them now that war has been declared. I would also recommend separating them now, for waiting may result in injury of one or more of them and even the death of one or the other.

Years ago when we cared for two females, not raised together. When I tried to introduce the younger to the older, the younger was submissive, but the older nipped the younger to drive her off. My hubby wanted me to try again; so the 2nd time i placed my hand over the vital parts of t he younger and sat in the enclosre. The older female not making a sound came up to where the younger was and tried to bit her; thankfully I got the bite. After that my hubby divided our long enclosure in two, with a double wired divider so that their toes wouldn't be bitten. This worked great for our two girls, who enjoyed being frien-amies. They still played side by side with their ropes that we hung from the top of each section of the; and ran up and down the divider, "Rooring" at one another. They weren't alone, and did play separately but at the same time; yet they were safe. It would be heart breaking to lose a squirrel this way; do what is needful to prevent it, as my may not get a 2nd chance if you don't make these changes immediately. The present enclosure is long enough to divide in half, be sure you make the divided a double one otherwise toes may be damaged or lost.

[FurBabyMom80]

Normally they just posture and threaten, but sometimes they will fight and bite. This time it went farther than I have ever seen occur in all the years we have put out food for the squirrels, one nearly killed the other. This kind of behavior can escalate to one killing the other.

Years ago when we cared for two females, not raised together, when I tried to introduce the younger to the older, the younger was submissive, but the older nipped the younger after a few moments. My hubby wanted me to try again; so the 2nd time i placed my hand over the vital parts of t he younger and sat in the enclosre. The older female not making a sound came up to where the younger was and tried to bit her; thankfully I got the bite. After that my hubby divided our long enclosure in two, with a double wired divider so that their toes wouldn't be bitten. This worked great for our two girls, who enjoyed being frien-amies. They still played side by side with their ropes that we hung from the top of each section of the; and ran up and down the divider, "Rooring" at one another. They weren't alone, and did play separately but at the same time; yet they were safe. It would be heart breaking to lose a squirrel this way; do what is needful to prevent it, as my may not get a 2nd chance if you don't make these changes immediately. The present enclosure is long enough to divide in half, be sure you make the divided a double one otherwise toes may be damaged or lost.

That is the current plan, to make a divider in their enclosure in case that's what it comes to. It's just sad because 99% of the time they LOVE each other! They curl up together and groom each other. They choose to sleep in the same nest together and they love wrestling and playing together! It's only after they've been playing with us and then go back in that the behavior starts. So far the younger hasn't hurt her older "sister", but we certainly don't want it to come to that.

[FurBabyMom80]

Hello FBM are your squirrels grays or reds ... just curious as we are overwintering 2 red girls 9 & 6 months. They are in separate cages only a foot away from each other. So far we haven't let them free run in house at same time. When the older chippy girl is out she is very affectionate and playful with us. The younger coco does not climb on us much, but she is not agressive either. I would love to see them play together during free run time - if I could be pretty sure they wouldn't fight.
Does anyone think this worth a try with 2 reds ? They are not siblings but they've been beside each other's cage for almost 5 months now.
They are both greys :sqrrl11:sqrrl11

[FurBabyMom80]

Sleeping together and eating together ❤️ 323935323934

[FurBabyMom80]

Well, as sad as it is to have to separate them, we are working today on splitting their enclosure into two separate ones, which will be right next to each other but not close enough for them to get at each other's little fingers/toes! :glomp

Hopefully someday they can go back in together again, perhaps in an even larger enclosure where they can have their own territories, but if the behavior doesn't stop, we are prepared to have them live their own little separate lives next to one another :Love_Icon

[FurBabyMom80]

Officially have their own little territories! Next to one another though so they can still interact and "play" together, just without risk of one harming the other. Maybe someday they'll be able to live together again, but we'll cross that bridge far in the future if it ever comes up.
323956

[FurBabyMom80]

This was the "before" enclosure. My seriously talented husband makes these himself! I must say, I am pretty impressed by them - and yes, we are probably one of the only people you know with a giant squirrel enclosure taking up our entire kitchenette area! :rotfl

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[Rock Monkey]

This was the "before" enclosure. My seriously talented husband makes these himself! I must say, I am pretty impressed by them - and yes, we are probably one of the only people you know with a giant squirrel enclosure taking up our entire kitchenette area! :rotfl

323957

That is a very nice habitat.

[Charley Chuckles]

This was the "before" enclosure. My seriously talented husband makes these himself! I must say, I am pretty impressed by them - and yes, we are probably one of the only people you know with a giant squirrel enclosure taking up our entire kitchenette area! :rotfl

323957

Lol my husband was just saying to me, " DO YOU REALIZE OUR HOUSE ISN'T THAT SMALL IT'S JUST THAT THE SQUIRRELS TAKE UP Half OF IT!" 🤣
They allow us to live here🙄😁

[FurBabyMom80]

Lol my husband was just saying to me, " DO YOU REALIZE OUR HOUSE ISN'T THAT SMALL IT'S JUST THAT THE SQUIRRELS TAKE UP Half OF IT!" 🤣
They allow us to live here🙄😁

So true! :sqrrl7