Food in Nests?

The Tampa Bay area has had a lot of rainy weather the last few days, and we are not seeing our squirrel friends as usual. Do they keep food in their nests when they don't want to deal with the weather or just live off their fat, if any?

It could be a combo of waiting the rain out and / or eating from natural sources closer to home, not venturing further out for treats, or maybe even dipping into a stash. I don't believe they keep snacks in their nests as that could attract other animals, possibly predators. I'm in a northern climate here, several days this winter they just didn't leave their nests due to the extreme cold, they just slept a ton and lived off their fat. And the toll that took on their systems was evident by how many were visibly affected by mange, when the warmer weather came and I'd see them more often.

Hopefully the rain eases off soon and they can get back to their normal routine, but I wouldn't worry too much about their recent absence.

I’m in your county. I’ve noticed them hunkering down also but they still will make an appearance in the evening if not raining AND if they think treats might be involved. :) I agree with VRB. They don’t keep food on their nest. They wouldn’t want raccoons or opossums trying to get to their nest.

I noticed a funny observation before the rains came. It was so dry my grass was getting crunchy so I put out a couple Rain Birds in the yard. On more than one occasion as I looked out my kitchen window, there were squirrels playing under the sprinklers. I sorta laughed and thought, you would never see a cat do that. Based on that I don’t think rain is much of an issue for them. I also watched one hanging on a tree in a torrential rain storm. He has hanging on the backside of the limb opposite the wind and slight under the limb. He was completely dry. Pretty smart! :grin2