Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: De-lurking to introduce myself and a few questions

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Lee’s Summit MO
    Posts
    11
    Thanked: 16

    Default De-lurking to introduce myself and a few questions

    Hello all, I’ve been lurking here for about a year, and finally registered after one of our backyard friends hurt his front paw. Got some good advice and reassurance and that little squirrely (we call him spark because he’s always starting trouble with the other boy squirrels) is nearly recovered and seeems to be doing very well.

    For a bit over a year we have always put food and water out on our back deck for these cuties, and have about a dozen regulars that come every day and others that happen by for a treat now and then. About 2 months ago a little gal built drey in the tree next to my deck - what would have been a clever spot on top of a hollow spot right above the fork of two largest branches - except for the heavy squirrel traffic since that seems to be the favorite approach of nearly all of the squirrels that visit the deck. She tolerated the others well until pretty recently - after being harassed by a few boy squirrels (Spark being a primary offender), I guess she got frustrated and I noticed one day that she didn’t seem to be returning to that drey but couldn’t initially figure out where she might have moved babies to. A few days later I notice the biggest drey I have ever seen (more than a foot wide) at the very top of the oak tree outside my bedroom window. 4 days ago suddenly some beautiful small squirrels came running down the tree and chasing each other around, but i really surprised at how big these guys are - you can only tell they aren’t full grown if you’re very familiar with them or see them next to mama or another grownup. (Will try to post some pics)
    Is it common for babies to look nearly full grown when they first leve the nest? There’s no way I’ve missed them out exploring unless it was right at sunrise, but they generally come tearing down the tree around 7:30am and stay close to my house most of the day. My other questions are about nest boxes - when should they ideally be out so these guys can get used to them before winter? Do I need to only have one box per tree? We have cold winters here in the Midwest, and I worried my heart out for the little guys last winter. I definitely will put up as many safe boxes as I can before winter hits! Will try to post some pics, and thanks for any advice you can offer!
    Attached Images Attached Images    

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    Lee’s Summit MO
    Posts
    11
    Thanked: 16

    Default Re: De-lurking to introduce myself and a few questions

    Sorry about sideways pics - those two are part of the four new little guys. White squirrels appear around here once in a while, and a beautiful silver male is one of our daily visitors. Pics of grownup squirrels below.Name:  A40E5829-DE81-460F-B6EF-AC1AC5BAEB05.jpg
Views: 33
Size:  104.7 KBName:  1C7F2C6F-E962-429A-942F-C0AD2274603E.jpg
Views: 31
Size:  87.0 KBName:  5C56D3FA-ADED-42D8-808B-2F82D769D824.jpg
Views: 32
Size:  137.7 KB

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    East coast of Florida
    Posts
    9,781
    Thanked: 12707

    Default Re: De-lurking to introduce myself and a few questions

    Quote Originally Posted by Robynbird78 View Post
    Hello all, I’ve been lurking here for about a year, and finally registered after one of our backyard friends hurt his front paw. Got some good advice and reassurance and that little squirrely (we call him spark because he’s always starting trouble with the other boy squirrels) is nearly recovered and seeems to be doing very well.

    For a bit over a year we have always put food and water out on our back deck for these cuties, and have about a dozen regulars that come every day and others that happen by for a treat now and then. About 2 months ago a little gal built drey in the tree next to my deck - what would have been a clever spot on top of a hollow spot right above the fork of two largest branches - except for the heavy squirrel traffic since that seems to be the favorite approach of nearly all of the squirrels that visit the deck. She tolerated the others well until pretty recently - after being harassed by a few boy squirrels (Spark being a primary offender), I guess she got frustrated and I noticed one day that she didn’t seem to be returning to that drey but couldn’t initially figure out where she might have moved babies to. A few days later I notice the biggest drey I have ever seen (more than a foot wide) at the very top of the oak tree outside my bedroom window. 4 days ago suddenly some beautiful small squirrels came running down the tree and chasing each other around, but i really surprised at how big these guys are - you can only tell they aren’t full grown if you’re very familiar with them or see them next to mama or another grownup. (Will try to post some pics)
    Is it common for babies to look nearly full grown when they first leve the nest? There’s no way I’ve missed them out exploring unless it was right at sunrise, but they generally come tearing down the tree around 7:30am and stay close to my house most of the day. My other questions are about nest boxes - when should they ideally be out so these guys can get used to them before winter? Do I need to only have one box per tree? We have cold winters here in the Midwest, and I worried my heart out for the little guys last winter. I definitely will put up as many safe boxes as I can before winter hits! Will try to post some pics, and thanks for any advice you can offer!
    Hello Robinbird and . Yes, it’s amazing how old squirrels in the wild are before they leave the nest for the first time. Moms keep a tight reign on them! It’s for this reason that most folks don’t even consider releasing their rehabbed babies until about 16 weeks old or older. IMO the older, and hopefully wiser, they are when released the better their chances in the wild.

    As for nest boxes, you can put up nest boxes anytime. Some may use them in the summer, in spite of the heat, if they’re available. I have some in my yard that are still using boxes although I know it has to be very hot inside. . If you have multiple trees that are acceptable for boxes, there isn’t any reason you can’t place more than one in a tree. Space them as far apart as is feasible. Ideally your nest boxes should have predator guards on the outside to keep raccoons and cats from getting into them.

  4. 2 TSBers pass along the fuzzy thanks to Mel1959:

    Diggie's Friend (06-14-2019), Nancy in New York (06-14-2019)

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    11,423
    Thanked: 12751

    Default Re: De-lurking to introduce myself and a few questions

    You have a white squirrel? Awesome!

    I’m glad to hear that your limpy is doing better.

    I noticed the same thing. Baby squirrels do look nearly grown before they wonder out of the nest. They’re about 3 months old when they leave the nest. I watched a couple big ‘babies’ playing in a tree. I wouldn’t have known but when my Susie went to them and loved on them I knew it was her babies. Yes, they were almost her size.

    Nest boxes are awesome for harsh winters but realistically they don’t require them. It just makes us feel better. Healthy squirrels adapt to the weather. For the weak and fall babies a nest box might make the difference between surviving or not. If you would like to put up nest boxes I have no doubt they will be filled with squirrels. I’ve heard of adult squirrels bunking up together in boxes during the winter. It makes sense that they would share body heat. The number you put up is completely up to you. I have quite a few boxes up. I also have one tree with multiple nest boxes. They aren’t that far apart but it hasn’t discouraged them from using them. Make sure the boxes you build are predator proof. That can be done in several ways. You can build a deep box that has an internal shelf inside the opening. This prevents predators from reaching in and grabbing babies, limbs, etc. Another type of box has a porch around the opening or some other type of restrictor that prevent larger predators from getting close to the opening.

    I’m sure whitey and the others would appreciate the boxes.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •