Is my rescue squirrel pregnant??

[nightingale1703]

Hello, I successfully raised a baby squirrel last April and she lives in a tree in our backyard. She comes by several times a day to get nuts and say hello. My husband and I thought she was pregnant because she was eating more and she was gathering material for a nest. My question is, would a mother squirrel leave her nest to come out every once in a while to eat?? How would we know if she had babies or not? Her nest is pretty high up in the tree so we cant see inside there. Thanks for your help!

[RockyPops]

Yes, she will come out to eat etc. And the older the babies get the more time she will spend outside.

The best way to tell if she is pregnant is to look for signs of nursing babies when she rears up to take a treat or look around for predators. Should be able to see little pink nipples.

How old is she. They usually mature sexually after a year.

[nightingale1703]

RockyPops, thanks so much! She will be a year in April

[frankc]

She is precious !! Looks almost like one of my back yard little boys. Makes you just want to hold and cuddle them.

[Chirps]

Hi nightingale1703!

You're in Wyoming? So is that a recent pic or from summer? In my ignorance I assume it's winter there ten months out of the year so curious about the leafy branch next to her.

Yikes, if she has babies before being a year old . . . Wow! If she does, I am thinking it could be a help to her to provide a water source if you don't already, something fairly close so she doesn't have to travel extra to get a drink. Puts her at less risk from predators and gets her back to the kids faster.

Last summer I started putting store brand "Tums" out for the lactating mothers. It has to be the one that's just calcium though, no Vitamin D. I had a designated feed can top for this. They would chew them or take them or drop them on the ground, but they definitely made use of them somewhat. I think they came to understand that this calcium boost was available to them, kind of the way deer etc. come to a salt/mineral lick. Actually I just put a couple out the other day because I've seen a couple squirrels with what RockyPops refers to as "baby bottles" on their undersides.

[RockyPops]

If she is not a year old yet I doubt she is pregnant. But, I'm not an expert.

She is just beautiful in that photo!

[stepnstone]

Grey squirrels are sexually mature by the end of their first year, in some regions even earlier.
Squirrels do plump up during the winter and it can be hard to tell sometimes if or when their
pregnant. When pregnant their instinct is seek out or build and secure a place for their babies.
Most do become somewhat elusive and they don't travel far when they do come out to forge.
Once delivered it becomes obvious because hair around the nipples get matted down form the
babies nursing and the nipples are more prominent.