Nest Box, Release Cage Material....

[Buddy]

Any recommendation on where the best nest boxes can be found?

Also, recommendations on the release cage material / location in a backyard?

We're not releasing Buddy anytime soon, but I want to start planning and prepare...

Thanks!

[Mel1959]

Send me a private message with your email address and I’ll send you some nest box plans my husband drew up.

[Charley Chuckles]

Send me a private message with your email address and I’ll send you some nest box plans my husband drew up.

I have a couple of his nest boxes and we love them🤗

[Rock Monkey]

Any recommendation on where the best nest boxes can be found?

Also, recommendations on the release cage material / location in a backyard?

We're not releasing Buddy anytime soon, but I want to start planning and prepare...

Thanks!

Here is a web page featuring some interesting designs. I used them as the inspiration for the one I am building. I am not sure they the builder is currently selling any, the website is a little confusing on that point. I guess personal life has intervened for this seller.

http://www.knwoodworks.com/squirrelhouse_pitchures.html

Regarding a location for the nest box, it should be in a deciduous tree, positioned at least 20 ft. above the ground, it should be one of several interconnected trees (allowing multiple way to exit/enter from the tree where the box is. The less time the squirrel has to be on the ground, the better.), it should face south (where the sun always lies in the northern hemisphere. This is for the winter when there are no leaves.) and ideally in the summer it should get some shade.

[Buddy]

Awesome! Thank you all!

[Buddy]

Send me a private message with your email address and I’ll send you some nest box plans my husband drew up.

Send you a message with my email address. Thank you!

[Spanky]

I see this site uses cedar wood for the box. Cedar is not a good choice for a squirrel box FWIW.

The importance of have intersecting trees cannot be understated... squirrels prefer to access "their tree" from another tree so they are not leaving their scent at the base (and going up) of "their tree".

In additional to the predator guards on the box, consider wrapping the trunk of the tree with metal flashing, at least 18 inches deep. This is to be a barrier to predators like raccoons climbing the tree. With this in mind, consider if adolescent squirrels can access an adjacent tree from the tree the box is placed into... best if the branches connecting the trees would not support the weight of a raccoon.

[Rock Monkey]

So, since the amount sunshine is very important, especially in the winter. You might want to periodically, during the day, look at the trees you are considering and seeing when and how much sun the locations for the nest box might get. This will vary depending on the time of year, with the sun getting lower and lower in the sky during the winter.

[Rock Monkey]

I see this site uses cedar wood for the box. Cedar is not a good choice for a squirrel box FWIW.

They offer the houses in both pine and cedar.

Admittedly, there is evidence that cedar chips and sawdust are not good for rodents. A piece of cedar, a board, vs. cedar chips is not an apples to apples comparison, not by a long shot.

However, the amount of phenols (the source of the problem) emitted is going to be dependent on the ratio of the surface area to the mass and whether the material is regularly agitated. Chips and dust are going to be at the extreme end of the scale where that ratio is concerned, relative to that of a 1"x piece of wood. Furthermore, after being cut the board/ the wood skins over, pores closing, especially when sanded smooth. With time scent diminishes greatly. Additionally, the squirrel house is going to be outside where the rate of air exchange is vastly (by more than a 100 fold) higher relative to an indoor environment.

Bottom line, the exposure to phenols is going to be minimal in an outdoor squirrel house made of wood relative to the phenols emitted by cedar chips spread on the floor of a cage indoors, where there are low rates of air exchange, and being constantly churned up by an active squirrel moving about.

[Squirrel nana]

Send me a private message with your email address and I’ll send you some nest box plans my husband drew up.

Do you still share the plans? I need some.