New here, with puzzling situation

[Cheryl]

I live in Quebec, in a very suburban area loaded with trees. My property is nearly an acre of old and natural forest. It's been a popular spot for squirrels (and skunks, raccoons, and even some bunnies) since we moved here 25 years ago. I always had cats and dogs, so never fed the squirrels or other animals for the safety of everyone. I gave over my shed for a hibernation spot, putting boxes filled with shavings, paper etc.

For the last few years, I have had no pets so started feeding squirrels. Two years ago I spied baby black triplets I named Hewy, Lewy, and Dewy (very original - lol!) and I loved feeding them by hand on my deck and watching them play and chase each other up and down my giant pine tree and around my fenced-in, safe property. Delightful!

Hewy and Lewy set off to find their own domains, but Dewy remained. I last saw him, for the third summer this April when I put out nuts for them.

A few weeks ago I noticed something - there are no squirrels. None on my property, or my neighbour's equally large properties where I always see many running around, digging, chasing up and down the large trees. I'm very alarmed at this and can't find an answer anywhere. I'm no expert on squirrels, but does anyone know why all the squirrels would disappear?

My Dewy. Other than by his tameness, I recognize him by the notch on one ear. Hope I didn't ramble on too long!

[Chirps]

Hi and welcome! That is a mystery. Maybe someone will chime in if they've experienced the same. The first thing that comes to mind is to wonder if you have a pair of raptors nesting right there. Is it just the squirrels who are gone, or everything else too?

Another possibility is that some food source has come into season and they're all off foraging, but that's not really an answer if their dreys are in your and your neighbors' trees. You'd have to see them once in a while just coming and going.

[Cheryl]

Hi, and thanks for the reply. It seems no one has an answer. I've tried every Google term I can think of to search.

I haven't seen any other animals either, but the raccoons and skunks are nocturnal so I'm not sure about them. I've seen no raptors. There's a chipmunk who lives at the bottom of a large branch pile and I haven't seen him/her either.

It's very eerie and distressing when I'm on my deck where I'm accustomed to always seeing many, many squirrels - mostly black but some grey - running around and visiting my deck and now no signs of life. It's like a squirrel apocalypse.

Hi and welcome! That is a mystery. Maybe someone will chime in if they've experienced the same. The first thing that comes to mind is to wonder if you have a pair of raptors nesting right there. Is it just the squirrels who are gone, or everything else too?

Another possibility is that some food source has come into season and they're all off foraging, but that's not really an answer if their dreys are in your and your neighbors' trees. You'd have to see them once in a while just coming and going.