Hi all, from the land of cold winters

[Squirrel Buddy]

First of all, I love The Squirrel Board and glad it exits. I am brand new to the world of squirrels, but I have a red squirrel buddy that I have been feeding for three months.
The little fella is a joy and comes every day about 12:30. I have a lot to learn, and find there is contradictory advice on the Internet.

I live in Winnipeg, Canada, where the temps go down to -30 in the wintertime. Can the little red squirrel survive such cold? We do see some squirrels running around the roof tops in the winter, so I'm just wondering.

When it comes to the food, I will feed him every day, but there is also a big (he's huge) grey squirrel on the grounds. I heard that greys will sometimes attack red squirrels. Is this accurate information? I'm just wondering whether I can even hope that my little buddy will make it through the winter.

Thanks to all squirrel lovers on this board.

[stepnstone]

First of all, I love The Squirrel Board and glad it exits. I am brand new to the world of squirrels, but I have a red squirrel buddy that I have been feeding for three months.
The little fella is a joy and comes every day about 12:30. I have a lot to learn, and find there is contradictory advice on the Internet.

I live in Winnipeg, Canada, where the temps go down to -30 in the wintertime. Can the little red squirrel survive such cold? We do see some squirrels running around the roof tops in the winter, so I'm just wondering.

When it comes to the food, I will feed him every day, but there is also a big (he's huge) grey squirrel on the grounds. I heard that greys will sometimes attack red squirrels. Is this accurate information? I'm just wondering whether I can even hope that my little buddy will make it through the winter.

Thanks to all squirrel lovers on this board.

First off to TSB.
We do have members in or around Canada so hang in there and someone
may be better to advise you.
In the meantime if you could get a picture of the little red it would help
to acesss your question(s) with condition and age apperence.

[California Squirrel Lover]

Yes, welcome!! Posting pictures is a great idea.

[Nancy in New York]

Welcome, I think that you could easily start here in this thread, about Meemor from the Yukon.
Actually fireweed may be the person to talk to about outdoor reds.
She has got the most gorgeous photos of these little ones, and Meemor's story is really one
of hope, inspiration and dedication that her and her hubby have for Meemor, and no it does not
have a sad ending, he is still with us. BUT they had to take him inside twice for different reasons.
Go pour yourself a nice cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and relax and read this story. You won't be sorry.
Anyway here is a link to his story:
But start on Lone Baby, and get the tissues ready.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...p?22885-Meemor

[Squirrel Buddy]

Welcome, I think that you could easily start here in this thread, about Meemor from the Yukon.
Actually fireweed may be the person to talk to about outdoor reds.
She has got the most gorgeous photos of these little ones, and Meemor's story is really one
of hope, inspiration and dedication that her and her hubby have for Meemor, and no it does not
have a sad ending, he is still with us. BUT they had to take him inside twice for different reasons.
Go pour yourself a nice cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and relax and read this story. You won't be sorry.
Anyway here is a link to his story:
But start on Lone Baby, and get the tissues ready.
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...p?22885-Meemor

Thank you
I will do so in the next few hours

[farrelli]

Welcome to TSB! Thanks for caring for your little guy! I'm sure he'll have a much better winter with your help.

When you came on here, I bet you didn't gamble on Winterpeg so quickly getting shown up on it's cold tepms by someone in the Youkon, did you?

[Fireweed]

I'm just wondering whether I can even hope that my little buddy will make it through the winter.

, Squirrel Buddy! I'm happy to see yet another Canuck here! I live up in the Yukon but I'm originally from Edmonton, Alberta. There is another member here from Edmonton, too - Canada Red. Most active Canadian members are from Ontario or Quebec. So it's neat to see someone from Manitoba show up.

Anyhoo, about your concern... Your little buddy can definitely survive -30. I don't even start worrying about the squirrels until it reaches -36C. It gets down to -42 nearly every winter here and my squirrel friends get frosty but their thick winter coats and their insulated nests keep them from freezing.

But there are a few things you can do to ensure your little red friend stays extra warm throughout the winter:

*Give him some poly-fill to pad his nest with. You can buy poly-fill in bags at your local fabric store (it's what they use to fill blankets with). Cut it up into small squares, 3-4 inches squared, and either give them to him one by one or put them under his tree on something so they don't get wet/dirty before he has a chance to stuff them into his nest. Just give him about 10 pieces at a time. I usually take them away the next day if they aren't used and replace them a few days later until the squirrel seems to have had enough of the poly-fill.

*Buy HHBs or Harlan Teklad blocks (or make HHBs yourself - we can give you the recipe) so that he has the best nutrition possible. The healthier he is, the better he can keep warm.

*If he lives close to your house, or comes to your house for treats, you can rig a heated water dish so he always has access to water.

*Put up a large nest box in the tree his nest is in. He likely won't use it to sleep in during the winter months because the boxes are colder than the nests. But he will probably use it to store his food which frees up more space in his nest for him!

*You can help him with his nest by gathering dry grasses and leaving them under his tree. If it hasn't snowed there yet, do that now! The bigger his nest is, the warmer he'll be.

We need pics of your little buddy, please. And what is his name?

Edit: I don't have experience with greys because I only have reds here. But most people who have both greys and reds will tell you it's usually the reds who are chasing the greys off.

[canada red]

Great to have someone from the Peg! I'm just a bit west of you and as Fireweed says, these little reds are pretty good at getting through our winters.
Better than me, that's for sure. Their winter coats make them look like little red polar bears.
Fireweed had some excellent tips for helping our tiny friends through the winter. I've just started giving my little buddy (he actually owns my yard) polyfill and I'm hoping it'll keep his little fuzziness cozy when the snow falls.
Yes, pics please!