In January and February, squirrels will begin to pair up. They usually nest alone. but will double up during the height of mating season. During cold winter months, they also share a nest to conserve body heat.
Once spring arrives, the female squirrels turn their focus to nursing and raising their new litters and nest without the males.
Around the age of six-week-old baby squirrels will begin to venture out of the nest. By 10 to 12 weeks of age the young squirrels are out of the nest completely. The mother squirrel usually has a second litter in August.
Squirrel nest-building activity is often noticeable in June and July. That’s when mother squirrels are teaching their spring-born young how to build nests. Nests are built in tree cavities (dens) or leaf nests are fabricated.
In late fall squirrels are most busy building their nests. They will use moist leaves, shredded bark, grasses and moss on a twig platform to reinforce the structure. The frame is woven to create a sturdy outer shell. It seems like some thought processes go into nest building, doesn’t it?
Squirrels have a main nest, but have other nests as well, that are sometimes called vacation nests. They are built in case the squirrel needs quick protection from predators or weather. So a squirrel actually has several nests.
There are lots of behaviors that squirrels appear to put thought into. We will talk about this further in another blog!
Thank you for taking time to read about nature in your own back yard!
Capt. Debbie Ritter
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