Gray Squirrels Give Birth Twice a Year
It’s that time of year…again!
“What time?”, you ask. The time for baby squirrels to be born.
Unlike a majority of Ohio’s mammal population that only breeds once a year, gray squirrels have two breeding seasons and two litters per year.
Because of this, we are getting calls for squirrels that have made entrance into homes recently; most with the intent of finding a nice nesting spot.
For example, here is a great picture Ryan took last week.
It shows a black squirrel (a variant of the gray squirrel) peaking out of her intended nest, just as Ryan climbed the ladder to make an inspection.
It’s not too often that the suspected animal being inspected checks out the inspector.
This squirrel mother-to-be had caught the eye of the homeowner. With removal and a repair job, a new generation of squirrels being born in this attic has been avoided.
Babies Not Noticeable Yet
Though squirrels are starting to give birth, their presence is not detectable through the activity of the babies.
The Ohio Division of Wildlife’s publication “Life History Notes / Gray Squirrel” points out that it takes 5 weeks for the squirrels to open their eyes and 10 weeks until they venture out of the nest.
When the babies start leaving the nest in September and October, they are a lot more noticeable to homeowners because they are noisy. Noises in ceilings, attics, and walls are heard as the litter mates interact with each other and wait for mom to return with food.
Right now, though, female squirrels that are due to give birth or have given birth are not very noticeable at all unless you are a close observer.
Signs you could expect to find are wood shavings below entry points or bits of insulation under entry points that don’t seem to belong. And, of course, watching them while they are on your roof. A lone squirrel easing along your roof line that you easily lose track of often indicates an entry point somewhere. It at least calls for more investigation.
Common entries for nesting gray squirrels are:
- the area where the fascia and roof decking meet like in the picture above
- where there are gaps in soffit like the picture below
- anywhere a squirrel decides to chew in; often in protected areas where there is good footing
Squirrel Removal for Akron, Canton and Kent
They don’t breed as much as rabbits, but gray squirrels certainly do their best to keep the populations high.
Taking a look around many of the neighborhoods here in the Akron, Canton & Kent ,we see that once populations are high enough and all the best spots in trees are taken, nesting squirrels seek the next best things- our homes.
If you suspect a squirrel is nesting your attic, walls, or soffit, give us a call today.
For more information on squirrel trapping / removal / control:
