Diet

While squirrels are most well known for snacking on nuts and acorns, their diet also includes birdseed, insects, and mushrooms. Thus they are considered omnivores.

It is important to know a squirrel’s diet in order to trap them effectively. Here are some recommended baits for your squirrel trap.

Mating

Gray squirrels mate twice a year. The males will literally chase the female. Female squirrels will give birth between 4 to 8 weeks after conception, with an average gestation period of 44 days.

Foraging

Squirrels make thousands of caches every year, burying just a few nuts in any given location. They do not hoard nuts as a defense against predators and other animals that steal nuts from squirrels.

Hibernation

Eastern gray squirrels do not hibernate, but are less active in winter.

Migration

Squirrels do not migrate in the same way as birds, but will travel large distances to find habitat that is more suitable for food, for mating, or shelter.

Territory

Tree squirrels are not territorial, however they have been seen fighting from time to time.

Fox squirrels are territorial and mark their territory with scents, usually urine.

Defense against predators

When alarmed, squirrels will run away from the predator, often up the nearest tree or tall pole. They will flick their tail and make barking noises to warn other squirrels of the danger.

Like almost all animals, this is part of their “fight or flight” response to danger. If a squirrel must fight, it will do so by scratching with its sharp claws or biting its attacker. Squirrels can easily bite a human finger down to the bone, thanks to their sharp incisors. This is why it’s important to wear animal handling gloves when grabbing a squirrel out of a trap. Read more about important safety equipment for trapping and dispatching squirrels.