John Maher:  Hi, I’m John Maher. Today, I’m here with Scott Winsper from Colonial Pest Control. Scott is a Wildlife Technician. Today, we’re talking about knowing the facts about grey squirrels. Welcome, Scott.

Scott Winsper:  How are you doing John?

Where do squirrels live?

John:  Good. Scott, where do grey squirrels usually live?

Scott:  There’s several areas where they live. Trees, first of all, homes and buildings.

What do squirrels eat?

John:  What kind of food sources do squirrels eat?

Scott:  Everybody’s probably had this problem if they’ve had grey squirrels in the area or the home. They usually chew right through your garbage barrels. They’re usually going for any garbage they can find, any food source that have been left out in the garbage.

Mainly, it’s usually nuts and bird feeders; acorns, black walnuts, hickories. Anything that has a nut part or grain part, they’re after it.

John:  Having my trash outside and accessible to the squirrels may be kind of risky? Having bird feeders in my yard might be inviting them to come near the house, and then they get inside the house? That sort of thing.

Scott:  Absolutely. The best thing I can tell you is if you’re going to store your garbage barrels inside your garage, make sure you use an aluminum barrel with a bungee lid on it.

Grey Squirrel Reproduction

John:  Do grey squirrels reproduce rapidly or not?

Scott:  Grey squirrels have two litters a year. That’s usually Spring and Fall. That’s when you’re going to get your most activity. That’s when your break-in period — February’s a good time for break-in periods.

John:  When you say break-in, you mean when they get into your house?

Scott:  Break-in period is — that usually — it’s a female, she’s pregnant. She’s looking for a place to have babies. That’s the time of a break-in period. That’s where you’re getting your two litters a year. You get your Spring and you get your Fall litter.

As soon as they’re ready to have their litters, they’re breaking into a house for a nice, warm area where it’s secure and they can have their babies.

John:  How many squirrels are in a litter usually?

Scott:  There’s usually two a litter. Two litters a year, usually. You can get from one to three squirrels per liter.

John:  It’s not like mice where mice reproduce once a month, or something like that? Didn’t you tell me?

Scott:  That’s correct. Like I said, twice a year they have two birthing cycles. It’s usually Spring and Fall.

Squirrels in the Yard

John:  Should I be concerned if I have a large group of grey squirrels in my yard? Maybe, I’m out in my backyard, and I’m seeing those squirrels running up and down the trees in my backyard. Is that a sign that they’re probably in my house too?

Scott:  You should be concerned when you have a lot of squirrels in your yard. First of all, they need a place to live, and usually it’s the trees. Then, the next thing is, when it gets cold, where are they going to go? They’re looking for a warm area. Usually, it’s tending to your house, or your neighbor’s. That’s where they’re going to go.

John:  Scott, thanks very much for speaking with me today.

Scott:  Thank you, John.

John:  For more information, you can visit the Colonial Pest Control website at ColonialPests.com or call 1‑800‑525‑8084. That’s 1‑800‑525‑8084.

Photo credit: cobaltfish / Foter / CC BY-SA

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