General Squirrel Facts
The gray squirrel is the most common squirrel inhabiting over 2/3 of the United States. In general, squirrels come in a variety of colors from pure black to pure white and all shades in between.
Squirrels are typically 8″-10″ long and 12 to 24 ounces in weight. They are mainly active during the day. They do not hibernate but will typically spend long hours in their nest during the cold winter months.
The tail of the squirrel plays a very important role in communication, locomotion and insulation.
Squirrels are extremely vocal. They bark, chatter, scream, and purr. Sometimes people think they are hearing a noisy bird, without realizing that it’s actually a very noisy squirrel!
Flashing movements of their tails, stamping their feet and the way they walk are also modes of a squirrel’s communication.
Their ideal habitat is a forest filled with oak, beech, and hickory trees which provide food and natural cover. They often build several nests in the trees within a certain area, using the each nest at various times. If a storm knocks down one nest, they still have another one to go to.
Some squirrels do not live in trees. Known as ground squirrels, these creatures make their nests in burrows in the ground.
These burrows can be part of a large undeground network of squirrel nests. Unfortunately, people and animals can accidently stumble into these and injure themselves, breaking an ankle or leg.
Squirrels are primarily vegetarians. The Squirrels’ natural diet consists of a wide variety of nuts, fruits, berries, mushrooms and the occasional insect.
Many El Dorado Hills backyards offer a similar habitat with an added bonus of bird seed. Black oil sunflower seeds are a particular favorite of these furry little critters.
Yard Protection
Since most El Dorado Hills squirrels are active throughout the day you can easily observe areas where they spend most of their time.
This will help when deciding the best control options to keep squirrels from damaging your yard and gardens.
Squirrel Exclusion
Squirrels are difficult to exclude from your El Dorado Hills yard or garden since they are excellent climbers. In order to keep squirrels from damaging small trees, protect them with garden netting.
For larger trees that are more difficult to cover, use a wide collar made of sheet metal or plexiglass. Make the sheet metal about 2 feet wide and position it around the bottom of the tree, make sure to leave enough room for tree growth.
Another way to keep squirrels from damaging trees is to cut branches off the tree.
If squirrels manage to get into your El Dorado Hills home’s attic through an opening in your roof, particulary in the soffit or roof vent, your best method of preventing them from re-entering is to use exclusion.
Fix the opening and any weathered areas that squirrels could easily chew through and gain access to your home. Note: Just be sure that you have removed all of the squirrels before pursuing this option.
