Whether you want a squirrel as a pet or just want to figure out how long your yard’s invaders are going to live, knowing a squirrel’s lifespan is helpful. All species of squirrel are different, so they naturally possess different lifespans. Squirrels in captivity also live much longer than outside, wild animals. In fact, most squirrels do not live past their first year of life!
A squirrel is both a rodent and a mammal. They are mammals because they are covered in hair and have mammary glands to feed their children milk. They count as rodents because they gnaw on things with their powerful, over-sized incisors. Squirrels can be found all over the world in places like North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. There are currently over 200 different species on earth, each with its own diet and separate habitat. For this article, we focus on North America Squirrels can be divided into three different types: tree, ground, and flying. Tree squirrels tend to live in burrows within trees or will build nests between the crooks of branches. Ground squirrels naturally live in the ground, typically in dug-out burrows they make themselves. Flying squirrels are a special case. Some live in holes in trees, others build nests, and others live in a new place every night to avoid predators. Since they can move from tree to tree using their “wings,” this is an excellent survival mechanism. Squirrels are omnivores, which means they eat meat, vegetables, and usually anything they can get their paws on. Their favorite foods include fungi, seeds, nuts, and fruit, but they will also consume insects, eggs, and even small snakes. Squirrels bury a lot of food in preparation for winter, and it’s not uncommon for squirrels to steal from the storage spaces of others. There currently isn’t a lot of research that measures whether the food a squirrel eats actually affects their lifespan. A squirrel with a more varied diet is likely to survive, but because these animals tend to only eat healthy foods, they don’t suffer the same problems that humans do. A squirrel is more likely to get hit by a car then die of heart disease! Squirrels in captivity - like in zoos - can live a whopping 24 years, which is longer than most dogs and cats. However, a regular squirrel faces a lot of threats in its day to day life and don’t live long. Like mentioned earlier, most of these animals don’t make it to their first year. When they do, they can live to be between 6-10 years old. When discussing age, this article divides squirrels between some of the most common types.
American Red Squirrel:
American red squirrels are some of the shortest in North America and actually tend to live in Canada or the far northeast of the United States. American Red Squirrel American red squirrels are some of the shortest in North America and actually tend to live in Canada or the far northeast of the United States.
They can live to be 8 years old but most wild ones barely make it to 2 years. This species is slightly different from others in that the males actually tend to live longer than the females. However, the amount is negligible and only longer by a few weeks.
Fox Squirrel:
Fox squirrels are the most common kind in North America and have the typical rich, chestnut brown color people often associate with this mammal.
They can live to be 18 years old, but the maximum ages discovered in wild squirrels have been 8 years for males and 13 years for females.
Southern Flying Squirrel:
The southern flying squirrel is a bit of an outlier in the squirrel world. These unusual mammals only live between 3-5 years and are the only flying squirrel in North America.
Eastern Gray Squirrel:
This squirrel species is typically found throughout the Midwest and is what many people in the United States might think of when trying to imagine a typical squirrel.
It’s furry and adorable, and can live between 12-24 years in the right environment.
Black Squirrel:
Sometimes people might encounter an all black squirrel, especially in the Midwest. They aren’t a separate species, but actually occur from different levels of melanin in the animal’s body.
They tend to be either eastern gray or fox squirrels with a different hair color. Most live to be about 6 years old in the wild or 18 years old in captivity.
Squirrels, like most other animals, have drastically shorter lifespans in the wild than in captivity. If you are worried about one bugging you forever, rest assured it will most likely perish within a year. If you don’t want the squirrel gone or want one as a pet, then the good news is that those who make it past the first year will be around for a long time. Getting rid of ground squirrels is the goal of many homeowners because they dig holes in the ground and gnaw on wires, hoses, and deck furniture. They also tear up flower beds and gardens. While they’re cute out in a city park, they’re not so cute when they’re making a mess of your yard. Like all rodents, ground squirrels are constantly gnawing on things. They do this because their front teeth never stop growing. The gnawing behavior wears their teeth down so they don’t get too long and keeps them sharp.
Squirrels gnaw on plastic, wood, insulation, electrical wiring, trees, and shrubs. They can kill young trees if they strip enough bark off them. They’ll also raid bird feeders, eat your prize flowers and tear up the cushions of your deck furniture.
- What attracts ground squirrels?
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How can you get rid of ground squirrels?
If your yard has an abundance of acorn or walnut trees, if you put out birdseed for the pigeons, if you’ve got bulbs planted in your flower garden, if there are little frogs living in your fish pond, or if you’ve got a lot of delicate shrubberies, you’re probably going to have a squirrel problem. Fish ponds, birdbaths, puddles, ditches, and streams also provide them with the other necessity of life – water. If your yard has food and water on it that squirrels like, you’ll likely have the little critters running around in it. Getting rid of squirrels isn’t a one-off event. You can’t do something once and expect it to keep squirrels away from your yard forever. It’s more akin to a never-ending battle. As long as you’re prepared for that, there is any number of things you can do about them. An ordinary yard rake is a good place to start. Rake up all the fallen nuts, leaves, twigs, and leaves. A bare yard with nothing but grass is a signal to squirrels that the area has already been picked clean and there’s nothing left for them to eat. This is an ongoing job, obviously. Keep a good supply of leaf bags on hand and rake your yard at least twice a week in autumn when the leaves are falling, once a week the rest of the year. This ensures there is nothing for them to find if they do explore it. Bag everything you rake up and keep the bags in the garage or somewhere they squirrels can’t get to them, then take them out to the curb on trash day. Be sure to rake the flower beds and between the rows if you have a garden. Do this all the way around the house. If there is nothing for them to eat they won’t have any choice but to go somewhere else before they starve. Squirrels seem to be everywhere. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a city or the country - you’re bound to see them around. And, depending on where you live, they’re bound to be a nuisance. Squirrels aren’t dangerous, but can wreak havoc on your yard and home. Keeping them away can be a monumental task.
Squirrels are particularly challenging because of their enormous population. They’ll crowd you out of house and home if you don’t keep them under control. If you need to get rid of squirrels, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll walk you through five of the best ideas on how to deal with your squirrel problem. Squirrels are scavengers and hoarders. They will sniff around, seek out and eat: - Acorns
- Bark
- Berries
- Bird eggs
- Bulbs
- Fruit
- Fungi
- Insects of various kinds
- Nuts
- Pine cones
- Seeds
Squirrels can definitely be a nuisance. There are five best ways to remove squirrels from your home or property and to keep them away. - Remove attractants
- Use squirrel repellents
- Squirrel deterrents
- Exclusion
- Squirrel traps
Every time you take out the trash, make sure the lid is securely fastened. If the lid of the trash can is loose, they’ll think it’s a food source, get into it, and make a mess. Another food source that attracts ground squirrels are the nuts, berries, and fruit that falls from the trees in your yard. If you have any of those, get out a rake and remove them every day. Finally, once you’ve removed all the attractants from around your house, divert the squirrels by placing attractants along the back corners of your property to draw them away from your house and the main part of the yard. Basically, you’re creating a feeder for them to channel them where you want them to go. Squirrels are no different than any other animal in this respect; if you put out some food, they’ll go for it. Keep on feeding them in that designated area and they’ll stay away from the rest of your property. When a squirrel sees one of these decoys they’ll immediately be afraid of them and run away. You need to be aware of one problem with decoys, however, if you leave them in one place for more than a day or two, the squirrels will realize they’re not real and lose their fear of them. Remember to move these decoys around regularly, so squirrels don’t get brave and test their boundaries. There are a number of essential oils that can be made into a repellent spray. A few drops of peppermint oil in a spray bottle of water makes an excellent repellent spray because squirrels don’t like the strong smell. Garlic oil can be used to accomplish the same thing. In conjunction with the predator decoys above, you can also use scents such as predator urine to scare off squirrels. When they smell it, they’ll naturally assume there is a dangerous predator in the area. If squirrels then spot a decoy hiding in the shadows, tall grass, or lurking behind a bush, they’ll become convinced their life is in danger and run away. These mechanical types of repellents have a limited lifespan though. Very quickly, the squirrels will realize they’re in no danger and proceed to ignore them. The best method is to activate a different system every night. That way, they never know what’s going to happen. A bird feeder is a huge attraction for squirrels. Obviously you could get rid of your feeder, but if you don’t want to, there are numerous ways around it. Various deterrents discourage squirrels from using the bird feeder. One of the key places where this comes into play is around a bird feeder. Squirrels love the same birdseed the birds do and will eat it all up if they can. The one exception is safflower seeds. Birds love them but squirrels don’t. Put safflower seeds in your bird feeder and after one or two attempts on it, the squirrels will leave it alone. The problem here, of course, is that safflower seeds are expensive compared to regular birdseed. Another deterrent is to place the bird feeder at least 8-10 feet away from the nearest tree branch, fence, or roof. Squirrels are amazing jumpers and can often jump to the bird feeder from a higher position. A slightly humorous way to stop squirrels from eating your birdseed is to oil the pole the bird feeder is on. This only works on smooth, metal poles. Oil it up with Crisco or vegetable oil, then sit back and watch what happens. Squirrels will jump up onto the pole, hang in place for a moment, then slide back down the oily surface. Exclusion involves keeping squirrels away altogether. For this, you need wire mesh or small mesh chicken wire. If there are any holes in the attic of your house, cover them from the inside with wire mesh. You can build a wooden frame around and over the top of your garden then cover it with rolls of mesh. You’ll need to build a screen door into the frame so you can get in and out, but once the whole thing is covered by the mesh, squirrels won’t be able to get into your garden to destroy it. You need to bury the bottom part of the mesh about 4-6 inches in the ground so they can’t burrow under it. This method requires a lot of sweat and hard work, but once it is in place, they won’t be able to get past it.
I spend a LOT of time watching the squirrels in my backyard and it seems like I always end up with a question or two about the creatures. For example, if the squirrel living in my tree didn’t have to worry about being chased by my dogs or eaten by a hawk, had plenty of food and shelter…how long would it live? Then, if you flip that around, what about squirrels that aren’t living in a lush urban environment? How do they fare in the wild? The basic question I was tossing around was, “How long do squirrels live? I decided to do some research on the average lifespan of a squirrel, and while there’s a significant amount of variation in the answers, squirrels can live longer than most other rodents if everything works out well for them. Here is what I found out.
The lifespan of a squirrel can vary between species. Most squirrels may not live beyond their first year as they are more vulnerable to attacks from predators. Squirrels that manage to survive the first two years of their life have an average lifespan of six to twelve years in the wild. Different species of squirrels generally have different life spans. A brief look at the life expectancy of species found in the United States reveals the following: Red squirrels can live up to 5 years in the wild. Their mortality rate is quite high and only 25 percent of these squirrels live longer than a year. They mature at 2 to 4 years old. The longest recorded lifespan of a red squirrel in the wild has been 10 years. The male squirrels tend to live longer than female ones. For most squirrel species, it is the opposite. In captivity, red squirrels can live up to 8 years.