Squirrel Nests

Squirrels can entertain the guests in the yard, and they always look cute because of their fuzzy tails and adorable eyes. They like to do acrobatics while at the same time they are the best climbers. They are good at learning how to solve problems, and they may be trained to eat from hands. If you have squirrels nearby, you should learn how they live and get more information about them so that you can know what to do with them. The squirrels have two different types of nests, and they can be found in the trees that surround your own backyard. They can make leaf nests and cavity dens.



The tree cavity den has to be created by a woodpecker first and then it is abandoned by that bird and after that the squirrel makes it a home. The tree cavity dens may be created using a natural process that hollows a cavity in an old tree. This home is the favorite of the squirrel since it offers the right protection from the snow, wind and rain. A leaf nest is normally tucked in a fork of a large tree branch, and this adds stability. The nests are larger compared to that of a bird.

A leaf nest is constructed with moss, leaves, twigs or other materials available. At the beginning, the twigs are woven together to make up a floor of a nest. The squirrel creates stability when it packs damp leaves with moss on top of a twig platform so that it can reinforce this structure. When a spherical frame has been woven on the base, it will create an outer shell. Final touches involve the stuffing of the leaves, twigs, and moss and even paper sometimes in order to build an outer shell of a new home.

An inner cavity of the leaf nest is at least six inches in diameter, and it is lined with even more material, leaves, grass, and shredded bark. There are some squirrels such as gray squirrels that make nests which are larger. The nest cavities may have a width of two feet.

The squirrels do not keep in one place; they move from one bird feeder to another and from one yard to another. This is why the squirrels may have two or three homes near the main home but at different distances. Such squirrel nests will be used when there is an emergency like hiding away from predators and to store the extra food when there is a need. Most of the time, each squirrel will be living alone unless it is during the mating period where they can double up in the nest to mate.

Go back to the Squirrels in the Attic home page.

Squirrel Nests