Squirrel babies are born in the spring, and make their homes from tree to tree. They grow quickly, but they can’t fly until they’re full size due to their small wings. When do squirrels have babies?

The “when do squirrels have their babies” is a question that has been asked for years. The answer to this question is “in the spring”.

Spring is the season of fresh beginnings, and that includes new beginnings for squirrel litters (or kits). When do squirrels have kids, though? And when does the mating season start and how long does it last?

From mating season through maturity, and all in between, we cover the lifespan of tree squirrels in this article!

Contents

When is the Mating Season for Squirrels?

Although not all squirrels share the same mating season, tree squirrels such as the gray squirrel, red squirrel, and fox squirrel have two mating seasons every year. North American tree squirrels mate twice a year, once in the winter (from January to February) and once in the summer (from June to August) (from June to July).

Male squirrels will compete with one another to mate with the female since they do not mate for life. The male squirrel will not linger about the pregnant female squirrel or assist raise the young after she is pregnant, and even after she has given birth.

Squirrels Have Babies When?

Mother squirrels, unlike many mammals, have relatively short gestation periods, ranging from 38 to 46 days. Tree squirrels may have as little as two babies or as many as eight during a mating phase. A mother squirrel usually has between two and four babies at a time.

You may anticipate a female squirrel to give birth in March or early April if she mates between January and February. You should anticipate a fresh litter of kittens in August or early September if she mates between June and July.

Where Do Squirrels Have Their Babies?

Squirrels will lay their eggs in the nests they’ve built. These nests may be discovered in a dense cluster of branches (leaf nests), within tree holes and crevices, and sometimes (much to the owner’s chagrin) in the attic or other places of a house. A squirrel nest in the trees is built with twigs and leaves at extremely high elevations, with just one entrance to protect the mother and her young from the weather as well as possible predators.

Female squirrels are more likely to give birth in their nests that they have built in trees over the summer. During the winter, homeowners may have to worry about mother squirrels giving birth and nursing their young in peaceful, hidden corners of their homes.

How long do children rely on their mothers?

Kits are entirely defenseless without their mother’s care after they are born. They’re hairless, blind, and deaf, and they need their mother’s constant attention to be warm (if born in the winter) and safe from predators. Mother squirrels are very protective of their young and will attack predators, humans, or even other squirrels if they go too near.

At 7 to 10 weeks of age, a baby squirrel is weaned off of their mother’s milk, although as a young squirrel, they will remain reliant on their mother for a few weeks after leaving the nest to acquire survival skills essential for maturity.


If You Find a Baby Squirrel, What Should You Do?

When the mother transfers her litter from their nest to a new site, a kit may fall from the nest or be mistakenly left behind.

You may need to intervene if you come across a baby squirrel at the foot of a tree or in the grass without its mother. However, when you approach the baby squirrel, you should listen carefully to your surroundings before constructing a cozy little shoebox for your new squirrel friend.

Leave the kit alone if you hear the mother chatting or “barking” as you get closer to her infant. Once you’ve left, the mother will come for it. If you don’t hear the mother’s chattering, though, it’s time to take the kit into your own hands.

In the sections that follow, we’ll walk you through what to do if you come across a newborn squirrel.

Step 1: Get a shoebox (or an open container) and stuff it with an old towel.

The baby squirrel may lie in a shoebox since it is a secure, confined place. You may provide the young squirrel a nice place to sleep by putting an old towel inside the box.

To avoid other animals from upsetting the box and even harming the young squirrel, do not place water or food inside.

Step 2: Fill a sock with uncooked rice or birdseed and warm it.

The newborn squirrel may be kept warm by putting uncooked rice or birdseed in a sock, tying it off, and reheating it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Because infant squirrels are designed to stay with their litter and mother, they will rapidly get despondent if they are separated from them. To prevent the seeds and grains from falling out, make sure the sock is fully closed.

Step 3: Return the Baby Squirrel by placing it inside the box.

Pick up the young squirrel with care and put it in the cushioned, warming box or open container. Then, put it near the tree where you discovered the newborn squirrel. If you didn’t locate a squirrel near a tree or aren’t sure which tree is their nesting tree, put the box at the base of the tree closest to the squirrel when you discovered it.

Set the newborn squirrel on the tree trunk carefully if its eyes are open to see whether it will climb. If it doesn’t, it’s advisable to secure the baby’s box or container to the trunk. If the eyes aren’t open, it’s best to secure the box to a tree that isn’t too near to the ground (to avoid predators or other potential injuries to the squirrel).

Step 4: Pay Attention to the Baby Squirrel

For the following 6 to 8 hours, keep an eye on the box and the young squirrel, and reheat the sock every 2 hours to keep it warm. If the mother squirrel does not appear, you may wish to take the young squirrel to a wildlife rehabilitation organization.

For more on If You Find a Baby Squirrel, What Should You Do?, check out this guide by The Wildlife Center of Virginia.


If You Have a Squirrel Family in Your House…

Pregnant female squirrels may sometimes nest in quiet sections of houses, particularly during the winter months. Squirrels like attics to give birth and raise their young because they are quiet, warm, and dark. If you’ve heard loud sounds in your attic and believe your squirrel visitor has nested and given birth to a litter of kittens, you have a few alternatives for getting rid of them:

  1. After the kits have left the nest, move the mother. Between the ages of 7 and 10, baby squirrels will depart the nest. You may then set up a humane bait trap to capture and move the mother to the backyard, alongside her adolescent brood, after the youngsters have left on their own. If you’re still hearing a lot of noise after 10 weeks, you may want to seek expert treatment.
  2. To remove the squirrel family, contact an expert. By hiring a professional, you can be certain that both the kits and the mother squirrel will be carefully collected and moved. You’ll also reduce your chances of being removed from your home and of the mother attacking you or your family.

It’s advisable not to handle a squirrel litter by yourself. If you want to avoid causing any damage to the kits, wait until they’ve left the nest and are able to care for themselves. Mother squirrels may become overly protective of their young, resulting in an assault on you or your family. If you don’t want to wait, use specialists to help with removal and relocation.

Keeping Your House Safe

You’ll want to seal off the location after the squirrel family has been removed from your attic or another quiet section of your house or property to avoid additional nesting. Look for cracks in the roof, windows, or beams in your attic. Caulk or wooden boards and nails may be used to close any holes. You should also inspect other sections of your house for holes, including those that are regularly used, and seal them shut.

If you have any open chimneys that are seldom used, seal them up as well, since they are a frequent access site for squirrels.

Avoid having birdseed, squirrel feeders, or pools of water near your house to discourage squirrels from flocking to your property in droves. Not only would the accessible food supply attract squirrels, but it will also attract other potential pests.

Last Thoughts

So, Squirrels Have Babies When? Squirrels have a very short gestation period compared to other mammals, mate twice per year, and will typically give birth to 2, 3, or 4 kits at a time (but can have up to 8 per litter).

A young squirrel will stay with their mother until they are weaned between the ages of 7 and 10 months, and will stay near to their mother’s nest as they develop to acquire important life skills.

The “when do squirrels have babies in california” is a question that has been asked for many years. The answer to the question is that they typically start having babies around late winter or early spring.

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