GraySquirrel
Sciurus carolinensis pennsylvanicus

Description
Weight: 1-2 lbs
Breeding Seasons:
Two times per year Jan/Feb and May/June, young are born 44 days after
conception. Young are able to move around the nest at 6-7 weeks.
Activity: Year around
(they do not hibernate) and diurnal (They are active in daylight hours). Acorns
ripen in Early September.
Mating: Males do
not help raise young. Females raise 3-5 young
Habitat-
Hardwood tree forests, dingles etc., attics, suburban and urban areas
in the Eastern half of the U.S.
Damage
House Damage
Squirrels
like all rodents must continue to chew on objects in order to grind down their
continuously growing teeth. This means that sometimes they chew on your house.
Typically, the damage occurs on wood siding, louvers, soffits or any place there
is an edge they can get their teeth onto. I have even seen them chew wooden stairs.
Solutions
Essentially, you
must reduce the ease of access to your home or remove the offending squirrel.
- Cut back tree branches and tall bushes. Squirrels will always use a tree
to access your home before climbing downspouts or walk power lines.
- Install porcupine wire on the corners of your home to prevent climbing click
porcupine_wire.php
for a picture.
- Trap the squirrel and destroy it or relocate it depending on the laws in
your state. (For a how to booklet click graysquirrelbooklet.php)
Remember that relocation isn't always a humane act. For more information click
relocation
- Smear tactile repellents on the object they are chewing, such as "Birds
Away". Squirrels like most mammals don't like their hair getting gooey.
- Spray "RopelŪ" on the chewed area. This product is designed to work on areas
that are being gnawed on. It WILL NOT drive animals away just by spraying
it. It is only a taste repellent. Be prepared to spray again if it rains and
for the possibility that it won't work. Purchase product at local hardware
or lawn & garden store. Another option is Cuprinol Wood Preservative (look
for Copper Napthenate is memory serves). Let it penetrate the wood. I am not
sure if it is still being manufactured but it does work and has the advantage
of not needing to be reapplied after a rain.
- Smear roofing cement on the affected area. Squirrels won't chew roofing
tar for very long. Again a taste repellent.
- Cover the affected area with heavy gauge hardware cloth (no larger than
1/2 inch weave) or aluminum flashing.
- Modify Birdfeeders to prevent food from being available to squirrels. Yes
contrary to popular mythology it can be done. Visit feed
birds not squirrels
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER
close a hole without knowing with absolute certainty that the hole is no longer
being used by wildlife. If you are not absolutely sure, simply cork the hole
with newspaper. Wait several days, depending on weather and the species, if
the newspaper doesn't move when the animal under normal circumstances should
be moving then you can have a reasonable assurance (not certainty) that the
hole is no longer being used.
Landscape Damage
- The garden can be protected by enclosing it with a 1/4 inch wire mesh structure.
Since squirrels climb you will need to have a roof as well as walls. At the
very least you should protect your bulbed plants for if the squirrel gets
these your plant will die rather than just be damaged. If you don't want to
fence then you will need to trap down the population at least until other
food sources become available later in the calendar year. Spring is a tough
time for squirrels because they have to feed young and there is no food available.
- As for the lawn, I am afraid that there isn't much that can be done (other
than lethal control to learn more about box trapping squirrels click graysquirrelbooklet.php
). You can lay down hardware clothe over affected areas. But I seriously doubt
that you will want to lay mesh over your entire lawn. You should of course
review the page on animal damage prevention checklist
Diseases
Not known to be major carriers of diseases. But they can be responsible for
a few.
Pox: a disease characterized by brown crusty tumors that typically
afflict the eyes but can be found over their whole body. West Palm Beach Fl.
recently had an outbreak there 7/99. Scientists say the disease is specific
to squirrels and is transmitted by mosquitos. The tumors usually cause the squirrel
to be blind and thus die a rather cruel death. There is no known cure. (see
article "Tumors Plague Squirrels in Florida" West Palm
Beach, Fla, AP-NY-06-19-99 1742EDT)
Also known to carry various ectoparisites: Some are host specific (can only
affect certain species) other can infect humans. These would include Rocky Mountain
spotted fever, human monocytic ehrlichiosis, and others.
Bibliography
Barkalow, F.S., and R.F. Soots, Jr. 1975. Life span and reproductive
longevity of the gray squirrel, Sciurus c. carolinensis Gmelin. J. of Mammalogy
56:522-524
Barkalow, F.S., R.R. Hamilton, and R.F. Soots, Jr. 1970. The vital
statistics of an unexploited gray squirrel population. J. Wildlife Management;
34:489-500.
Corrigan, Bobby. "The Pest Significance of Tree Squirrels" Pest
Control Technology, May 2003 pp. 111-112.
Flyger, V. 1956.; The social behavior and populations of the gray squirrel
(Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin) in Maryland. Ph.D. dissertation, The
Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, Md. 97pp.
Hamilton, J. C., R. J. Johnson, R. M. Case, and M. W. Riley. 1989. Assessment
of squirrel-caused power outages. Vertebr. Pest Control and Manage. Materials,
ASTM STP 1055, 6:34-40.
Roccker, R. M. 1950. The biology of the northern gray squirrel,Sciurus carolinesis
leucotis (Gapper) in central New York. Ph.D. dissertation, Cornell
Univ., Ithaca, N.Y. 116pp.
"Providing responsible and effective solutions to animal damage problems"
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11/10/03
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