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Tree Squirrels

Tree squirrels are rodents with large bushy tails, and are native to Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Tree Squirrel Damage Prevention, Tree Squirrel Control and Removal Methods

When it comes to tree squirrel control methods, Critter Control has the professional solutions necessary to help eliminate squirrel problems, from tree squirrels getting into your attic to tree squirrels destroying your garden. There are various methods we use to help get rid of tree squirrels from your home or surrounding trees. You should contact us at any time if you feel you have a tree squirrel problem that won’t go away.

Get Rid of Tree Squirrels Through Exclusion

Critter Control can help prevent damage to nut orchards by applying sheet metal to trees that the tree squirrels are damaging. We also close off openings to structures (homes, businesses, etc.) to keep the tree squirrels from entering inside.

Tree Squirrel Control by Habitat Modification

Sometimes the best way to get rid of tree squirrels is to modify their habitat. Critter Control will trim the trees on your property where they may be living. This will help to prevent access into your home or place of business.

Repellents for Tree Squirrel Removal

There are a few repellents that can be effective in keeping tree squirrels away – like moth balls, capsaicin, etc. – but it is important to let a professional animal control officer apply these repellents to ensure your safety and the effectiveness of the treatment. Contact Critter Control for more information on repellents for tree squirrels.

Using Toxicants and Fumigants to Get Rid of Tree Squirrels

Currently there are no toxicants or fumigants that are permitted to be used for the removal of tree squirrels.

Tree Squirrel Trapping Methods

There are a few traps that can be used to catch tree squirrels so they can be relocated away from your home. The most common are box and cage squirrel traps. Squirrel trapping is only effective for catching squirrels if the traps are set up correctly so you should contact the Critter Control office in your area to assist you with squirrel trapping.

Tree Squirrel Damage Identification

Tree Squirrels in Attics

Squirrels will commonly cause damage to attic insulation, or will chew wires in the attic. More significant, however, is the amount of damage they can do to the outside of the attic, on the exterior of the home. As more litters of squirrels are born in or near the home, these squirrels will grow up, leave the nest and search for new areas within the attic to build their own nests. If squirrel populations are not controlled, they will continue to chew holes around the outside of the attic, sometimes in every corner of the house! The longer the squirrels live in an attic, the more entry points they are going to create.

If you think you have tree squirrels living in your attic, contact a Critter Control office today for professional squirrel control and removal services.

Tree Squirrel Damage to Lawns and Landscaping

Tree squirrels living near your home can be a pain. If a tree squirrel gets hungry enough and cannot find food, it will dig up lawns in search of nuts. This will drive you nuts! They will also steal food from your bird feeders or prey on birds living in your birdhouses. If you have a garden with freshly planted seeds, be certain to look out for tree squirrels, as they will commonly dig them up, along with mature fruits and vegetables.

Tree Squirrel Damage to Forests and Orchards

Tree squirrels tend to cause significant damage to forest trees, from eating pinecones to chewing bark, which can commonly interfere with the reseeding process. Ponderosa pines, paper birch trees and jack pines are typically damaged by pine squirrels, while fox squirrels typically damage other pines, like loblolly pines. Sometimes tree squirrels will remove up to 80 percent of pinecones from Ponderosa pine trees. Not only does this hurt wild forests, but commercial forests are affected as well.

Tree squirrels can also damage the production of nuts in nut orchards and fruit in fruit orchards. Pine squirrels will sometimes eat premature cherry blossoms and ripe pears, right off the tree! Chewing the bark off of orchard trees can also cause significant damage to them.

The First Step to Getting Rid of Large Tree Squirrels: Identifying the Tree Squirrel

There are four common types of large tree squirrels that could be causing problems in or around your home: the fox tree squirrel (Sciurus niger), the eastern gray tree squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), the western gray tree squirrel (Sciurus griseus) and the tassel-eared tree squirrel (Sciurus aberti). Fox squirrels and gray tend to live in the same types of trees, both hardwood and coniferous. However, there are usually several more gray tree squirrels within a population living near forested trees. Other areas with less forest trees will have an equal amount of fox tree squirrels and gray tree squirrels.

Fox Tree Squirrels

The fox tree squirrel can be found in the central and eastern areas of the U.S. More recently, they have been appearing around homes in the western U.S. The fox tree squirrel can vary in appearance depending on where you live, but they are all typically the same size: 18 to 27 inches from the nose to the tail tip. They can range in weight, but are commonly between 1.75 pounds to 2.25 pounds. If you live in Florida, you may see fox tree squirrels that are all black. In Maryland, fox tree squirrels are silver gray with a white underside. In the Midwest (Ohio and Michigan), fox tree squirrels are gray-brown with an orange belly. Tree squirrels can also vary in color in one population.

Eastern Gray Tree Squirrels

Eastern gray tree squirrels are also commonly found in the central and eastern United States, with some populations in the west; however, they do not tend to live in the same areas as fox squirrels. It is important to contact a professional animal control expert to help you identify which type of tree squirrel is in your area. Eastern gray tree squirrels are different in appearance than other tree squirrels, with shades of red in their gray coats. There are also black eastern gray tree squirrels that live in the north. These squirrels are smaller than the fox tree squirrel, ranging in length from between 16 and 20 inches, and in weight from between 1.25 and 1.75 pounds.

Western Gray Tree Squirrels

If you live on the west coast, it is most likely that the tree squirrels causing damage to your property are western gray squirrels. These gray tree squirrels can also be found in western Nevada and tend to prefer mixed hardwoods and conifers to make their homes. Western gray tree squirrels are very similar to eastern gray squirrels when it comes to their size, but these squirrels are different in that they have a white underside. If you think you have a western gray tree squirrel problem, it is important to contact a Critter Control professional to help you get rid of these squirrels.

Tassel-Eared Tree Squirrels

The most common large tree squirrel in the southwest is the tassel-eared tree squirrel, including Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. These squirrels are usually found at altitudes above 5,000 feet. Tassel-eared tree squirrels get their names from their black tufted ears. They can vary in color but the most tassel-eared squirrel is gray, sometimes with red on the back.

Pine Tree Squirrels: Are These Tree Squirrels Near Your Home?

Pine tree squirrels and flying tree squirrels can cause significant damage your property. This is why it is important to be able to identify what type of squirrel you are dealing with. Pine tree squirrels have two common species: the Douglas pine tree squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) and the red tree squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Both of these types of pine tree squirrels can weigh up to 2/3 lbs. and can grow anywhere between 10 and 15 inches. Don’t be fooled; though smaller in size, these tree squirrels can still cause a significant amount of damage to your property. They are commonly found throughout the United States and other areas of North America, and prefer coniferous forests to make their homes.

The Douglas pine tree squirrel is usually only found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to northern Baja California. These tree squirrels are distinct from other pine tree squirrels with their yellow undersides. Red tree squirrels look different from the Douglas pine tree squirrel, with their white undersides and red-brown bodies. Pine squirrels are unique in appearance in that both the Douglas pine tree squirrel and the red tree squirrel have black stripes separating their underbellies from the upper color of their bodies.

How to Identify the Flying Tree Squirrels in Your Area

Although the two species of flying tree squirrels in North America are called the northern and southern flying squirrels, their names do not entirely hold true. The northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) can be found anywhere across the United States, extending even in the south. The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) lives in the eastern and central U.S., typically not in the south at all!

Because these squirrels have very similar characteristics, it can often be difficult to identify which flying tree squirrel is living near your home. One easy tip is that the northern flying tree squirrel is typically 1-2 inches longer than the southern flying squirrel, with the southern flying tree squirrel ranging between 8 and 10 inches. Though not actually flying, these squirrels get their name because of the webs of skin between their fore and hind legs, and their tails, allowing them the ability to glide through the air as they jump from tree to tree.

Tree Squirrel Precautions and Public Health

If you may be thinking of taking care of tree squirrel problems on your own, it is important to take the proper precautions when dealing with them. Fox and gray squirrels tend to carry diseases and parasites, including mites, fleas and ticks. Try to keep your pets away from tree squirrels, as they are at high risk of contracting these diseases and parasites. Some tree squirrels carry bot fly larvae – commonly referred to as “wolves” or “warbles”. Squirrel hunters tend to notice bot fly larvae on tree squirrels; however, bot fly larvae do not have a negative affect on squirrel meat.

The safest way to get rid of tree squirrels is to have a licensed animal control officer perform effective squirrel removal methods. Contact your local Critter Control office for tree squirrel control services.

Tree Squirrel Legal Status

The legal status of tree squirrels varies between squirrel species and by your area. It is usually legal to hunt fox and gray squirrels, but tassel-eared squirrels are normally protected. Check with local or state authorities to determine legal status of tree squirrels in your area.

Fun Tree Squirrel Facts and Trivia

Tree Squirrel Breeding Season

Tree squirrels will make noisy mating sounds while the male chases the female through the trees.

Tree Squirrel Litters

A litter of tree squirrels usually consists of only three squirrels. When they are born, tree squirrels are blind, their ears are closed and they do not have any hair. They typically weigh .5 oz. when they are born and progress up to 4 oz. by 5 weeks of age. It is common for tree squirrels to leave their nests between 10 and 12 weeks.

Home Ranges of Tree Squirrels

In the fall, squirrels will travel until they find a food source, sometimes over 50. They tend to live in areas from 1 to 100 acres, depending on the season and food availability. The size of tree squirrel populations will fluctuate throughout the year; during periods of high populations, tree squirrels will travel in large groups seeking new habitats.

Who Eats Tree Squirrels?

The most common predators for tree squirrels are other birds (like hawks and owls), snakes and several other mammals… including humans! Although tree squirrels have several predators, this does not have a significant effect on their population sizes.

How Long Do Tree Squirrels Live?

Wild tree squirrels usually only live to be about 4 years of age. Wild tree squirrels have a 50% death rate within a population in any given year. Tree squirrels held in captivity can live more than 10 years.

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Protecting People, Property and Wildlife® 1.800.CRITTER™ (274-8837)