How About Them Nuts - All You Need to Know About Squirrels

Squirrels are cute and can be found hanging around the local tress in your area. They are extremely agile creatures that eat until their stomachs are about to burst. Some squirrels can be hand feed, while others create huge problems for their neighbors. Living in a wide variety of places, all of them with different characteristics, these little rodents can be your best friend or your worst enemy.Found in America, Asia, Europe, and Africa a huge variety of squirrels can be found all over the world.

There's a Himalayan striped squirrel, Philippine pygmy squirrel, and a Brazilian squirrel, just to name a few. Mostly known to live alone, in cold climates, squirrels will live together to conserve body heat. Once the weather warms the visitor is expected to be on his way. Squirrels are usually born in the early spring. The average litter consists of four, but this varies with climate and location. A second litter can occur in mid summer, if there is an adequate food supply. In winter squirrels are most active. The mating season begins in the late winter which produces high flying fun! The male will chase the female through the trees creating all kinds of acrobatic action. Baby squirrels are hairless, blind, and weigh in at one or two ounces each. There are four to a liter. The mother will nurse the newborns for eight to ten weeks. They are called infants at this point, then referred to as Juveniles for the first year. After their first year, they become adults and are simply called squirrels.

The tree squirrel's tail is the most recognized feature on Earth. The tail is used for balance, communication, and a blanket in the winter. An interesting fact is a squirrel's sweat glands are located in their feet. A squirrel's teeth grow continuously, but they chew on branches to wear them down. Being hand feed the wrong way can lead to squirrel bites. Never hold the food between the fingers as they are always looking for predators. The hands should be open with the nuts or berries flat in the palms.

Perhaps, the cleanest rodent but the messiest eater! Shells of nuts can accumulate quite rapidly, since the squirrel eats an average of a pound a week. Over three hundred and sixty-five species of squirrels exist. The albino is considered lucky. A bowl filled with nuts and dried berries is all that is required to obtain a rodent friend. Beware of the conditions of harboring such friends. Squirrels are known to cause power outages. Looking for food in all the wrong places, these creatures are fearless when it comes to food. Squirrels have brought down the high-tech stock market twice because of such outages. Clever and persistent, if squirrels find their way into an attic, an exterminator should be contacted to remove them. It's illegal to poison squirrels in most States and special licenses are needed if this action is to take place.

Eating mushrooms, plants, and bulbs, that may be poisonous to humans squirrels have a unique feature. This is due in part to their short digestive tract which seems to handle these compounds. Squirrels are arguably the most successful wild urban animal species, as unlike rats or other rodents, squirrels are generally liked. Despite the power failures, holes in the lawn, and chew marks on valuables squirrels have acquired a positive reputation. Although, considered vermin by insurance companies. They use the definition of vermin, "birds or mammals that are difficult to control", as a means to preclude a claim for the damage a squirrel can do. Seems the question of friend or foe is answered. Is it the elaborate air shows, cute little features, fluffy tail, or the little chirps that keep us fascinated?