Baby squirrel full size#

They are fed every few hours and require constant care by their mother for several weeks. The mother squirrel remains in the nest with the babies, where she cares for them by herself. The kits weigh about 15 grams which is about the same weight as two tablespoons of flour. Their ears are also folded against their skull and they are completely helpless. These babies, called kits or kittens, are born blind, deaf, and furless, like most other species of rodents. Grey squirrels average three babies per litter with a maximum liter size of eight. Here is a more detailed article describing what squirrels eat that shows the importance of different food sources: What Do Squirrels Eat? Two Big Surprises! How Many Squirrel Babies Are in a Litter? There was no or very little spring breeding in 5 years when food supplies were poor.” “In good seed years, breeding starts in December, in poor seed years the start of breeding is deferred until the spring. An article published in the Journal of Ecology by John Gurnell in 1996 showed a strong statistical correlation between both food availability and winter severity with the breeding patterns of grey squirrels ( source). The numbers and dates presented above are general ranges but they can vary dramatically based on environmental conditions. Breeding Monthīy taking the differences in climate into account you can see that squirrels in Florida will have babies in late January and June while squirrels in Michigan will have babies in April and August. In the fall breeding season the babies will be born in June and July. Grey squirrels will carry their babies for 44 days which results in the earliest baby squirrels being born in late January and the latest being born in April.

Grey squirrels have a second breeding season in May through June which extends into July in colder climates. In colder climates the breeding season is delayed and occurs in January through March ( source). Other species of squirrels (Fox Squirrels, Red Squirrels and Flying Squirrels) follow similar patterns of reproductive behavior but with different breeding dates and gestation periods.Įastern grey squirrels breed in late December through February in warm climates ( source). We are going to be specifically looking at the Eastern Grey squirrel for this article as it is one of the most common squirrel seen and asked about in urban environments.

Baby squirrel full size#

The babies will leave the nest at three months of age and reach full size nine months after being born. The timing of the births will vary based upon latitude and availability of food. Older female squirrels will produce a second litter in August. Squirrels have a litter of 2-4 babies, called kits or kittens, in February and March. People are especially fascinated with baby squirrels because, let’s be honest, they are absolutely adorable! If you are excited about the thought of seeing some of these delightful itty bitty fur balls then you are probably wondering, “ When do squirrels have babies?” Squirrels are among the most common wildlife that we see in urban environments and they generate a lot of curiosity with their behavior and antics.