Learn About Squirrels for Best Squirrel Removal
Squirrels may look cute and adorable but they are common garden pests who can destroy your garden. They can be a big nuisance since they snip off your flowers, chew through your plants and tear your pots.
They are known to wield a penchant for flowery gardens in particular. However, the truth is that squirrels do not do this out of spite – they simply want to eat. The digging, chewing, tearing and tossing are all part of the creature’s efforts to find some food. The first step towards stopping the squirrel menace and executing squirrel removal, therefore, is to know more about them.
Physical Features
Squirrels tend to possess long and muscular hind legs and short front legs that help in leaping. In fact, despite their small size, squirrels are able to jump a distance of almost 20 feet without much difficulty.
Squirrels have double-jointed hind legs which means they can run up and down trees very fast. The feet of squirrels tend to vary significantly from humans. The animals possess five toes on their back feet while their front feet only have four. However, the toes in the front are extremely sharp and help the squirrel to grip the bark of trees tightly for climbing.
An interesting fact about squirrels involves their eyes. Squirrel eyes are placed in such unique position that their vision somewhat extends to what lies behind them. This means that squirrels are able to notice if something approaches them from the back. The sweat glands of squirrels are located on their feet.
Habitat and Habits
There are over 200 different species of squirrels in the entire world and they can be found in almost all continents, except the continents of Antarctica and Australia. Not all squirrels look the same, however, and they may vary considerably in terms of size and color.
In terms of mating habits, a male squirrel is able to smell a female from almost a mile away. The mating season for squirrels extends from February to May with a 44-day gestation period. In usual circumstances, 2-4 young squirrels are born in each litter.
Even though squirrels are generally considered to be granivores i.e. animals who eat nuts and grains, they can eat almost anything since they are omnivores.
Squirrels have a unique problem – their teeth do not stop growing. The only way to prevent their teeth from growing into their necks is to keep gnawing.
Squirrels, when agitated or scared, tend to run back and forth in order to confuse any predators.
If your property is infested with squirrels, call Summit Environmental Solutions immediately.
