The reproductive habits of squirrels may affect you in ways you do not expect. Like most wildlife mothers, pregnant squirrels look for a safe place to make a nest and raise their babies. Your house may attract them, in which case you need to hire professional squirrel removal in Oakville. Here are some things you should know about squirrel reproduction.

When Is Squirrel Breeding Season?

Some animals only mate and bear young once a year. Others, including many rodent species, do not have a particular mating season and continue breeding throughout the year. Squirrels do not fit into either category. They have two mating seasons, one in the winter and one in the summer.

How Long Are Squirrels Pregnant?

The length of a squirrel’s gestation period varies by species. The shortest is 30 days, while the longest squirrel gestation period is 44 days. Generally speaking, a squirrel’s gestation period is about a month and a half.

After the winter mating season, baby squirrels may start arriving as early as January. Female squirrels that mate later in the season may not give birth until April. Once the mating season starts up again in June, the baby squirrels may be born anywhere from July to September and possibly into early October.

How Can You Tell if a Squirrel Is Pregnant?

When female squirrels get pregnant, they gain weight just as other pregnant mammals do, including humans. As the babies grow, the squirrel’s abdomen gets larger to accommodate them, leading to distention. The squirrel’s limbs and tail also appear to change in size when it is pregnant. They may seem shorter and fatter than usual. A squirrel’s body works harder and consumes more energy during pregnancy. As with humans, a pregnant squirrel may crave food and eat more than usual.

During this time, the body of a pregnant squirrel is also preparing to nurse the babies. Like humans, squirrels only have two nipples, and during pregnancy, they become more visible. The area of the squirrel’s belly button may become more prominent when it is pregnant.

What Happens After the Babies Are Born?

Female squirrels usually give birth to three or four babies at a time. When the squirrels are first born, they are entirely dependent on their mother. Their eyes are closed, they are almost bald, and they can’t even regulate their own body temperature. For this reason, it is important for the mother squirrel to find a nest site that is warm to protect the babies from the cold. This period of a young squirrel’s life lasts for about four weeks, after which the squirrels are old enough to leave the nest with their mother and start learning how to forage for food.

Where Do Squirrels Like To Make Nests in Homes?

Female squirrels that make nests in human homes usually end up in the attic. For tree squirrels, it is the most convenient place, especially if there are trees nearby with branches that come close to the roof. It is easy for them to get into the attic and then back out again to forage for food.

The attic offers other attractions for squirrel mothers. When dark shingles are struck by sunbeams, they absorb heat. Because hot air inside the house tends to rise, the attic is usually nice and warm, a perfect environment for newborn squirrels to grow in. Squirrels are prey animals, and an attic offers protection from predators. As rodents, squirrels need to keep their ever-growing front teeth filed down, and unfinished basements offer many hard surfaces to gnaw on.

Call Skedaddle for Squirrel Removal in Oakville

Our process involves removing the squirrels humanely so they can be reunited outside, decontaminating where they have been, and performing exclusion so they cannot come back. Find out more about all our services.