Squirrels reproduction and lifestyle. Ten interesting facts about the squirrel

wildlife varied and amazing. There are many interesting animals in our forests. One of them is the animal squirrel. The nimble animal skillfully runs through the trees, collecting nuts and other supplies. This is where the knowledge about this animal for many people ends. Next, the main facts about this interesting animal will be considered.

What does a squirrel look like?

According to the zoological classification, the squirrel animal belongs to the class of mammals, the order of rodents, the squirrel family. Its description is as follows: a small, very nimble and agile animal with an elongated body and a beautiful fluffy tail. The body length of the squirrels is approximately twenty or thirty centimeters, the length of the tail is a third shorter. The squirrel tail is not just an ornament. It serves as a steering wheel in a jump, a balance beam while jogging through the branches of trees, a blanket while sleeping. The appearance of the tail is an indicator of the health of the animal; according to it, the animals choose a partner for themselves.

There are giant squirrels with a body size of about fifty centimeters. And the most small view does not exceed seven and a half centimeters in length. Continuing the description of the squirrel, it should be noted that its head is small, slightly elongated. She has shiny black eyes, a rounded nose, and long ears that often have tassels.

The paws of the squirrel are strong, with sharp, tenacious claws. The hind limbs are longer than the front ones. On the muzzle, abdomen and front paws of the animal there are special hard hairs - vibrissae, which perform the function of sensory organs.

Where do they live?

The habitat of squirrels is unusually wide. About fifty species of these animals "live" in Europe, Asia, Africa and America, where there are tall forests. Squirrels are unpretentious animals. They feel good both in the north and in the south, in the mountains and on the plain. They are also found in city parks and squares.

It depends on the place of residence of the animal appearance, size and color. Squirrels - the inhabitants of the mountains are larger than their plain relatives. And the closer to the center of the range, the lighter the color of the animals becomes.

Varieties

There are too many types of proteins in nature to list them all. The most famous of them are: Abert's squirrel, fiery, Caucasian (Persian), flying squirrel, Japanese, mouse, Indian giant, bicolor and many others.

The only species that lives on the territory of Russia is the common red squirrel or veksha. This species of animals has a lot of subspecies that differ in size and color.

Coloring

Number of different color options common view ahead of all his relatives. At the same time, the shade changes seasonally. In summer, the coat of representatives of this species of squirrel has a red, brown or dark brown color. In winter, it becomes gray, sometimes almost black or brownish, as in the Carpathian, Far Eastern and Manchurian subspecies.

The largest among common squirrels- Teleuts - in winter they flaunt in silver-gray and bluish fur coats. At the same time, their tail is pale gray with a hint of black and yellowish-rusty. On this basis, teleut squirrels belong to greytails.

Other winter tail varieties are browntails, redtails, and blacktails. Among the squirrels there are individuals with a piebald color, as well as melanists (absolutely black) and albinos (absolutely white specimens).

Moult

Considering the description of the squirrel, it is worth noting that twice a year, like many other animals, they change their fur. In spring, this happens, most often, in April-May, in autumn - throughout the season. The spring molt of squirrels runs from the head to the base of the tail. Autumn molt goes in the opposite direction - from the root of the tail to the head. Thus, the tail of these animals sheds once a year.

The process of molting, as in other mammals, depends on the length of daylight hours. When it changes, the pituitary gland of the animal produces a special hormone that affects the activity of the thyroid gland. Thanks to this, molting begins.

The timing and duration of this process is not a constant value. They depend on weather conditions and amount of feed. If there is a lot of it, the change of coat in squirrels begins earlier and ends faster. From climatic conditions and the quality of the new fur also depends on the food supply.

Lifestyle

Squirrels are solitary animals, they stray into flocks only during mass migrations. They do not fight for territory with their relatives, they do not guard their individual plots. They spend most of their lives in trees. On the ground, the animals feel anxious, move with caution, short jumps and dashes. Noticing the danger, they hide higher in the dense canopy of trees.

Squirrels are most active in the mornings and evenings when they are busy looking for food. It takes the lion's share of their active time.

Possessing excellent jumping ability, these small agile animals fearlessly make many-meter “flights” from branch to branch, using their fluffy tail as a rudder. The best "flyer" among squirrels are flying squirrels. Between the front and rear legs on both sides of the body, the flying squirrels have a membrane that allows them to plan, turning their jumps into almost a real flight.

squirrel housing

Squirrels always equip their dwellings on trees, preferring to use hollows for this purpose. Not finding a suitable shelter, the animal builds a spherical nest, located high above the ground among dense foliage. Inside, the squirrel dwelling is lined with dry grass, leaves, insulated with moss or lichen.

The nest has two entrances, one of which is located on the side of the trunk, so that the squirrel has the opportunity to escape in case of danger. In severe cold, several animals gather in one such house, the entrance is closed with moss, and this saves the animals from freezing.

Food

What does a squirrel eat in the forest? The basis of her diet is plant foods - seeds. coniferous trees, fresh and dried mushrooms, southern regions- nuts and acorns. With a shortage of the main types of food, squirrels can eat buds and shoots of trees, tubers and rhizomes of various plants, berries, lichens. In early spring, in mating season squirrels begin to eat animal food - insects and their larvae, frogs, bird eggs and the chicks themselves.

Everyone knows about the thriftiness of squirrels. In anticipation of winter, they harvest nuts, acorns and cones, hiding them in hollows or burying them under tree roots. He forgets about his protein reserves. Either she herself or other inhabitants of the forest accidentally come across them. But she can find under a one and a half meter layer of snow “pantries” made by mice, chipmunks or nutcrackers.

reproduction

The common squirrel or veksha brings offspring, usually twice a year. In the south of the range, there are also three litters. Only the Yakut squirrel breeds cubs once a year. During the mating season, the favor of the female is achieved by three to six males. They behave aggressively towards rivals, rumble and knock on branches with their paws.

The strongest gets the right to mate with the female, after which she builds a nest. In it, after 36-37 days, squirrels are born. The number of cubs can be from three to ten, usually in the second litter there are more of them than in the first. Squirrels are born naked and blind, each of them weighs about 8 g. The mother feeds them with milk for about a month and a half. At the age of about 9 weeks, babies begin to lead an independent life.

Having considered the description and lifestyle of interesting forest dweller, which is an animal squirrel, you can get a closer look at the features of this species.

Class: mammals.
Genus: rodents.
Family: squirrel.
Habitat in nature: The common squirrel genus unites about 50 species and is the only one living in Russia. In addition to Russia, these squirrels live in Europe, Northern and South America, in temperate latitudes Asia. There are no squirrels in Australia.
Lifespan: 3-4 years in nature and 10-12 years in captivity.
Constitution: medium-sized, squat, with a triangular body and well-developed musculature of a rectangular dog.
Male averages:
Average females: body length 20-32cm, tail 19-31cm. Weight 180-1000gr.

Description
The common squirrel is a small animal with an elongated slender body, a fluffy tail with a “comb” and a rounded head, elegant and graceful. The eyes of squirrels are large and dark. The ears are long, in winter they have pronounced tassels. Vibrissae grow on the muzzle, front paws and belly, special sense organs that help animals navigate in space. The hind limbs are noticeably longer than the forelimbs, and the toes have tenacious, sharp claws. The hair on the sides of the tail is longer than on the body, which is why the tail has a flattened shape.

Character
Squirrels are considered smart and quick-witted animals, because they know how to hide and find hidden nuts and seeds, they quickly understand that people are a source of food and learn to eat from their hands. They are aggressive, suspicious and quarrelsome. Squirrels can become tame animals, but not pets. They do not belong to animals that can be "cuddled". Even with friendly relations, you may sometimes be able to stroke the animal on the back. It is extremely rare that a squirrel can become so tame that it will allow itself to be picked up. In young animals, the degree of adaptation to new conditions is much higher than in adult animals.

Relationships with other pets
Squirrels can get along well with dogs and cats, it all depends on the nature of the animals, but they must be introduced carefully and gradually. It should be borne in mind that a cat bite can be fatal to squirrels, since Pasturella bacteria lives in cat saliva, affecting nervous system protein. The squirrel can be saved by injections of special antibiotics within 12-24 hours. Not very large birds, the squirrel may try to catch, at least pull out feathers, through the bars of the cage. The squirrel should not be placed in the same cage or aviary with other rodents.

Attitude towards children
Small children should not be left alone with the animal, as even tame squirrels can bite if they are frightened or tried to grab. Older children, trained in the rules for handling animals, may well offer nuts, seeds to the squirrel, treat the animal from their hands.

Education
Squirrels are not amenable to learning, but they can remember their nickname and respond to it. To tame a squirrel, after it adapts to new conditions, you need to offer it a treat from your hand, talk to it so that it gradually gets used to you. Squirrels require constant attention. They have a "short" memory and quickly run wild without constant communication. Squirrels bred in captivity are tamed faster and better adapted to new conditions. Wild squirrels found or caught in the wild may never be tamed and remain wild for life.

Food
Water should always be fresh, filtered or boiled. The squirrel happily eats various nuts, hawthorn or rose hip seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried fruits, dried mushrooms. Nuts should be given in their shells so that the squirrel can grind down the ever-growing front teeth. The seeds should not be peeled either, let the squirrel do it herself if she wants to eat them.
The diet of an adult squirrel should include:
Hazelnuts, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, dried hawthorn, dried wild rose, dried mushrooms, except for champignons and oyster mushrooms, dried apple, dried pear, dried apricots or dried apricots (pitted), raisins, dried zucchini, dried carrots, dried corn, wheat, oats , spruce cones with seeds, pine cones with seeds, larch cones with seeds. It is advisable to add fresh apples and pears (by slice), carrots and cucumber (by slice), sour cream - 1/4 teaspoon, cottage cheese - 0.5 teaspoon, natural yogurt - 0.5 teaspoon to the daily diet. From May to October, you should offer your pet branches with buds, young shoots and unripe fruits - apple, cherry, oak, birch, conifers, lime. In summer, squirrels may like berries. middle lane, as well as the fruits of mountain ash, viburnum, bird cherry and cranberries. In winter, a little bee honey can be added to juicy food or drink to prevent beriberi (be careful, it can be an allergen), vitamins A, D, E in oil once a week per animal. The squirrel should not be given almonds, mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and sweets. According to recent studies, proteins do not tolerate raw peanuts and sunflower seeds very well.
The squirrel does not eat very much, but, obeying the natural instinct, likes to hide food, so at first you need to carefully monitor the animal to determine how much food it needs. An approximate daily squirrel diet includes 10-15g of white bread, 15-20g of nuts, 20-25g of fruits or berries, which can be replaced with dry ones in winter. Squirrels are fed twice - in the morning and in the evening, you can freely leave cereal sticks, fresh branches of willow, larch, hawthorn, wild rose, pumpkin seeds, slices of vegetables and fruits, and give treats from your hand, communicating with your pet, which is necessary for proteins. In summer, squirrels can be offered caterpillars without hair, yellow or green, crickets, fruit worms to make up for the lack of animal protein. Such food should be offered no more than once every three or four days.

Care and maintenance:
Squirrels are living, moving animals, they can jump and climb for hours, so an aviary or a large cage is needed to keep squirrels in the house. For one squirrel, a cage with dimensions of 50x60cm and a height of 150cm is required. The rods must be galvanized or have a good powder coating. The gap between the bars is no more than 2 cm so that the squirrel does not hit the grate. The cage should have a pull-out tray to make it easy to clean. It is advisable to put hay, forest moss or reed on the pallet. In the cage, there must be a feeder, a drinking bowl and houses where squirrels arrange nests. For one squirrel, you need two houses, which should be securely fixed at a sufficient height. Pieces of cloth, scraps of woolen yarn, sawdust, a small amount of cotton wool, straw, which the squirrel will use when building a nest, should be placed in the cage. The owner must have access to the house (folding roof or wide entrance). For rodents the best way stainless steel feeders and drinkers are suitable. Mineral and salt stones should be installed in a place convenient for the squirrel, preferably next to the feeder or drinker. Since squirrels need movement, you should install various ladders, hammocks, swings, put fairly large branches and be sure to have a wheel. The cage should be installed away from drafts and direct sunlight. It is better to clean the cage every other day, but at least once a week to protect the animal from infectious diseases, and yourself from an unpleasant odor. The cage must be disinfected at least once every two weeks. When cleaning and disinfecting the cage, do not touch the nests.
The squirrel needs a lot of movement, so it is advisable to give her the opportunity to walk freely, removing everything that can cause her injuries, hiding electrical wires and locking cabinets. The squirrel does not need to be bathed: it can bathe itself if you put a bath in the cage, filling it with water by 2-3 cm. The squirrel sheds twice a year and at the time of molting it is worth installing with outside cages sides 10 cm high, so that the wool does not fly into the room.
If the squirrel has run away, it is not worth chasing it - it is impossible to catch the animal. You should leave her alone and, hungry, she herself will come to the cage for food.

Diseases:
Noncommunicable diseases
Obesity, metabolic disorders bone tissue, avitaminosis.
Infectious diseases
Rabies squirrel, squirrel fibroma, plague, encephalomyocarditis, scabies, fungal skin diseases, Japanese encephalitis, tularemia.

Where to buy a squirrel
Squirrel, like other rodents, it is advisable to purchase in a special nursery or, in extreme cases, in a pet store. Experts strongly do not recommend buying chipmunks in the bird market, since there is a high probability of acquiring a sick animal.

The squirrel's winter fur is high, soft and fluffy, while the summer fur is stiffer, sparse, and short. In terms of color variability, the squirrel holds one of the first places among the animals of the Palearctic. Its color changes seasonally, by subspecies, and even within the same population. In summer, red, brown or dark brown tones predominate in it; in winter - gray and black, sometimes with a brown tint. The belly is light or white. There are melanistic squirrels with completely black fur and albinos, as well as piebald squirrels, whose fur is covered with white spots. According to the winter coloration of the tail, squirrels are divided into "redtail", "browntail" and "blacktail". In the steppe forests Western Siberia Greytail squirrels are found. The size of squirrels decreases from mountainous to flat regions, the size of the skull decreases from south to north, and the coloration brightens towards the center of the range. The black and brown tones of winter fur in the Carpathian, Far Eastern and Manchurian subspecies are replaced by bluish and ash-gray, which are most pronounced in teleut squirrels. At the same time, the area increases in the same direction. white field abdomen and the percentage of "red tail" increases. The squirrel molts 2 times a year, with the exception of the tail, which molts once a year. The spring molt occurs mainly in April-May, and the autumn molt - from September to November. The timing of molting strongly depends on the food and meteorological conditions of a given year. In good years, molting begins and ends earlier, in bad years it is delayed and stretched. The spring molt goes from the head to the root of the tail; autumn - in reverse order. Adult males begin to molt earlier than females and underyearlings. Molting in squirrels, like in all other mammals, is caused by a change in the length of daylight hours, which affects the activity of the pituitary gland. The thyroid-stimulating hormone secreted by the pituitary gland affects the activity of the thyroid gland, under the action of the hormone of which molting occurs.

This charming animal, which causes sympathy in both adults and children, with recently quite often becomes a pet of many townspeople. A funny animal seems to be created to decorate our nature - a city park or indoor living corner.

The squirrel is very attractive in appearance. This is a very proportionately built animal with thick fiery-brown hair in summer and silver-yellow in summer. winter time, dark tassels on sharp ears and a fluffy tail. Her muzzle is decorated with smart black eyes. All this together creates the impression of sophisticated elegance.

Have you ever watched a squirrel move? The description of her movements can be reduced to a few words - lightness, dynamics and grace. All movements and postures of this beauty are graceful and refined - whether she climbs a huge tree trunk, “flies” from branch to branch with lightning speed, or enthusiastically gnaws a bump, grabbing it with small but strong paws, while fluffing her unusual tail.

Habitat

The life of squirrels has always interested not only scientists, but also ordinary travelers. It is always interesting to observe the behavior of the animal, its incredible activity, curiosity, sweet gullibility, lightning-fast transitions from one action to another.

These are wild animals. Squirrel in vivo in Russia it is found in the forest-steppe and forest zone. Since the end of the 20th century, this animal began to inhabit parks and gardens near various settlements, and sometimes even on their territory. They are not afraid of big cities either.

The squirrel, the description of which can be found in many publications, from school textbooks to special reference books, settles in hollows or in special ball-shaped nests - gains, which it makes from rough branches on the outside and soft bark on the inside.

AT settlements often gladly occupies birdhouses and other bird nests.

The squirrel is an extremely intelligent animal. She is in no hurry to migrate to warmer climes even in a very severe winter if she has no problems with food or people feed her.

Protein: description, external features

The common squirrel is a rather small animal with a slender, slightly elongated body, a tail with a “comb” and a head of a regular, rounded shape. The ears are elongated, pronounced brushes appear in winter.

On the muzzle, abdomen, front legs there are vibrissae, special ones that help animals better navigate in space. The hind legs are much longer than the front ones, and the toes are crowned with sharp, tenacious claws. On the sides of the tail, the hair is longer than on the entire body, so the tail has a somewhat flattened shape.

The squirrel acquires soft, high and fluffy fur in winter. In summer it is more rare, hard, short. Color changes seasonally, within the same population. The animal sheds twice a year (except for the tail - it sheds only once).

In spring, molting occurs in April-May, and autumn - in September-November.

Squirrel nutrition

This cute rodent is a typical inhabitant of the forest. Perhaps that is why the basis of her diet are the seeds of trees and shrubs. The squirrel prefers to live in mixed conditions. Here it has the best feeding conditions. In addition, the animal is very fond of mature dark coniferous plantations - spruce forests, cedar forests, fir forests; they are followed by deciduous plantations, mixed pine forests, thickets of elfin cedar. In the Caucasus and Crimea, the common squirrel feels very comfortable in cultural landscapes - vineyards and orchards.

Lifestyle

The squirrel is a mobile and living animal. She easily makes huge "flights" from tree to tree. Sometimes they “fly” in a straight line up to 10-15 m, while skillfully “steering” with their tail. In snowless time, as well as during the rutting period, it spends a long time on the ground, on which it moves in jumps.

In winter, the squirrel moves mainly along the "tops". At the slightest danger, it hides in trees, usually hiding in the crown. Active in the morning and evening. Up to 80% of the time she spends in search of food.

At the height of winter, it leaves its nest only for feeding, in severe frosts it does not leave the nest, falling into a semi-drowsy state. The squirrel is not territorial - individual areas are expressed weakly.

Squirrels are distinguished by the ability to hide and find hidden seeds and nuts, they quickly understand that people can be a source of food and get used to eating from their hands.

Despite the charming, they are quite aggressive, moderately suspicious and even quarrelsome. These cute little animals can easily be tame animals, but they are unlikely to be pets in the usual sense. They cannot be attributed to animals that can be caressed or “cuddled”. Even with the warmest friendships, you will only occasionally be able to stroke the animal's fur.

Very rarely, a squirrel becomes so tame that it allows itself to be picked up. Young animals adapt much faster to new conditions than adults.

types of squirrels

Animals that are kept in captivity include the common squirrel and the teleut squirrel.

The common squirrel belongs to rodents, it is familiar to every person - an adult and a child, even if he saw her only in the picture. Distributed throughout Russia. The only exceptions are the zones of deserts, steppes and semi-deserts.

The teleutka squirrel is a special subspecies of the common squirrel. It is mainly distributed in Eastern Siberia, not acclimatized in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

These types of squirrels differ from each other only in size and color - the teleut is larger.

Lifespan

On average, these animals in natural conditions is no more than 3.5 years. At home, when the animal is not threatened by frost, it is provided with food and protected from predators, squirrels live up to 10-12 years. Cases where squirrels live up to 16 years in captivity are rather an exception to the rule.

Squirrel nutrition

The diet of this little animal varied. It consists of more than 130 items of various feeds. The main part among them are seeds of coniferous plants - pine, cedar, spruce, fir, larch.

In the southern, oak forests with undergrowth, squirrels enjoy hazelnuts and acorns with pleasure. In addition, she eats mushrooms, shoots and buds of trees, tubers and rhizomes, berries, lichens, grass. Quite often, with a lack of feed, protein actively eats spruce buds, thereby causing significant damage to these trees.

During the breeding season, it does not refuse animal feed - insects and their larvae, feeds on eggs, chicks, and small vertebrates. The daily amount of food consumed largely depends on the season: in spring, during the rut, it can be up to 80 g of food per day, in winter - about 35 g.

For the winter, a thrifty squirrel collects small stocks of nuts, acorns, cones, dragging them into nests or hiding them among the roots. In addition, she dries mushrooms like a good housewife, hanging them on tree branches.

True, quite often she forgets about her warehouses and finds them in the winter quite by accident. This is often used by small rodents, birds and even a brown bear. Squirrel herself uses the reserves of her forest neighbors (nutcrackers, chipmunks, mice), which she feels even through a one and a half meter layer of snow.

The domestic squirrel is a creature with irrepressible energy that can jump and run for hours. To keep it in the house, you need a spacious aviary or a large cage.

For one animal, a cage with dimensions of 50x60 cm and a height of 150 cm is required. It is better to make the rods galvanized, or cover them with good powder paint. The gap between the bars should not be more than 2 cm. The cage must be equipped with a pull-out tray to make it easier to clean. Put hay, reeds, or forest moss on the pallet.

Be sure to have a drinking bowl, a feeder and houses in the cage, where squirrels usually arrange nests. One animal needs two houses, which must be well fixed at a sufficient height. Put in the cage pieces of soft cloth, pieces of woolen yarn, small sawdust, some cotton wool, which the squirrel must use when organizing a nest.

The owner must have access to the house (for this you can use a folding roof or a wide entrance). Do not forget about mineral and salt stones, which should be installed in a place convenient for the pet, it is better if this is a place next to a drinker or feeder.

We have already said that squirrels are in dire need of movement, so you cannot do without various ladders, hammocks, swings, large branches and wheels.

A domestic squirrel will feel comfortable in a cage set away from drafts and direct sunlight. It should be removed every other day. This will protect your pet from infectious diseases.

Breeding

In mid-latitudes, under natural conditions, squirrels breed twice a year. Up to 12 cubs are born in a litter. Pregnancy squirrels at home lasts 5 weeks. Immediately after giving birth, the squirrel begins to fulfill its maternal duties. She is very good mom, surrounding squirrels with care and attention. At the age of two weeks, the cubs are covered with fur, at the age of 4 weeks they begin to see clearly. By the 40th day, the babies begin to look for food themselves, at 2 months they switch to an independent life completely. Full puberty occurs by five months.

It should be borne in mind that protein does not often multiply at home. The description of specialists suggests that this process in captivity is possible only with good care for the animal and its quality nutrition.

The squirrel is a wild animal known to all of us since childhood.

This cute little one lives in Europe, America, in the north of Asia, in the Crimea and Transcaucasia. Prefers to live in the forests.

Their body is slender, the paws are elongated and, of course, a fluffy tail, the size of which is equal to the size of the body.

Body length from 20 to 40 cm (depending on the species). The animal weighs no more than a kilogram.

The ears are small with tassels at the end (the tassels are especially pronounced in winter, in summer they are almost invisible).

The tail has a responsible function, it is the steering wheel, so to speak. When jumping or falling, with the help of a tail, a squirrel can change direction. The animal can jump up to 4 meters. When jumping, the animal seems weightless, grace, and nothing more!Of course, it is great for climbing trees.

squirrel photo

The squirrel has sharp teeth, which quickly wear down, as they gnaw something all the time. But it does not matter, new teeth will grow quickly. Rodent teeth grow throughout their lives. Well developed. When in danger, it makes a piercing sound, warning other relatives of the danger.

Her fur coat is red in summer, and gray in winter, to a bluish tint. In summer, the coat is coarse and short, but in winter it is fluffy and soft. The Far Eastern and Carpathian squirrels have black or dark brown “clothes”. In such squirrels, molting does not occur. Animals live in hollows, where they arrange a cozy nest of branches, leaves and soft moss.

They eat plant foods (nuts, seeds, mushrooms and berries), but they will not refuse eggs, insects and frogs either. They love mushrooms and berries, one squirrel can collect 2 thousand eggs over the summer. mushrooms. Mushrooms puts on the branches of trees. Collecting nuts for the winter in reserve, the squirrel hides them in the ground, in hollows. He can forget about provisions in the ground, and then a tree grows. What are the benefits of forestry.

Winters are cold, so to keep warm, several squirrels sleep in one hollow. They close the entrance with moss, it turns out warm, and the temperature difference between the street and the house can be 40 degrees. In severe frosts, the animals do not leave their homes.

squirrels with squirrels photo

The female's pregnancy lasts about 5 weeks. Naked and blind squirrels are born into the world. Usually they are from 3 to 10 babies. They are cold all the time, my mother is forced to warm them. But you have to get food. Leaving the nest, the mother hides them in a soft bedding. At the age of two weeks they become covered with wool, at four weeks their eyes open.

squirrels photo

For six months, squirrels eat delicious mother's milk. At first, the babies sit quietly in the nest, they are afraid of heights. But already in two months they rush and jump on the branches of trees. At the same time, they begin an independent life. Twice a year the squirrel brings offspring - in April and June.