The reason for purchasing a country plot is often the desire to leave the hustle and bustle and stress in the city, to be closer to nature, to relax, to breathe fresh air. If the site is located near a forest or park area where squirrels live, friendship with these funny animals can bring many pleasant moments. Squirrels are curious and friendly animals that often settle close to human habitation if they do not see a danger to themselves in this neighborhood. A do-it-yourself squirrel house will be a manifestation of care and attention that the animal will undoubtedly appreciate.
What does a squirrel house mean?
The forest version of squirrel housing is a hollow, in functionality it can be compared to multi-room apartments. This:
1. Food storage (pantry with supplies).
2. Maternity hospital. Squirrels give birth twice a year.
3. Kindergarten. Baby squirrels stay with their mother until they are 3 months old.
4. Protection from bad weather and enemies.
In winter, squirrels can still gather in groups, but in the spring it’s time to have children, so each individual goes to look for and set up its own home. This is the time of natural selection. Stronger animals privatize already inhabited hollows, driving the former owners out onto the street. That’s why you need to put up feeders for squirrels and don’t be lazy about building housing for them.
House for squirrels
No carpentry talent - go to the store. There you can find squirrel houses of any model: from the simplest analogue of a birdhouse to multi-storey cottages. However, the choice should be based not on the beauty of the architecture of the squirrel’s home, but on the material and workmanship.
Habitats
The habitat of this furry rodent is a vast area. They are found in all forest zones, from the Atlantic coast to Kamchatka. They also live on Sakhalin and the island of Hokkaido.
The squirrel is a tree dweller. It prefers to settle on coniferous trees, but is found in any forest. In general, there should be enough food in places where squirrels live. If the year is rich in cedar and spruce cones, then the animal settles in cedar and spruce forests.
When the yield of seeds from coniferous trees is low, the animal can actively search for mushrooms, of which there are always more in pine forests. By the way, this furry animal often lives in city parks, as well as in the attics and attics of human houses.
What should a good squirrel house look like?
“In natural conditions, they inhabit oaks and coniferous trees, so for a house for squirrels you need to collect exactly this kind of wood.”
Squirrels are quite capricious and demanding of the housing offered, so when you decide to buy or make a house for a squirrel with your own hands, you should consider the following tips.
1. The squirrel cage is constructed of wood and only wood. No synthetics. Animals will never settle in plastic, plastic, or tin nests. Moreover, they do not recognize every tree. In natural conditions, they inhabit oaks and coniferous trees, so for a house for squirrels you need to collect exactly this kind of wood. In the absence of such material, you can take a chance and make a squirrel nest from aspen or birch. You should not try to use poplar or fruit tree wood for these purposes. Squirrels will not live in such houses, even with the most luxurious layout.
A house for squirrels should only be made of wood
2. Regardless of where the squirrel nest will be located: on a tree in the garden or in a home enclosure for squirrels, you should not try to improve it by covering the boards with varnish or paint. The artificial smell will frighten the animals, and they will not approach such housing.
Do not cover the house with chemical compounds
3. The desire to make the life of animals chic is commendable, however, when building a house for squirrels with your own hands, you should still adhere to the recommended proportions. The animals will be much more comfortable in the compact improvisation of a hollow than in the royal chambers. The optimal parameters of the house are 55x40x45 cm. As for the size of the hole, it should not be made more than 7 cm in diameter.
Recommended house sizes for squirrels
The issue of choosing materials is also relevant for the design of a squirrel feeder. Here, too, you cannot use any improvised objects, such as popular plastic bottles, canisters and other things.
Appearance
A small rodent of the squirrel family. Spends most of its life in trees. The most notable in appearance are the long fluffy tail, large ears with tassels and a beautiful fluffy coat. The paws have long, sharp claws for climbing trees.
The body length varies from 20 to 30 centimeters, while the tail length is 10-17 centimeters. The weight is also small - 250-350 grams.
The color of the animal is influenced by its habitat and time of year. Animals with darker fur live in coniferous forests. Here you can find a forest squirrel with a completely black color.
In deciduous forests, squirrels have reddish-red fur coats. In summer, the fur has more reddish-brown shades, and in winter - gray. Moreover, regardless of the habitat, the fur on the abdomen of any squirrel is always light.
How should a squirrel house be installed?
It is not enough for the squirrel to be comfortable; it still needs to be installed correctly. The squirrel house is fixed directly to the tree trunk, and is not hidden in the branches. Animals must feel safe, so their housing should be raised to at least a five-meter height. The opening of the manhole should face either south or east, the main thing is that this side is not windward during the main period of the year.
Make sure the house is at a sufficient height
So that squirrels can improve their abode and insulate it, it is recommended to put a little tow or pieces of moss at the bottom of the squirrel nest. This is an excellent raw material for caulking cracks that can form in the walls of a house over time. For complete living comfort, you should also hang a squirrel feeder next to the squirrel farm. This will help the animals settle into their new home as quickly as possible.
A feeder next to the house will attract squirrels
Nutrition
Most people believe that it is exclusively a herbivore. Indeed, the most favorite delicacy is the seeds of cedar, spruce, and larch cones. The forest squirrel also eats berries, mushrooms, roots and other plant foods.
However, when there is a shortage of food, as well as during reproduction, larvae, insects, small amphibians and even eggs and small chicks are added to the diet.
Does a squirrel need care?
Definitely. Like any home for rodents, a squirrel house will emit an unpleasant odor and become saturated with bacterial flora. If you don't clean it periodically, the animals will get sick. It is advisable to clean squirrel nests both in the squirrel enclosure and in the garden towards the end of the summer season. Important! You need to work with gloves.
Squirrel colonies are cleaned at the end of summer
As in any home, putting things in order begins with removing trash. Throw away everything, including insulation, if it was placed in the nest. Then all surfaces in the squirrel house are wiped with a damp cloth. After such cleaning, the unpleasant odor should disappear. All that remains is to lay fresh bedding on the floor and return the squirrel’s abode to its place. The squirrels will certainly appreciate the caring attitude and will return to the hospitable garden in the fall.
DIY squirrel house
It is certainly easier to buy squirrel wood, but this proposal is more relevant for those who have no carpentry skills at all. Assembling such a structure is not at all difficult. To work, you need to stock up on scraps of boards two centimeters thick and thirty centimeters wide. From these or a solid three-meter board, blanks for the components of a house for squirrels are made.
Materials for making a house
You need to saw off 55 cm for the back wall, and prepare 2 planks 45 cm long for the side walls. The front part is made 1-2 cm higher.
Assembling the walls of the house
This will provide the roof with a slight slope, and water will not linger on it. Porches are built from the remaining pieces. All that remains is to cut out the entrance and you can assemble the house. The prepared parts are glued together and secured with screws. This house is especially good for setting up an enclosure for squirrels.
Ready house for squirrels
Under natural conditions, squirrels will be more comfortable in a monolithic squirrel colony, cut from a log of at least forty centimeters in diameter. Thick walls without cracks will make the house noticeably warmer. Its design is more adequate to the surrounding landscape decor. To assemble the structure you do not need any special skills. The construction of a house for squirrels with your own hands begins with sawing a log. First, a 4-centimeter-thick piece is cut from it, and then a 40-centimeter piece. In the latter, a rather large cavity is selected. The result should be some kind of bowl with walls at least three centimeters thick. Everything inside can be sanded so that the proteins do not get hurt on untreated surfaces. We saw through the entrance hole and nailed the roof, the blank for which we made first. The squirrel plant is ready to use.
Log squirrel house
If you have a large enough log, you can build an entire squirrel hostel. To do this, just as in the first case, we cut out 2 thin circles for the roof and bottom and a solid 85-centimeter base. You will need to hollow out the “apartments” from both ends, not forgetting to maintain the minimum wall thickness. Be sure to leave a divider somewhere in the middle of the log. We make a hole in each section and close the ends with prepared lids. A two-story house for squirrels has been built.
Log squirrel house
Requirements
A house for a squirrel is created based on the behavioral characteristics of these animals and several important rules. It can only be assembled from untreated wood. The ban on the use of varnishes, paints and even stains is explained by the fact that sharp and unusual smells repel squirrels.
The wood can be of any format (logs or boards), but must be dried. Wet wood takes a long time to dry, and it is likely that a situation will arise that winter has already arrived, and the squirrel garden is not ready for use.
All walls of the house must be of sufficient thickness and the inside must be additionally covered with dry insulation. Alternatively, these can be fabric napkins, moss or cotton rags. In addition, it is important to sand the existing surfaces, otherwise leaving a sliver of wood will quickly lead to injury to the animal.
It is important that the entrance hole allows the squirrel to enter and exit its “home” without problems.
Properly collected squirrel forest allows the animals to survive even severe frosts, but at the same time maximally recreates the conditions of their natural habitat, that is, a hollow.
It is not customary to fix the bottom of the house with screws from the outside. Having selected the required diameter, it is enough to place it correctly inside and prevent it from falling out. The squirrel colony should be compact to prevent the animals from hypothermia in the cold months.
In general, two main types of squirrels can be distinguished. The first resembles an ordinary house, and the projects for its creation depend only on the imagination of the author. The basis of the structure is assembled according to similar principles, and then a variety of decorative designs and the creation of additional elements take place. Such squirrels will be discussed below.
The second type of house for a squirrel is a nest box, a house made of a solid log. Although it is much more difficult to implement it, a number of advantages justify it.
For example, the walls of the nest are much thicker, which means the animals inside are warmer. The design looks very natural in the forest landscape, and the squirrels themselves feel inside as if in a natural hollow. The log used for the nest must be absolutely dry - it will take young logs up to a month in the fresh air to do this. The roof of the house can be removable to be able to put food inside for animals.
How to set up an enclosure for squirrels
“The corner opposite the window should be allocated for the future house for squirrels”
For those who are not satisfied with just watching the squirrels frolicking in the garden, you can place them right in your home. The animals are unpretentious, but they cannot be kept in close quarters. They just need to move a lot, and such space can only be provided by equipping a good enclosure for squirrels. It is assembled by analogy with the bird one, only it has slightly different specific equipment.
Aviary for squirrels in the garden
A corner opposite the window should be allocated for the future house for squirrels. The size of the area is determined by the number of animals that are planned to be housed there. Let's consider building an enclosure for squirrels with your own hands for 3-4 residents. Let's agree right away. Animals need height, so it is better not to implement such ideas in a small apartment and houses with low ceilings. The ceiling height should be from 3 m.
The height of the enclosure should be no more than 3 meters
Assemble the frame by fencing off at least 3 m2 of floor. The supports can be strong boards or thick timber. You can, of course, assemble a completely metal structure, but it will be more difficult to fit into your home interior. In addition, the naturalness of the boards and beams will help ensure identical natural living conditions.
Cage for keeping squirrels at home
The supporting columns are firmly fixed to the floor and ceiling. In the case where the squirrel enclosure is assembled outdoors, the supporting elements are dug into the ground. The outdoor version will require a roof. You can neglect this and simply cover the top with mesh, but then the houses and squirrel feeders will remain without additional protection and may require repair or replacement much faster.
The walls of the enclosure will also be mesh. This is practical, reliable and will allow you to easily observe the behavior of the enclosure population. The mesh is fixed with self-tapping screws. It is important to ensure that the screws do not go right through the boards. Animals may be injured by their sharp ends. If this happens, bite off the excess or bend it by hammering it deep into the support.
Be sure to install a small door, because somehow you need to enter the squirrel territory to clean the enclosure and squirrel feeders. In the case of street settlements, a simple door is not enough. A whole vestibule will be needed here. This will allow you to enter without fear that untamed squirrels will break free. In a few months, everything will change. Squirrels are very attached to feeders and their habitat. They can even be let out for a walk without fear that they will run into the forest.
Squirrel enclosure diagram
Useful tips before construction
In forests, red animals love to be in the hollows of oak trees or coniferous trees. The structures for them should be made from this kind of wood.
There are several squirrel colonies in the photo:
In order for a squirrel to settle in a house built for it, it is necessary to follow certain rules:
- First, you can choose the tree on which the housing will be mounted. You can choose it closer to your windows, so that you can then observe the life of the animal from home.
- To avoid direct sunlight, the squirrel house must be installed on the south side.
- For the safety of the animal, the height of the housing can be about 5 meters.
What to put inside
First of all, a spreading tree. This can be a living plant, planted in a tub or processed, cut down. Squirrels will happily climb both. A house for squirrels is attached to one of the blank walls of the enclosure. It doesn’t have to be a masterpiece of architecture; a simple box assembled from a sheet of plywood, equipped with a removable roof and having holes for entry, is quite suitable for this role. There, the squirrels will build a nest, which will need to be periodically inspected and food scraps and garbage removed from there.
Squirrels will like a spreading tree in an enclosure
Since movement is life for squirrels, be sure to place a wheel with a diameter of at least 30 cm in the enclosure. In addition to the nest, you can make several more shelters for the squirrels, where the animals can retire.
The wheel is a necessary part of the enclosure furnishings.
Naturally, an enclosure cannot be complete without a squirrel feeder and drinking bowl. They are usually placed on the floor. If you have to buy a drinking bowl, you can construct a feeder with your own hands. For a home enclosure it is not necessary to make it closed. Here you can improvise and hollow out a container from the same log, giving it the shape of a trough, frigate, etc. But this is already a job for professionals. Home-grown Kulibin can start with simpler models.
Squirrel drinking bowl
General principles of creation
One of the main tasks when creating a squirrel cage with your own hands is to correctly calculate the dimensions of all the parts and draw up the drawings. When identifying the parameters of walls and roofs, you can use ready-made figures presented on the Internet. The base house's side walls are 45 by 25 centimeters, and the top and bottom walls are 55 by 30 centimeters.
There is also an internal partition, the length of which corresponds to 25 centimeters and the width to 20 centimeters. It is worth doing it, since the animals live in families, but each individual prefers to have a separate space. It is worth explaining that the result will be a simple house with a flat roof
DIY squirrel feeder
The proposed version of the feeder is not a little more difficult to assemble than a squirrel house. This option is rarely used in squirrel enclosures, but is often found in European parks. The design is practical and convenient to use. Fluffy beauties take food out of it with pleasure. The specific structure ensures that food poured into the feeder will not be eaten by magpies, crows, pigeons and other large birds. Unlike a house for squirrels, the feeder is made transparent. Its main element is a glass jar. This is a good solution not only from the point of view of food safety. A glass aquarium makes it possible to watch the animal eating, and it does so in a surprisingly touching way.
Squirrel feeder with jar
So, to assemble a squirrel feeder with your own hands you will need:
- ruler;
- screws;
- saw;
- glass jar of at least liter volume;
- board 180 cm long;
- sandpaper.
Feeder drawing
The board is sawn and assembled like a small dressing room. Holes with a diameter of 10 cm are drilled on the sides. A hole is made in the center of the front wall into which the neck of the glass container should easily fit. The body of the can rests on the board of the elongated bottom and is fixed by the side. Just like a house or enclosure for squirrels, the feeder will also require care. From there you will need to periodically throw away droppings and leftover food.
Feeder out of the box
This is a unified model of a squirrel feeder. The box should be larger in size than kefir packs, the proportions of which are quite satisfactory for the birds. A hole is cut into the side wall of the box, and ropes are pulled into the holes cut under the top of the container. For them, an impromptu dining room will be suspended from a tree.
Squirrel feeder from a box
Open feeder
The most unpretentious option. The specificity is that pegs are fixed on a wooden stand, on which corn cobs are strung. Birds are not able to cope with large vegetable grains and all the food goes exclusively to squirrels, who do it without difficulty.
Open feeder with corn on the cob
How to please a squirrel
What can you put in a squirrel feeder, besides seeds and nuts in shells? In winter, it should contain dried fruits, without any additives, and pieces of unsalted lard. The latter is rich in calories and vitamins, which contributes to good tolerance to cold weather. Dried mushrooms, oatmeal and flax seeds can be offered as food. Make sure that the products offered do not contain flavorings, salt or sugar.
Dried fruits will please squirrels
Decorative design
When decorating a house for a squirrel, it is important to avoid using paints, but you can use any interesting decorative elements that are attractive to the animal. For example, a decoration in the form of cones, attached with nails to the roof or walls of the structure, is suitable.
If the house was assembled from solid logs, then some part can be decorated using the technique of decorative wood carving. The boards themselves, which have become the walls of the house, can first be decorated with burnt pictures. A good solution would be to design the entrance area separately - to create a kind of porch, reminiscent of a birdhouse platform, so that it is easier for squirrels to get inside.
