Fox Squirrel
General Characteristics
In contrast with the gray squirrel, the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) is brawny, less nervous and adjusts well to small woodlots in farmland. Upper body parts are a grizzled black-brown-orange combination with brown under parts. Occasionally in southern Indiana, the fox squirrel will be colored black above, white below and have white ears and nose, or a white tail.
Although fox squirrels are often seen on the ground, they climb well and are seldom found far from trees. They rise and feed later than other squirrels and are more active throughout the day. Their barking and squalls often betray their presence.
Reproduction
Tree dens, many formed by woodpeckers, are remodeled for winter quarters and often serve as nurseries for late winter litters. If existing trees are too small to provide suitable dens, leaf nests are built by cutting twigs with leaves attached and weaving them into warm waterproof shelters. Similar platforms, minus the top, are built for summer loafing. They are sometimes called “cooling beds.” Leaf nests enable fox squirrels to successfully occupy scrub growths of timber on poor soils.
Fox squirrels start to mate in late December in southern Indiana and approximately two weeks later than that in northern Indiana. If the fox squirrel is well nourished, it will mate again in midsummer. Those born in later litters do not reproduce until a year later, so some fox squirrels are born in every month but December and January. The young, averaging three per litter, are well able to care for themselves when they leave the nest. Squirrels produce fewer offspring than other mammals, but are more successful in rearing them. Rabbits, doves and other species reproduce faster, but suffer a higher mortality rate. Squirrels may live six years in the wild and longer in captivity.
Food Habits
Fox squirrels eat many of the same foods as other tree squirrels. Since they live closer to cropland, corn can become a main part of their diet. White oak acorns, hickory nuts and beechnuts are also preferred, but a wide variety of seeds, berries and wild fruits are consumed when choice items fail. Spring frost, insects, droughts and other unfavorable conditions cause wild foods to fail. Unless corn is available, the population drops when wild food fails.
Squirrels don’t hibernate, so they must depend upon buried acorns and nuts for winter fare. Many acorns buried in the fall are never found and later sprout to become trees. Sticky seeds and burrs lodge in the squirrel’s plume-like tail and are transported to new areas. Through planting and dispersal of seeds, the fox squirrel serves as a forester and plant distributor of great importance. Squirrels are found throughout the state.
Prevention and Control
Resident landowners and tenants can live-trap a fox squirrel that is causing damage on their own property without a permit from the DNR. The fox squirrel must be euthanized or released within the county of capture on property in which you have permission. Squirrels taken by a resident landowner or tenant must be reported to a DNR conservation officer within 72 hours. In order to prevent the spread of disease, the DNR encourages homeowners to safely and humanely euthanize the fox squirrels, if possible. Live-traps can be purchased from hardware stores and garden centers. If you do not want to trap the squirrel yourself, contact a licensed nuisance wild animal control operator.
Occasionally, squirrels may enter a house through a pet door. Quietly open windows and a door through which the animal may exit and close the doors that provide access to other parts of the house before leaving the room. Wait quietly for the animal to escape.
If a squirrel is already in your chimney or attic, combine bright lights and a pan of ammonia to encourage the squirrel(s) to leave. If the mother has had her young in your attic already, you may need to contact a licensed nuisance wild animal control operator for professional assistance. Once the squirrels leave the chimney, install a chimney cap. Also, identify and seal other attic entries after evicting the squirrel(s).
Trim overhanging tree limbs to prevent easy access to your roof and attic.
Fox squirrels have been known to strip the bark from the upper branches of trees. This behavior typically occurs in early spring and early fall in response to their increased need for sodium. Sap, flowing up from the roots into the branches of trees in the spring and energy rich sap being produced in the fall, contain higher concentrations of sodium. Squirrels will peel back the thinner, more pliable bark, on the younger tree branches to get at the sodium-rich sap. Certain glues used in making plywood, as well as chemicals found in electric wire insulation, may also contain sodium and lead to squirrels chewing on these objects. Since the damage is directly related to squirrels needing more sodium (salt), the problem can often be mitigated by making alternative sources of salt more readily available. Small mineral/salt blocks or rings can be purchased from local pet supply stores and placed at the base of the trees being damaged or in the crooks of easily-accessible branches. Soak wooden stakes in salt water for 24 hours and then either place the stakes in the ground around the affected trees or wire them to the tree trunks.
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