|
Lone Star Squirrel House
(move mouse over picture to close door)

Price: $99.95
Sale
price:
$95.89
(features cast iron star)
click here for
Squirrel Cam
front door pivots open for easy cleaning!
A Backyard House
for our Whimsical Furry Friends!
Squirrels are fun to watch. With our Squirrel House,
you might just have a whole family of squirrels to
watch. In fact, you may even have baby squirrels bobbing
around before long. Oh, what fun! Squirrel House
Dimensions - (18"H x 9"W x 6"D)
Some Facts about
Squirrels:

*
Squirrels belong to the
order "Rodentia", with 1650 species. It is the largest
group of living mammals. It also comprises forty percent
of all present day mammal species. There are over 365
species of squirrels in seven families. They include the
tree squirrel, ground squirrel, and flying squirrel, as
well as many squirrel-like mammals such as the gopher,
ground hog and prairie dog.
*
Squirrels are the most
active in late winter, when the mating season begins.
The males will chase females, as well as competing
suitors. This ritual of chasing occurs through the trees
at top speed while they perform some of the most
breathtaking acrobatics imaginable. The period of
gestation varies from 33 days in the smaller species of
pine squirrels, up to 60 days for the larger species
such as the common gray and fox squirrels.
*
Squirrels are usually
born in the early Spring. The average litter consists of
four baby squirrels. This varies with climate and
location. A second litter can occur in mid-summer if
there is an adequate food supply.
*
In the summer, squirrels are
most active two to three hours after sunrise, resting in
the afternoon and resuming activity again two hours
before sunset. The squirrel will retire to its nest well
before dark,and will rarely leave the nest in the dark.
In the winter, the squirrel will complete its activities
between dawn and mid-day, and will remain in or around
the nest until the next day. During winter storms or
severe cold, the squirrel may not leave the nest for
days. The tree squirrel does not hibernate!
*
Gray squirrels come in
many colors. Shades of gray are the most common followed
by shades of brown. There are also pure white and pure
black squirrels, but both are variations of the gray
squirrel. The common Red squirrel can have an all black
coat. While the Kaibab squirrel has a black body with a
white tail. Both are found in coniferous forests.
*
The gray squirrel's diet
consists of nuts, seeds and fruit. It will eat bird
eggs, bugs, and even an animal carcass if there is no
other food source available. The gray squirrel requires
some salt in its diet, and may find this salt in the
soil along roads where snow and ice may have been. The
average adult squirrel needs to eat about a pound of
food a week to maintain an active life.
*
Squirrels communicate
through a series of chirps. The frequency and the
duration of the notes communicate everything from
laughter to alarm. Their frequency range is normally
between .01 KHz. and 10 KHz. (kilohertz). These sounds,
when used in conjunction with tail gestures, form the
basis for squirrel communication.
*
A squirrel's teeth grow
continuously. Their incisors will grow six inches per
year, but stay short due to the constant wear they
receive. The most common type of squirrel bite is a
result of feeding a squirrel by hand. Never hold the
food between your fingers, chances are very good you
will be bitten. A squirrel's eyes are always looking for
predators and they rarely focus on what they are eating.
*
Squirrels have major and minor food
preferences. Favorite foods include fruits, nuts and
seeds. Peanuts and peanut butter are popular favorites.
Walnuts and apples are good treats since they may
naturally occur in the squirrel's diet. Tree squirrel
diets vary by species and are determined by their
habitat and season of the year.
*
The largest animals in the squirrel family
are the woodchucks (also called ground hogs or marmots)
and have been known to dig beneath houses and other
buildings. They also burrow into levees and dikes,
causing damaging washouts. As housing developments have
popped up in former farm land, woodchuck problems have
become more common for home owners.
|