The author of the text is dr inż. Radosław Kożuszek
The largestrepresentative of squirrelsis the Asian giant squirrel, which is up to 90 cm long, and the smallest -African dwarfsquirrel 10 centimeters long. Apart fromsquirrels arboreal , to which our squirrel belongs, there are also terrestrial squirrels ( male prairieimarmot ).
European squirrellives in parks, forests and even cemeteries.She is quite common and is known mainly for heroriginal appearanceandcheerful behaviornests high amongbranches , sometimes enlarging and improving abandonednests birdsTheir interior it is thoroughly lined with dry grass and moss. Squirrels quite often also nest inhollowsandbooths for birds
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Squirrels in our environment
Many of us would like thischeerful rodent zagnieździłin our farmyard. The presence of squirrels in the neighborhood depends on manyfactorsFirst of all, pets will not come to us if there are no parks or forests nearby. Squirrelsare under strict species protection and we cannot catch them,imprisonandtransferfrom place to place ! They will not appear in our garden if there are no plants that provide them with food ( walnut Italian ,hazel,oak ,beech ,spruce ). An incentive to settle in the garden can be properly constructedbox breedingorwinter feeding
On the other hand, for owners ofplantation walnuts Italianandhazel squirrelis a pest in a way. If we find damages resulting from the activities ofprotected rodents , we should notify the nearest poviat office of the fact.
What to feed the squirrels with?
The main food of squirrels is seeds and nuts. They like beech nuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and seeds of spruce cones.They also eagerly eat acorns, sunflower seeds and delicate buds, young shoots, bark of shrubs and trees, as well as berries and mushrooms. It happens that these red rodents also eat insects and the eggs of birds and their young. For the winter, they prepare a supply of seeds, acorns and nuts by burying them in the ground. Some of them are forgotten after a while, which allows the plants to sprout.
When autumn arrives, the tamed squirrel is able to take as much food from us as it can. Do not worry if the animal looks hungry and greedily jumps at the nuts and seeds. Of course, most of them will be hidden in different places.
Fall is a real harvest for a squirrel, usually it is full and instinctively stores food. It is better to give her nuts or seeds during a snowy winter, when she cannot dig into the supplies.
In pet stores you can buy a special blend of seeds and nuts for exotic squirrels - chipmunks. We can give it to our native squirrels.
However, if we want to prepare the food ourselves, its composition should include walnuts, hazelnuts, dried mushrooms and fruits, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin and delicate shrub branches with buds. We lay out the food successively, preferably in a covered place, observing whether the rodent is taking it.
Build a winter squirrel house
In September it is worth thinking about wintershelter for squirrelsDuring severe frosts, the most they like to stay in cozy hollows. Unfortunately, we have less and less oldhollow trees , so if there are squirrels in our garden, we can construct a special booth for them.
For the construction of squirrel houses, it is worth using durable, he althy wood free ofholesandgapsThe boards must not be impregnated or painted, what is more, wood it should be unplaned. In order forboothto serve for many years, it is necessary to use boards with a thickness of at least 2 cm.In no case are plywood ormaterials wood-like wood-concrete(contains 75% wood), with excellent insulatingproperties and high durability. Wood concrete booths can be made by yourself by preparing the appropriate form.
We can useiron nailsas binders, but brass are better, as they do not corrode easily. Please note that the squirrel cache should always be able to be opened inpurpose cleanThis is an important activity that is usually done at the end of summer. Keep in mind that dirty booths are a hotbed of parasites and diseases. You can puta handful freshanddry sawdustinto the cleaned booth. and put in a bundle ofhay
Internaldimension bottom boothsis 17 x 17 cm, depth from the bottom to the bottom - 27 cm, The diameter of the entrance hole - 85 mm.This hole must be located under the upper edge (do not attachstickunder the hole - it is only a convenience for martens). To the roof, which should besloping ,nailing piece papyHang the booth on a tree in a vertical position at a height of more than 3 m. On a large tree, you can hangtwo booths(the distance between them is at least 2- 3 m).
