The Albino Squirrel

The White Albino squirrel is actually quite rare throughout the world.

Like other albino animals, including humans, a genetic disorder means there is there is no pigment in the fur or skin to give it the familiar grey (or red) colour.

In the UK they are equally rare but Surrey is quite possibly the county they have been spotted in the most.

In the USA there is even an Albino Squirrel Preservation Society

Personally I've only come across the one pictured here who visited our garden recently. With a bit more time I could have used a better camera but he didn't hang round for long. Anyway some footage is better than no footage.

With their beautiful pink eyes and all white fur coat the albino squirrel is a truly beautiful creature. I hope it's not the last time we see one of these lovely creatures.

Feeding

To feed or not to feed is purely your choice for the grey squirrel I guess it comes down to whether you like the critters or not.

However although we feed the little blighters all year round even if we didn't we would give in when snow is on the ground as scavenging for food is so much harder then.

If you feed garden birds you may be sick and tired of squirrels destroying your bird feeders.

We too went through this stage and despite all the hype many types of squirrel-proof bird feeders are not up to the job.

The squirrel is a remarkably intelligent, powerful, animal (it's had millions of years of practice) it is not going to give in easy if it sees food just hanging around.

The only reliable solution we found was to give our furry friends their own custom feeding boxes. These are now readily available over the internet and this is far easier than seeking out a local pet store as not all stock them.

You can see how the squirrel feeder works from my pictures. The squirrel learns to lift the lid and remove the nuts from behind either a metal mesh or in some cases a perspex window. When you first place your squirrel feeder it is best to put the nuts in and then to prop it open with a pebble which will fall to the ground on first use. This method seems to educate squirrel #1 how the thing works and surprisingly the message seems to then  get passed round the squirrel community as to how to work it.

We currently have 2 feeders and over 4 years all I have had to replace is the fine mesh grill once. This was only because one squirrel arrived and clearly nobody in grey squirrel land was speaking to him because he didn't get told how to lift the hatch so he just chewed his way in.

He's more than likely the same grey squirrel I saw regularly standing on the lid whilst stupidly trying to lift it by bending over. I wish I had videoed this as it was actually very funny viewing.

Make your choice carefully when deciding whether you are going to feed squirrels regularly or not. Whether you like it or not quality peanuts are not cheap and you will have to restock regularly.

Many people prefer to order their peanuts or custom squirrel food over the internet now as it normally works out cheaper as you can buy in bulk.

As to where to mount your squirrel feeder my advice would be as high as possible but so you can still reach to fill it. Also put it as far away from your house as possible.

The reasons for this are pretty obvious. Squirrels love to eat their nuts either sitting on the feeder's ledge or very close to the feeder so they can come back as quick as possible. With this regular feeding bits and pieces of squirrel food gather on the ground. This may be attractive not only to ground feeding birds but also to mice and even the odd rat if they are in your area so just bear this in mind.

Unlike bird feeders I have not found that squirrel feeders are prone to clogging at the bottom. This is more than likely because squirrels don't tend to leave nuts in it long enough to start rotting. They will normally remove every last trace of nut!

Incidentally you may have noticed the plastic bird spikes I have screwed into the end of the squirrel feeder's "perch". I have found this to be an effective deterrent against woodpigeons and as you can see the spikes don't worry the squirrels in the slightest.

Food

Nuts !

It would be easy for young and old to assume grey squirrels only eat nuts. After all that is what we normally see them eating in our parks and woods.

Peanuts are what we usually give them in our gardens too.

It is true grey squirrels do feed on nuts but seeds, berries, bark and even sap add to a quite varied diet. When given half a chance they will also rob a birds nest of its eggs and young.

 

As regards to feeding in the garden there are several options

 

The standard solution is usually peanuts but you should be aware that you must take the same care choosing a toxin free peanut as you would with feeding birds. After all birds will be pecking at the same feeders as will mice if they can reach the food.

 

Many companies produce specialist "squirrel mixes" but squirrels are also more than happy with mixed nuts, hazelnuts, monkey nuts and even sunflower seeds and sunflower hearts.

 

But lets face it given the choice the grey squirrel really is nuts about nuts and will probably seek these out first.

General Background

They have been blamed for the destruction of vegetable plots , chewing through electricity cables in lofts and for trashing gardens in general.

The demise of the red squirrel across the UK has been blamed almost solely on the grey squirrel which has bred in huge numbers across the country.

Many refer to the squirrel as "the rat with a tail" and indeed they do belong to a family of rodents called Sciuridae. Included amongst others in the Sciuridae family are tree squirrels, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks and even prairie dogs.

However, they are more closely related to the dormouse and mountain beaver rather than the common rat so perhaps the "rat with a tail" label is a little unfair.

The squirrel is thought to have been around now some 40 million years with humans mere newcomers at about 2.3 million years they probably have more right to be on the planet than we do.

The Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is also known as the Grey Squirrel, depending on where you live. It is a tree squirrel native to United States (East and Mid West) and to the southern parts of the eastern Canadian provinces. In it's native regions the grey squirrel is often confused with the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), but the normal range of the fox squirrel is slightly more westerly.

Where possible throughout this site I will be using my own images. However I do know I will need some from outside sources and in advance I thank those whose shared squirrel images appear.