Squirrels may look cute and adorable but they are common garden pests who can destroy your garden. They can be a big nuisance since they snip off your flowers, chew through your plants and tear your pots. They are known to wield a penchant for flowery gardens in particular. However, the truth is that squirrels do not do this out of spite – they simply want to eat. The digging, chewing, tearing and tossing are all part of the creature’s efforts to find some food. The first step towards stopping the squirrel menace and executing squirrel removal, therefore, is to know more about them.http://virginiawildlifecontrol.com/10-things-need-know-squirrels/

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Squirrels may look cute and adorable but they are common garden pests who can destroy your garden. They can be
a big nuisance since they snip off your flowers, chew through your plants and tear your pots. They are known to wield
a penchant for flowery gardens in particular. However, the truth is that squirrels do not do this out of spite – they
simply want to eat. The digging, chewing, tearing and tossing are all part of the creature’s efforts to find some food.
The first step towards stopping the squirrel menace and executing , therefore, is to know more about
them.
Physical Features
Squirrels tend to possess long and muscular hind legs and short front legs that help in leaping. In fact, despite their
small size, squirrels are able to jump a distance of almost 20 feet without much difficulty.
Squirrels have double-jointed hind legs which means they can run up and down trees very fast. The feet of squirrels
tend to vary significantly from humans. The animals possess five toes on their back feet while their front feet only
have four. However, the toes in the front are extremely sharp and help the squirrel to grip the bark of trees tightly for
climbing.
An interesting fact about squirrels involves their eyes. Squirrel eyes are placed in such unique position that their
vision somewhat extends to what lies behind them. This means that squirrels are able to notice if something
approaches them from the back. The sweat glands of squirrels are located on their feet.
Habitat and Habits
There are over 200 different species of squirrels in the entire
world and they can be found in almost all continents, except
the continents of Antarctica and Australia. Not all squirrels
look the same, however, and they may vary considerably in
terms of size and colour.
In terms of mating habits, a male squirrel is able to smell a
female from almost a mile away. The mating season for
squirrels extends from February to May with a 44-day
gestation period. In usual circumstances, 2-4 young squirrels
are born in each litter.
Even though squirrels are generally considered to be
granivores i.e. animals who eat nuts and grains, they can eat
almost anything since they are omnivores.
Image Source: Flickr
Squirrels have a unique problem – their teeth do not stop
growing. The only way to prevent their teeth from growing into their necks is to keep gnawing.
Squirrels, when agitated or scared, tend to run back and forth in order to confuse any predators.
If your property is infested with squirrels, call immediately.
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