Babies on the Way

Spring is on the way and for wildlife rehabbers that means new babies are on the way, too. In areas where there is an adequate food supply, Gray squirrels will have two litters a year, one in the spring and another in late summer. An average litter consists of four babies. The Gray Squirrel has a gestation period of up to 60 days and will begin to give birth as early as February. A baby Gray squirrel is approximately an inch long at birth and weighs around 10 grams. They are born without fur or teeth and both their eyes and ears are sealed closed. Eyes begin to open at around 6 weeks of age. Babies will wean around 10-12 weeks of age at which point they will being to explore the world around them and move away from Mom. Fall babies will typically spend the winter with mom and siblings in order to conserve body heat during the cold months. Squirrels are part of the order Rodentia which is the largest group of living mammals. There are over 350 species of squirrels divided into 7 families which include the tree squirrel, ground squirrel and flying squirrel.