Gainesville Wildlife Removal

Common Squirrels Near Gainesville, Florida

Three squirrel species occur in North Central Florida - gray squirrel, southern flying squirrel and fox squirrel. Gray and flying squirrels are the most abundant and cause homeowners the most problems. The Pine and Red Squirrel have been reported but not considered native to this part of Florida.

Gray Squirrel:

The gray squirrel is one of the most common of all animals found in Florida. Under natural conditions, gray squirrels prefer hardwood or mixed hardwood and pine forests but these squirrels easily adapt to urban and residential areas. Oaks are the favorite trees of the gray squirrel, which will also eat well from bird feeders and gardens.Gray Squirrels raid fruit and nut trees, and occasionally vegetable gardens. They find flower gardens very attractive, and they eat both flower bulbs and buds. Tree leaves and twigs may be trimmed from trees for nest building, and bark gnawed away for reasons unknown.

Gray squirrel’s have three different color phases which are white or albino, black and red-brown phases.

Southern Flying Squirrels:

Southern flying squirrels do live in Florida. They are likely to be more common in northern Florida, where there is more habitat for them than in central and southern Florida. Actual encounters with humans are rare because flying squirrels are exclusively nocturnal in their activity. They live in woods with nut or acorn-bearing trees, a water supply, scattered dead trees and snags. They sometimes nest in attics. Autumn nights are best for observing flying squirrels because they are busy gathering food for winter. Flying squirrels are less active during cold winter weather.

Fox Squirrels:

Fox squirrels are most common in the Panhandle and northern Florida, but they are protected from hunting throughout the state.

Fox squirrels spend more time on the ground than gray squirrels and are slower moving. They forage for acorns, nuts, fruits, insects, mushrooms, buds and tubers, so they require habitats with an open understory. These include open pine flatwoods, sandhills, mixed pine-hardwood areas and  land interspersed with trees. Like the gray squirrel, fox squirrels prefer to nest in hollows in trees, but will also construct bulky nests of twigs and leaves in treetops. Young are usually born in late winter/early spring and in the summer.

Some Facts For Home Owners To Consider About Squirrels:

The squirrel’s most damaging habit is gnawing entrances into attics. Once inside, they often use insulation or other materials found in the attic for nest building. Occasionally, they chew electrical wiring and cause short circuits and sometimes fires. Less frequently, squirrels mistakenly end up in the living area of a house. They find their way in through an open damper in a chimney or travel through the walls to the basement. Squirrels can also become trapped in chimneys. Nesting in houses is usually the only problem that flying squirrels cause.

Squirrel populations often build up to high numbers in older residential areas which have lots of mature trees, particularly oaks. Because their reproductive rate is so high, live trapping is not usually effective. A homeowner’s best bet is to protect his house by screening openings and removing access to food sources, such as bird feeders.

Attic louvers, vents, and fan openings should be screened with one-quarter inch mesh hardware cloth. Window screening is not sturdy enough to prevent their entering. Eaves should be closed up tightly and rotten boards replaced. Chimneys should be capped.

Hiring a professional to inspect your home, and begin excluding these lovely creatures many times can be done by the installation of one way doors allowing them to leave and no longer re-enter.In addition to installing one way excluders we will close off all access points and identify how to keep your home wildlife free.

If you have any wildlife , animal or bird concerns please give me a call . I promise to find the solution to eliminating your wildlife problems.

Robb Russell

1-800-714-8727

We Service Most Of North central Florida: Lake City, Gainesville, Cross City, Madison , Jasper, Live Oak, Orange Park, Interlachen, Lake Butler, Ft White, Branford, ,Ellisville, Archer, Jonesville, Mayo,White Springs, High Springs, Alachua, Newberry, Trenton, Chiefland, Starke, Waldo and surrounding communities.

I handle most animal, bird ,reptile, wildlife concerns you the North Florida residents may encounter bats, raccoons, squirrels,moles, pocket gophers, snakes, lizards, sparrows, pigeons, nutria, beaver. Some of these may require a permit from the Florida Wildlife Fish & Game Commission.

http://www.gainesvillewildliferemoval.com
http://www.anytimeanimalcontrol.com

Robb Russell, The Wildlife Pro
Robb@wildlifepro.net
Serving All North Central Florida
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