Squirrels are the wildlife most backyards already host, whether or not anyone planned for it. Knowing what they eat through the year, where they nest, and how they behave between seasons makes them straightforward to support — and easier to keep away from the bird feeder. These guides cover squirrel species, diet, nesting behaviour, and how to choose between a squirrel habitat and a feeder.

Types of Squirrels: All About Squirrels & Their Habitats

When Do Squirrels Have Babies? Breeding Seasons and What to Expect

When Do Squirrels Have Babies? Breeding Seasons and What to Expect

Squirrels have two breeding seasons a year, and knowing the timing is the key to caring for a backyard nest box responsibly.
How Long Do Squirrels Live? Lifespan in the Wild vs the Backyard

How Long Do Squirrels Live? Lifespan in the Wild vs the Backyard

Wild tree squirrels typically live five to six years, but first-year mortality is high, and shelter plus consistent food make the real difference in a backyard.
Do Squirrels Hibernate? What They Actually Do in Winter

Do Squirrels Hibernate? What They Actually Do in Winter

Grey, red, and fox squirrels stay active all winter on cached food, sheltering in dens or dreys, while ground squirrels and chipmunks truly hibernate.
A cedar squirrel house mounted in a backyard tree with squirrels using the natural habitat and feeder.

Squirrel House Guide: What It Is, Who It Helps & How to Choose One

A squirrel house is a wooden nesting box that gives squirrels a dry, safe place to shelter and raise young. Learn who uses them, how to choose the right size and materials, and where to...
Wooden squirrel feeder and hideout house on a backyard table, a combined squirrel feeder and shelter.

Squirrel Feeder Guide: Types, What to Look For & the Best Setup

A squirrel feeder guide: the main types, what makes a good one, and why a house-and-feeder combo gives backyard squirrels both shelter and food.
What to Feed Squirrels Year-Round: A Backyard Host's Guide

What to Feed Squirrels Year-Round: A Backyard Host's Guide

What do squirrels eat — and what should you actually put in a squirrel feeder? A season-by-season guide, plus the foods to avoid, from WildYard.
Squirrel House vs. Squirrel Feeder: Which One Does Your Backyard Actually Need?

Squirrel House vs. Squirrel Feeder: Which One Does Your Backyard Actually Need?

Squirrel house, squirrel feeder, or both? A practical guide to choosing the right backyard habitat — and why a combined cedar design solves both jobs at once.
How to Attract Squirrels to Your Backyard: A Complete Guide

How to Attract Squirrels to Your Backyard: A Complete Guide

Want to host squirrels in your backyard? Learn what squirrels need — food, water, shelter — and how a cedar squirrel house feeder turns any garden into habitat.

Squirrel questions, answered

  • Tree squirrels are opportunistic foragers. The bulk of the diet is nuts, seeds, tree buds, bark and fungi, with fruit and the occasional insect or egg when the chance appears. Autumn is spent caching food for winter rather than eating it. If you are feeding them, unsalted nuts in the shell and seed mixes work well — see our year-round feeding guide.

  • Tree squirrels — grey, red and fox squirrels — do not hibernate. They stay active all winter, living off cached food and sheltering in tree cavities or nest boxes during severe weather, sometimes for several days at a time. Ground squirrels and chipmunks are the ones that genuinely hibernate. This is why winter shelter matters: an active animal still needs somewhere dry to wait out a storm.

  • Most wild tree squirrels live around five to six years. First-year mortality is high, so the average across all births is considerably lower. Squirrels that survive their first winter tend to do much better from there. Reliable shelter and a steady food supply through the leanest months are the two things that move those odds.

  • Two options. A drey is the leaf-and-twig nest wedged into a tree fork; a den is a hollow cavity inside a trunk or branch. Cavities are warmer and are preferred for winter and for raising young, but mature hollow trees are scarce in most gardens. A nest box does the same job — that is the gap a squirrel habitat fills.

  • No. Grey, red and fox squirrels are diurnal, with activity peaking shortly after sunrise and again in the late afternoon. Flying squirrels are the exception — they are genuinely nocturnal, which is why most people never see them despite living alongside them. Movement in the roof after dark is more likely a flying squirrel than a grey.

  • Hawks, owls, foxes, snakes and domestic cats are the main predators, and pressure from the air is constant in open gardens. This matters if you host more than one species: owls take squirrels, so an owl habitat and a squirrel habitat belong well apart rather than side by side.

  • Very rarely. Small rodents such as squirrels, chipmunks and mice are almost never found to be infected with rabies, and they are not known to have passed it to a person. They are still wild animals and will bite if handled or cornered, so feed at a distance and never hand-feed. Any bite from any wild animal should be seen by a doctor.

  • Grey squirrels usually breed twice a year — once in late winter, roughly February to April, and again in midsummer. Litters are typically two to four young, born blind and dependent, and they stay in the nest for around ten weeks. Avoid opening or cleaning a nest box during those windows; late autumn is the safe time for maintenance.

  • Three things work together: mount the feeder at least 10 feet (3 m) from any launch point such as a fence, branch or roof; fit a baffle above and below it; and give the squirrels a food source of their own a good distance away. Diverting them usually works better than trying to exclude them — see the squirrel feeder guide.

  • A feeder supplies food; a habitat supplies shelter and a place to raise young. If squirrels already visit and you want to watch them, start with a feeder. If you want them to settle rather than pass through — particularly where there are few mature trees — the habitat is what changes the outcome. Our comparison guide covers both.

Squirrel habitats from WildYard

Handcrafted cedar, designed for the species. One habitat doing two jobs — shelter through winter, and a feeding station you can actually watch.

Squirrel House - Hideout & Feeder, wooden design for squirrels, perfect natural habitat and feeder combo.

Squirrel House - Hideout & Feeder

$92.00

View the squirrel habitat