The mating habits of eastern gray and other tree squirrels are anything but romantic. Squirrels most definitely do not mate for life. When a female squirrel becomes receptive, which lasts less than one day, her scent will attract males from as far away as 500 meters. The males will compete for the chance to mate with her, with the most dominant male copulating with her first. Other males may get to mate with her after he is finished. Once the act is completed, the males depart and have nothing more to do with the female or the young.
The gestation period for the eastern gray squirrel is about 45 days. Other tree squirrels have a similar gestation period, or slightly shorter for smaller species. The babies are born in a drey or, if one is available, in a cavity nest in a hollow tree. The litter will usually number from two to four babies but sometimes as many as eight, about one inch long and weighing around an ounce. The young are born naked except for whiskers, blind and deaf and completely helpless.
|Newborn Baby Squirrels|
|Beebz at about five weeks|