![]() Traps can be baited with walnuts, almonds, orange slices, or pieces of melon. It is most effective on small populations and can be done any time rock squirrels are active. Rock squirrels are not protected as game animals and lethal trapping can be used by do-it-yourselfers. However, these products are best used by licensed pesticide applicators to prevent harm to non-target species. Toxic baits and fumigants can be very effective. Shooting is not recommended for safety and legal reasons. Frightening and repellents do not usually deter rock squirrels. Removal of debris piles, irrigation pipe, pallets, and rock piles can discourage rock squirrels. Fences are generally ineffective in excluding ground squirrels. For these reasons, property owners and public organizations should not allow them to exist where they pose unnecessary risks.Īs with many pest problems, an integrated approach using multiple control methods will be most effective. Rock squirrels are also associated with transmission of bubonic plague to humans. The burrows often extend under sidewalks, dwellings, and outbuildings where they can weaken structural integrity. You should never feed them intentionally.īurrow entrances are serious hazards and should not be allowed to exist in equestrian areas, parks, schools, and other public areas. Sometimes tourists get bitten and this can create a risk for zoonotic disease transmission. ![]() Due to the abundant tourism, visitors having food in their packs and enjoying outdoor picnics can expect rock squirrels to beg for and steal their food. They are also known for harassing and even attacking tourists at the Grand Canyon. Rock squirrels have many different vocalizations, but their primary call is a chirp that can occur singly or as several regularly spaced chirps. The burrow system is expanded each year and multiple entrances are common. Rock squirrel burrows protect them from weather and predators. The pups are born hairless and raised in a nest of grass inside the burrow for about 6 to 7 weeks before they venture above ground. Rock squirrel mating season is between March and July and after a 30-day gestation period, a litter of 5 to 7 pups are born. Rock squirrels have cheek pouches and will horde and cache food. As spring growth dries up, they begin to feed on seeds and fruits of plants including acorns, juniper berries, pine nuts, mesquite buds and beans, cactus, and other native plants. ![]() They hibernate in colder areas and emerge in spring to feed on green vegetation. Are squirrels nocturnal free#Rock squirrels need very little free water obtaining what they need from dew, succulent vegetation, bulbs, and bark. They are active during daylight hours (diurnal), usually eating plant matter, but occasionally feeding on insects and road killed animals. Rock squirrels live in open burrows (as opposed to a gopher’s closed burrow system) and prefer rocky areas, but often burrow under human-made structures, irrigation ditch banks, and the edges of cultivated fields. ![]() ![]() Their fur is usually brownish gray and mottled with white spots. The head and body are about 10.5 inches long and the tail is approximately 8 inches. Rock squirrels are relatively large, heavy-bodied, and have a moderately long, bushy tail. In residential areas, their presence can be damaging to landscape and garden plants, compromise structures, and potentially hazardous to human health. In wildland areas, they provide beneficial ecosystem services such as disseminating seeds, loosening compacted soils, and feeding carnivorous animals and raptors. Many people also call them ground squirrels. Rock squirrels ( Spermophilus variegatus) are found in many areas of Arizona. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Jeff Schalau, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Backyard Gardener - Rock Squirrels - May 27, 2020 ![]()
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