Table of contents
- Important framework conditions
- The perfect padding
- Hang up the squirrel house correctly
- Build your own feeding house
- Hang up the feed box
- Conclusion
The European squirrel with the unmistakable red coat color has become rare in our gardens. If you want to accommodate these cute fur balls in your green kingdom, you can offer them a ready-to-move-in nest. If this roost is stable enough to raise the offspring and spend the winter rest in it, the squirrel will move in. Various factors must be taken into account so that the nest can withstand the intensive scrutiny of the little garden acrobats. The following instructions explain how to build a squirrel house yourself and hang it up correctly.
Important framework conditions
Squirrels build extremely stable, weatherproof nests. They place these in hollow tree trunks or in the forks of branches, high up in the treetops. The 15-20 centimeters small and 200-400 grams light squirrels attach great importance Security and create at least one additional escape route in case a marten besieges the main entrance should. The popular garden animals are not afraid to colonize an abandoned hawk or magpie nest and redesign it according to their own wishes. Hobby gardeners have the best chance of attracting little guests to the garden with a self-built squirrel house if the construction meets the following requirements:
- The wood used is at least 2 cm thick (chipboard is completely unsuitable)
- Untreated softwoods such as maple, beech or pine are recommended
- A biologically based glaze serves to protect against moisture
- The base is no smaller than 26 x 26 cm
- A height of 30 cm should not be undercut
- The roof protrudes a few centimeters above the ground to keep rain out
- Ideally, the cover is designed to be movable using hinges
- Roofing felt rolls off the pattering rain
The perfect squirrel house has at least 2 entrances and exits in the form of round holes with a diameter of 7-8 cm, so that a pregnant squirrel lady can also fit through. One of these exits points downwards and is as close as possible to the tree trunk so that the animals can escape quickly in an emergency. The main entrance is placed a little above ground level so that there is still enough space behind it for comfortable floor padding. A platform in front of the entrance is not absolutely necessary, as the agile climbers can find a footing anywhere, as long as it is not a smoothly painted surface. A pitched roof may look decorative, but will not please the cute residents. Squirrels love to sit or stretch out on the roofs of their nests. A flat roof is therefore more advantageous and less complicated to construct.
Tip:
Holes with a diameter of 12 mm drilled into the side walls prevent heat build-up in summer and the formation of condensation.
The perfect padding
You can leave the interior design to the squirrels, or you can put on the upholstery ready-made to make the hutch extra inviting. Suitable materials are moss, straw, wood shavings, feathers, thin branches and sheep's wool. How to do it right:
- Cover the bottom with wood shavings or straw
- Spread the soft sheep's wool or feathers over it
- Clench one hand into a fist and stick it through the entrance to form a hollow
- Fill the nest with the remaining material from above, pull out your hand and close the lid
- The squirrel does the fine work himself
The material used is of course free of any chemical substances, which applies in particular to the wood wool. If you use used upholstery wool instead of sheep's wool, it must not contain any long threads that the squirrel could use to strangle itself.
Tip:
Squirrels are usually not satisfied with a single nest, but inhabit several roosts. Therefore, offer your fluffy garden dwellers several houses, since the pregnant females in particular like to move into a fresh nest just before the birth.
Hang up the squirrel house correctly
Squirrels have to deal with natural enemies such as cats and martens. Since these opponents are also excellent climbers, the Kobel should be hung 4 to 5 meters high in a treetop. The higher you can position the house, the safer for the little residents. Of course, you should not neglect your own safety.
- The best time to hang a roost is before mating season
- Squirrel mating season is February/March and June/July
- A branch fork offers the best support and easy access for the animals
- Weatherproof cords and tension belts are used as fastening material
It is advantageous to hang the squirrel house so that it can be removed for cleaning and refilling. If a nest is infested with parasites, it is usually left immediately. In this case, get the Kobel out of the tree and burn it out with an open flame.
Build your own feeding house
Squirrels never use their nest to store food. Instead, the busy little animals collect nuts, kernels, corn kernels, raisins and other food and bury it in various places in the garden. However, increasing urbanization means that the cute animals can no longer find enough food in autumn to build up sufficient winter supplies. They help the squirrels a lot if there is a bird feeder in the garden in addition to the roost. How to build the automatic feeder yourself:
- The feed box consists of a base plate and side walls that are extended towards the front
- The extension acts as a perch so the squirrel can easily get to the food
- The front consists of a viewing window made of plexiglass, which is fixed by means of grooves in the inside of the walls
- The side walls slope slightly towards the front and are also slightly offset inwards
- A hinged lid rests on the side walls and is connected to the rear wall with hinges
- A rain strip covers the hinges so that the lid cannot be opened completely and rain does not get inside
It is important to note that the viewing window is shortened at the top. This gap is used to ventilate the feed so that no mold forms here. Above all, it prevents the dangerous guillotine effect if a second squirrel jumps onto the lid while the first one sticks its head in the feeder.
An inexpensive version of the automatic feeder can be built with a glued spruce panel measuring 120 x 20 centimetres. Solid larch wood, which is significantly more weather-resistant than pine, is particularly suitable. If you sand the surface smooth and then impregnate it with natural beeswax, you and the squirrels can enjoy the self-built feeding station for many years. In this case, it is advisable to use stainless steel connections and fittings instead of a normal galvanized version. If you want a colored design, only water-based paint should be used be used, because squirrels really nibble on everything when they get their teeth comes.
Tip:
Don't overestimate the power of little squirrels. The hinged lid of a feed box should be as smooth-running as possible. A squirrel can only do this if you can easily lift the cover with your little finger.
Hang up the feed box
In contrast to the squirrel house, a feeding station does not have to be hung meters high in a treetop. It would just be too cumbersome to fill them, which can be the case every day in a harsh winter. Hang the feeder from a nail on the tree trunk high enough for easy access from either the ground or ladder.
Conclusion
Squirrels are increasingly dependent on our help. This also applies to the support with nest building as well as for the creation of food supplies in winter. A Kobel should be weatherproof and safe. At least two entrances and exits are good escape options if the nest is besieged by a marten or a cat. The use of only natural materials is mandatory. If you want, you can not only build the squirrel house yourself, but also comfortably equip it with soft padding made of straw, wood and sheep's wool or feathers. Since the cuddly garden animals always place their nests high up in the treetops, the self-constructed building should be hung at least 4 meters high in a stable branch fork. For an automatic feeder, this height is not necessarily required so that supplies can be easily provided at any time.
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