To learn more about the types of damage ground squirrels can do, check out our article on the topic. They will also create bald patches around your yard with their grazing. Ground squirrels will gnaw the plastic heads of underground sprinklers, chew through sprinkler lines, and damage irrigation boxes. Even worse, it may impact the stability of your structure. When ground squirrels excavate under buildings, it can cause foundation cracks that are hard to fix. Ground squirrels eat whole seedlings, nibble the tops of vegetables, and eat fruits and berries, thus destroying your vegetable garden.
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What Damage Do Ground Squirrels Cause?ĭon’t let their small size fool you. Ground squirrels like to live in large, grassy areas that provide plenty of unimpeded space for their excavation. Fish ponds, birdbaths, and streams also provide squirrels with both a food and water source. If your yard has acorn or walnut trees, they will attract squirrels. They may also eat frogs, insects, bird eggs (including chicken eggs), and fungi. Here are a few of the biggest culprits: 1. One of the best ways to deal with a ground squirrel infestation is to understand what’s drawing them to your property in the first place. What Attracts Ground Squirrels to My Yard? They also eat fruit (especially gooseberries and prickly pear) and will eat insects and fungi. Ground squirrels eat a diet of nuts and seeds, with a particular preference for California black walnuts, grass seeds, and poppies. In fact, both males and females can usually be found within 150 yards of their burrows. Once they’ve constructed these elaborate burrow systems, California ground squirrels tend to stay close to home. When California ground squirrels are not gathering food to “squirrel away,” they spend their time underground in their tunnels and burrows. A single den may have dozens of tunnels and several dozen openings. Multiple generations of ground squirrels use each burrow, and individual squirrels all have their own entrances.
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Burrows are about 4-5” in diameter and vary in length from 5-35 feet. If they can’t find a hillside, ground squirrels will dig down vertically several feet to create a safe space. Where do Ground Squirrels live?Ĭalifornia ground squirrels live, breed, and mate in burrows, which they build in hillsides or low berms. Their underside is a pale buff or grayish yellow. Strips of darker fur extend from the head to the mid-back, while gray fur forms a cape over the sides of the head and shoulders. What is a Ground Squirrel?Ĭalifornia ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) have a mix of gray, light brown, and dusky fur, which gives them a mottled appearance. We’ll share our top tips for getting rid of ground squirrels and reclaiming your yard in this post. Whether your ground squirrel infestation is new or has been a problem for a while, our team can help.
#Ground squirrel vs chipmunk how to#
Here at Smith’s Pest Management, we help Bay Area and Central Coast homeowners get rid of ground squirrels quickly and humanely with professional squirrel control services, so we know a few things about how to get rid of ground squirrels permanently. However, in California, most home and business owners do not enjoy hosting a squirrel that can cause damage and create dangerous conditions on their properties.įortunately, you don’t have to share space with the California ground squirrel forever. In some states, home and business owners enjoy watching squirrels frolic and play, scampering around, leaping from branch to branch in tall trees, or defying gravity by climbing onto bird feeders.