How to manage territorial squirrels in Alberta

Red squirrels are common around Alberta and can be known to be rather feisty and territorial. Dale Gienow from WILDNorth joined CTV Morning Live Edmonton.

Red squirrels are common around Alberta and can sometimes be known as rather feisty and territorial. Dale Gienow from WILDNorth joined CTV Morning Live Edmonton’s Kent Morrison with advice on how to manage them.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Kent Morrison: Is the red squirrel the main one we’re going to see in Edmonton?

Dale Gienow: Yes, we have three tree squirrels. We’ve got the red squirrels, the less common gray squirrels, we don’t have too many of the larger ones here in Edmonton. Then we have the nighttime squirrels or the “flying squirrels.” The red ones are the feisty ones we normally see out during the day.

Kent: What do people need to know as far as what they’re eating and what they’re doing?

Dale: Right now, these guys are preparing for winter. They don’t hibernate, so they’re awake all year round. Opposed to the ground squirrels, we refer to them as gophers, those guys are hibernating. They’re sleeping through the wintertime. But tree squirrels are awake all winter, so right now they’re picking up conifer cones, mushrooms, nuts and seeds and they’re storing them everywhere. This is where they come into conflict with people. They love to store them in things like sheds or attics or anywhere they can gain access.

Kent: What’s your advice to people who want to help the squirrels out, give them a space, but also don’t want them in their houses?

Dale: This is the issue, right? They’re escape artists and entry artists because they can get into just about anything. We need to first determine if they are coming in and out of those spaces where we don’t want them and they can do quite a bit of damage there too. They can get into wiring sometimes, they can chew wood, they make nests out of your insulation which can ruin the value of your house. So if you determine that you do have one in your attic or a place where they’re not wanted, you can remove them. The important thing to realize is that we don’t want to remove them outside of their territory. These guys have several nests, lots of storage areas they’re preparing for winter and if you move them away from there, they likely won’t survive. We can live-trap them and move them just outside while we repair the entry points to wherever they’re getting into. You can even do that yourself. You’re legally entitled to do that here in the City of Edmonton. If you’re a bit unsure about how to do that, you can contact us at WILDNorth. You can also reach out to a professional wildlife removal service who can humanely move those animals outside while you have time to repair those holes.

Kent: Do you have any red squirrels in your care right now? Is there a particular issue for them?

Dale: We have lots of red squirrels. At WILDNorth, we receive about 3,500 patients every year. This year, of those patients, we received a little over 240 red squirrels. There’s lots of squirrels in the city and we get lots of babies. We get lots of abandoned young ones in the spring and we have to raise them up until they’re old enough to survive on their own. We often think of these guys as seed gatherers, but their diets are hugely varied. They’re eating berries, they’re storing mushrooms, and even will eat other animals. Squirrels will actually prey on mice, baby birds, bird eggs, so they’re quite the little survivalists.