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Frequently asked questions

Here are answers to questions you may have about red and grey squirrels. If you have another query that is not outlined below, please contact Save our Squirrels.

1. I have red squirrels in my garden. What can I feed them?

2. Is a proper squirrel feeder a good idea?

3. I've seen a squirrel! What should I do?

4. I'm not sure if the squirrel is red or grey

5. There's a collection of twigs in one of my trees. Is it a squirrel drey?

6. I've found a sick or injured red squirrel

7. I've found a dead red squirrel

8. I've found a dead grey squirrel

9. Is it legal to kill grey squirrels, surely they are protected wildlife?

10. I think red squirrels live in some trees that are being cut down, what can I do?

11. Tell me about road warning signs and rope bridges

1. I have red squirrels in my garden. What can I feed them?

Save our Squirrels does not recommend putting feed out for squirrels more than a couple of times a week. Feeding your visiting red squirrels too often may lead them to become reliant on your food for survival, which may cause problems if you go away on holiday or move house.

It's much better to stock your garden with squirrel-friendly plants that will provide a natural source of food throughout the year, and then supplement these with extra treats. Download our Supporting Reds in your Garden information sheet to see how you can create a garden that will become a natural haven for red squirrels.

The most suitable foods you can give red squirrels as treats are hazelnuts in their shells, beechnuts, sweet chestnuts and pine nuts. Unsalted peanuts and sunflower seeds can also be given, but please make sure that any peanuts are labelled as either "Aflatoxin free" or are those sold for human consumption. Apple pieces provide a tasty snack, but do not feed squirrels sweet, dried foods such as raisins or sultanas.

Red squirrels often suffer from calcium deficiency so carrot pieces, bone meal, cuttlefish or a bone or antler are good for this. Alternatively "Collo-Cal D" can be added to a dish of drinking water.

2. Is a proper squirrel feeder a good idea?

If you live in an area where there are no grey squirrels, then a feeder can be a nice way of attracting red squirrels into your garden. If you would like to make one yourself, you can download our information sheet on Squirrel Feeder Construction

You may have seen squirrel feeders advertised as ‘red only feeders' for sale in catalogues or in garden centres. At present, the evidence is that these do not work, as small grey squirrels can still gain access to the food, and there is still a risk of disease transmission at these feeders. However, please note SoS do not recommend putting up a dedicated feeder if you live in an area where both red and grey squirrels are present, as current thinking is that shared use of feeders between reds and greys may be one of the reasons for the spread of squirrelpox virus.

If you do use a squirrel feeder, please ensure that it is cleaned regularly to prevent it from becoming a potential source of disease transmission. Cleaning should include removing all organic debris such as left over food and droppings; cleaning with a proprietary household cleaner; and then spraying with a hard hitting disinfectant such as Virkon S or Trigene - both available from your local vet or country store.

3. I've seen a squirrel. What should I do?

Phone the National Squirrel Hotline on 0845 347 9375 or complete our on-line sightings form

If you see red squirrels regularly on your walks or in your garden please complete one of our monitoring forms and
send it back to us on a monthly basis by either post or email.

4. I'm not sure if the squirrel is red or grey

The colour of a squirrel's coat is not a reliable guide to identification. Some grey squirrels can have coats that appear to be red - often down the sides - and some red squirrels have coats that look quite grey, especially in shaded forest areas. The best way to tell if what you've seen is a red or a grey squirrel is by looking at their ears and tail.

Ears

Red squirrel ears usually have long tufts, though in summer the tufts may be quite sparse or not there at all. If the ear tufts are not there, the ears themselves are quite elongated and slightly pointed at the end
Grey squirrels have small rounded ears, a bit like a rat.

Tail

Red squirrel tails are usually one colour, though sometimes they are bleached towards the ends - very occasionally you might see a red squirrel with a tail that is completely strawberry blonde! There are at least two of these who regularly visit the squirrel station at Leaplish in Kielder Forest.
Grey squirrel tails have white hairs around the edge of the tail, giving it a halo effect.

5. There's a collection of twigs in one of my trees. Is it a squirrel drey?

Red squirrels make fairly tidy 'nests' or dreys with twigs and, particularly, leaves. These are spherical in shape and about the size of a football. Squirrels will make several dreys in different parts of their territory, which they use in rotation, and will have a separate breeding drey. Grey squirrel dreys are more haphazard and untidy, but they will also quite happily squat in an existing red squirrel drey!

It is often very difficult to tell the difference between a drey and a large bird's nest from the ground (e.g. rook). However, squirrels will build their dreys close to the tree trunk, out of the wind, whereas a bird's nest will be further out in the branches. The best way to confirm either way is to see the squirrels coming and going!

It is not possible to tell for sure whether the nest that you see is that of a red or a grey squirrel, but it is illegal to disturb a red squirrel drey without a licence. Because of this potential for confusion, drey poking (which is a way of getting rid of grey squirrels by destroying their nest) is not legal in the North of England.

6. I've found a sick or injured squirrel

It is better to leave a red squirrel if it appears to be ill or injured, as they do suffer badly from shock, and may in fact recover without your intervention. The best thing to do at first is to leave some water, peanuts and either apple or carrot beside the squirrel, then observe.

If the squirrel is clearly injured (for example, if you saw it hit by a car) or looks very sick and you have been able to trap it, then it must be handled with great care to prevent further stress. Please use the following guidelines:

Wear gloves for your own protection - squirrels can give you quite a nasty bite!
Place the squirrel in a cardboard box, in a quiet area away from draughts and out of reach of children and pets. Ensure adequate air can circulate inside the box. Provide a source of warmth for the squirrel, e.g., a hot water bottle (but not too hot!) wrapped in a blanket
Provide water in a shallow bowl - if it is very young you may want to try slowly letting water drop onto its mouth from a syringe.
Provide soft bedding, e.g. a blanket with no holes or frayed areas. Don't use towels as the squirrel's claws can become caught in the looped material.
If it is an adult squirrel, give it some apple to prevent dehydration
Take the squirrel to an animal sanctuary or veterinary centre. Telephone the animal sanctuary / veterinary centre in advance to check that they are able to take the red squirrel.

Ask the vet if they could take a blood sample from the red squirrel to be screened for the presence of squirrel pox virus. This could help in the treatment of the squirrel, and also with research that could benefit red squirrels across. Ask the vet to send the blood sample to:

Dr Colin MacInnes; Moredun Research Institute; International Research Centre; Pentland Science Park; Bush Loan; Penicuik; Midlothian; EH26 0PZ. Tel: 0131 445 5111

If the vet would like more information on how to treat the squirrel, ask them to contact the SoS Office on 0845 347 9375.

7. I've found a dead red squirrel

We ask people to send any dead red squirrel they find to one of our scientific research partners, who will undertake a post mortem on the carcase. Although this can be distressing, it is very important for the future of the red squirrel that you do this, as the results help inform a wide variety of research into squirrel distribution, the diseases they suffer from, their genetic spread, and the overall health of red squirrels in the UK.

What the squirrel has apparently died from will influence where we ask you to send it for post mortem. Contact your nearest Save our Squirrels Conservation Officer as soon as possible - they will ask you some questions, and on the basis of your answers they will tell you which research team we would like you to send the body to. Click here to download our information sheet on how to prepare dead reds for postage to the research teams - the information sheet also includes the form we ask you to complete and send off with the body which helps the researchers place the results of the post mortem in context with other results.

8. I've found a dead grey squirrel

We don't ask you to send these in for post mortem! If you have found a dead grey squirrel anywhere in Northumberland, Cumbria, North Merseyside, or the borders of Scotland, please use the on-line sightings form to tell us where you found the body, and how the squirrel died, if this is obvious (eg road kill, killed by cat or dog). This lets us know where greys are still being found, and therefore where we may still have a problem with squirrelpox.

9. Is it legal to kill grey squirrels, surely they are protected wildlife?

It is perfectly legal to kill grey squirrels, and has been since 1937 when the UK Government declared them to be an invasive non-native species. The Grey Squirrel Order of that year made it illegal to import, keep, provide veterinary support to, or release grey squirrels into the wild. Grey squirrels were further defined as a pest species by further government orders in the 1940s, due to their impact on forestry.

Much more recently (2007), the UK Minister for Biodiversity declared the grey squirrel to be one of the three most destructive non-native species ever released into the UK. The main reason for this is that grey squirrels, and the disease they carry, are the main reason why red squirrels are on the edge of extinction in mainland England and Wales. It is a sad fact that if you want to keep red squirrels in the North of England, this means controlling (killing) grey squirrels in that region.

As a pest species, it is legal to trap grey squirrels with humane, live catch traps and then kill them by either hitting them on the head or shooting them in the cage. Most grey squirrel control is undertaken by trained operators, following an agreed set of guidelines. You can download a copy of our Grey Squirrel Control Guidelines for more information by clicking here.

Save our Squirrels can provide training for groups or organisations on the trapping and culling of grey squirrels - contact your nearest Conservation Officer for more information.

If you want to find out more about the grey-red debate, and why we need to kill grey squirrels to protect our native reds, click here.

10. I think red squirrels live in some trees that are being cut down, what can I do?

Red squirrel dreys are protected by law, and can only be felled under licence and after a number of important checks are made; if you are certain there is an active red squirrel drey in the tree, then it should not be cut down. Contact your local Natural England office for more information.

11. Tell me about road warning signs and rope bridges?

In general, it is quite a difficult and lengthy process to erect squirrel warning signs on the verge of roads, as permission is required from both the Highways Agency (who own the verges) and from the county council. However, it may be possible to erect a sign on private land next to a public road, and Save our Squirrels does have an agreed design for a standard triangular warning road sign - these cost about £50 including the 3m metal pole to erect them on. Although we do not have funds to pay for road signs, we can advise you on where to source them and how you can put them on private land.

Rope bridges to help red squirrels cross dangerous roads more safely have been used in some parts of the country, though it has to be said with varying degrees of success. It is possible to erect a rope bridge in areas where there are regular red squirrel road deaths, but there are a number of conditions that have to be met - not least of which is that there is woodland or sufficient wooded cover at either side of the road. Any rope bridge has to be placed at least 20m above the road, and must be covered by public liability insurance which is normally taken out by the organisation or community putting the bridge up. Again, Save our Squirrels has an agreed design and suggested costings for rope bridges, and may be able to financially assist local communities who want to erect one in our reserves or buffer zones.

Download our Road signs and rope bridges factsheet for more information.