Most people think of gray squirrels as herbivores, but in realitythey are omnivores. Besides the usual foods of nuts, buds. corn,and leaves, the gray squirrel also consumes insect larva in thespring of the year.
The gray squirrel's habitat includes open orchards, hardwood forests,and even urban areas having many trees. They have adapted well for livingin close proximity with humans. The gray squirrel is diurnal. It has beenknown that many gray squirrels may den together in the winter months.
The Eastern Gray Squirrel breeds twice yearly. The first litter of 2 to 4young appears in mid-March and the second around late July. The newborn gray squirrels weigh about .5 ounce, have no hair, are pink, deaf,toothless, and blind. Squirrels become sexually mature in 12 months.
Gray squirrels hoard food throughout the year. Excess food is storedin holes in the ground or in trees. There have been no known cases of rabies among gray squirrels.
