Where Do Squirrels Live?

Need squirrel removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices - updated for year 2020.

Need squirrel removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices - updated for year 2020.

Once upon a time, squirrels would have lived in beautiful forest and other patches where there are plenty of trees, with lots of undergrowth, and perhaps a lake or stream close by. This kind of habitat is perfect for an animal like the squirrel. The trees provide a way for the animal to get around, and also offers up nesting spots in the form of hollows, as well as a vast array of edible goodies to enjoy.



The undergrowth gives the animal a way to hide when it is down on ground level, and also provides plenty of food once again.

Sadly, these wild areas are being reduced at a staggering speed, with huge treed areas being cleared to make way for commercial and residential building work. This has left the squirrel with very little option but to move right in with us – humans.

In this day and age, it is actually MORE common to see squirrels in residential areas, such as parks and playgrounds or gardens, than it is to see them out ‘in the wild’. They are running out of places, but that’s not the only reason they’re moving in on us. They have learned that humans mean food and safety, even though many of them would shoo a squirrel out of the back yard, but they know that there is plenty of food to be found in these heavily populated spots. In fact, squirrels aren’t the only one who know about this; other wild animals, including raccoons, rats, and others, have learned that garbage bags and back yards contain a plethora of food.

With fresh fruits and vegetables growing, bird feeders containing all the nuts, seeds, and berries that a squirrel can eat, and garbage bags ready to rummage through, you might just be surprised by how much is actually counted as food, by these critters, in your back yard. This food encourages the squirrels to come closer, and that’s where the problem lies.

A fresh source of food is something not to be sniffed at, and most residential properties (and some commercial) have an abundance of it, especially in trash dumpsters and the like. It is this that has led to the change in habitat for not just the squirrel, but a string of other wild critters also. They are giving up their own wild spots for urban ones, and this is because humans are these animals’ best chance of survival.

In the wild, there are very few places left to call home. In areas where squirrels are pests, the high populations will be competing with each other for resources, such as food and shelter. When the room and food runs out, the squirrels must find somewhere else, otherwise, they will die. Food, water, and shelter is paramount.

Human territories don't just provide a constant and regular source of food, but also plenty of places to shelter in. In fact, more so than what can often be found in the small remaining forested areas. An attic here, a porch there, perhaps under the balcony in another yard …? When you look at everything human residences have to offer up, there’s no surprise that squirrels are jumping at the chance to take advantage of it, feasting, stashing, and living where they can.

For these reasons — lack of natural habitats, plenty of new human habitats, and way more food than the humans could ever eat, it is no wonder that all wild animals are coming in to take a closer look. It isn’t just squirrels, but raccoons, foxes, coyotes, opossums, skunks, and more.

Go back to the Squirrel Removal page, or learn tips to do it yourself with my How to Get Rid of Squirrels guide.