How are squirrels kept and bred? Frequently asked questions answered

1. Keeping environment Squirrels are very lively, especially fond of climbing trees, and their activity space is fairly three-dimensional, so a wide and tall cage should be chosen as far as possible. Since squirrels are used to building nests in trees, the nest box should be installed high up in the cage. A nest box intended for small birds with the entrance at a high position can be used instead. Squirrels move very quickly, so care must be taken when opening and closing doors to prevent them from escaping through the gap. If one does escape, and you suddenly grab it forcefully, avoid being bitten by the squirrel.

The housing for keeping squirrels should generally face the southeast, be warm in winter and cool in summer, and have a certain amount of light, which is good for the animals' health. The animal housing and cages must suit the animals' living habits. The housing for keeping squirrels can be made of wire mesh or nailed together from wooden boards, and the area should be appropriately large. When keeping a single squirrel, the outer activity cage can measure 60X25x45 cm, or a double-layer cage measuring 55X45X45 cm can be used, serving as the place for feeding, drinking, exercising and mating during breeding; the sides and top of the outer cage can be made of wire mesh with a mesh size of 4-3.5 cm, while the cage bottom can be woven from thicker wire; the two sides and the back can also be replaced with glass or sheet metal, fitted with a small door to make it easy for the animal to go in and out or for cleaning, or for putting in food and water. Besides the outer cage, there must also be a nest box, serving as the place for resting, sleeping and giving birth; the nest box can be nailed together from wooden boards 1.5-2.O cm thick, with length, width and height of 30X25X25 cm or 45X35X45 cm. The outer cage can be installed together with the nest box, or they can be placed separately, letting the squirrel go in and out freely.

Squirrels can also be kept on a large scale. In this case, a larger enclosure is needed, divided into two parts: an exercise area and housing where the animals rest and sleep. In the exercise area, trees should be planted or perches set up for the squirrels to climb and jump on. It is better to keep male and female adult squirrels separately outside the breeding season. If they are being kept for breeding stock, the squirrels should be given special care and can be kept separately. The keeping enclosure should be larger in area than for individuals kept in single cages, to ensure they get enough exercise; it can measure 90X30X45 cm, and the bottom of the cage should have a droppings tray for easy cleaning and disinfection.

Each keeping enclosure should be provided with a food bowl rack and a water bowl, and these should be fixed in place so they cannot be tipped over and dirty or wet the environment; the food bowl can be an enamel bowl or a small plastic bowl.

Although squirrels live in the cold-temperate coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest zone, thanks to their superb nest-building skills the temperature inside the nest is much higher than outside, so under artificial keeping conditions, to ensure they safely overwinter, the temperature should generally be maintained at 5-23 degrees Celsius and must not be too low, otherwise their reproductive capacity will be affected.

2. Feeding management Squirrels seem to feed mainly on the seeds of Fagaceae plants, but in nature they also eat a considerable number of insects, so it is best to also feed them some animal-based food. Nuts such as walnuts and chestnuts are a squirrel's favorite; cracking open the hard shells is not only a game for squirrels but also helps wear down their teeth. It is best to feed this kind of food often. If artificial feed is the main food, additional foods such as apples should also be supplied.

Good feed and scientific management are important conditions for ensuring the normal growth and development of squirrels, and are also conditions for improving the productive capacity of squirrels and improving breeds. Special attention should be paid to the content and quality of protein in the feed ratio. The feeds for squirrels include mixed feed, coarse feed and green juicy feed. Mixed feed is generally composed of barley, wheat, corn, soybeans and bran, with a content of 25% barley or wheat, 20% corn, 15% soybean cake, 10% soybeans, 20% bran, 6% fish meal, 3% bone meal and 1% salt; the nutritional composition of this mixed feed is: more than 20% protein, 6% fat and 42% carbohydrates, etc. Coarse feed mainly includes peanuts, sunflower seeds and walnuts, etc.; green juicy feed includes Chinese cabbage, carrots, rapeseed, mulberry leaves and holly leaves; in summer and autumn a little melon and fruit food such as cucumber, tomato and watermelon can also be fed. The approximate daily feed amount per squirrel is: about 30 grams of mixed feed, 200-250 grams of coarse feed, and 150-200 grams of green juicy feed. Feed three times a day, morning, noon and evening, and it is necessary to keep the feeding point fixed every day. For young squirrels, the number of feedings should be appropriately increased, to ensure they can eat at any time and to meet the energy and nutritional needs of their growth and development.

At different stages, squirrels have different changes in their nutritional requirements for food. For female squirrels, during pregnancy and lactation the feed should be varied, and the feed should be kept as fresh as possible with complete nutritional components, to meet the nutritional needs of the growth and development of the fetus or young, and in particular the protein content of the daily ration should be increased. For young at different developmental stages, attention must also be paid to the composition of the food's nutritional structure when feeding.

Male squirrels during the mating period and recovery period also need strengthened nutrition, with more fish meal and milk supplied; but note that if the supply of carbohydrates exceeds the feeding standard, it will cause a decline in the squirrel's constitution, and for the young it will affect their growth and development speed.