If you’re taking care of a baby squirrel, you may be wondering whether your animal sleeps for too long, or not for long enough. This article explores the question of ‘how much do baby squirrels sleep’
Baby squirrels spend their days doing one of three things: eating, sleeping, and pooping. Most of their days are spent sleeping, these tiny animals can sleep for 22 hours a day. In the wintertime, these animals can sleep for longer
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How much do baby squirrels sleep?
Squirrels of all ages live very active lives, these animals are known for running around all day looking for food, protecting their young, avoiding predators, and looking for mates.
Baby squirrels are not as active as adult squirrels are, in fact, these young animals spend a lot of their time sleeping.
Squirrels of all ages sleep for hours at a time. Adult squirrels need around 14/15 hours of sleep a day. This means that 60% of their life is spent sleeping.
Baby squirrels spend even more time sleeping. It is normal, and recommended, that baby squirrels sleep for 22 hours a day. Their days are usually filled with eating, sleeping and pooping.
Just as with any other animal, baby squirrels need to adjust to their new environment, their new environment is outside of their mother’s body, in the real world. They also use this sleep time to physically and mentally grow.
If you’re caring for a baby squirrel, let the animal sleep for as long as it needs to and only disturb it to feed the squirrel or to help with bowel movements. Once the animal grows older it will need less sleep.
These animals may need to sleep for longer during the wintertime. Eastern grey squirrels are a species of squirrel that have babies in the wintertime.
In such a case, if the squirrel mother gives birth to her young in the winter, the babies will need more hours of sleep. Mothers will sleep with their babies in dreys and burrows during the cold winter months.
FAQ:
Do baby squirrels twitch in their sleep?
If you notice that your baby squirrel twitches in its sleep don’t be alarmed this is normal. Yes, baby squirrels do twitch in their sleep.
Other normal things they do include grumbling, calling out, and wiggling when trying to sleep.
These are known as “sleep starts” or hypnic jerks and are involuntary muscle movements that transition the animals from wakefulness to deeper sleep stages
What sound do squirrels make at night?
Squirrels who are diurnal (are awake during the morning) sleep at night and do not make any noises as they sleep.
Certain squirrels, such as the flying squirrel, are nocturnal and are active during the night. These animals usually also stay silent during the night, they will only make noises when they communicate with each other.
When they do communicate, they make high pitched chirping sounds.
Do baby squirrels sleep on the ground?
Different squirrels keep their babies in different locations as they sleep.
Tree squirrels and ground squirrels are the two types of squirrels. Tree squirrels, which include the fox squirrel, the gray squirrel, and the red squirrel, make their homes in the sides of trees, this is also where they grow their families and thus where their babies sleep.
The other type of squirrel, the ground squirrel, digs to create burrows in the ground. This is where they raise babies and where their babies sleep at night, not necessarily on the ground but rather in the ground
Where do squirrels sleep when it rains?
Squirrels live in dreys or burrows. Dreys and burrows are built to keep the rain out and squirrels dry.
The dreys and burrows are also made strong enough to be able to withstand any heavy winds that may come with the rains.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, because baby squirrels need sleep to mentally and physically grow they need to sleep for around 22 hours a day. As these animals get older they will need to sleep less.
These animals do not make any sounds during the night as they are usually sleeping, if the squirrel is nocturnal, it will only make noise to communicate to other squirrels.
Baby squirrels can sleep in burrows made in the ground or in dreys made in trees depending on the type of squirrel it is. If it starts to rain, a squirrel can take shelter in its drey or burrow where it will be protected from the rain and any heavy winds that come with it.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other squirrel related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: What happens if a squirrel scratches you?, Why do squirrels like nuts?, What fruit do squirrels eat?