Each squirrel family has a separate apartment! (Belchatnik). House for do-it-yourself squirrels House for a small squirrel for winter

If you have apples, pears, hazelnuts or walnuts growing in your country house, it is most likely that squirrels will be frequent guests in the garden. Don't be intimidated. Cute and funny animals of the northern forests will give pleasant moments for both adults and children. These animals can be easily domesticated. To begin with, you can install a suitable teremok in the garden for them.

A squirrel house is easy to build with your own hands. Children can also be involved in such an exciting activity.

A little about squirrels, their house

In the wild, such rodents have their own home - a hollow. It functions as a multi-room facility. By its nature, protein is very hardworking, so for the winter it makes harvesting of mushrooms, nuts, seeds. In the deep hollow there is a pantry for food. Since these animals breed 2 times a year, there is a place for a maternity hospital. Little squirrels with their mother spend time in a hollow until they are 3 months old. There is a kindergarten room here. Such a dwelling protects fluffy squirrels from enemies and bad weather.

As a rule, in winter, small animals live in groups, helping each other in severe frosts. During spring, when it comes time to have children, every couple is looking for their own home. The process of natural selection begins.

Healthy and strong animals settle in habitable hollows, driving out their legitimate owners. Tragedy can be prevented by putting the feeders on time and calling the kids to help them build a special habitat for the squirrels.

Very friendly and brave animals settle near people's homes in the event that they do not see any danger for themselves in the neighborhood. Making a house for an unpretentious coquette is not only a manifestation of care and love for an animal, but also a person's attitude to nature.

By the way, a squirrel can live not only in a hollow:

An interesting video on how squirrels can choose a hollow:

In forests, red animals like to be in the hollows of oak or in coniferous trees. Buildings for them should be made of just such wood.

In the photo there are several squirrels:

In relation to living conditions, these animals are demanding and picky. Before making a do-it-yourself squirrel house, you need to take into account some of the nuances:

The structure should only be wooden... Animals will not settle in every tree. For example, in a house with an excellent layout of fruit trees, poplar or acacia, they will not be found. If there is no material from oak or pine needles, you can use birch or aspen wood. Iron, plastic, plastic parts cannot be used for the house. Remains of lumber are suitable for the construction.
Having made such a teremok, should not be treated with varnish or paint... Animals do not tolerate such smells, and will not live in such a house.
It will be much more comfortable for the animals to be in impromptu hollow than in a luxury apartment. Standard parameters should be approximately 55x40x45 cm. The size of the hole is no more than 7 cm in diameter.

Drawings of houses for squirrels:

In order for a squirrel to settle in a house built for it, certain rules must be followed:

At first, you can choose the tree on which the housing will be mounted. You can choose it closer to your windows, so that you can then watch the life of the animal from home.
To avoid direct sunlight, it is required to install the squirrel house on the south side.
For the safety of the animal, the height of the housing can be about 5 meters.

Do not forget that such rodents, although small, are small animals. Although they can be trained to hand feed, this is not recommended. They can be carriers of plague or other animal diseases. They are also able to bite painfully.

How to build a house for a squirrel with your own hands from wood

This little rodent has its own character. In America, local farmers dislike these animals, as they are capable of destroying grain and corn. There they adapted to live in very unusual conditions - they can be seen in cardboard boxes, in abandoned attics, plastic containers.

Domestic forest beauties prefer a more comfortable home. The most suitable construction option is a two-story squirrel house with an internal partition.

Option 1

To build a simple and convenient house for a squirrel, you need an edged board 30 cm wide, 1.8 cm thick.Further, you need to perform the following work:

Select a 55 cm board and cut it off. This will be its back wall, its dimensions are 55x30 cm.
Mark the bottom and top of the back wall by 5 cm. These are the parts for which the house will be attached to the tree.
Saw out the side walls. Two parts 45x25 cm come out of them.
For the inner partition, a piece of 20x25 cm is cut out.
The lid should be of the following parameters: 30x30 cm, the bottom - 25x30 cm.
To make the porch, take two planks.
From the top, in the left part of the facade, make a hole for the entrance, the diameter of which is 7–8 cm.

When all the details of the future tower are ready, you can proceed to the assembly itself. Every detail should be sanded with sandpaper, since even small cuts are dangerous for squirrels. After making sure that the glue does not have strong and persistent odors, all the parts must be collected on it. If everything is in order, all this is fixed with self-tapping screws.

Option 2

It will be more comfortable for squirrels to live in a newly built log house. It reminds them of a natural habitat. And they settle in it with pleasure. The design of such housing is similar to natural decor. The assembly structure is simple.

First, a log is cut, the diameter of which is 40 cm, and the walls are 3 cm. The inner surface needs to be processed - sanded. Then the inlet is sawn through, the lid is nailed. The finished house can be safely attached to a tree.

Video on how to make a house for a squirrel with your own hands:

Where to install a squirrel house

Housing for the Veveritsa (as the squirrel is sometimes called) should be not only comfortable, but also properly designed. It must be installed in the right place. For this, the house is placed end-to-end with a tree trunk. Branches should not be a hindrance to him. The manhole opening must be placed on the south or east side.

At the bottom of the house, you can put pieces of moss or tow. Later, squirrels will be able to make their abode more comfortable.

How to set up a squirrel enclosure

What are the squirrel enclosures:

Since squirrels are unpretentious animals, they can willingly settle in an apartment. The future house - an aviary or squirrel cage - should be located opposite the window. The size of the area depends on the number of animals. These cute creatures need a height of up to 3 meters.

First you need to assemble the frame. The planks and planks must be strong and are suitable for supports that are firmly set to the floor and ceiling. The entire enclosure should be covered with a net. You can fix the mesh using self-tapping screws. In the squirrel house, it is required to make a small door for cleaning the premises and delivering food.

How else can you make a protein cage:

Making a feeder

In the photo there are different feeders for squirrels:

A quick and easy way to make a small animal feeder is with a plastic bottle. Its most suitable volume is 5 liters. A round hole with a diameter of 10 cm is made in the bottle.

A nest can be made for a whole family of beverits to settle. The nesting house will not be so high, but wide, so that the mother and her children are comfortable. At the bottom of the inlet, 2-3 perches for babies are installed. The nest should be attached to the tree so that it is not accessible to predators. Make sure that it is not blown by the wind. The bottom of the house is covered with dry leaves and hay so that the Veverica can make a nest.

To make the mother of the kids comfortable to live in the garden, you can combine such a teremok with a feeder. On the opposite side from the entrance of the panel, cut a hole with the diameter of the neck of a liter can. Its bottom should be made longer, according to the height of this can. Various delicacies are poured into it. These can be seeds, nuts, apples and other delicacies that are inserted into the holes of the house and attached with a dart to the bottom bar. To replenish food regularly, the jar should be easy to remove.

Another variant:

Today these animals are very popular all over the world for catching beautiful skins. And their extraordinary fertility saves them. The number of cubs may be from 10. Every year, more and more forests are destroyed, but squirrels find a way out here too - they move to parks, gardens, they can even be found in vineyards. Preparing for winter, the clever boreal forest is stocking up on plenty. Other animals often steal hidden food. Sometimes she forgets where she hid. Over time, seeds and nuts sprout, giving life to new plantings.

Squirrels are funny and lovable. They will never live in ecologically unfavorable places.

And if you see a clever tailed girl near your window, at home or in the country, everything is not so bad in your city or village.

And we will deal with the correct size of the squirrel house.

First, about what lives in our area:
Common squirrel - Central Russian or Veksha. Habitat: in the north - to Novgorod, in the west - to Pskov and Kaluga, to the south - to Tula, Penza, Syzran, in the east - along the river. Kama to Perm. Therefore, in the Moscow and neighboring regions, the veksha lives.

There are about 15 more subspecies on the territory of Russia. Life expectancy in the wild is 3-4 years. In captivity up to 10-12 years. The mating season for the common squirrel takes place in the middle of winter. One female can have about 6 males. After mating with the winner, the female builds a brood nest (sometimes 2-3); it is neater and larger. Nests are built only by females. The gestation period is about 38 days. Squirrels are born naked and blind, their weight is only 8 grams. The litter contains from 3 to 10 cubs. Weight - only 250-340 grams.

False information!
Who writes the articles you read? Copywriters! They don't make squirrel houses! They just write. And they write mostly complete nonsense. The correct sizes of squirrel crawlers, indicated in the same article on the search engine pages, are not correct and not logical. They mislead you because invented on their knees to increase attendance. All from one source, pictures do not correspond to texts!

So what should be the size of the squirrel?

We enter in the search engine: "Squirrel size" and: - dear mother! Some are even looking for "Ideal Squirrel Crawfish". Probably the perfect protein. As a result, all the material was provided by a man in blue slippers, who had a board 30 cm wide. And this "correct" man, deduced the formula of the correct squirrel.

A little information that will help you figure it out, and not stupidly believe!
In deciduous forests, the squirrel usually lives in hollows, dragging there a soft bedding of grass, tree lichens, and dry leaves. In conifers, it builds spherical nests from dry branches (gayna), which are lined from the inside with moss, leaves, grass, wool. The squirrel builds a nest in a diameter of 25-30 cm. Moreover, what is very important, 25-30 cm is the outer diameter of the nest !!! And the hollow she occupies whatever it is necessary. Very often it takes birdhouses, gnawing a hole. https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Squirrel

It is interesting!

In order not to bother with the construction of the nest, the squirrel occupies the birdhouse. The males do not bother building their own nest, but settle in the housing left by the females or in the empty nests of magpies, blackbirds and crows.

You can find a recommendation to make a house for squirrels measuring 30 X 30 cm. This is not a house for a squirrel, this is idiocy! And in some sources up to 45 cm. ??? Who will offer more? For comparison! The duck house has a size of 30x30x65 cm.

Let's think, why is this unnecessary?
The required heat is calculated depending on the area of the room, or more precisely, on the volume. The area of a circle is less than the area of a square. Simplest calculation: For a diameter of 30 cm. (Radius 15 cm) Area of a circle S = πR² S = 3.1428 X (15x15) = 707, 13 cm \ sq. S square = 30 X 30 = 900 cm \ sq.... with such an area, the diameter of the nest should be 33.84 cm. And this is beyond the scope of what the squirrel does on its own. Does it make sense to make the squirrel more than is required? It seems to me that just such was the board of the one who multiplied this proposal on the Internet. Or according to the principle: more - more solid - more expensive. That's how much stuff !!! But there is nature, there is mathematics, there is thermodynamics. In cold weather, squirrels gather in groups so as not to freeze.

The required volume for keeping warm limits the size of the squirrel. The material costs a penny, and the work is expensive. You can make a squirrel 5 cm more with the same efforts, and sell at a higher price. Tell me what is more expensive for work, cut off 1 meter of the board or 2 meters. Is it the same? And visually? But why a tree house the size of a country toilet? We calculate the size of the house rationally, trying to combine the necessary comfort parameters and a pleasant appearance. For a diameter of 25 cm (radius 12.5 cm) S nest = 491 cm \ sq. We calculate the width of the wall of the square of the bottom. √ 491 = 22.15 cm. Considering that squirrels occupy birdhouses, where the wall of the square of the bottom is 12 - 14 cm.

So what's the right squirrel house?

The correct squirrel is a nut! A sphere with a diameter of 25-30 cm. On the outer surface!
Let's calculate the volume of a nest 30 cm in diameter. The volume of the sphere is V = 4 / 3πR³. We consider V = 4 / 3X3.1428x0.15³ V = 0.014 (m³)
Total: r = 15 (cm); V = 14139 (cm³) or 14 liters.
Now a house with a base 30X30 and a height of 40 cm. V = 0.3x0.3x 0.4 = 0.036 (m³)
Result: 30x30x40cm. V = 36000 (cm³) or 36 liters.
Feel the difference. This is 2.57 times the required volume!
We hope we managed to explain the meaninglessness of large houses for squirrels?

So let's repeat:

Squirrels even occupy birdhouses.
They just spend the night there.
They are constantly changing their dwellings. New proteins every time. One squirrel can have about 10 - 15 shelters, which are located in different parts of the forest. In winter, several squirrels can gather in one nest at once, the animals warm each other with their bodies and wait out the cold. In a huge house, they will freeze.
Your personal, acquaintance or favorite squirrel will not live on your site. This requires an aviary. But they will change their dwellings, so there will always be squirrels.
A nest that makes a squirrel for a brood 25-30 cm in diameter! Outside diameter! This is a ball in which the inner walls and ceiling height are no more than 20 cm. Not a room with a height of 70 cm. !!!
A nest with a diameter of 25 cm. This is a small house with a wall up to 20 x 20 cm. Not 30cm. not 45cm. And this is for the brood. That is, in such a house, she will breed offspring, and the offspring will not die from the cold.
There are no internal shelves and partitions in the nests and hollows. See pictures. No need to invent!
You don't need to put grain there. Beds and pillows are not fitted.
The squirrel makes supplies throughout the forest. Not in the house! This is not a hamster. They also write that the squirrel suits the storage. We've read a lot of fairy tales and seen enough cartoons. Ropes with mushrooms, nuts, acorns. There's no such thing!
The unshaped inner surface allows wasps and hornets to build nests inside the house. She also collects wool and dirt, being an additional source of infection.
Birdhouse-like notches on the inner wall are not needed!
The joints of the walls should not have gaps.
Hang at a height of 7 meters or more.
Squirrels are not afraid of the smell of paint! There is no point in processing internally. And outside? The paint wears off in a week. Squirrels of the 21st century are accustomed to smell and color life. The fact that the house should not be painted is invented by the village of Old Believers who wash their heads with ashes. Don't listen to idiots!
The correct squirrel is not a shape or size! The correct squirrel is a volume in which the squirrel is warm and comfortable!

(18 estimates, average: 4,14 out of 5)

If not far from your summer cottage there is at least a small forest, then it is likely that squirrels will become frequent guests in the garden. Observing these funny animals is a great pleasure for both children and adults.

If you want to tame a squirrel, set up a house for it on a tree in your garden. You can buy a ready-made house at a pet store or build one yourself. This is no more difficult than building a birdhouse, and you can also involve children in this exciting activity.

Seat selection

Squirrel Housing can be built as a normal wooden box with hole if you are an aspiring amateur carpenter.

In order for the squirrel to like its new home, several rules must be observed:

Carefully select the tree on which the squirrel house will be hung. It's good if you can see it from the window, because watching the life of its inhabitants is very exciting.
The house should be located on the south side, but not in direct sunlight.
When installing the house, it is necessary to take into account the direction of the wind so that the draft does not blow into the inlet.
For the squirrel to feel safe, the height of the attachment of the house should be about 5 meters.
Squirrel material must be natural. Any wood will do, you can use the remnants of lumber. It is not necessary to use plastic during construction, as squirrels can gnaw it.
When the animal settles in the house, do not forget that this is a wild animal. You should not pick it up while trying to tame it. Squirrels have sharp teeth and claws, which they use as self-defense. In addition, living in their natural habitat, they can be carriers of dangerous diseases. Pets can also suffer from close contact with squirrels.

The easiest option

This option does not require special construction tools and carpentry skills. In order to start building a house, you will need:

Measure a 55x30 cm rectangle on the board and cut it out - this will be the back wall of the house. The second rectangle (50x30 cm) is the blank for the front side.

The two sides of the ribs will be 55x30 cm in size, so that the roof of the house is at an angle for water to drain after rain.

The upper and lower planks are cut to the size of 30x30 cm, one of them will be the roof, and the second will be the bottom.

When creating an entrance to the house on one of the side surfaces, you need to draw a circle with a diameter of about 8 cm. Place the hole closer to the front and top surface... The entrance must be cut out with a jigsaw and must be sanded.

You need to fasten the walls together in the following order:

Trough

The easiest and fastest option for a squirrel feeder is to make it from a plastic bottle... A 5 liter bottle is best. You just need to make a round hole with a diameter of 10 cm in the bottle. The hole should be 2 cm above the bottom.

Nest house

If you are not new to carpentry and want to have a home in your garden a whole family of squirrels, you can try to organize a nest.

The nest house is built less high, but wider, so that the mother is comfortable with the kids. Several toddler perches can be installed under the inlet. It is necessary to fasten the nest to the tree in such a way that it was not accessible to predators and was not blown by the wind... At the bottom of the house, dry leaves and hay should be laid to make it easier for the squirrel to make a nest.

So that mom does not have to leave her babies for a long time, you can combine a house with a feeder... To do this, in the panel opposite to the entrance, it is necessary to cut a round hole with a diameter commensurate with the neck of a liter can, and make the bottom of the house longer by the height of this can. To the bank pour in the goodies for squirrels, insert into the hole of the house and firmly attach with wire to the bottom bar. The jar should be easily removable for replenishing food.

Having built such a house for a squirrel family, it is likely that in the spring you will be able to admire squirrels crawling out to bask in the sun and eat squirrels from the feeder.

Belchatnik for degus

Finished cage

You shouldn't try to catch a wild squirrel and put it in a cage. Better to let the animal stay in the wild, in natural conditions. If you want to keep a rodent at home, you can get a degu... This little brown rodent is size 15 -2 5 cm looks and behaves like a squirrel, only without a fluffy tail.

Degu is very - sociable and social rodents, easy to tame and rarely bite... Degu are able to recognize their masters, have a fairly good memory and behave more openly with people they know. They and what are they not afraid of?, That's why able to defend themselves from cats, dogs and a vacuum cleaner. They are very curious, taste and smell everything new.

need a big cage about a meter high and at least 60 cm wide, as they have to run and climb a lot. They love to chew on everything, so plastic should not be used when building a house, rodents should not be placed in glass aquariums, they are poorly ventilated. A metal cage works best.... It would be nice to build a house with several floors and tiers. The bottom should be with a pull-out tray for easy cleaning.

Degu will appreciate the house with furniture: branches, pipes, stairs, ropes. You need to place automatic drinker and several feeders for dry and plant foods. Can put the wheel with a diameter of about 30 cm, the degu will happily run in it. It is better if the wheel is solid, and not wire, otherwise the tail may get stuck in it, and it is a weak point in these animals. Like lizards, a degus throws off its tail in case of danger, but it will not grow back again.

You can put a cup of sand in the house, the animal will be happy to swim in it and clean the fur. The flooring must be continuous and is covered with a material suitable for digging, such as a mixture of peat or wood shavings. The litter should be changed periodically.

The cage must fit away from direct sunlight and drafts... The room should be about 20 degrees Celsius. The animals will survive even in severe frosts, but they do not like humid, damp air.

Homemade house

If you cannot find a degu cage suitable for comfortable living, you can build it yourself.

The upper part of the cage will consist of a wire mesh with cells of no more than 2x2 cm, you can buy it at a hardware store or hardware store. The lower part with a pallet can be made of hard wood, lined with sheet metal inside. It is necessary to consider closing the cage so that the animals cannot open the door. You can put a branchy part of the tree in the cage, along which the rodent will be happy climb and sharpen your teeth.

Inside the cage you can attach a small house- the same as for the squirrel, where the animal can hide in case of danger or for rest. The house is made 20x15 cm in size and 10x12 cm in height. Best used when building a degu mink. bitter-tasting conifers so that the house is not eaten by a rodent.

You don't need to be an architect to build a tree house for a squirrel or a den for a pet rodent, this is quite within the power of people without special construction skills... Observing the life of animals will be fascinating for all family members. This process also provides educational experience for children.

If it is a stone's throw from the dacha to the forest, be sure to install a squirrel house on the site. Curious beauties will quickly spot suitable housing and settle into new territory. And you enjoy the dacha life with ginger neighbors: watch their games, feed them - over time the squirrels will be tamed and become good friends.

Video idea: original squirrel feeder house

Why squirrels need housing

Fluffy animals live alone, each in need of their own shelter. In the forest, they equip hollows or build their own nests in trees, most often spruces. Home for them is:

protection from snowfalls and cold weather (in fierce winter, fluffy animals do not show their nose from the nest for several days);
a pantry with a variety of food supplies (hardworking animals collect nuts, mushrooms, seeds, berries all summer long, if there are no supplies, even in frosts, squirrels go in search of food and often die);
a place for the birth and hatching of cubs (squirrels are born twice a year: in spring and summer; bald, blind, helpless creatures - there are from 3 to 10 of them in the litter - live in their home for up to 3 months; until they grow up, a caring mother is almost not leaves the hideout).

We fix the squirrel house on a tree

In a fierce cold, animals help each other, several of them settle in one nest. But in the spring, each squirrel needs a separate dwelling to hatch offspring. In this case, the strongest survives, often the animals drive the lawful tenants out of the birdhouses and settle there. Therefore, installing a "birdhouse" for squirrels will not only delight you and your loved ones, but will significantly help cute animals and birds.

You will find ready-made squirrel in the shops: from a simple structure to a multi-storey palace. When choosing, do not get carried away by brightness and catchiness. For animals, it is much more important how and what the housing is made of.

Requirements for the squirrel

The material is only natural wood. Squirrels live in natural conditions. Plastic and other artificial "non-breathing" structures will not work for them.
The inner walls cannot be processed. If you notice traces of varnish, paint and other chemicals - do not buy. The animals will be afraid of non-native smells and will not settle on such a living space.
Sizes must be respected. Squirrels love cozy small nests, so a compact squirrel is preferable. The best parameters are as follows: height - no more than 55 cm, width - 40 cm, depth - 45 cm. The opening of the manhole should be round, with a diameter of 6-7 cm. In huge buildings - and there are few chances that tenants will appear there - the squirrels will freeze.

Installation rules

Create a "native" living environment for the cute new settlers. When installing the squirrel cage, observe the following rules:

attach it to a tree;
height - at least 5 meters from the ground, then the squirrels will feel safe;
it is better to turn the window to the south or east;
take into account the direction of the winds in your area - the hollow cannot be directed towards constant winds;
put some moss or tow on the bottom - they will be useful to residents for filling cracks;
build a feeder next to the tree - so nimble friends will quickly get used to a new place.

You can create shelter for squirrels yourself. The construction of the house will delight you and the children, and the enthusiasm when communicating with dear neighbors will noticeably increase.

Tricks of making squirrels

Use any kind of board, even a slab.
The material must be dry.
With a board thickness of 2-2.5 cm, the structure will last longer.
Do not plan the boards for the inner walls.
Strictly observe the dimensions: width of the side panels - 30 cm, front and rear - 25. The rest of the parameters are indicated above.
Do not nail the bottom from the outside, but insert it inside - it will not fall off for a long time.

There are two common ways to build a do-it-yourself squirrel house: from a birdhouse-shaped board and from a whole log.

How easy it is to build a dwelling from a board

Building a home with the advice of experienced builders will be quick and easy. Build a two-storey squirrel cottage - the animals love to settle in families, and you will be more cheerful from a pleasant invasion.

Prepare materials for work. Purchase three meters of planks 30 cm wide and 18 mm thick. Take a hacksaw and a cutting square.

The house has been built!

How to build a whole squirrel house

In log houses, animals settle with pleasure: it is cozy there and, thanks to the thick walls, it is very warm. These squirrels will naturally fit into any design and blend in with your garden. When purchasing a log, keep in mind that most of all squirrels love coniferous and oak hollows, they reluctantly settle in birch and aspen, and poplar ones completely bypass. Use a log with a diameter of at least 40 cm.

Step-by-step construction of a house from a solid log

build a roof - saw off a circle 4 cm thick;
cut a piece 40 cm long - this is a squirrel blank;
hollow out a cavity in the hemp of the sizes necessary for the animals to live, not forgetting to leave the thickness of the side walls and bottom about 3 cm;
cut a round hole on the side - a hole;
nail on top of the previously made cover;
if desired, arrange a porch - pin a snag or a thick branch.

The wonderful squirrel is ready! In the same way, a two-story log house is created.

Duplex apartment from a solid piece of wood

saw off two circles 4 cm thick - the bottom of the first floor and the roof of the second;
prepare a piece of log 75 cm long;
hollow out holes 35 cm deep in it from the ends, not forgetting about the thickness of the walls;
attach the bottom and roof;
cut the two entry holes at the desired height.

You have built a luxurious apartment for a family of nimble animals!

How to care for a house

Over time, all dwellings are inhabited by bacteria, an unpleasant odor appears, and animals can get sick. So, caring for a squirrel is a thorough harvest at the end of summer. It is not worth contacting harmful microorganisms; put on rubber gloves before work.

Remove all debris, dirt and insulation materials, if used. You can wipe the bottom and walls with a damp cloth. Then add fresh bedding.

Summer with a house for charming squirrels will definitely be warm - your hearts will be warmed by the thought that you have helped wildlife.

If there is a forest next to a summer cottage, it is very likely that some of its inhabitants will want to settle nearby. As you know, birdhouses are made for birds, and cages for some animals. It is no less interesting to make a squirrel house with your own hands. Moreover, it is not difficult to make it, and if squirrels settle on the site, this will only revive the area.

To make a squirrel correctly, you must first of all take into account the characteristics of the behavior of proteins:

The house is made only of wood. At the same time, it should not be treated with stain, varnishes or paints - any extraneous odors will scare off the squirrels.
You can take any boards or logs, but they must certainly be dry - a wet tree will dry very slowly, and if you hang a squirrel from fresh wood, it will not have time to completely dry out by winter.
Since winters can be quite severe in our latitudes, it is important at the design stage of the house to take into account that all walls are thick enough, and it is important to lay out the inner surfaces with dry warm materials (moss, cotton cloth, napkins).
If the board is too dangerous and contains a lot of chips, it must be sanded to prevent the squirrels from scratching.

Thus, a well-made squirrel house is a house that is as close as possible to the conditions of a natural (squirrel hollow) and at the same time warm enough for the proteins in it to feel good even on frosty days.

A well-made squirrel house is a house that is as close as possible to the conditions of a natural squirrel hollow

Making a simple squirrel feeder

You can make an ordinary squirrel feeder from available tools in literally 1 day.

Create a project and a drawing of a house, which accurately take into account the ratio of the sizes of all parts: the bottom, side walls and the roof (you can also make the back wall and shelves).
Choose the material for the house - a dry wooden board is optimal.
Transfer all the details to the board using a pencil and a ruler; cut them out carefully.
Fasten all parts with nails or self-tapping screws.
Secure the feeder to the tree with sturdy wire or cable ties.

There are other, simpler options for making a feeder - for example, from a cardboard box or a plastic bottle. But these are very short-lived models, moreover, squirrels will more willingly feed in feeders made from natural materials, rather than from artificial ones.

Gallery: squirrel house (25 photos)

How to make a squirrel with your own hands (video)

How to make a do-it-yourself squirrel house from boards

Making a house out of boards is not very difficult. It is important to correctly calculate the dimensions of all parts and securely fasten them to each other.

Determine the dimensions and build a drawing

Before starting the construction of a squirrel cage, it is important to accurately calculate all the dimensions of its walls and roof. One of the proven options is represented by the following details:

Bottom and roof dimensions 55 cm long, 30 cm wide.
The side walls are the same: 45 * 25 cm.
Internal partition measuring 25 cm long and 20 cm wide.

Important! In this version, you get an ordinary house with a flat roof. However, you can make it vaulted. Then the work will become a little more: you need to calculate the angle of the arch, the parameters of the roof and make the endings of the side walls in the form of corners so that the house is completely sealed.

Before starting the construction of a squirrel cage, it is important to accurately calculate all the dimensions of its walls and roof.

Preparation of materials and tools

For work, you need to use only a wood board, preferably already sanded so as not to plant splinters for yourself and the squirrels. There are only 2 fundamental requirements for the material - it must be untreated, and the wall thickness is ideally from 1.5-2 cm.

The tools you will need for this job are as follows:

pencil and ruler;
hacksaw for wood;
jigsaw (preferably electric);
screwdriver and self-tapping screws;
sandpaper;
odorless waterproof glue.

For work, you need to use only a wooden board

Stages of making a squirrel house

Making a house includes 2 large stages - cutting out all the parts and connecting them into a single whole. The sequence of actions will be as follows:

Transferring all the details to the wooden board using a pencil and ruler. This is a very demanding task - the errors should be within 5 mm.
Sawing out all rectangular parts along the contour.
Sawing out in the upper third of one of the lateral sides of a round hole with a diameter not exceeding 7 cm.
Sanding of all surfaces if necessary.
Bonding all parts with waterproof glue. If it is not possible to pick up odorless glue, it is better not to use it at all.
Allow the entire structure to dry out in the sun during the day.
Fasten all the parts with self-tapping screws (using a screwdriver).
Hang the house from the tree with clamps or wire.

How to make a squirrel feeder (video)

Squirrel home decoration

The squirrel house can be decorated with any decorative elements that you like. But the main condition is that proteins also like them. As already mentioned, these animals do not tolerate any artificial odors. Accordingly, it is impossible to paint the house in any case.

Accordingly, only “natural” decoration products are available, for example:

cones that can be nailed to the walls or roof of the squirrel;
elements of artistic woodcarving (the option is suitable for houses made of solid logs);
pictures that can be previously burned out on a board, from which the walls of the house can then be made;
entrance decor - you can make a semblance of a porch (a platform, like a birdhouse); this element also has practical benefits - it will be easier for proteins to get inside.

The squirrel house can be decorated with any decorative elements that you like

How to make a solid log squirrel house

Making a house from a solid log will be a little more difficult - you need to make more effort to cut out all the elements in dense wood. However, the advantages of such a house over the previous model undoubtedly have:

solid wood is a completely natural material in which squirrels will feel like in a natural hollow;
such squirrels have thick and dense walls, so they are always warmer than their wooden counterparts;
Finally, a log house looks more natural, it will look good against the background of any tree.

The main condition for creating a good house in this case is to find a good, dry enough log of suitable dimensions. If it was recently cut from the tree, it is best to dry it outdoors for a month. However, if there is no opportunity to wait so long, you can first make a squirrel, and only then dry the finished product by hanging it on a tree.

Making a house from a solid log will be a little more difficult.

The sequence of actions will be as follows:

Sizes are determined in advance. as described in the example above.
A piece 6-7 cm thick is sawn off from the log - this will be the roof of the future house.
Next, the house itself is sawn off - in length it usually ranges from 40 to 50 cm.
Now comes the most difficult and time-consuming stage - you need to hollow out a cylindrical cavity inside. The main requirement is that the width of the walls is at least 5 cm so that the squirrels do not freeze in winter;
Next, a round entrance is cut out - no more than 7 cm in diameter, this is quite enough for animals.
If possible, you can attach a branch in front of the entrance, along which it will be convenient for the squirrel to get into its house.

The finished squirrel is fixed to the tree, as described above.

You can attach the house with clamps or wire, but without pinning it to a tree - this will greatly harm it

Rules for installing squirrel in the garden

Here are some simple rules to keep in mind when placing a squirrel on a tree:

You can attach the house with clamps or wire. but not nailing him to a tree would be very harmful to him.
You should choose the right tree - it should be thick enough along the entire length and not swayed by the wind. For example, a young, low birch is clearly not suitable for such purposes.
If possible, it is best to fix the house on conifers - this way the squirrels will feel at home; oak is also suitable, in the last place, preference can be given to birch or aspen.
The height of the squirrel cage should be at least 5 meters.
It is best to attach it on the south or east side, which receives the maximum amount of light. However, if the winds constantly blow on these sides, then the house must be attached in another place.

Choosing the right place for attaching the feeder is no less important than making it with high quality. Squirrels are very fearful animals, and they will not live even in a very good house if they consider its position not safe enough.