Inviting some squirrels to come around your backyard is definitely a good idea. You can have a fairy tale experience to enjoy every single day on your own property.
To do so, you have to know all of their favorite things, starting from their favorite foods to decorations. You have to make sure that your garden is appealing enough to those squirrels so they can see it as their habitat.
Below, we have a step-by-step guide on How to Attract Squirrels to Your Backyard that will help you to get the job done all by yourself.
How to Attract Squirrels to Your Backyard
Create natural shelter
Squirrel is a bit shy, so they don’t really like to show themselves off out in the open environment. The very first thing that you have to make sure of is that your garden has some kind of natural shelter for those squirrels to get settled. Your garden won’t look that appealing to them when you don’t provide some spots that they can use to hide.
Luckily, you can create a natural cover all by yourself using some natural supplies around your garden. If you got some dead woods, you can stack some of them on an angle that can shade them comfortably. Planting tall grasses and shrubberies is also a good option to make your garden look safe for those squirrels.
Provide food source
Once the squirrels know that your garden is safe enough for them to hang around, of course, you need to serve them some food. Providing food sources for squirrels is a piece of cake, you just need to install some squirrel feeders that you can find in local stores or e-commerce.
You might find that some gardens which are decorated to attract squirrels have some squirrel feeders installed at an elevation. This placement can provide convenience for them to access the feeder all by themselves whenever they need to. However, the spot where you install the feeder should be far away from the high-traffic area in your outdoor living space.
Keep in mind to ensure that the feeders are never empty or the squirrels won’t see your garden as a promising habitat. As time goes by, you will have some kind of routine of when to fill the feeders with those nuts and acorns.
In addition, you can also install an outdoor camera near the feeders so you can see their eating behavior. Of course, it will cost you more but having some cute footage of the squirrels hanging around your backyard sounds quite entertaining.
Choose the right trees
If you have decided to attract the squirrels to your garden, you need to plant their favorite trees. Since they love nuts, you might want to consider planting nut trees around your garden. The more nut trees that you plant, the more squirrels will come around.
Squirrels also love trees which have some hollow branching structures that you can find in your local nursery. These trees provide some cozy spots for the squirrels to build their nests.
One thing about these trees is that they can grow so big so you need to regularly prune and trim them. You don’t want their branches to get too close to your roof since it can provide entry wats for annoying pests to get through your house.
Provide water source
Squirrels need a lot of water each day, so you can provide some around your garden to attract them. Wild squirrels often find it hard to get a clean water source, and they will be grateful if your garden has some to share.
The easiest way for this is to place some birdbaths which are filled with clean fresh water consistently. You also have to make sure that you clean the baths on a regular basis before it looks ugly and smells unpleasant.
If you are willing enough, you can add a striking water feature to your outdoor living space like a pond, waterfall, or fountain.
(Read also: How to Get Rid of Cicadas All by Yourself Quickly)
Add deciduous hedges
In addition to the homemade natural shelter, planting deciduous hedges is definitely a good way to provide more shade for those squirrels. They definitely love it when your garden has some options of natural covers that they can choose.
Hornbeams are a good option that you can consider adding to your garden. They will make it more appealing to those squirrels.
Try to get close
As mentioned before, squirrels don’t really like to be seen so you can’t see them as pets. They will most likely run away when they notice your presence around the garden.
However, it doesn’t mean that you can get close to them and you can’t really enjoy their presence if you keep maintaining your distance. Of course, it will take a long time to really make some kind of relationship with them. As you consistently feed them and maintain the garden, you will see that they won’t be afraid of your presence anymore.
Remove any traps
If you have installed some traps like holes or shallow spaces, you really need to remove them immediately. Once the squirrels notice that your backyard has some traps (even the natural ones) they will not come back around. They will see your backyard as an unsafe place to live.
Add a plank to provide easy traffic on your pond and cover the open gutter around your property. The safer your backyard is, the more comfortable they will feel.
Stay patience
Above everything, patience is the most important thing that you always have to keep in mind when you are planning to turn your backyard into the squirrels’ habitat. If you live close to the woods with quiet surroundings, it might be easy for you to have some squirrels coming into your backyard. For you who live in a busy neighborhood, it may take a little while.
It might take around two weeks from the time you have decorated your garden to attract squirrels to finally see them come around. Don’t wait, just let it be.
(Image source: depositphotos.com)
