Why Squirrel Prevention Matters For New York Homeowners

Types of Squirrels Threatening New York Homes

Squirrels are unique rodents. The word "squirrel" comes from the Greek word, "skiouros" which means "shadow-tail." And this name is quite fitting as all squirrels have unique, very distinguishing tails. However, flying squirrels’ tails is a bit flatter than the tail of the common gray squirrel. The two squirrels mentioned above, the gray squirrel and the flying squirrel, are the most common types of squirrels that can be found invading homes in our area.

Gray Squirrels

As you could probably guess from their name, these little creatures have silverish-grey coats predominantly with areas of light brown fur. These squirrels also have white undersides, brownish-colored feet, faces, and backs, and bushy tails speckled with black and white. Growing as large as 20 inches from their nose to the tip of their tail, grey squirrels weigh approximately 24 ounces. Gray squirrels usually nest in trees, but they sometimes find entry points in roof areas of homes and take up residence in our attic spaces, especially during colder months.

Flying Squirrels

In New York, we have two species of flying squirrels: Northern flying squirrels and Southern flying squirrels. Northern flying squirrels have reddish-brown coats and white underbellies with large eyes and flat tails. Their Southern cousins are more grayish-brown in color, similar to the color of mice. They also have large dark eyes and flat tails. These species weigh about two ounces on average, making them the smallest squirrels found in New York! While these squirrels have the word "flying" in their name, they cannot actually fly. Instead, by stretching out their feet and using the large flaps of skin on their sides called a patagium, they glide through the air from tree to tree or, sometimes, from tree to rooftop. This gliding behavior allows these squirrels easy access to our rooftops.