Frequently Asked Questions About Skippy

What kind of squirrel are you?
I'm an Eastern Gray Squirrel (eNature.com®). Mostly people just call me a gray squirrel. Some of my cousins are all black, though. You may have seen them. I'm a rodent, for those of you who didn't know.
Where do you live?
My relatives live all over the eastern part of the United States, from Texas and Oklahoma, all the way to Maine and Pennsylvania, and all the way down to Florida. In fact, my relatives have even been introduced in parts of the western U.S., so they live there too. I have relatives everywhere! But me, I live in Northern Virginia, right outside of Washington, DC. Come and visit me sometime!
Are you a girl or a boy?
A boy — but I have lots of girlfriends. I love the ladies!
What do you eat?
Hey, I'm not picky! I eat pine seeds, acorns, beechnuts, walnuts, hickory nuts, leaf buds, flowers, tree bark, sometimes even eggs and insects, and that birdseed you put out for birds too. Yummy! Sorry, I just can’t help myself. It’s like a free cafeteria for squirrels. Hey, would you pass up a free lunch?! No, I didn’t think so.
Do you hibernate?
And miss many months of fun and food? No way! In the fall, I carefully store away food in little piles (caches) just under the ground where I can find them later. Then when it's cold and food is harder to find, it's no problem for me — I just go and dig some up right over here. Or was it here? Or there? I can't always remember. Hey, maybe I should draw myself a map. Hmmmm, good thinking, Skippy! You are The Squirrel!
What kind of home do you live in?
I like to make a nest in holes in trees or in tree branches. I build my nest out of leaves, twigs, and chopped up plant parts. It might sound funny to you, but it’s a nice, cozy home. I dig my pad!
How many babies do you have?
I don't have any personally, since I'm a boy. But twice every year, girl squirrels have about 1 - 5 babies — once in the winter, and once in the summer. Hey, the only thing cuter than me is a baby squirrel!