Mounting our squirrel house

My Christmas gift: A squirrel house built by Bob Albert.

We enjoyed a squirrel house – and the lively baby squirrels born there – for so many years that the house became dilapidated. It was chewed and scratched and weathered until we had to replace it. My husband Bob built me a new squirrel house for Christmas. What woman wouldn’t swoon over such a gift?

Mounting the squirrel house 20 feet up!

Not recommended: Extending a ladder by placing it in the bucket of a tractor.

We (he) mounted the squirrel house in early January, because squirrels are very cautious about moving into new quarters. They need time to investigate. Then if a couple decides to move in, they need more time to furnish it with huge mouthfuls of leaves and twigs. Gray squirrels mate in late winter and mid-summer, and the litters are born 40-44 days later in March/April and July/August. (Yearling females only mate once.)

Squirrels live high in trees, so Bob mounted the squirrel box about 20 feet up a sturdy maple tree. We had a 16-foot ladder and extended it by placing the foot of the ladder in the bucket of our Kubota tractor. Bob carried the heavy squirrel house, a portable screw gun, and four #8x3-inch screws up the ladder. I held the camera down below. His job was to balance the house while securing it to the tree with two screws at the top and two at the bottom of the mounting board (the vertical board attached to the back of the house). My job was to take a picture and try to breathe normally.
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If you plan to mount a squirrel box, be very careful. It will all be worthwhile when you see those little squirrels peeking out, venturing out, and finally playing freely like digital acrobats.  

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Mounting the squirrel house.

Accomplished! Ready for squirrels to move in.