After an excellent summer and the arrival of more baby squirrels, we suddenly had some very bad news.   Towards the end of summer 2010 our red squirrels were hit by a very sudden and serious virus which resulted in the death of 12 of our red squirrels.  We suspect that the virus, which we have been told was completely incurable, may have been brought to the red squirrels enclosures by jackdaws or rodents.

We are amazed that any have survived and are delighted to report that 5 red squirrels still appear to be in good health. We have 3 boys and 2 girls left.  Our friends at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey have kindly offered us a breeding pair of red squirrels which we hope to go and collect very soon.

The main red squirrel enclosures at Kilnsey Park and our nesting boxes are all being completely cleaned out and disinfected to ensure there is no trace of the virus left.  We are also taking the opportunity to put new branches and new ropes into the red squirrel enclosures.

As the nesting boxes have been emptied out and the red squirrels are getting ready for their winter of semi-hibernation it is time for them to refill their nesting boxes.  Quantities of dry leaves, coconut fibre and spare rope are being left on the ground in the enclosures and the red squirrels will take up what they want.

Autumn is showing itself in other ways with our red squirrels.  Despite having been bred in captivity, natural instinct kicks in and our red squirrels are already very busy burying food ready for the winter.  First of all they put their scent onto it so that they will be able to find it again.  Then, keeping tight hold of the nut between their teeth they prepare a hole, quickly drop it in and then cover it all up.   We continue to feed the red squirrels every day at Kilnsey Park, but their bodies are telling them that food will soon be in short supply. They are also eating a lot more than usual as they increase their weight ready for the winter.   This will help to keep them warm in the winter months.

The red squirrels moult twice a year and in the autumn they grow a new coat that is thicker and a much darker colour.  Their winter coats cover a bigger area of their feet and their tails become a lot more bushy.  Also watch out for the ear tufts as these distinctive tufts are one of the most noticeable differences between red and grey squirrels.

We’ve been watching very closely the recent reports about black squirrels and we’d be interested to hear from anyone who has seen one!