Well, shut my mouth!
In conversation with a friend the other night I asserted that squirrels hibernate; they do not. Chipmunks do, and that is what I had personal experience with, but not so squirrels; they become dormant and you rarely see them, but it is not true hibernation.
What I have personal experience with is Chipmunks, who do enter hibernation. If you make note of where chippie burrows are in the summer, and in the very early spring tunnel down to them, it is not hard to find one hibernating, curled up into a little comma, heartbeat barely discernable.
And stick it in your sister’s underwear drawer.
Or so I’m told.
If I had done that to any of my five sisters, I’d have been outside digging myself a burrow and the chipmunk would have had my room. My sisters were not the panicky kind.
Gerry N.
I’ve seen squirrels out in the winter, scurrying about, once in a while so your friend is correct sir; they do not hibernate. They are pretty lazy in the winter, though, if that makes you feel better.
I have found them apparently dead and on warming they come to life- so I thought it was hibernation, bt it is nto true hibernation, apparently
Did that once with a pheasant. Back when we had pheasants in Iowa.
Might have to did up once of those furry ones. Could be pretty cool.
Noticed the brown squirrels would dig up acorns after light snowfall if it was semi warm out. Don’t know about the gray ones… I do notice they’re ornrier.