Abert’s Squirrel
Sciurus aberti is found in ponderosa or yellow pine (Pinus ponderosa) communities of the Southwest, usually between 1800 and 3000 m, in portions of Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah in the United States and in the Sierra Madre Occidental from Northern Sonora and Chihuahua to southern Durango in Mexico
Description
Abert’s squirrel has long and broad ears that bear pronounced tufts or tassels in the winter pelage. The tail is short and unusually broad. The upper parts, including the tail, are mainly gray and the underparts are white. The lateral line is usually black and distinct (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1997). The skull is short and broad and the frontal area is flattened. The rostrum is narrow and laterally compressed. There are two upper pairs and one lower pair of premolars. Head and body length ranges from 463 to 584 mm and tail length from 195 to 255 mm. No major difference in size between males and females has been noted
Diet
Abert’s squirrels are herbivorous. They utilize ponderosa pine extensively as a source of food during the entire year. The inner bark, seeds, terminal buds, and staminate flowers of ponderosa pines are eaten. These squirrels also feed on fleshy fungi, carrion, bones, and antlers. They do not store food in large caches but have been reported to bury single pine cones in shallow pits. During the winter, the inner bark of twigs comprise the staple diet In captivity they should be offered a complete diet of rodent lab blocks, and rat or mouse mix, with bits of fruit or veggies regularly. Cheerios or wheat bread are great treats, in small quantities. Do NOT feed chocolate, fried foods, salted foods, candy or junk food! They may enjoy crickets and mealworms if they are captive bred, never feed wild insects as they may carry parasites. Vitamins, like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added calcium during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at those times, but take care not to overdo it. Water bottles should be used to proved constant, clean water. Ceramic or stoneware food dishes work well for keeping seeds or fresh foods off the floor, and a wire mesh hopper that allows them to eat the lab blocks through without extra waste.
Habitat
Sciurus aberti is found in coniferous forest habitats. All subspecies live in close association with ponderosa pine, which provides both shelter and food. Although the species is usually confined to ponderosa forests, S. aberti is common in mixed conifer forests in many New Mexican canyons.
Special needs
Lots of love and attention, just as if you were bringing home a new puppy. They need to be mentally and physically stimulated every day. Tricks and playtime outside the cage can help your pet be well socialized and happy
Reproduction
Breeding season of Abert’s squirrel is in April or May. Gestation period usually lasts 40 days. Three or four young are typically born to each female and there is often more than one litter each year, especially in the southern parts of the range. The young are altricial; they are born naked and their eyes and ears are covered by membranes. Vibrissae are present on the face and the toes bear well-developed claws. Young normally weigh 12 g and measure 60 mm at birth. The exact age of independence in the wild is not known. In captivity, the young first venture from the nests at about seven weeks, but it is not until nine weeks of age that they climb to the ground. Young are weaned at about ten weeks of age and mature size is not reached at until 15 or 16 weeks. Juvenile males do not possess definitive scrota. In adult males, the testes are abdominal during early to late autumn. The testes begin to descend by February and are fully descended by mid-March. They remain large until August then begin to regress again
