The Kilnsey Park red squirrels were very quiet during the extreme cold of December and January and there was a fear that they may not all have survived.   However they have been seen out playing and eating in the recent winter sunshine.    We now think that we lost one red squirrel during the extreme cold, but thankfully the rest survived.  Fortunately we had replaced all of the red squirrel boxes during the autumn and filled them with very warm bedding so they should have been very snug, but of course the temperatures were extreme.

At the end of January we swopped two red squirrels with the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey which has recently been featured on BBC’s Countryfile.  This means that they have two of our males - and we have two new male red squirrels at Kilnsey Park.  By extending our family of red squirrels we hope that we will have even stronger baby red squirrels in 2010.  We have sent other red squirrels to the British Wildlife Centre in the past and also previously sent red squirrels to Anglesey.

We have also been reviewing which red squirrels live in which enclosures.   We have to make sure the mums are separate from their offspring, but we also have to be careful not to break up any couples.  And of course we have the two new males to consider.  Red squirrels become very attached to their mates and build a strong relationship.  If that bond is broken the squirrel may not mate again.  

During the springtime red squirrels moult which is when their coats will change colour to take on their beautiful deep red shade.  Our red squirrels still have their distinctive tufts around their ears – one of the features that distinguishes them from the grey squirrels.  The tufts will disappear soon when the moult will be complete.

Having gone through a winter of semi-hibernation, our red squirrels are now becoming much more active.  Their appetites will start to increase soon when they will want to eat a lot of fresh twigs (they strip off the bark), nuts, sweetcorn, carrots, apples and coconut. 

August 2009

We are delighted to report after the first red squirrel baby earlier in the summer, we have seen another 5!   The babies are in both the top and bottom enclosures and are all very active.  They can be seen outside playing, especially on bright days. 

We are now looking to swop some red squirrels with another red squirrel conservation group so that we extend our genes. This will make our red squirrels even stronger.  We have previously sent red squirrels to Anglesey and another group in the south.  We’ll keep you posted.

All of the red squirrels are settling into their new boxes.  We’ve put some special bedding in there for them. Their favourite is coconut fibre but this is difficult to get hold of.  They also like dry leaves and dry moss which we add in the autumn.  We also give them cotton wool - but only when babies are due.  We put some of the box linings in when we put the boxes up and then when we check it during the year.  We also leave some on the ground in the enclosures so the red squirrels can take them up themselves.

June/July 2009

We are delighted to report that we have seen one baby red squirrel - so far!   The baby is in the bottom enclosure and is already nearly the same size as his mum!  He is very active and can be seen outside playing, especially on a bright day.  One of the red squirrels in the top enclosure (on the hillside) is showing all of the signs of feeding a baby.  She has an enormous appetite, eating lots of sweetcorn, coconut, carrot, apples, hazelnuts, almonds, pine nuts, pecan nuts and walnuts, and she looks as if she is feeding a baby. So we are hopeful that there are more babies there.

Generally, red squirrels will produce two litters of kittens throughout a good year, one usually in spring and then another in late summer. There are on average 3 kittens in a litter, and they are born blind, pink, hairless and toothless.   Their eyes open by the time they are 1 month old and from 7 weeks old they will leave their nesting box and start to eat solid food.

Unfortunately some of our red squirrels have a problem with fleas.  The vet is unable to help so we are trying to track down a red squirrel expert for some help.  It has resulted in a couple of their tails looking a little thinner than usual.

We were very pleased to see Prince Charles’ support of the culling of grey squirrels.  It is something we passionately believe must happen in order to protect the UK’s dwindling population of red squirrels.  Nothing would give us greater pleasure than to have the Kilnsey Park squirrels running freely about the Park - and further afield - but we know that they would not survive for long.  The parapox disease carried by all grey squirrels is deadly for the reds.

Spring 2009

This is the time of year when we normally “spring clean” the red squirrels houses before the breeding season starts.  But this year we have also decided to make new boxes for them.  It is quite a tricky operation to go up the ladders and bring down the old boxes!  We have put some coconut fibre bedding (which they love!) into their new homes and we leave “extra” bedding on the ground which they then take up themselves.

We have also been reviewing which red squirrels live in which enclosures.   We have to make sure the mums are separate from their offspring, but we also have to be careful not to break up any couples.  Red squirrels become very attached to their mates and build a strong relationship.  If that bond is broken the squirrel may not mate again.   

We have completed a swop with another sanctuary and received a new male red squirrel.  He will go into our isolation unit to begin with and hopefully will go into one of the main enclosures later in the year.  We have moved “Pegleg” into one of the main enclosures.  She came to us 2 years ago and already had a badly damaged leg.  She lived in the isolation unit (which you don’t normally see) where she wouldn’t be bullied by the other red squirrels.  She is now very strong and has grown new claws in her damaged leg so we are confident that she can look after herself!  “Pegleg” had babies last year so she and her mate have just been moved into one of the main enclosures. 

During the springtime red squirrels moult which is when their coats will change colour to take on their beautiful deep red shade.  Our red squirrels still have their distinctive tufts around their ears – one of the features that distinguishes them from the grey squirrels.  The tufts will disappear soon when the moult will be complete.

Having gone through a winter of semi-hibernation, our red squirrels are much more active.  Also their appetites are absolutely huge!  They are enjoying a lot of fresh twigs (they strip off the bark), nuts, sweetcorn, carrots, apples and coconut. 

In readiness for our females becoming pregnant we are putting lots of antlers horn into their enclosures. This is a great source of calcium which is essential for red squirrels.  We keep you posted about any developments!

 Winter 2008

We enjoyed a very pleasant autumn at Kilnsey Park.  The weather was extremely mild and we all enjoyed watching our red squirrels making their preparations for winter- and it was a total joy to watch!

 Despite all having been bred in captivity, natural instinct kicks in and our red squirrels were 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.

Now we are into winter and we are enjoying some very cold but bright days at Kilnsey Park which the red squirrels love!  During the winter they are particularly active on sunny days.    Red squirrels do not hibernate and they remain active virtually every day.  They cannot survive more than a few days without food and so even when the weather is very bad they will always be out.  We continue to feed them every day and they can also be seen digging up their hidden food supplies! 

You will recall that nine baby squirrels were born at Kilnsey Park during 2008.  They are all very happy and healthy.  We are currently in discussion with a wildlife park in the south of the UK to see if we can swop two of our female babies for two males.  This would significantly expand our gene pool.

We have been watching with interest the developments in London where scientists have been progressing the search for a vaccine to cure parapox, the disease that is carried by grey squirrels but kills red squirrels.  Hopefully we are moving closer to a solution.