When you observe them, you quickly get the impression that the squirrels are chasing each other. What is this behavior all about? Is it possibly dangerous for the hunted animal? We would like to give you some answers to this question.

Squirrels chase each other when mating

Squirrel chasing is an essential part of the mating season. In this process, the male is constantly chasing the female. This ritual lasts until the female is finally ready to mate. So it may well drag on for hours.

Hunting as a game

Young squirrels often chase each other as well. Here, however, this is much more of a game. You will find it very amusing when you watch the small rodents jumping up and down trees. The animals seem to be tireless and you can also see that it is fun for them and rarely has a serious background.

With the game of hunting, the young animals learn to further develop their strength and coordination skills.

Chases as a mating ritual

Especially during the mating season, squirrels can't do without hunting. Already from the end of January you can observe the first approaches of the animals in your garden. As soon as the animals have reached an age of 10 to 12 months, they are sexually mature and in search of a suitable partner.

You can distinguish between two types of hunting during mating. On the one hand, the males hunt each other as a so-called competition, because each animal wants to show its dominance. Not infrequently, this also leads to a violent fight between the two males. However, it is not only about strength and size, but much more about the maturity of the squirrels. If the winner is determined, it has earned the attention of the female. The male is then considered a worthy bachelor and is also accepted by the females in the immediate vicinity.

Now the male and female begin to chase each other. The female animal is not ready to mate immediately and asks the male to hunt. During the hunt, the male animal checks the secreted scents of the female. This helps to determine if the female is also ready to mate. You need to know that the females are only in heat for a few hours, i.e. they are ready to mate. This time must be exactly adjusted. It can take days until the longed for mating finally occurs.

Hunting squirrels to protect food supplies

It is true that squirrels usually live peacefully. Nevertheless, squirrels can also chase each other when it comes to protecting food resources.

Especially when food is scarce, you can sometimes see one squirrel chase away another when it gets near the food supply. It is essential for the survival of the little squirrels that they protect their food supplies.

You can help the little rodents, especially in winter, by providing them with extra food. This way you can not only attract the squirrels to your garden, but you will probably also be lucky enough to watch the next generation of young animals at play.

What does a territorial dispute look like in squirrels?

Even if the squirrel does not have a fixed territory, it defends its territory against intruders. You can recognize such a dispute by the chasing and snapping of the animals. The whole thing lasts until one animal leaves the territory of the other.