How to Tell If Squirrels' Nests Are Old
- 1). Rake the area around the base of trees where you suspect squirrels may be nesting. Clear the area of leaves, sticks and branches, down to the bare grass or soil.
- 2). Sprinkle a light, but thorough, dusting of flour under the canopy of the trees. Cover the ground up to the base of the trees, late in the evening on a night when there is no prediction of rain.
- 3). Check the area for tracks at sunrise, on the following morning. Squirrels are early risers, leaving their nests at first light; if the nests are currently being used, there will be fresh tracks in the flour.
- 4). Study the area around the trees, looking for tracks roughly the size of the tip of your pinky finger. As squirrels have a hopping gate, similar to a rabbit's, their larger hind feet land ahead and to the outsides of their smaller forefeet. The squirrel's forefeet have only four toes, whereas the hind feet have five toes with a prominent pad on the back of the rear foot. The three middle toes of the hind feet are approximately equal in length.
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