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Squirrels & Wildlife

Do Squirrels Return to the Same Nest? Yes, And They Keep Several

Grey squirrels maintain two or three dreys at once and rotate between them. Why they abandon one, and what happens if you disturb a nest with young.

By Zakaria 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
Two young red squirrels looking out from a cavity in a tree trunk, the kind of den squirrels prefer for raising young
Photo: Özcan Şahin, Pexels License, via Pexels
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Yes — but not to one nest. A grey squirrel keeps two or three at a time, sometimes more, and rotates between them. So a drey that has looked empty for a fortnight is often still in service.

Drey or den

Two different things, and the difference decides how a nest gets used.

The two kinds of squirrel nest
DreyDen
What it isBall of leaves and twigs in a forkCavity inside the tree
SizeRoughly a foot across, linedWhatever the hollow gives
Warmth and shelterModerateMuch better
Vulnerable toStorms, predatorsLittle
Used most forSummer, spare capacityWinter, raising young

Where a cavity is available, it wins. A garden with no hollow trees gets leaf dreys by default, which is part of why they are the nest people notice.

Why keep spares

Having more than one nest is not indecision. It does specific work:

  • Parasites. Fleas and mites accumulate in a used nest. Moving out for a while is the cheapest answer, and a heavy burden is one of the ordinary reasons a drey goes quiet
  • Predators. A nest whose location is known to something is a liability
  • Weather. A leaf drey can be wrecked by a storm, and rebuilding takes time a squirrel may not want to spend in the rain

This is why 'abandoned' is usually the wrong reading

An empty drey in autumn is much more likely to be one of several in current rotation than a failed nest.

Watching a single drey and concluding nobody lives there is the commonest mistake — the squirrel is probably three trees away, in the one you have not noticed.

Nests with young in them

This is the case where it matters.

Females raise litters in the best nest available, usually a cavity. If that nest is disturbed — tree work, a roof repair, a drey knocked out of a gutter — she will normally move the litter to another of her nests, carrying each kit separately in her mouth.

That takes several trips and can run over a few hours.

If you have exposed a nest with young, withdraw

The standard advice is to leave the area alone for the rest of the day and let her do it.

Intervening usually makes it worse: she will not approach while you are there, and kits removed by a person cannot be put back into a nest she has already decided to leave. If they are still there and cold the following morning, that is the point to call a wildlife rehabilitator.

Removing an old nest

There is no reliably empty month. Grey squirrels have litters around late winter and again in midsummer, which between them cover most of the year.

  • Do not clear a drey on the assumption it is empty
  • Get it checked for young first if it has to come out of a roof or a gutter
  • Check local wildlife law, which in many places restricts both the timing and the method

A nest in a roof space is a genuine problem worth solving. The fix is exclusion once it is confirmed empty, not clearance on a guess.

Common questions

Do squirrels come back to the same nest?

Yes, routinely — but not to one nest. A grey squirrel typically maintains two or three at any time, sometimes more, and rotates between them rather than committing to a single home. So a drey that looks abandoned for a fortnight is often still in use, and a squirrel seen leaving one tree may sleep in another the following night.

How many nests does one squirrel have?

Commonly two or three, and more in a good territory. Having spares matters: it spreads parasite load, gives an escape option if a predator finds one, and provides an alternative when weather wrecks a leaf drey. A nest with a heavy flea or mite burden is one of the ordinary reasons a squirrel stops using it for a while.

What is the difference between a drey and a den?

A drey is the ball of leaves and twigs built in a fork or against a trunk, usually around a foot across and lined with softer material. A den is a cavity inside the tree itself. Cavities are warmer, drier and far better protected, so where one is available it is preferred for winter and for raising young, with leaf dreys used more in summer.

Do squirrels abandon their nests?

They do, and for mundane reasons — parasite build-up, storm damage, disturbance, a predator finding it, or simply moving on within a rotation. Abandonment is not unusual and does not mean anything has gone wrong. An empty-looking drey in autumn is just as likely to be one of several in current use.

Will a mother squirrel move her babies if the nest is disturbed?

Usually yes. A female whose natal den is disturbed will typically relocate the litter to one of her other nests, carrying each kit separately in her mouth, which can take several trips over a few hours. This is why the standard advice after accidentally exposing a nest is to withdraw and give her the rest of the day undisturbed rather than intervening.

Should I remove an old squirrel nest?

Not while there is any chance it is occupied, and not during the breeding seasons — grey squirrels have litters around late winter and again in midsummer, so there is no reliably empty month. If a drey must come out of a roof or a gutter, get it checked for young first. Local wildlife law may also restrict the timing and the method.

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