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Squirrels & Wildlife

Do Squirrels Need a Lot of Water? More Than You'd Think

They get much of it from food, but need open water in heat and drought. Why a shallow dish matters in a heatwave, and the risks of a deep one.

By Salma 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A grey squirrel crouched over a shallow metal dish of water
Photo: ambquinn, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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They need less than a mammal their size might suggest, because most of it comes from food — but in a heatwave or a drought that changes, and open water does more good than any feeding.

Where the water comes from

sourcewhen
Moisture in food — buds, shoots, fruit, fungi, green vegetationmost of the year
Dew and rain on leavesregularly
Ponds, streams, puddlesas available
Bird baths and dishesgardens
Snow and icicleswinter

This is why squirrel drinking is so much more visible in late summer. A spring diet of buds and new growth is wet; an August diet of nuts and dry seed is not, and the animal has to make up the difference.

The heat problem

Squirrels cannot sweat and pant poorly. Their heat management is behavioural:

  • Splooting — lying flat on cool shaded concrete, stone or a branch, belly down
  • Shade seeking and a near-total stop to activity through midday
  • Tail as a parasol, held arched over the back
  • Increased blood flow to the tail to shed heat

All of that fails if there is no shade and no water. Heat stress is a recognised cause of summer wildlife mortality, and a garden that offers both gets animals through a heatwave that a bare one does not.

Shade is as valuable as the water dish

The cheapest thing most gardens can do in a heatwave is keep the shade they already have. A dish of water in full afternoon sun is close to useless; the same dish under a shrub is used all day.

A container that is safe

spec
Depth1–2 in
Sidesshallow slope, or a stone or stick in the middle as a ramp
Surfacerough enough to grip when wet
Positionshade, within a short dash of cover
Maintenanceempty, scrub and refill every day or two

The depth rule is not cosmetic. Deep, steep-sided containers are drowning traps. A water butt, an uncovered pool, a bucket left out — a young squirrel that falls in swims the perimeter looking for an exit that does not exist, and tires within minutes.

A stick standing in a water butt, and a floating ramp or a plank in a pool, solve it permanently and cost nothing.

The argument against putting water out routinely

Outside heat and drought, wildlife finds water without help, and anything that concentrates animals in one place carries a cost:

  • Disease transmission rises with density — squirrel pox and mange both spread at feeding and watering stations
  • Parasites move between animals at shared sites
  • Fouled water is worse than no water, and squirrels foul it faster than birds
  • Predators learn the spot, which turns a dish into an ambush point

So: a shallow dish in shade during a heatwave or a hard freeze, scrubbed daily, is a genuinely good thing. A permanent feeding-and-watering station that gathers squirrels year round is a different proposition.

Winter

Less of a constraint than people assume — squirrels take water from snow, icicles and melt.

The exception is a long hard freeze with everything locked up. A heated bird bath, or simply breaking the ice and refilling a dish each morning, helps every species in the garden at the point when it matters most.

Common questions

How much water does a squirrel need?

Rough estimates put an adult grey squirrel's daily requirement at a few tablespoons — on the order of 30 to 60 millilitres — but much of that normally comes from food rather than drinking. Buds, fruit, fungi and green vegetation all carry moisture, which is why squirrels drink visibly far less in spring than in a dry August when their diet is nuts and seeds.

Should I put water out for squirrels?

In a heatwave or a drought, yes, and it does more good than food does. A shallow dish in shade, refilled and scrubbed daily, helps squirrels, birds and insects alike. Outside those conditions it is unnecessary — wildlife finds water perfectly well — and anything that concentrates animals in one spot also concentrates the diseases and parasites they carry.

What kind of water container is safe?

Shallow and with a way out. One to two inches deep, with sloping sides or a stone or stick in the middle so a small animal that falls in can climb out. Deep, steep-sided containers — buckets, water butts, uncovered pools — are traps rather than drinking stations, and young squirrels in particular tire within minutes and drown.

Do squirrels die of thirst in hot weather?

They can, and heat stress is one of the recognised causes of summer wildlife deaths. Squirrels cannot sweat and pant poorly, so in a serious heatwave they sploot flat on cool surfaces, seek shade and stop moving — and the ones that find neither shade nor water do not come through it. Shade retained in a garden is as valuable as water put out.

Can squirrels drink from a bird bath?

Yes, and they routinely do. A bird bath at the standard 1 to 2 inches deep with a rough surface works for both. The practical issue is cleanliness: squirrels foul water more than birds do, so a bath used by both needs emptying, scrubbing and refilling every day or two rather than topping up.

Do squirrels get water from snow?

They eat snow and take water from it, and from icicles and melt, which is why winter drinking is less of a constraint than people assume. The harder winter problem is that everything is frozen solid in a deep cold snap — a heated bird bath or a dish broken out each morning helps considerably at that point.

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