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Why Do Squirrels Lay Flat? Splooting Explained, and When to Worry

A squirrel lying flat with its legs spread is usually dumping heat into a cool surface. How to tell normal splooting from a squirrel in real trouble.

By Zakaria 3 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A five-striped palm squirrel splooting — lying belly-down on a stone with its legs stretched out flat behind it
Photo: Zakaul Haque, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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It is cooling down. Belly down, legs out, pressed against a shaded branch or paving slab — the posture puts the thinly furred underside against something cooler than the air. It is called splooting, and in hot weather it is normal.

The mechanism

A squirrel’s back and tail are well insulated. Its belly and the insides of its legs are not — and that asymmetry is the whole trick.

Spread flat against a surface cooler than the air, the poorly insulated side becomes a heat exchanger. Heat leaves by conduction, directly into the branch or the slab, which is far more effective than losing it to still air.

Why concrete and metal are popular

Shaded stone, brick, concrete and metal all hold onto coolness well, so splooting squirrels turn up on window ledges, air-conditioning units, patios and steps as readily as on branches.

A shaded branch has the advantage of being safe as well as cool, which a patio is not. Squirrels use both, and which one you see depends mostly on what your garden offers.

Normal against not normal

This is the part worth getting right, because the same posture appears in both.

Reading a squirrel that is lying flat
Cooling offSomething wrong
WhereIn shade, on a cool surfaceFull sun, hot ground
AlertnessHead up, watching, ears workingUnresponsive, eyes closed
If you approachLeavesDoes not move
BreathingNormalOpen-mouthed, laboured, drooling
CoatIntactPatchy, bald, crusted — suspect mange
MovementNormal when it goesWeak, unsteady, disoriented

The single most useful test is the simplest: does it leave when you get close? A cooling squirrel will. A squirrel in trouble often will not.

What to do

In hot weather, the answer is usually nothing.

  • Leave it alone. Interference just costs it a good spot
  • A shallow dish of water in shade is reasonable and harmless
  • Do not handle it, and do not try to move it somewhere you think is better

When to call someone

Contact a local wildlife rehabilitator, rather than handling the animal, if it is:

  • Unresponsive, or does not move when you approach
  • Flat in full sun on hot ground rather than seeking shade
  • Patchy, bald or crusted — sarcoptic mange is common in grey squirrels and is treatable
  • Open-mouthed breathing, drooling, weak or disoriented

Handling a sick wild animal risks both of you, and rehabilitators can usually tell from a photograph whether it needs collecting.

Splooting is not a last resort

Worth saying plainly, because the posture looks alarming to people who have not seen it before.

A splooting squirrel is managing its temperature successfully. It is the working response to heat, not evidence that the heat has won. Genuine heat stress looks different — panting, drooling, staggering, lying exposed instead of seeking shade — and that is when it stops being something to watch and starts being something to report.

Common questions

Why do squirrels lay flat?

To get rid of heat. The posture — belly down, legs spread, body pressed to a shady branch, wall or paving slab — puts the thinly furred underside in direct contact with a surface cooler than the air, and heat moves out by conduction. It is called splooting, and in hot weather it is completely normal behaviour rather than a sign of anything wrong.

Is splooting a sign the squirrel is sick?

Usually not. A splooting squirrel in hot weather is cooling off, and it will normally be in shade, on a cool surface, alert, and gone the moment you get too close. The things that suggest a real problem are different: an unresponsive animal, one flat in full sun on hot ground, visible hair loss or crusted skin, laboured breathing, or a squirrel that does not move when approached.

What is splooting?

A descriptive term rather than a technical one, applied to any animal that lies belly down with its limbs stretched out behind or to the side. Squirrels, dogs and rabbits all do it. In squirrels it is mostly about heat transfer, since the belly and the insides of the legs carry much less fur than the back and tail and so make better contact with a cool surface.

Why do squirrels sploot on a tree branch?

A shaded branch is often cooler than the surrounding air and it is safe, which is a combination a paving slab cannot offer. Squirrels will use both. Shaded concrete, stone, brick and metal all hold onto coolness well, which is why splooting squirrels turn up on window ledges, air-conditioning units and patios as readily as in trees.

What should I do if I see a squirrel lying flat?

In hot weather, nothing — it is cooling down and interference just costs it the spot. Putting out a shallow dish of water in shade is reasonable and harmless. If the animal looks unresponsive, is out in full sun on hot ground, has patchy or crusted skin, or does not move when you come near, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator rather than handling it yourself.

Does a squirrel lying flat mean it is too hot to survive?

No. Splooting is the normal, working response to heat, not a last resort — a squirrel doing it is managing. Heat stress looks different: panting or open-mouthed breathing, drooling, obvious weakness, disorientation, or lying exposed rather than seeking shade. Those warrant a call to a rehabilitator.

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