Grey Squirrel Gestation Period: How Long Is a Grey Squirrel Pregnant?

How long is a grey squirrel pregnant?

A grey squirrel carries her kit for an average of 44 days, or about 1 month and 2 weeks. Counting from the breeding date, birthing is normal anywhere from day 40 to day 45.

Key checkpoints across the 44-day grey squirrel gestation, measured in days from breeding:

Estimate your grey squirrel's birthing date

Enter the breeding date for an estimated birthing date at 44 days.

Grey squirrel gestation stages, month by month

Signs a grey squirrel is pregnant

• A mating chase seen around her about six weeks earlier
• A rounder belly in the last two to three weeks
• Visible, enlarged teats
• Heavier feeding and more frequent trips to food caches

Signs of approaching birthing

• Carrying leaves, moss or other soft lining into a drey or tree hole
• Staying close to one nest and defending it from other squirrels
• Contact your vet if labour stalls, if the animal strains without progress, or if there is abnormal discharge before birthing begins.

What affects grey squirrel gestation length

• An eastern grey squirrel is pregnant for about 44 days, a little over six weeks.
• Grey squirrels usually have two breeding seasons a year: one in late winter, with young born in early spring, and a second in summer, with young born in late summer.
• Breeding starts with a mating chase, where several males follow a female through the trees for hours when she comes into heat.
• Litters are usually two to four kits. They are born blind and hairless and weigh only around 15 grams.
• The young open their eyes at about four to five weeks and begin leaving the nest at around seven to eight weeks.
• Young females often skip the winter season in their first year. In poor food years, such as after a weak acorn crop, fewer squirrels breed at all.

Grey squirrel gestation chart

Every fifth breeding date across the year with the matching birthing date, calculated at 44 days. Find the row closest to the date the grey squirrel was served; because normal gestation spans 40 to 45 days, plan for a window of a few days either side. Filter by month, or print the chart for the barn wall or breeding record: navigation, buttons and adverts are hidden on paper.

Sources for grey squirrel gestation figures

Figures on this page are drawn from state wildlife agency and university extension guidance on eastern grey squirrels and published studies of squirrel reproduction, and checked against the references below. Averages describe healthy animals under normal management; individual animals vary, and nothing here replaces advice from your vet.

• State wildlife agency and university extension pages on eastern grey squirrels
• Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) — species husbandry and animal care manuals
• Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute — species fact sheets
• Published zoological studies of captive births