They’re really greedy animals, so they will use their tails to ward off other squirrels that are trying to steal their food. So, what do squirrels actually use their tails for? 107 Comments. I just could not believe that she managed to grab 2 in a few days but I saw her do it.I would see them after that and both were well except for the stubby tails. “They look like rat tails. It often spends time up high in the trees, running and bounding from brand to … but my like of squirrels turned into my love of squirrels last October. They also use it to let predators know they’ve seen the danger, taking away the element of surprise. Potential partners attract themselves with their tails; and rejections are also communicated with the tail. No way. While it makes them look … A squirrel’s tail serves as a sort of multitool or all-purpose tool that comes in handy for a wide variety of things. I can't imagine trapping them to move them.....or calling a biologist. When squirrels find food items such as nuts or seeds, they don't particularly like to share. I kept a cocker spaniel for a friend once, during the few days she stayed here 2 unfortunate squirrels were relieved of their tails. Wagging tails are often a sign to another squirrel that they should back away … fast. This gives the squirrels a stubbly look in some patches while the hair grows back. Or their territory. Termed dermatophytoses, they cause the hair of afflicted squirrels to break off right at the skin. Gray squirrels sometimes lose their tails and grow back a short stump of a tail. Some items they eat immediately, and some they store away for the cold winter months. I have always enjoyed watching the squirrels dart here and there and hung upside down by their tails to eat out of my bird feeder. Squirrels also ‘shiver’ their tails when approaching a member of the opposite sex. As they gather food, they often stop and wag their tails at other squirrels to warn them away. In fact, their tails are constructed so that they’re easily “degloved” - if the tail is caught by a predator the furry outside slips … We have two gray squirrels in the yard that look normal except for the tails. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. Or their woman. 22 things you may not know about squirrels From urban jungles to sprawling prairies, here are some noteworthy facts about these ubiquitous and opportunistic rodents. ... Can squirrels lose their tails and grow them back again? I know what our game wardens here would do with them. The tail is used by squirrels as a direct means of communication among themselves, especially in mating season. Both have rat-like tails, that is, non-bushy but about the right length. There's little people can do to help squirrels that lose their hair. Squirrels with no fur on their tails: No fur upon thurs 8 Replies Earlier this spring as I stood at my sink washing dishes, I saw something that made me stop in the middle of a sudsy scrub of a potato pot: a creature in my back yard that looked suspiciously like a rat . Can you shed any light on this?” Not an uncommon occurrence, squirrels lose hair, including on their tails, to mange and fungal disease. Mange mites live in squirrel nests, so treating wild squirrels infected with mange is pointless because the animals are reinfected when they return to their nests. There aren't squirrels that shed and regrow their tails. If they see something dangerous or suspicious, they wag their tails to alert other squirrels. Sometimes a squirrel will lose its tail in an accident. Fungal infections are rarely fatal for squirrels, as their immune systems generally fight off the infection over time.