Build a Flying Squirrel House
Building nesting houses for flying squirrels is a great way to provide safe havens for the squirrels around your home. These nesting house instructions are for the northern flying squirrel. Research what species of flying squirrel lives in your area before constructing the squirrel house. If you're building a house for a southern flying squirrel, reduce all the dimensions of the house by 1 inch and make the entrance hole 1 ¼ inches. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Cut a rectangle of wood that is 16 inches long and 7 inches wide using a jigsaw. Use a carpenter's square to ensure proper measurements. This piece will be the back part of the squirrel house that attaches to the tree.
2. Cut three more pieces of wood to 12 inches long and 7 inches wide. These pieces will be the two sides and front piece of your squirrel house.
3. Cut the bottom panel of your squirrel house, making the wood piece 7 inches by 7 inches. Then, cut the top piece measuring 10 inches by 10 inches.
4. Make an entrance hole in one of the 7-inch-by-12-inch pieces, which will become your "front" piece. Cut a hole toward the top end of the piece of wood that is exactly 1 ½ inches in diameter. Sand the hole using sandpaper to remove any sharp edges and wood splinters.
5. Drill two holes into each 7-inch-by-12-inch piece near the bottom using a ¼-inch drill bit. These will serve as ventilation holes.
6. Drill four more ¼-inch holes into the bottom 7-inch-by-7-inch piece for drainage. Pre-drill two holes into the bottom and one into the top of the 7-inch-by-16-inch back piece for the nails you'll use to mount the flying squirrel house onto a tree or post.
7. Assemble the bottom, top, two sides and back piece of the flying squirrel house and secure them together using wood glue and nails. Don't secure the front piece with the entrance hole yet. Use two nails on the end of each wood piece to secure them.
8. Secure the front piece-the piece with the entrance hole-by hammering one nail at the top right of the front piece into the right side piece and one nail at the top left of the front piece into the left side piece. This will allow the front piece to pivot so you can open it to clean the flying squirrel house.
9. Fix a hook and eye at the bottom of the front piece and the bottom piece so you can securely close the pivoting door. Use a hook-and-eye assembly that is noncorrosive and will stand up to moisture and other weather.
Tags: front piece, squirrel house, flying squirrel, entrance hole, holes into, your squirrel house, back piece