In Ontario, the squirrel at your house is almost always a red squirrel or a grey squirrel. The eastern grey squirrel is the big, bold one, grey or black. The American red squirrel is small, rusty red with a pale belly and eye ring, loud, and tied to conifers. The species changes how many animals are inside, when babies are present, and how the removal is planned.
Why it matters which squirrel you have
Most people call us saying “there’s a squirrel in my attic.” The first thing Dave or Roman will try to work out is which squirrel, because the two species behave very differently once they are inside a house.
Get the species right and the rest of the job falls into place: where to look for entries, how many animals to expect, whether babies are likely, and how thorough the sealing has to be. Get it wrong and you end up with a one-way door on the wrong hole or a patch that is chewed open in a week. The side-by-side below gives you the clues to work it out from the yard.
Red squirrel vs grey squirrel: side by side
Colour
The grey squirrel causes the most confusion because it is not always grey. In many Ontario towns a large share of the “grey” squirrels are jet black. Black squirrels are grey squirrels. Same species, different coat colour. Some greys also carry brownish or rusty tones on the back, which is where the red squirrel confusion starts.
The red squirrel is smaller and more uniform: rusty red-brown on the back and sides, a clean pale belly, and a noticeable pale ring around the eye. It does not come in black.
Size
The grey squirrel is the squirrel you picture when you hear the word: a solid animal about the length of a loaf of bread before you count the tail. A red squirrel is noticeably smaller, somewhere between a chipmunk and a grey.
Ears and tail
Red squirrels grow small tufts of fur on their ear tips in winter, which gives them a pointed, alert look. Grey squirrels do not grow ear tufts. The grey’s tail is big, full and often silvery-edged; the red’s tail is narrower and shorter for its body, and it flicks constantly while scolding.
Voice
This is often the easiest clue, especially if you have only heard the animal. The red squirrel is loud: a long chattering, rattling, trilling scold that goes on and on, usually from a branch while it stares straight at you. The grey squirrel is quieter, a few hoarse barks or a repeated “kuk” paired with slow, waving tail flicks.
Where you see them
Grey squirrels are the squirrels at the bird feeder in town, in the park and in maple-and-oak hardwood bush. Red squirrels are the squirrels at the cottage, in the cedar hedge, in the spruce shelterbelt on a rural property, and anywhere there are cones to harvest.
The midden
Red squirrels leave a signature greys do not. They strip spruce and pine cones for the seeds and drop the cores and scales in the same spot until there is a loose pile under a favourite branch or beside a stump. That pile is called a midden. If you have one near the house, you almost certainly have a resident red squirrel, and if something is running overhead by day, that is your prime suspect. Our guide to squirrels in the attic in Ontario covers what happens next.
Movement and boldness
Grey squirrels move in long bounds and are relaxed around people; the park squirrel that takes a peanut from your hand is a grey. Red squirrels move in quick, jerky dashes, and they are bold in a different way: they will not approach you, but they will not leave either. They hold their ground and scold.
At a glance
| Feature | Red squirrel | Grey squirrel (incl. black) |
|---|---|---|
| Colour | Rusty red-brown back, pale belly, pale eye ring; never black | Grey, black, or grey with brown tones; white or pale belly |
| Size | Noticeably smaller; between a chipmunk and a grey | The larger of the two; the “classic” squirrel |
| Ears and tail | Ear tufts in winter; narrower, shorter tail | No ear tufts; big, full, often silver-edged tail |
| Voice | Long chattering, rattling, trilling scold | Quieter hoarse barks and “kuk” calls with tail flicks |
| Where you see it | Spruce, pine and cedar: cottages, shelterbelts, rural yards | Towns, parks, bird feeders, hardwood bush |
| Territory and numbers | Fiercely territorial; usually one adult per territory, plus young | Less territorial; often a mother with a litter in the attic |
| Litters per year | Usually one in spring, sometimes a second in late summer | Usually two: late winter and mid-summer |
| Typical attic entry | Small gaps: soffit joints, vent corners, trim gaps | Larger roofline openings: fascia, soffit panels, gable vents |
| What it leaves behind | Cone middens, food caches in soffits and walls, droppings, nest material | Shredded nest material, droppings, chewed wood and wiring |
Where red and grey squirrels live in Ontario and Grey-Bruce
Both species are common across southern Ontario and around Owen Sound. What changes is the habitat each one prefers.
- Grey squirrels (grey and black) dominate towns, residential streets with mature trees, parks and hardwood bush. In Owen Sound, Hanover, Meaford, Port Elgin and Kincardine, the squirrel on a roof in a residential neighbourhood is most likely a grey.
- Red squirrels turn up wherever there are conifers: cottage country along the Bruce Peninsula and the Georgian Bay shore, farm properties with spruce windbreaks, and any yard with a few big spruce or pine trees. Plenty of homes on the edge of town have both species.
If your property has a mix of hardwood and conifers, do not assume. Watch and listen before deciding.
What each squirrel does to a house
Both species chew. Both shred insulation into a nest. Both can chew wiring, which is why an attic squirrel is a safety issue and not just a noise issue; we cover that in our post on squirrels chewing wires in the attic. Both leave droppings and urine in the insulation, and the longer they stay, the bigger the attic cleanup that follows.
Beyond that, each species has its own habits:
- Grey squirrels need a bigger opening, but they are strong chewers and will enlarge a weak spot on the roofline: a rotten fascia board, a loose soffit panel, a gable vent with a thin screen. A grey in the attic is very often a mother with a litter, so expect several animals.
- Red squirrels fit through gaps a grey could never use; a gap you could fit two fingers through is plenty. They treat the house as part of their territory, so once they have been inside they are relentless about getting back in, even after the first hole is patched. They also stash food. A soffit or wall cavity packed with cones, nuts or seed is a classic red squirrel sign, and it can attract other animals later.
When do red and grey squirrels have babies, and why does it change the job?
This is where the species really matters for a humane removal.
- Grey squirrels typically raise two litters a year, one in late winter and one in mid-summer, so there are young in Ontario attics for a good chunk of the year.
- Red squirrels typically raise one litter in spring, with a second possible in late summer.
A one-way door lets the adult out and stops it coming back in. If there are babies in the den that cannot yet climb, that door separates them from their mother, and they will not survive. A humane job never lets that happen, which is why the attic is checked for young before any door goes on.
If babies are present, they are hand-removed and set out where the mother can collect them and move them to another den. Mothers are usually very good at this. Our post on when squirrels have babies in Ontario walks through the timing in more detail.
Day vs night: is it even a squirrel?
Red and grey squirrels are both daytime animals, and neither one hibernates. If you hear running, scratching or gnawing at dawn, through the day, or around dusk, a squirrel fits.
If the noise is happening at night, especially well after dark, you are probably not listening to a red or grey squirrel. The likelier night-time suspects in a Grey-Bruce attic are:
- Flying squirrels. Small, nocturnal, often several together, light scurrying sounds.
- Raccoons. Heavy, slow, thumping steps; sometimes chirping young in spring.
- Bats. Faint scratching or squeaking in walls or near the roofline after dark, especially around dusk when they leave and just before dawn when they return, with no running.
Our guide to identifying what is in your attic breaks down the sounds by species and time of day.
How the removal differs by species
Whatever the species, the shape of a proper squirrel job is the same, and the squirrels-in-the-attic guide linked above walks through it step by step. Our squirrel removal service page explains how we work. In short:
- Assessment visit. Find every entry point, confirm the species, and check for babies.
- One-way door. Fitted over the main entry so the adults leave on their own and cannot come back in. Babies, if present, are hand-removed and reunited with the mother outside.
- Screening and sealing. Every gap, not just the one in use, is closed with chew-resistant materials.
- Follow-up. Confirm the animals are out, then remove the door and seal the final opening.
No poison, ever. And no trapping and hauling the animal away: in Ontario, trapped wildlife can only be moved within one kilometre, and a squirrel released that close to home can easily find its way back. Evicting the animal and sealing the house so it cannot return is what actually works.
Where the species changes the job:
- Red squirrel jobs widen the sealing scope. Every opening on the house gets closed, including the ones that look too tight to matter, with materials that stand up to a determined chewer. Food caches in soffits or walls may also need to be cleared out as part of the cleanup.
- Grey squirrel jobs add more animals and more entries. Timing around litters is critical, and because greys often use more than one roofline opening, the whole roof perimeter gets inspected.
Either way, the goal is the same: the animals leave unharmed, and they do not get back in.
What you can do today
You do not have to wait on us to start gathering clues.
- Watch at dawn and dusk. Stand where you can see the roofline and watch for an animal entering or leaving. That is your entry point, and it tells you the species.
- Note the time of the noise. Daytime points to a red or grey squirrel. Night points elsewhere.
- Look for sign. A cone midden under the spruce, chew marks on fascia, a soffit panel pushed up, droppings on the deck or in the attic.
- Do not seal anything while animals are inside. A sealed-in squirrel will chew its way out through something else, often somewhere worse, and a sealed-in litter is a tragedy.
- Start fall-proofing the rest of the house. Trim branches back from the roof, screen vents, and fix soft fascia. Our fall wildlife-proofing checklist covers the whole list.
Frequently asked questions
Are black squirrels a different species?
No. Black squirrels are eastern grey squirrels with a dark coat: same animal, same size, behaviour and litter timing. In many Ontario towns black squirrels are very common, and in some neighbourhoods you will see more black ones than grey, which is why people assume they are something else. For a removal, a black squirrel is treated exactly like a grey one.
Are red squirrels more destructive than grey squirrels?
They are destructive in different ways. Greys are bigger and stronger chewers, so damage at the entry point is more obvious. Reds are smaller but more persistent, and they stash food in walls and soffits. Both can chew wiring and both foul insulation, so neither belongs in an attic.
Do red and grey squirrels fight or interbreed?
They do not interbreed; they are separate species. They do clash. Red squirrels are intensely territorial and will chase grey squirrels off a patch of ground even though the grey is much bigger, which is partly why one species or the other tends to dominate a given yard.
Which squirrel is in my attic if I hear noise at night?
Probably neither. Red and grey squirrels are daytime animals, so night noise usually means a flying squirrel, a raccoon or bats. If you are not sure, describe the sound and the time of day when you call and Dave or Roman will help you work out what it is likely to be.
Not sure which squirrel you have? Ask us
We are a family-run business that has been identifying and humanely removing squirrels, grey and red alike, across Grey-Bruce since 2005. If you want a clear, honest quote up front and a job done humanely, with no poison and no trap-and-relocate shortcuts, get in touch or call 519-783-1575. A real person answers, usually Dave or Roman.