If you’ve ever spotted something furry darting across your yard or rustling in your attic, you’re not alone, and chances are, you’re dealing with a squirrel. But here’s the kicker: not all squirrels are built the same. Ground squirrels and tree squirrels behave very differently, and understanding those differences can save you a ton of trouble. Some scamper up trees and chew through rooflines, while others dig into your flower beds like they own the place. Understanding the difference between a squirrel and a ground squirrel isn’t just about trivia, it’s about identifying which pest is on your property, and protecting your home, your lawn, and your sanity.
At AAAC Wildlife Removal, we’ve seen far too many homeowners try to handle the wrong problem with the wrong solution. What starts as a few sightings can turn into a full-blown infestation if you misidentify which squirrel is causing the chaos. This article is your complete guide to identifying whether you’ve got a tree squirrel scaling your attic or a ground squirrel digging trenches across your lawn.
Ground Squirrel vs Tree Squirrel: How to Tell Them Apart
At first glance, they’re both small, twitchy-tailed, and fast—but tree squirrels and ground squirrels play entirely different games. Squirrels, like the Eastern Gray or Fox Squirrel, are acrobats by nature. These are just a few of the commontypes of tree squirrels found in the U.S., each with slightly different behaviors, nesting preferences, and levels of curiosity around human homes. The gray squirrel, in particular, is one of the most commonly seen species in residential areas across the U.S., often mistaken for another type of squirrel due to its adaptable behavior, sometimes even confused with a chipmunk because of its size and quick movements. You’ll catch them leaping from branch to branch, darting across power lines, or treating your attic like a deluxe treehouse. They’re built for climbing, with long bushy tails and strong claws perfect for gripping bark and roofing.
Ground squirrels, on the other hand, are all about what’s below the surface. Instead of climbing, they dig. You’ll find them scurrying low to the ground, popping out of holes, or sunning themselves near burrow entrances. Their tails are flatter and less fluffy, and their bodies are a bit stockier, perfect for tunneling and vanishing underground when danger comes sniffing around. One key difference between a ground squirrel and its tree-dwelling cousin is this underground lifestyle—it changes everything from how they move to where they cause damage.
Understanding the ground squirrel vs tree squirrel difference helps you spot where they’re resting, how they move, and what kind of damage they’re likely to cause. It also tells you what not to do because climbing squirrels and digging squirrels don’t respond to the same traps, baits, or eviction tactics.
Spot the Difference: Quick Comparison Chart
| Feature | Tree Squirrels | Ground Squirrels |
| Body Size | 8 to 12 inches long (plus tail) | 6 to 11 inches long |
| Tail | Long, bushier tails, curves upward | Shorter, flatter, less fluffy |
| Color | Gray, reddish-brown, or black | Brown with white or gray speckles |
| Movement | Agile, jumps between trees and rooftops | Stays low to the ground, scurries fast |
| Common Location | Attics, rooftops, bird feeders | Yards, gardens, under decks |
| Activity | Year-round, active all day | May hibernate, most active in warm sun. In colder climates, ground squirrels enter a true hibernation phase, disappearing for months until temperatures rise. |
Climbers vs. Diggers: Behavior That Tells Them Apart
If you know how they act, you’ll know what you’re dealing with. Tree squirrels are daytime dynamos. They’re early risers, spending their days foraging, leaping across branches, and occasionally treating your attic like prime real estate. They’re territorial, loud when startled, and tend to return to the same resting area unless physically blocked.
Ground squirrels are more laid-back, unless you count the chaos they cause underground. These little diggers live in burrows, prefer basking in the sun near burrow entrances, darting in and out to forage. While less likely to invade your home, they’ll absolutely tear up gardens, undermine patios, and multiply fast if left unchecked. They’re also more social, living in colonies instead of flying solo like most tree squirrels.
If you see activity up high, scratching noises in the attic, acrobatics on your roof, it’s probably a tree squirrel. If the damage is down low, holes in your lawn, gnawed plants, or dirt mounds your culprit is almost definitely a ground squirrel. Different critters, same pests-level chaos.
Why Their Natural Habits Become Your Headache
Tree squirrels are energetic foragers and climbers by nature. This type of squirrels are known to spends its days collecting nuts, seeds, and bark, stashing food in hidden tree hollows, nests in trees, or dens made of twigs and leaves. They’re highly active during the day, especially in the morning and late afternoon, and they often return to the same food sources or resting areas unless blocked off. Climbing is their comfort zone, and they’ll scale anything to find safety, food, or shelter.
Ground squirrels, meanwhile, are expert diggers and sunbathers. They build complex underground burrow systems with separate chambers for sleeping, food storage, and raising young. These squirrels are more social, often living in colonies with multiple entry holes to their tunnels. They emerge during daylight hours to forage for seeds, grains, vegetation and plant roots, keeping close to their burrow entrance for a fast getaway if needed.
These natural habits sound harmless until they meet human spaces. Tree squirrels shift their foraging into your attic and insulation, while ground squirrels dig their way through gardens, lawns, and even the base of your home.
Know Their Territory: Habitat Clues That Give Them Away
These squirrels aren’t shy about moving into human spaces, especially when trees get scarce. You’ll find their dens high up in tree canopies, hollow trunks, or tucked inside your attic insulation like it’s five-star lodging. They’re drawn to dense tree cover, suburban neighborhoods, and any place with easy access to food and height. If your home has overhanging branches or roof gaps, they see it as an upgrade.
Ground squirrels prefer open spaces where they can dig deep and stay hidden. Think dry fields, grassy yards, rocky embankments, and even the edges of golf courses. They build elaborate burrow systems just below the surface, sometimes stretching several feet underground with multiple entry points. These are the kinds of environments where ground squirrels live, breed, and thrive, far from trees, but dangerously close to your foundation. Unlike their tree-loving cousins, they won’t usually enter your home but they’ll gladly destroy the land it’s built on.
If it’s on your roof, walls, or trees, it’s squirrel territory up high, that’s where tree squirrels live and thrive. If your yard looks like a gopher convention? Ground squirrels have moved in. Knowing the difference helps you tackle the problem before it multiplies.
Double the Trouble: How Both Squirrels Wreck Your Property
Both types may live in different zones, but they have one thing in common—they’re destructive once they get too comfortable near your property. Their instinct to chew, dig, and hoard isn’t malicious—it’s survival. Still, the outcome is the same: costly damage and a growing mess if they’re left alone.
Tree squirrels cause trouble where you live. They gnaw through vents, squeeze into attics, tear up insulation, and chew on wiring. That last habit alone is a serious fire risk. They’ll stash food in walls and scratch loudly at all hours. If you hear scurrying overhead, you’ve probably got a furry squatter.
Ground squirrels also take the fight to your yard. Their tunnels weaken soil under patios, sidewalks, and even foundations. Gardens get raided. Lawns turn lumpy. These little diggers don’t just stop at one hole—they build full-on networks beneath your feet, often tearing through roots and disturbing surrounding vegetation. And the more there are, the harder they are to manage.
Why Getting Rid of Squirrels Isn’t as Simple as It Sounds
You’d think trapping a squirrel would be easy—it’s just a rodent, right? Not quite. These little pests are smarter, faster, and more adaptable than most homeowners expect. One wrong move and you might trap the wrong species, miss the entry point, or worse, separate a mother from her babies, which guarantees she’s coming back with a vengeance.
The reason why squirrel removal is so tricky boils down to behavior and access. Tree squirrels can squeeze through gaps smaller than your fist and stash food in places you’d never think to check. Ground squirrels build tunnels in hard-to-reach zones, often with multiple hidden exits. That means even if you trap one, its buddies could still be coming and going like nothing happened.
Effective squirrel control takes more than just a trap and some peanut butter. Without sealing access points, clearing out nesting materials, and dealing with the scent trails they leave behind, the infestation sticks around—and so do the squirrels.
Know Your Squirrel, Fix the Right Problem
Tree squirrels and ground squirrels might share a name, but that’s where the similarity ends. To the average person, telling the difference between a squirrel and a tree squirrel may not seem important—but it is. One climbs into your attic; the other tunnels under your yard. One chews wires and insulation; the other reshapes your landscape like it’s a construction site. Misreading the signs leads to wasted time, wrong traps, and ongoing frustration.
So take a closer look—at the behavior, the damage, and the habitat. When you know what you’re dealing with, you can fix it faster, smarter, and for good. And if you’re done guessing and just want it handled? The pros at AAAC Wildlife Removal are always ready to step in, identify the intruder, and kick them out—humanely, effectively, and without delay.
