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Dryad

Seasonal bait uptake by individual grey squirrels measured by PIT-tags and Rhodamine B

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Aug 28, 2024 version files 23.62 MB

Abstract

Oral contraceptives are being developed to manage the impacts of the grey squirrel. To be effective, contraceptives will need to be deployed at a landscape scale and will require a delivery system that is practical and economically viable. Understanding grey squirrel feeding behaviour is important so that delivery methods can be designed to ensure enough target individuals receive an effective contraceptive dose at a time of year that will ensure they will remain infertile throughout peak times of breeding. The main aims of this study were to assess how sex, season, squirrel density and bait point density influenced; 1) the probability of a squirrel visiting a feeder and 2) the amount of bait consumed from feeders. Field trials were conducted on six woodland populations of squirrels in three seasons, with four days of bait deployment via purpose-designed squirrel-specific bait hoppers with integrated PIT-tag readers.