They are bigger and heavier than tree squirrels and not as agile as the last ones. They live underground in burrows. They eat most of the day; it is their main occupation. Even when they take a rest under the sun, they find a piece of bark or a leaf to chew. Their favorite food is nuts and seeds but they are not picky, they would eat most of the plants and some insects . If a plant is not edible for them in mature state, they look for young leaves, shots and sprouts. They are always ready to try something new; there were incidents with poisonous mushrooms and lillies of the valley in the garden. Ground squirrels are destructive, they will eat younger parts of plants preventing their growth. If this doesn't stop you and you nevertheless want a couple of these in your garden, here are some plants that they don't like: rosemary, laurel, garlic, bouganvillia, lemons. When they are not eating they like to take sun and dust bathing, clean themselves, they like to dig too. They dig for three reasons: to make a burrow, to hide some food or find someone else's food. Sometimes they stand or sit on their rear paws. They like to look around and sometimes vocalize, making sharp repetitive noises. I think that they communicate this way, because they do it systematically and with no apparent relation to danger. When they are scared or attacked, they make a specific cry, which is louder and longer than the usual "communication". It would depend on type of danger, if it is close or far, they also react differently to a presence of a bobcat and a coyote or a falcon. They are territorial and will chase a rival from their place. I saw sometimes a ground squirrel hide in a neighbor burrow. Because there was danger they allowed the intruder to stay after some fighting.
That's all!
