Do Richardsons ground squirrels drink water?
Only rarely in the wild. Free-living Richardson’s ground squirrels usually do not have access to water, but they will drink if water is readily available. Because Richardson’s ground squirrels live on the dry prairie, many of them only ever have access to water after a spring snowstorm, summer rain, or on a dewy morning. To stay in water balance in the absence of a source of drinking water, ground squirrels reduce water loss from the body by producing dry feces, by making small amounts of concentrated urine, by retreating underground in the heat of the day, and by spending large amounts of time curled up in a cool, moist nest located deep underground.
