Fox squirrels have 2 to 4 young per litter and under proper conditions can raise 2 litters a year.

Fox squirrels are selective in their habitat needs. Fox squirrels, which get their name from their long, bushy tails, like to live in areas that have open spaces, oak hammocks and longleaf pines. Oak hammocks and open spaces are easily found. Longleaf pines, once Florida's dominant pine, grow more rare by the day. In the last half-century, 90 percent of them have disappeared, replaced by housing, shopping centers, tomato fields and slash pines, a faster-growing species preferred by tree farmers. Fox squirrels depend mostly on pine seeds for food in the summer and on acorns during the remainder of the year. Unlike the squirrels familiar to any urban back yard, the secretive fox squirrels are picky about where they'll live. That bodes poorly for them.