Little is known about the reproductive habits of most other species of squirrels, particularly the tropical forms that are less common and more difficult to study. The giant flying squirrel of Malaysia usually gives birth to only one or two young in a litter. Some of the tropical species of squirrels are known to bear young several times during a year. Male marmots may maintain a harem of two or three females which they guard from contact with other males. The young often remain in the vicinity of their parents for as long as two years, at which time they reach maturity.
Prairie dogs bear four or five young per litter.
The family often remains intact as a small clan within the larger prairie-dog village, which may include several other families. The eastern chipmunk mates in early spring and again in late summer. Many consume large quantities of seeds and nuts. Some will eat insects or other invertebrates when they are available, and a few have been known to eat bird eggs and small vertebrates. Flying squirrels have been captured in traps baited with meat.