And now for the moment we've all been waiting for! Yes, we've been blessed with yet another month-long opportunity to be aware of our local squirrels and to celebrate them respectfully. As one of the biggest days on the Rodent Calendar, October 1st and Squirrel Awareness Month remind us to take the time to remember our Finer Rodents and if possible, to leave them a special treat in appreciation of the joy/laughter they bring into our lives. Naturally we can do this all year round, but setting aside a special month helps us to avoid taking them for granted while positively bringing them back into public consciousness.
Feel free to share your squirrel stories as the month progresses. Keep on squirrelin'!
At our house we've been taking care of a squirrel we call "The Old Guy" because he looks like he's been through the Squirrel Wars. He has difficulty eating and chewing, so it takes him twice as long to eat and because of his frailty, he has to fight off his younger competitors. He's hanging in there, and we always enjoy seeing him.
I love watching Squirrels. Where I live,we only have the American Grey Squirrel. Unfortunately, they are treated as vermin, if you happen to catch one, it's illegal to release it.
"Respectfully"? Are you serious? You obviously have no awareness of how destructive the little bastards can be when they invade your home. Yes, they're rodents and don't belong on the pedestal you've created for them. During this time of year, they will work tenaciously at gaining access via the smallest crevice, much like field mice. And as rodents, they're constantly gnawing and chewing on things. In their case, it's because their teeth grow throughout their lifespan and they need to keep them at a manageable length. They're responsible for thousands of house fires annually because they chew on electrical wiring. Get educated about your subject.
I find their antics out in the tree lines to be very amusing, I do like to watch their amusing silliness.
However, you make a point. They can be real pests if they get up into your eaves and attic. Unfortunately I’ve had to put an end to a couple of persistent Greys that kept breaking into the house.
They were tearing up insulation and eating cereal on the kitchen counter.
I felt bad about it but a .177 BB did for them both, I don’t want property damage or disease on my land.
I live in what's known as a "tree city." Naturally, where there are trees, there are going to be squirrels.
I've never had to resort to killing one. I always look for ways to repel them, keep them out of my house. There are a number of ordinary household items they don't like the smell of, believe it or not, Irish Spring soap being one of them.
I’ve used a device called a ‘Hav A Heart Trap’ many times and once trapped I’d drive the critters down to the woods. I’ve done this when I still lived in Yonkers on multiple occasions.
Unfortunately some Squirrels don’t take the bait and I’ve had to resort to more serious measures. Where I now live way out in the woods they seem to be content with the acorns.
I did have a Gliding Squirrel and a big chubby Grey get into my house and was able to chase them out with a broom here.
I LOVE SQUIRRELS......UNFORTUNATELY I ONCE HAD TO KILL A COUPLE HUNDRED OF THEM.....BUT OVERALL THEY ARE CUTE LIL WEIRDOS...
ONCE MY DAUGHTER AND I GOT IN OUR CAR AT OUR HOUSE AND DROVE TOWARDS THE FREEWAY....RIGHT AS I WAS ABOUT TO GET ON THE FREEWAY THE CAR SHUT DOWN...I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD...ALL STRESSED AND NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS GOING ON....I GOT OUT AND OPENED THE HOOD TO TRY AND FIGURE IT OUT....SECOND THAT HOOD OPENED OUT OF MY ENGINE POPS A WILD EYED SQUIRREL....SMEARED IN GREASE LIKE RAMBO...HE LOOKS AT ME....AND TAKES OFF OUT OF MY ENGINE....ACROSS THE FREEWAY....ALL EIGHT LANES....AND INTO A BUSH ON THE OTHER SIDE.....MY DAUGHTER NICKNAMED HIM MR NUTS.
I used to earn a few bucks trapping them and releasing them far away elsewhere with ‘Hav A Heart’ traps but some you just had to kill, those sorts would not stop being pests.
I don’t like killing an animal if I’m not going to clean and eat it but pests are pests. You have to do unpleasant things sometimes.
It is at this time that I wish to apologize to all those who live in cold climates and have had problems with squirrels breaking in and entering your homes. I live in a warm/no snow climate, and in spite of squirrels threatening to overrun our state, we do not have problems with this. My neighborhood is almost bursting at the seams with squirrels, and I've yet to hear of one instance of a break-in. even in winter.
While acknowledging that it doesn't make up for property damage, you have to admit that these deep-thinking, intellectual animals can be pretty determined when it comes to looking for food or attempting to keep warm. They are not intentionally seeking to be destructive, nor being mean and spiteful, but simply trying to survive in a cruel world. Hopefully, Squirrel Awareness Month can help toward educating people about these sometimes-overexuberant creatures.
I have two squirrel feeders attached to my backyard fence. It has a lid that they open and climb in and sit amongst the squirrel food behind a plexiglass shield like they're in their own little restaurant. I put them there because otherwise they would behead my sunflowers.