Squirrels Like Pizza
- Thread starter krichardson
- Start date
It depends upon where you are located. In southern Ontario, almost all of them were black. Around my home now, in Manitoba (next province to the west), very few black ones are seen.
There's even a town in southern Ontario...I forget the name...which has a population of Grey Squirrels which are mostly made up of white individuals. Not albinos, they still have black eyes, but their fur is snow-white. I drove up to see them many years ago; kind of gave me the creeps...
It's the red squirrel that's native to blighty but their numbers are dwindling. The grey squirrel population is nationwide now, they are literally like rats....but so damn cute, lol.
They're such a nuisance but because they're so cute the powers that be are thinking of ways of drastically reducing their numbers without resorting to shooting or poisoning them!
One method which is being trialled soon is to feed them peanut butter laced with contraceptives!! I kid you not.
They're such a nuisance but because they're so cute the powers that be are thinking of ways of drastically reducing their numbers without resorting to shooting or poisoning them!
One method which is being trialled soon is to feed them peanut butter laced with contraceptives!! I kid you not.
That sounds so much like something that would be attempted in Canada that...oh, wait, it has been, but with some other animals, not squirrels. The "logic" was that having a bunch of chemically castrated males running around was the best way to compete with the fertile ones. All of them would mate, but not all would be able to sire offspring.
Reminds me of the story of the Montana rancher whose sheep were being eaten by an overabundance of coyotes. Trying to be PC, the government plan was to try this chemical castration thing, and the earnest, fresh-out-of-university government biologist was explaining the scheme to a town-hall meeting full of local ranchers. The grizzled old farmer waited until the young do-gooder had finished outlining the plan, and then he stood up and said "I don't think you fellers quite understand the problem. Them coyotes ain't screwin' our sheep; they're eatin' them!"
We have mostly fox squirrels and red squirrels where I am though occasionally a gray squirrel pops up every few months. We also have chipmunks though as of today one less as one of the feral cats got a large juicy one.
We also have some groundhogs and unfortunately there is at least one living under our older 12 x 16 equipment shed with just a 4 x 4 post foundation setting on blocks and after 20 years it's sinking a bit on one side.
The other day I was watching TV in our living room in the walk-out basement and thought a bird hit one of the windows but it kept hitting it over and over for a few minutes. I got up and it was a juvenile ground hog banging his head on the patio door and wondering why he couldn't get through the glass.
I often throw old or uneaten human food out in the backyard, usually it's the raccoons or opossums that get the majority of it though when we had a family of crows hanging around a couple years ago, they really enjoyed the spaghetti noodles that were left over and it was a riot watching them carry off a beak full of dangling noodles.
We also have some groundhogs and unfortunately there is at least one living under our older 12 x 16 equipment shed with just a 4 x 4 post foundation setting on blocks and after 20 years it's sinking a bit on one side.
The other day I was watching TV in our living room in the walk-out basement and thought a bird hit one of the windows but it kept hitting it over and over for a few minutes. I got up and it was a juvenile ground hog banging his head on the patio door and wondering why he couldn't get through the glass. I often throw old or uneaten human food out in the backyard, usually it's the raccoons or opossums that get the majority of it though when we had a family of crows hanging around a couple years ago, they really enjoyed the spaghetti noodles that were left over and it was a riot watching them carry off a beak full of dangling noodles.
Cool,very little garbage gets thrown in the trash here as I toss everything I can to the backyard critters.
Being fellow hobbyists I'm somewhat disappointed in you guys, lol.
99% of our kitchen scraps go into my wormery which provides great live food for my fish.
I'd rather my fish benefit from scraps than some flea bitten critter which would probably thank me by leaving a big crap in my back garden, lol.
Dang! Must be nice to be able to dispose of food waste in all these simple ways; benefit the environment and get to see numerous lovely wild critters right in your yard at the same time.
I'd try it myself, but we already have occasional problems with bears...and that's despite being careful to leave no "attractive nuisances" in the form of food waste outdoors at night. Bird feeders need to come in at night...the "grease cup" dangling underneath the barbecue can't be left out...dog treats are a no-no, along with containers of fish food near the ponds. Definitely no empty beer bottles left out on the patio...
(((sigh)))...sometimes I miss living in the city...NOT!
I'd try it myself, but we already have occasional problems with bears...and that's despite being careful to leave no "attractive nuisances" in the form of food waste outdoors at night. Bird feeders need to come in at night...the "grease cup" dangling underneath the barbecue can't be left out...dog treats are a no-no, along with containers of fish food near the ponds. Definitely no empty beer bottles left out on the patio...
(((sigh)))...sometimes I miss living in the city...NOT!
LOL...yeah well,I must be getting a bit squeamish in my old age as I don't even want to see a worm thrown in to be eaten.I
I used to buy various feeders by the bag loads but I've gotten away from that.
