# Shouldn't squirrels run away??



## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

Just been outside where theres a squirrel sitting on the fence. Quite young but looks ok, he was sort of hunched up like he was cold, he just didnt look like he knew what was going on. So I went outside and managed to stand next to him and he didnt run away, i've left some of my chipmunks food out for him and he's moved into some ivy thats about a foot from where he was. I doubt he's a 'tame' one as the people next door shoot them, so they're smart enough not to hang around normally.

Is there anything that I can do for him do you think? Or shall I leave him to it...


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I would follow the wildlife rule of observing from a distance first before I just assumed it was ill, lost or whatever.

If it stays put and doesn't move, but is eating the food you put out for it, then he may just be hungry. Does he look like a youngster? Squirrels often 'push in ' a late litter, depending on the weather and we did have a very early spring, so they possibly started earlier than most years this year. It may be that he's just a youngster not long away from his parents and is still learning how to find food.


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

He looked just shy of adult, he wasnt a littlun but definately not full grown judging by the huge adults we normally have. He took some of the food and moved on eventually. Will keep an eye out for him tomorrow, I was going to shoo him away to keep him away from next door so he isnt shot but of course he was having none of it so I was worried he was ill, but he moved ok when he decided he wanted to so im less concerned now...just hope he stays away so im going to stop feeding him now I know hes ok.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Shame you have such pleasant neighbours! :whistling2:

You could have encouraged him then and saw him through the winter. :sad:


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

It is a shame, I love watching the squirrels working out how to get into the feeders and playing  

At first I was worried that the mother might of been shot and he's hanging around because he's waiting for her to come back or looking for her, next door are only normally in during the weekend, but they're there today...so as much as id like to think its coincidence, im not sure. But he looks old enough to look after himself and hes gone away with a belly full of nuts, seeds and mealworms at least.


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

Well, he's come twice now, very fearless (or daft) and will brave the cats at the window to eat the nuts. I gave in and fed him as he seems to be hungry, he seems a little unbalanced too as he fell off the fence into a bush when he tried to climb down...funny little thing. Anyway, here he is :whistling2:

Where he was sleeping before a magpie came and woke him up:
















After falling off the fence :lol2:
















Finally figuring out how to get to our bird feeder, despite his audience of cats!









He doesn't seem too young, or skinny... just daft as a brush!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Aw, bless him - he's so cute! :flrt: That's why the greys have flourished so well over here - because they aren't as reclusive as our native reds. When we move into their area, the greys will stay and adapt as they aren't so fearful of people, whereas the reds will move out.


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

He really is! He's so different to the usual ones we have, normally there's a very large male and a female knocking around and are much more reclusive than this one. A few months back a slightly smaller one appeared and then disappeared again and I assumed he had been killed, but now im beginning to think this is him, as he shares the same clumsiness and lack of fear. On his first appearance a few months back he leapt off the fence at next doors bird feeder, missed and hit the deck rather hard... :lol2: maybe thats where his dislike of the feeders to the right of us came from!!?

Its a shame about the reds not adapting so well, i've always wanted to see one. Every trip to Scotland results in neck strain :blush: one day though!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

If you're ever up the west coast almost to Fort William, there's a good red squirrel population just a mile or so north after you cross the Ballachulish Bridge and you can stand behind a 'wall' and view them. :2thumb:


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

Thanks, I shall make a point of stopping off next time im up that way :no1:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

It's somewhere between Onich and the Corran ferry just off the A82 main road to Fort William. I've just thrown out the leaflet literally a week ago, otherwise I could have given you the exact location, cos it isn't signposted.


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

He's been back every day since...only today... he's brought a friend with him!! :bash::bash: now I have 2 squirrels to worry myself sick over :flrt:


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

His new hobby seems to be to wind the cat up :lol2:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Believe it or not - I'm soooo jealous!!


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

feorag said:


> Believe it or not - I'm soooo jealous!!


:lol2: He came and sat next to my feet while I changed the peanuts earlier..... i was tempted to buy some squirrel food when i went out to buy crickets, but that would go against my 'not encouraging them' :blush: 

And judging by the use of our conservatory roof as a honeymoon suite yesterday, we may have the pitter patter of babies at some point... surely they shouldn't be breeding now?? :gasp:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Drayvan said:


> :lol2: He came and sat next to my feet while I changed the peanuts earlier..... i was tempted to buy some squirrel food when i went out to buy crickets, but that would go against my 'not encouraging them' :blush:
> 
> And judging by the use of our conservatory roof as a honeymoon suite yesterday, we may have the pitter patter of babies at some point... surely they shouldn't be breeding now?? :gasp:


Definitely they shouldn't be breeding at this time of the year. Squirrels will often put in a second litter in the year, but that's usually about July-ish.


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

feorag said:


> Definitely they shouldn't be breeding at this time of the year. Squirrels will often put in a second litter in the year, but that's usually about July-ish.


Thought as much... odd! :hmm:

Mums come to the conclusion that he was hand-reared and released in the woods at the back of us...bless her, although it's odd that a wild youngster should be so tame and have so little idea of what he's doing.


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## debsandpets (May 26, 2012)

When I lived in London with my parents, we had a squirrel that used to come in the house and make himself at home in the living room !! Used to ignore the cat and dog and wait on the arm of the sofa for food :2thumb: 
Even though they are classed as vermin (cos of their hinderence to the red populations) I absolutely love them, and am also very jealous of your new friends


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

debsandpets said:


> When I lived in London with my parents, we had a squirrel that used to come in the house and make himself at home in the living room !! Used to ignore the cat and dog and wait on the arm of the sofa for food :2thumb:
> Even though they are classed as vermin (cos of their hinderence to the red populations) I absolutely love them, and am also very jealous of your new friends


Aha that's a great story :lol2: I often wonder if he would come in if I left the window open but I wouldn't want him giving my Chipmunk anything... or lose a cat out the window :blush:
I love squirrels, its just a shame I can't encourage him more. I just hope he ate enough peanuts to keep him warm in all this rain! :gasp:


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## debsandpets (May 26, 2012)

I am sure he did. When I was younger I used to spend most of my Saturday afternoon and all my pocket money on peanuts for the squirrels in the park. Because they got fed all year round, they never went into hibernation and always ate their fill before leaving for the day.
They have great characters too, and I really wanted one to keep as a pet back then, mind you I wouldn't say no now either. We had some really over friendly scuzzies, that as soon as you walked into the Rose Garden and yelled for them, they would literally come running from the undergrowth and down the trees to come and get food. They got tame enough to stroke paws, faces etc and even knew individual names too. Would also follow me from one park to the next one like very small dogs lol

Cor, this has brought back some lovely memories of some of them - some of the bitey ones, not so much ...............

I miss my scuzzies :-(


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## Drayvan (Jul 7, 2010)

debsandpets said:


> I am sure he did. When I was younger I used to spend most of my Saturday afternoon and all my pocket money on peanuts for the squirrels in the park. Because they got fed all year round, they never went into hibernation and always ate their fill before leaving for the day.
> They have great characters too, and I really wanted one to keep as a pet back then, mind you I wouldn't say no now either. We had some really over friendly scuzzies, that as soon as you walked into the Rose Garden and yelled for them, they would literally come running from the undergrowth and down the trees to come and get food. They got tame enough to stroke paws, faces etc and even knew individual names too. Would also follow me from one park to the next one like very small dogs lol
> 
> Cor, this has brought back some lovely memories of some of them - some of the bitey ones, not so much ...............
> ...


Awh id love if he became that tame! :gasp: i've contemplated getting some squirrels when I build an outdoor enclosure for Chipmunks...seems now I dont have to :lol2:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

When my son was at Huddersfield Uni he was in halls of residence and a grey squirrel used to come along every day, climb in their kitchen window and be fed by hand. They reaqlly


debsandpets said:


> Because they got fed all year round, they never went into hibernation and always ate their fill before leaving for the day.(


Just a minor point, but squirrels don't hibernate at all, both the reds and greys. They cache their winter larder to feed them over the winter and if the weather becomes really severe then they will go into a kind of torpor to slow down their metabolism until the severe weather passes and they can go out and get some food.


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## debsandpets (May 26, 2012)

Thanks for that Feorag, I never knew that. Was always told that they hibernate for the winter, hence the dreys in trees etc - obv they were just for rearing the young then ......


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

No probs - their dreys are their hibernaculum when the weather is very severe.

I spoke to a hedgehog expert last autumn when BBC Countryfile was here filming me with the red squirrels - she was included in the programme as the "squirrel expert" because she'd been asked to do a report on the demise of the red squirrel and I was gobsmacked when she actually asked me if squirrels hibernated like hedgehogs! :gasp:


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