Squirrels.

[Emilieu]

I call them my outdoor pets.

We have not long moved house and got a message from the chap whose garden borders ours, to say that he was intending to ‘deal’ with the squirrels and he hoped we didn’t mind. Mind!! We were horrified- the squirrels bring us so much joy. Our driveway is lined with horse chestnuts and we have spent many happy hours since moving, looking out the kitchen window at them collecting nuts. Since we can’t really stop him if he wants to ‘deal’ with any on his own land I have decided that the best way to keep them safe is to lure them as much as possible to the far side of the garden, away from him and his ‘dealing’. So the far side of the garden is now populated by various squirrel feeders. I spend a ridiculous amount of time and money feeding them, and now spend even longer beaming out the window at their antics. However, I did get a surprise earlier when I peeked out to discover that I wasn’t the only one who enjoys peering through windows…

 

[ArklePig]

What a cutie. Your neighbour sounds like a grade a w@nker. Are squirrels not protected in the UK?

 

[cobgoblin]

Only red squirrels are protected.
Our grey squirrels are permanently bad tempered. The female becomes more friendly in the spring when she has young, well she marches into the kitchen if we're not careful and demands food, if you can call that friendly.
They are currently stripping our walnut tree and dropping nuts onto the cars, the little darlings!

 

[olop]

Oh that’s sad, if you keep feeding them they should hopefully stay away from him.
I also have some “pet” squirrels, they knock on my glass door if there is no food, they come in the house and I can also stroke them
I hope you manage to keep them away from him!

 

[Widgeon]

I'm torn over grey squirrels. They're invasive, destructive, and wipe out our native red squirrels. But none of that is the fault of individual grey squirrels....and they're so funny to watch, I can see why OP likes them.

But purely from a practical POV I think the neighbour is on a hiding to nothing - even if he manages to exterminate all of the current population, new ones will just move straight in to fill the gap.

 

[Emilieu]

What a cutie. Your neighbour sounds like a grade a w@nker. Are squirrels not protected in the UK?

He is especially w@nkerish because his house has just been built, so he has probably knocked down their wee houses to make his own. His Just Eat driver came to our door by accident earlier, i was tempted to take the food and see if the squirrels wanted it…

 

[Emilieu]

I'm torn over grey squirrels. They're invasive, destructive, and wipe out our native red squirrels. But none of that is the fault of individual grey squirrels....and they're so funny to watch, I can see why OP likes them.

But purely from a practical POV I think the neighbour is on a hiding to nothing - even if he manages to exterminate all of the current population, new ones will just move straight in to fill the gap.

Yes, I feel just like this. Love red squirrels, and it’s awful how they have been practically wiped out, but these guys are just wee creatures gamely making the best of what life gave them. And their wee hands are so sweet

 

[Emilieu]

Oh that’s sad, if you keep feeding them they should hopefully stay away from him.
I also have some “pet” squirrels, they knock on my glass door if there is no food, they come in the house and I can also stroke them
I hope you manage to keep them away from him!

This is the dream! I think my cats might keep them from crossing the threshold but who knows?

 

[Ratface]

Madam

This is the dream! I think my cats might keep them from crossing the threshold but who knows?

Madam Carrie Cat would probably lure them in and murder them if they so much as thought of eating anything that she could get her fat fluffy paws on. Talons and bunny's back legsRUs!

 

[Snow Falcon]

We had a 'pet' squirrel named Cyril at the field a few years back. I used to leave a few nuts out for him.

 

[Kunoichi73]

In our old house we had one that would come on the balcony and take peanuts out of our hands.

We also had cats that would catch them occasionally and leave peeled bits of squirrel outside the back door!

 

[Emilieu]

Peeled

 

[oldandgold]

I thought feeding squirrels was a good idea - giving them there own food/nuts, but unfortunately when they had eaten their fill they buried the rest, not just in my garden but in the neighbours as well.
Sadly squirrels don't respect borders. I know someone who calls them tree rats with furry tails

 

[cobgoblin]

In our old house we had one that would come on the balcony and take peanuts out of our hands.

We also had cats that would catch them occasionally and leave peeled bits of squirrel outside the back door!

Our cats used to leave peeled off skin and the tail.

 

[Emilieu]

I thought feeding squirrels was a good idea - giving them there own food/nuts, but unfortunately when they had eaten their fill they buried the rest, not just in my garden but in the neighbours as well.
Sadly squirrels don't respect borders. I know someone who calls them tree rats with furry tails

I kind of like rats too

 

[Clodagh]

I was going to say if they didn’t have fluffy tails people would think of them more as rats. Horrible things, they carry disease and wipe out eggs and nestlings in hedges.
I’m with your neighbour!!

 

[Emilieu]

I was going to say if they didn’t have fluffy tails people would think of them more as rats. Horrible things, they carry disease and wipe out eggs and nestlings in hedges.
I’m with your neighbour!!

But… look at his wee paws

 

[Kunoichi73]

Peeled

Our cats used to leave peeled off skin and the tail.

Pretty much the same as ours. Yuck!

 

[rabatsa]

My late mother had a vendetta against all squirrels, her then new neighbours thought that they were wonderful and put food out for them.

My mothers 80th birthday cake featured a headstone with tally marks on, a squirrel on the top eating a nut. This was round the side of the cake along with flowers ect. The top had a little old lady sat in a chair with her knitting.

No pictures taken by me so I cannot post them.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

My late mother had a vendetta against all squirrels, her then new neighbours thought that they were wonderful and put food out for them.

My mothers 80th birthday cake featured a headstone with tally marks on, a squirrel on the top eating a nut. This was round the side of the cake along with flowers ect. The top had a little old lady sat in a chair with her knitting.

No pictures taken by me so I cannot post them.

That sounds brilliant, such a shame no photos.

We get little oak saplings popping up at random on our land presumably planted by squirrels.