So tell me the truth about squirrels...

[Grasswire2]

What is the likelihood that resident squirrels will have their babies in the attic of a house?

What is the likelihood that a resident squirrel will attack a human?

Is it wrong to have bird seed feeders because squirrels will inevitably raid them?

I'm getting pushback from neighbors about my feeding of birds.

I do have one feeder that the squirrels can't get anything from.

But I want to continue to put suet cakes out and so forth.

Today I had downy woodpeckers, doves, jays, crows, rosy-chested finches, chickadees, bush tits.

And squirrels.

[dweller]

1. Rats with furry tails

Next ?

✌🏻

[we can do it]

11. Agree.

[Ferrets are Cool]

2. Your neighbors are idiots

Yes, that was mean.

We love birds AND squirrels here in our piece of the world. Glad you do too.

[apcalc]

3. Squirrels are fine. I've had them at my feeders for years.

No problems. Plus they make me laugh! Quite the acrobats!

And they plant trees - great foresters they are! They plant walnuts and acorns and yes, the trees will grow if allowed.

Bet ya money the squirrels do more benefit to this earth than the neighbors.

[Rhiannon12866]

19. +100!

[SheltieLover]

24. +1,000!

Well said!

[Tess49]

25. A couple of summers ago, I had corn coming up all over the back yard. My squirrels had been busy.

I enjoy watching them play. They chase each other along the back fence, then jump into a tree, then on to the roof. A quick dance across the roof, and back the way they came.

[happybird]

4. Squirrels are great!

Never had a problem with them and we had a TON at our old house because a neighbor put out peanuts for them every day.

I can’t have bird feeders at this house because of bears

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Over the years I just figured l'd just feed the squirrels...

and it was nice when some birds showed up.

Worse than squirrels, though, were the neighborhood cats

[NCjack]

6. At night, throw shelled peanuts into the neighbor's yard. Photograph the

squirrels eating in neighbor's yard. etc.

[Brother Buzz]

45. I like you thinking, there!

[Phoenix61]

7. It can happen but they'd rather be outside.

Raccoons are more likely to be an attic problem than squirrels. Not sure what to say about your neighbors other than ignore them. It’s your yard and it certainly isn’t a noise issue. The sound like grumps.

[Maraya1969]

8. Squirrels can't get in your house unless there are holes in your soffit.

I had some raccoons in my attic last summer. One of the soffits had fallen off and I just ignored it....... I have since found out that I need to make sure I don't have any holes that these little critters can get in. And it was an expensive lesson.

[we can do it]

12. They tore back screen and pushed into our vent when fan was off.

[Maraya1969]

17. Well that too.

[bamagal62]

22. same.

[Arkansas Granny]

9. There is a healthy population of squirrels in my neighborhood due to all the pecan trees.

Surprisingly, I've never had any in my attic. They can't get to my bird feeders, but I do sometimes see them eating the food a put out for the ground feeders. The birds don't seem to mind sharing.

[mopinko]

29. that's illegal.

and also unkind. you drop animals off in territory they dont know, they usually die.

[mopinko]

32. yeah, it is illegal. fed law. dont mess w wildlife unless you have a license.

yeah, i know ppl do it. but it spreads disease.
just kill the thing outright. that is legal.

[mopinko]

34. it's against the law. flat out.

[Laffy Kat]

13. I'm pretty sure feeding birds will also bring the squirrels.

But so what? I wouldn't change a thing.

[Wolf Frankula]

14. Squirrels are no problem except,

when they get into your house. They can bring fleas in and pee and poop in your house. Dogs and cats will chase them.

Wolf

[babylonsister]

15. We all have squirrels AFAIK. I do in FL, yet we feed the birds.

Yea, your neighbors don't have anything else to complain about?

[Arne]

16. we have bunnies everywhere, rabbit infestation.

[littlemissmartypants]

27. I love bunnies. I have a recurring bunny baby event every spring.

I live for watching them jump to eat flying bugs.

❤ lmsp

[question everything]

18. We feed both

They cannot raid the feeder but love peanuts - in the shell and shelled.

Everyone loves the shelled peanuts, including foxes and raccoons.

[flying rabbit]

20. Sqirrels, birdfeeders and engineering:

[lillypaddle]

39. How can anyone NOT like squirrels???

[Niagara]

21. We have an abundance of squirrels in my neighborhood.

As long as you don't have tree branches hanging over the roof of your house you should be alright. If there are tree branches hanging over your roof you could have them trimmed off and or double check to make sure your attic isn't accessible to squirrels.



I give my neighborhood squirrels mini pumpkins every fall and they get my pistachio nuts that don't have cracks in them. They usually don't get too close to me. However, if you ever visit Niagara Falls State Park, the squirrels at that park are not shy and will beg people for food.


Do you live in a HOA? If not, don't worry about the pushback from your neighbors. If you do live in a HOA, there might be rules against feeding the birds. Squirrels will chew your outdoor patio cushions if you have them, so make sure to store them when not in use.



Here's a live webcam from Sapsucker Woods for you to enjoy.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

23. I started putting golden safflower in my feeders when I found out

that squirrels don't care for it much; that seems to be true, since I hardly ever see them on the feeders any more - only once in awhile, when they can't seem to find anything else.

[questionseverything]

26. Squirrels and bunnies are great

Close off the hole in your attic

[KY_EnviroGuy]

28. Alas, squirrels just come with the turf with feeding our lovely birds.

Squirrel-proof feeders really help and all four of mine are Brome SquirrelBusters, so they now feed off the ground. They chewed up most everything else I put our through the years. Feeders with any wood or exposed plastic are useless.

Feeders do seem to increase our squirrel population and it encourages them to nest in our trees, although I think the problem is self-limiting because they are somewhat territorial.

They've only nested in my out-building but not in my attic. They do chew up a lot of stuff, mostly cardboard to make their nests. So, they will get into your attic to chew up things and it's best to have wire mesh over all openings to keep them out.

They normally won't attack humans unless humans attack them. When I was a kid in the country, we kept them as pets until they were grown.

I'll never sacrifice the peace and tranquility I receive from watching our birds for any number of squirrels.

KY.......

[mopinko]

30. the trouble is

they spread the feed all over, and if it isnt cleaned up by nightfall, you WILL have rats.
if you have pigeons in the day time, you have rats at night.

it is way better to just run a hose drip for animals. less likely to interfere w natural behavior.

i had a neighbor who had a dozen bird feeders. blamed me for the rats she attracted.
when she passed away last fall, the feeders went dry. there were at least a dozen squirrels on the block last year. this year there were 2. the rest likely starved to death.

suet feeders are always appreciated when it's cold. they will hit it, too. but at least it wont end up on the ground.

[lillypaddle]

36. Squirrels gotta eat too, ya know?

I love squirrels. I put suet cakes out for the birds, and peanuts in the shell for the squirrels.

[Grasswire2]

40. my thought exactly

squirrels gotta eat.

I consider it "specie-ist" to have property perfectly suited for small animals but then restrict them from doing what every animal (including human) must do. Eat.

Isn't that specie-ist?

They chase off the migratory Canada geese, too.

[Autumn]

37. The best pet I ever had was a squirrel. I feed them all the time, I put out raw peanuts for them

and corn cobs and I have one bird feeder they can raid.

[Arne]

41. Here's a fun fact, squirrels at the White House are. white.

https://whitesquirrelinstitute.org/2019/01/22/white-squirrel-sighting-at-the-white-house/

Myth says if you see a white squirrel, change is coming.

[3catwoman3]

43. Some of "our" squirrels have white tufts on their ears.

Very distinctive. And recently, we now have black squirrels. Their fur is very shiny.

I would love to see a white squirrel.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

42. Squirrels broke into my attic. (bit through a piece of trim)

Part of the attic has no floor, just fiberglass rolled between joists, sitting on the second floor ceiling. Squirrels dug caves in the fiberglass, made little nests, had their kits. They were at home. Probably multi-generational nests.

until they got chased out by mean mr bozo, and then the trim got patched.

[Arne]

44. An old woman next door had pet squirrels

They were everywhere and she loved them.
I watched one day as she was actually giving them hair cuts,
trimming the little whiskers.
She passed away and a little family moved in.
They didn't know what was what.
Went out for the weekend and when they returned,
Squirrels had broken in and destroyed the house.

True story

[LNM]

46. My answers

Probably pretty good, especially if you live in a cold climate
Probably pretty good, if they're scared and cornered
No
Fuck 'em
I need one of those
Good for you
Enjoy the company
Of course.