One Squirrely Friendship
Yesterday’s post about my fondness for chipmunks jogged the memory of Shauna Stewart from the Fido & Wino blog. In response, she shared an adorable story about her childhood experience:
Hmmm. I am not sure if my little memory is about squirrels or chipmunks, but the big ”win” when we went camping when we were kids was getting a squirrel (chipmunk?) to trust us enough to take a cracker off our of knee. We NEVER succeeded. The only way we knew it was possible was because my grandpa pulled it off every year.
It didn’t dawn on us that perhaps the reason he managed it and we didn’t was because his game plan did not involve a “HEY SQUIRREL! Come HEEEEEERE LITTLE SQUIRREL!”
Surprisingly, Grandpa’s approach was a bit more calm, a bit more methodical.
April from The Teacher’s Pets also had a story to share:
When I was a little girl I used to feed peanuts to chipmunks while staying at a cabin in Sunapee, NH, and it was the cutest thing to see those little critters come right up to me for a bite of a peanut.
After having a good laugh, my memory was jogged too (although I seem to have blocked out the bad hair that goes with it)…
What’s in There?
As I type, something in the wall is yelling at me. Technically, our walls are solid log but, through a gap between the logs and the fireplace mortar, something can see me. And it’s not happy.
I guessed these were squirrels at the start. In fact, in late March I made a video named “Squirrel Hunt” showing our kittens taking curious note of the noise which was probably nest building. It’s now May and the cats are as curious as ever about being reprimanded by a wall. After 2 months I have to ask, how much longer will this go on?
Squirrel Hunt
THE PROBLEM
Living in a log home, the natural look of wood is not only aesthetically pleasing, it provides a vast array of uses for the wonderful world of wildlife. While we feed birds, squirrels and chipmunks without discrimination, we don’t necessarily want critters freeloading within our lodging. For this reason, we’ve been forced to enter into a Cat’s Eye pest control program.
THE SOLUTION
As clients with great respect for the general animal kingdom, we pose an interesting challenge for Cat’s Eye. Typically, exterminators hunt to kill. We’ve asked, instead, that ours hunt to preserve. So far, we’ve found the following ways to achieve that end:
- When mice infiltrated the basement, Tin Cats were baited but never poisoned. Rattling traps prompted Tim to blindfold captives, drive them to an undisclosed location and release them under witness protection until holes were sealed.
- To dissuade wasps and bees from encroaching upon my imaginary allergin relief zone, our annual phoebe hatchlings are kept safe from preventative dusting.
- When “redirecting” a legion of carpenter bees deeply entrenched under the gutters, Cat’s Eye engaged in combat while the majority of bees were on a pollen mission. This was to ensure minimum collateral damage. Tunnels were dusted with organic, peppermint-scented powder, the entrance was barricaded, and surveillance continued throughout the season. Eventually, the bees moved on.
Bottom line: we take no prisoners.
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