In article , Salty Thumb
wrote:

"nutso fasst" wrote in
om:

We've got an overpopulation of fox squirrels in the neighborhood, with
at least five nests in our backyard alone. The squirrels have always
gone after our fruit, but in the last few years they have begun
stripping entire treesful before it fully ripens. We have walnut trees
and I don't begrudge them walnuts, but the loss of oranges,
persimmons, pomegranates, plums and apricots ****es me off. Now we
have a new problem: they are stripping the bark off elm and chinese
silk trees and eating the new leaf shoots off the apricots. Peaceful
coexistence is ending. I'm getting a slingshot and looking for
squirrel recipes. But I wonder about this bark-eating behavior, which
I never noticed or heard of before. It's not like these guys are
starving--they're some of the plumpest squirrels I've ever seen. Is
this usual behavior?

nf


Theory 1:
Rodents have teeth that are continuely growing. Perhaps they just need
something to gnaw on to avoid getting bucktoothed or having their teeth
grow through their brains, especially after plumping up on the softer
tasty fruits. The apricot shoots are just for garnish or have an
analgesic effect.

Theory 2:
Squirrels have discovered that if a tree is stressed it will put more
energy into nut production and are intentionally stressing the tree by
stripping the bark.

Theory 3:
The squirrels have a serious eating disorder and you should call my
Animal Eating Disorder hotline at 1-900-555-NUTS for a consulation. Per
minute charges may apply.

Squirrels are highly territorial & as a rule will not permit any other
squirrel, beyond a mate, to live in their territory. Juveniles are kicked
out of the parents' territory almost as soon as they are weaned. They
sometimes build multiple dreys so I'm not convinced nutsofasst really has
them crowded into one yard like that, but if in fact there was formerly so
much food in the area that "territories" shrank & overlapped, then they
have probably used up their food resources during winter, & it's too early
in spring for new food resources to have developed. Squirrels will eat
buds early in spring if food they actually like is insufficient, & hungry
squirrels really can strip an entire tree of buds (which is also partly
also a neurotic behavior when they are crowded & territories undecided
among the squirrels themselves, & a squirrel can become frightened to hunt
more broadly & risk getting beaten up by the next squirrel).

Sometimes when something happens to a large shared food resource -- like
when the city comes through an extended area & tops all the walnut trees
or whatever so that they stop producing food, or developers clear-cut a
previously wooded area -- the squirrels will be forced into gardens they
would otherwise rarely have visited -- & in this case none of the
squirrels will be sure who's territory it is for some while. There's got
to be SOME reason for their rigid territories becoming smaller & less
rigid, because it's extremely rare that squirrels get crowded except in
parks or university campuses where the excess of free hand-outs of tator
chips & Subway sandwich whitebread overcomes their territoriality & they
all get fat & lazy instead of violently patrolling their personal acreage.


In normal conditions squirrels patrol a few acres & will seriouslky injure
or even KILL other squirrels if they don't leave fast enough from a
patrolled territory. In overcrowded conditions one often sees squirrels
with skinned tails or other startling injuries, caused by territorially;
the established squirrel always wins unless elderly, & invading
adolescents live horrible lives until they can establish a territory for
themselves. When this mean-sounding but essential behavior weakens,
squirrels can cause more damage than would otherwise be the case. The
overpopulation is generally very short-lived because weaker squirrels will
have to leave town or be so perpetually harrassed they die from the sheer
inability to rest anywhere & feed calmly.

Possibly feeding them cheap peanuts or corn will make them lose interest
in tree buds, until broader food resources are available & they stop
harvesting buds. But feeding them too much weakens their will to chase
other squirrels out of their territory. Tree buds aren't a favorite but a
back-up food, with some exceptions since squirrels are so intelligent &
complicated that they have very individualistic behaviors, & the
occasional squirrel will become seriously convinced buds are best. If they
can't be stopped from eating buds even when peanuts or corn are set out
for them, or when their better food resources return, they may inescapably
need to be trapped or killed, but first talk to animal control or the game
department about legalities and options.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/