The Craftiest Workshop

On our property there are two squirrels. Until recently, the only interaction that we have had with them has been leaving a peanut and then the squirrel would take it once we were at a fair distance away. One squirrel has spent the winters in the shed that we use to store firewood and the other squirrel had taken up residence in the shed that we keep the garden tools in.

This spring, the garden tool shed squirrel, got caught in the hand held fishing net that was hanging in the shed. We managed to cut it out before it choked itself to death. After that encounter, this squirrel become braver around us taking peanuts from our hand. This progressed to climbing up our legs to climbing all over us. Today, when she saw me in the garden, she bounded across the yard and without hesitation jumped up and straight to the pocket where I usually have peanuts.

Here is Merle.

Two weeks ago our nieces came over in hopes to interacting with the squirrel. She, we discovered that it is a she, didn’t disappoint. Even though they brought their two big dogs, as long as the dogs were a fair distance away, Merle came to the girls to get peanuts.

Unfortunately, after that afternoon, things have changed a bit. After getting SO many peanuts that day, Merle has become needy. She is always wanting more no matter if my pockets are empty or not. One day, after I ran out, she ran up and down my body at least six times trying to find some more.

The other thing that occurred is that the other squirrel, the male squirrel, was watching that day with the girls. It noticed that Merle was getting more peanuts by getting close to the humans. He started coming to get peanuts from my hand and even climbing up as far as my knees. We named him Earl. I can tell the difference between the two because he has a more heavier pear shaped body and longer tail.

Earl was always the friendlier squirrel before this. In winter, it would be him coming to me for peanuts near the bird feeder. Merle, on the other hand, would mostly sit atop her shed and chatter at us as if to say “stay away from my house.”

Well, one day recently, both squirrels showed up for peanuts at the same time. Merle had been eating peanuts on a log near the greenhouse and Earl showed up. They stood up on their hind legs and battled like two feral cats. Eventually, Earl chased Merle off into the treeline.

The next time it happened, Merle was sitting at the base of my feet for protection on my right side. Earl approached my left side not realizing that she was there. He climbed up my left leg and she climbed up my right. They were ready to battle it out on me!! I tossed them both to the ground and off they ran again.

Things came to a head for me this morning. Merle found me watering in the garden and jumped up frantically for a peanut. She had seen me feed Earl a peanut yesterday. Plus, it was a cold 7° morning and she was hungry. She wasn’t patient to wait for me to dig into my pocket so she put her top teeth on my hand and drew blood. I wasn’t wearing gloves like I normally am; she has put her teeth on my gloves before. I went inside and cleaned my hand and put some ointment on it.

I finished up in the garden and went to pick Saskatoons. Earl followed me across our property to the far bush area. He was hopping from tree to tree asking for peanuts. I walked outside the trees to a different picking spot and he didn’t return. Merle found me shortly after, again quite aways away from the house, picking Saskatoons near our other neighbour’s property line. For some reason they were desperate for peanuts today.

I have decided to try to not feed them by hand for a few days and see if it works to quell their obsession with me. Merle will be a problem as she always jumps on me. I might still leave peanuts on the bird feeder on the steps so they get something. I managed to creep quietly outside again in the afternoon to pick some peas and water my greenhouse plants. It is pretty bad not being able to go outside freely without being bombarded by squirrels.

I am not sure why they fight so much. I guess they are vying for territory as well as a food source. I just don’t want to be the thing that they fight over. I preferred it when they were calm and cute only wanting a peanut or two.