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Young fox squirrel at Witter Wildlife Refuge.
Photo by Author
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Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
SQUIRREL TRICKS
As a wildlife rehabilitator one of my favorite guest is the squirrel. They are very animated and quite quizzical. If you have ever tried to catch a squirrel you know they can be incredibly fast.
Squirrels sleep most of the time, up to 20 hours but make up for it when awake moving at warp speed, sailing through tree tops and raiding bird feeders. They are primarily diurnal (daylight activity) but are occassionall seen out at night.
Squirrels love to play games. In the animal behavior world playing is a sign of intelligence. Playing requires some cognitive thinking and in some cases a sense of humor which are several steps above simple stimulus related behavior.
I saw an English television show on squirrels that was testing their problem solving abilities. The study began by trying to find a truly “squirrel proof” bird feeder. No matter what type of feeder was used the squirrels (all free and wild subjects) eventually figured out how to defeat it. This led the animal behavioral scientist to start introducing more and more complicated barriers to see just how cleaver a squirrel can be.
Each time the squirrels solved one problem another obstacle was added. squirrels are very persistent and rarely gave up even if it took weeks to conquer the new puzzle. If one squirrel learned the solution the others would learn from it and soon be sharing the answer. By the end of the TV show the squirrels were solving a multitude of problems to reach the “squirrel proof” feeder. It looked like a circus act as they road trolley type sliding contraptions, climbed through vertical tunnels, lifted slip rods, leaped huge distances and so on. Needless to say the study proved several things, squirrels are very smart, persistent and playful.
Squirrels also have an incredible sense of smell that is demonstrated by their ability to smell parasites inside an acorn. They do not bury acorns with insects inside, rejecting them with their amazing sniffing ability.
Both red squirrels and fox squirrels live in this area. The fox squirrels get considerably larger than the red.
Squirrels eat mostly plant material but occasionally feed on an egg or nestling. On rare occassions they will attack and eat a bird. In the spring they eat berries and fruit. They bury tremendous numbers of acorns as a winter food source locating them with their keen sense of smell. They will also eat buds and tender tree parts.
The squirrels bushy tail serves several functions. It’s large surface area breaks high falls, it serves as an umbrella when curled above the body and it helps maintain balance.
Although squirrels are cute and playful they do not make good house pets. They can be very destructive to curtains and furniture. Their teeth grow constantly so they must continually gnaw. Although they are unlikely to carry rabies, they can inflict a serious bite if scared.
As I have mentioned in previous articles, Arkansas law requires that any wild animal taken as a pet becomes the responsibility of the pet owner for its entire lifetime. It cannot be released to the wild, it cannot be sold or traded. It cannot be bred in captivity. It must be kept as a pet or destroyed.
This may sound harsh but the Law’s purpose is two fold. Wild animals that become unafraid of people can be very dangerous to people unaware of their tameness. Secondly pets are usually vaccinated and once the vaccine is introduced to their system they must be revaccinated each year to keep the vaccine effective. If a vaccinated animal is released to the wild the vaccine will slowly diminish in effectiveness an could actually create vaccine resistant diseases in that animal and its offspring.
As a wildlife rehabilitator I am trained to care for animals in a way in which they maintain their wild habits and fear of man. I can provide antibiotics and general medication but am not allowed to have wildlife vaccinated.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
