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Post by bongosfriend on Mar 15, 2015 15:31:49 GMT
I have a partially-tamed squirrel who will come up and take peanuts out of my hand. I call him Larry, because when he sees me sitting out with my bag of peanuts he's happy as Larry!
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 15, 2015 16:20:37 GMT
Aw! That's so sweet, Bongosfriend I'm a bit reluctant to do that, because I got conversationally friendly with the chipmunk living under my front steps, and I told him to get out of the road one time, because a car was coming. Instead, he stopped and listened to me! I had to stand in the road and stop the car, while I got him to stop listening and get out of the road! Enjoy your little squirrel buddy. I think they are all so cute
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 15, 2015 18:56:45 GMT
Oh Bongosfriend that is adorable, I would love to hand feed a squirrel. That too is so lovely 3piggles, the little chap was looking for you.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by bongosfriend on Mar 16, 2015 14:56:21 GMT
All it takes is patience. It took about two weeks; I sat in a chair on my front patio with a bag of peanuts in the shell. I started out by setting a few peanuts on the ground near my chair. He would come up and eat them warily. Gradually I moved the peanuts closer to the chair until the last one was just a foot or so away from me. When he took that one, I held a peanut in my hand at squirrel level. He finally worked up the courage to take it. From that point on he would approach me, taking the peanut from my hand. Cutest of all, he'd steady himself by placing his paw on my hand! I can't wait until the weather is warm enough for me to sit outside again.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 16, 2015 19:08:50 GMT
Oh wow Bongosfriend love, that is absolutely adorable, I would so love to see it. When an animal trusts you like that it is a great honour and really does the soul good. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I can just imagine his little hand on yours.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 16, 2015 19:50:52 GMT
That is so cute!!! I'm glad you have a little squirrel buddy
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Post by Bean on Mar 16, 2015 21:06:41 GMT
That's sweet.
We used to live near a park with loads of tame squirrels who would feed from your hand. Problem is, over time they got so bold, they didn't always wait to be offered food and would just pop up and grab it! Not sure what it's like now!
Once sweet trusting squirrel sounds much more special!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 17, 2015 18:52:03 GMT
I knew someone who lost a Mars bar to a squirrel. Little devil just jumped up and snatched it LOL!!
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 17, 2015 19:55:14 GMT
A Mars bar! Not good for squirrels I've heard other stories of park squirrels becoming overly aggressive. Takes the fun out of it.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 18, 2015 19:59:53 GMT
No, not good for squirrels and not good for bunnies either love but I have never had a bun that doesn't adore chocolate. Becoming aggressive would spoilt it, would that be just the grey squirrel because isn't he supposed to be a bad tempered little fellow?
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 18, 2015 20:57:42 GMT
One of our dogs ate a 1 pound Hersey's kiss we bought for daughter one Christmas. Tin foil and all! He was sick all night. Didn't stop him from begging for chocolate any time anyone had some
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 19, 2015 20:44:52 GMT
I have had doggies do similar things too hun, it all goes down wrapper and all. I am sorry he was a sick boy but I can believe it hasn't put him off choccy LOL!!
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 19, 2015 21:41:56 GMT
He was a great dog. Lived to be 18 years old, which is great for a Golden Retriever/Irish Setter mix He had a mind of his own, and that wasn't the last stupid thing he did. He started out about the size of a guinea pig, and ended up over 100 pounds
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 20, 2015 19:48:23 GMT
He sounds fantastic love and I am so glad you had him for so long. I had a Golden Retriever when I was a child but she only lived until she was 10.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 21, 2015 14:52:38 GMT
He was on borrowed time, Jo. The vet said most of them die at a much younger age. I'm glad he didn't, and he got to have fun with the bunnies and the geese
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 21, 2015 20:04:15 GMT
He lived his life to the full thanks to you darling, he must have been a very happy doggy.
Hugs JO xx
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 23, 2015 17:10:08 GMT
I put seed and nuts out for my little squirrel buddies and the birds, at 7 a.m., and no one showed up. There was no bird or squirrel activity on the back lawn. I think there was a major predator in the area, and they all stayed in hiding, as there is a feeder off the balcony of a unit across the lawn, and that was empty of birds and squirrels, too. They finally showed up around 9 a.m., so whatever it was lingered for quite a while.
Hubby mentioned that the bear are going to be waking soon, and when they do, we have to take the feeders in, and I can't put anything out on the ground that will attract the bear. They used to come through the yards at the last house, and flatten all the bird feeders, to get the seed. They could bend the metal poles over with no problem. Since I don't want to open the family room door and find a bear outside looking in at me, we'll heed the warnings. Supposed to be in the 30s tomorrow, 40s Wednesday and 50s Thursday, so despite the cold days and snow, spring is coming.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 23, 2015 19:25:11 GMT
Goodness bears, it sound every so strange to think of bears being near your home love but I have been told they have super smell and will eat anything. Do you have to look before you leave your house? There was a story that Paul read a while ago about a bear who founds his way into a snack bar, looked around, decided there was nothing he wanted and walked out. I don't know where this was or where the people who owned the cafe were, but it has always tickled me.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by Bean on Mar 24, 2015 9:26:45 GMT
Oooh crikey - thinking I might go out to the garden and find a bear helping himself to my bird feeders would give me the willies!
Biggest things I've seen in our garden are foxes as they used to pass through our garden from the field at the back. They seem to have stopped since we blocked up a few little gaps in the fencing line when we got the rabbits (just incase one of them managed to escape at any point) which worked doubly well as the young rabbits especially can get a bit spooked by foxes.
We still see the foxes out at the front sometimes. Fella saw one sitting at the end of our drive in broad daylight the other day - he shouted me so I could look at it (it was a really young, pretty one) but I thought he was shouting something about a box, so opened the front door thinking there was a delivery and it scarpered! Gawd, we've got to that mishearing/ confusion stage already....!
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Post by jolovespiggies on Mar 24, 2015 19:02:59 GMT
Ha ha, too can't imagine having to think "bear" hun when I open my door but I have always had a soft spot for them. It is a shame they are so grumpy as they look so cuddly. I have seen the odd fox around here in daylight to.
Hugs Jo xx
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