How to safely pet a wild squirrel
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- Опубликовано: 12 май 2022
- How to safely pet a wild squirrel
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Very good advice. Squirrels do have different personalities. Avoid trying to feed an aggressive one. This from a guy with squirrel fingers (scars). I'm retired and spend a couple of hours on my deck with my pals and a bucket of nuts. I first made friends with one that is now the matriarch of a large clan. I began by extending a peanut to her. Then I put on tight leather garden gloves and fed her from the palm of my hand. After 3 years she trusts me completely and will sprawl on the deck handrail and let me feed her and pet her. Her one baby will now do the same and all will let me hand feed them. The white fur on the belly is soooo soft. Still it is a trade. You can only pet them while you feed them. No food: no love.
Thank you ❤️ and also thanks for sharing this 😊 But even if their personality seems more aggressive I still feed them but not from hand, just throw it to them. The aggressive ones may have been through some traumas from attacks. They all need love and care, but give it wisely, adjusting after each ones needs 😊❤️🐿️
@@Squirrels_at_the_window Thanks for pointing out my typo. I meant to write "avoid trying the PET aggressive ones." I didn't mean not to feed them. The grabby guys I teach to play catch. They don't mean to hurt, they are just fearful. We are giants to them. Again, good video. Thanks for uploading.
I fed some nervous ones previously.
Please let me know whether you observed similar thing: some squirrels are so nervous when they try to get the food. therefore, they close the eyes shortly when grabbing the food and prepare to run away immediately. What happened sometimes is that they did not aim well and bited the finger rather than food.
@@SimonPeter1 It think that is a big part of it in the many cases cases. I don't believe 99% of squirrels bite intentionally. All squirrels are fearful until you earn their trust. This is only my theory and I am not an expert. I believe vision is also a part of getting squirrels fingers. A squirrel often will spot a hawk before I do and has greater than 180 degree field of vision. Their distant vision is very good but I have observed some that seem to have difficulty seeing at the end of their nose. Whether they close their eyes for a moment or just can't see well enough to distinguish between a finger tip and a peanut varies from squirrel to squirrel. I have 8 babies I am working with. The one that was the most shy of accepting a nut from me became the the most gentle when I gained her trust. Of the 8, she is the only one that will sit with me while I feed her. Two summers ago I had one that was so aggressive it would jump right at my face. He was the 1 in a 100. I would throw him nuts to keep him away.
@@bobporch Your distant vision theory explained perfectly what I observed! Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
I've had the joy of feeding squirrels in my backyard for about 7 years, and have always wanted to hold one. My unfulfilled wish in life is to be a squirrel rehabber.
You know, I've discovered they don't like to be held. If they get to know you, they are happy to sit on your arm or leg while they have a snack, but I think they feel a bit vulnerable actually being held. I usually wear old clothes around the place while I work in the yard. My little guy gets really upset if I wear something new.
You are such a lovely human! The squirrels are lucky to know you.
You are very kind, thank you 😊❤️
I don't pet because my hand isn't steady and I don't want to scare them. I have one who wraps her tail around my ankle sometimes. Guess she's petting me.
Lol 😂 That's very cute ❤️🐿️
I have about 15 squirrels at this point that frequent my yard/live in my yard and I love it. They meet me every morning for breakfast. There is one I've been feeding longer than the rest though and she is just so full of personality. She will let me pet her but nobody else and she will only eat out of my hand and none of my other family. The funniest part to me is that she always chases the other squirrels away until she's done eating, if she is there she will eat when she is ready and make all the other squirrels back off and wait until she is done.
How do you know its a she ?
You gotta post a video of this
@@hungsolow7090 I thought I was feeding a male squirrel for months until one day I saw...well, let's say she and a male were making friends. When she gained weight after I saw the nipples on her belly I'd missed before. I think those are the easiest tell.
There's a black squirrel, I call BeeBee, who comes around for cashews. I think she may have some neurological issues by the way she acts and eats, and she's never shown any signs of being afraid of me. I've started to pet her a bit and she doesn't mind. When she eats, she stands straight up and tilts her head back when chewing, so I'll put my hand behind her to make sure she doesn't fall off of the window ledge.
Please consider switching to a different nut.
When I read your comment, I immediately did a search online for "can squirrels eat cashews".
Some sources say it is alright, but most that I came across advised against it.
Personally, I'd prefer to err on the side of caution, especially since your squirrelly friend already has health concerns.🐿❤
One day my wife called me to come look at a fox squirrel by our patio with a baby in its mouth, running around in a panic. I stepped outside to discover a turkey buzzard circling above and two more babies laying on the ground. I got a bucket and placed it laying on the ground and put leaves in it along with the other two babies to hide them from the buzzard and went back inside the house to watch from the door. The mother picked up each of the babies and took them to another tree nest. When she knew they were safe she came right up to the outside of the door and put her paw on the door, looked me right in the eyes and made kind of a barking sound as if to say thank you. I am amazed at Gods creations all the time.
The bucket was a great idea!
Oh myyyy... that was some seriously quick thinking, really well done!! ❤
Shes petting fast and smoothly because they already have been petted by her and know her. Your first pet should be hesitant and slow, gently moving your finger towards them so they can see your movement. I used a soothing voice that the squirrel was used to. I could tell by her body language…since it had remained unchanged and content she was fine with my hand getting closer. The first touch was a light whisp of a finger stroke and immediate retreat…like testing the waters and asking her permission further. She kept eating lol. Then a finger scratch along her back. She kept eating. Then more of a full scritches with my finger. ( If they arent ready they will bristle and seem skittish when u get close and you risk getting bit. ) its an honor they allow…always and forever an honor. Not the other way around. Its special and rare and deserves calm manners and graciousness must be earned.
BEAUTIFUL SWEET LITTLE SQUIRRELS ❤
Things I learned previously about grey squirrels: their tails are the indicator of alertness. They usually raise their tails to the back when they approach foods provided by human, but the tails go down when they are relax.
Let they see your hand approaching, I got bite when I touched a female squirrel that I could pet the head when I touched her tail (because she was more aware of other squirrels and turned her back toward me).
They looks cute but they are adult. Most of the time, they don't even like the touch from other squirrels, kind of like that you don't want someone pet your head like you are a kid. Most of the time, they just ignore the pet because they want the food and do not feel threatened. Sometime you can find a squirrel who actually like the pet. Like the video indicates: squirrels are not the same, they have their own characters.
Thank you for sharing what you've learned from your experience 😊❤️
I've been sitting on the ground with the wild squirrels we have here in Oregon to get them used to my presence. After living on this property for the last 40+ years, I actually handed a chipmunk a peanut just yesterday, sadly I didn't get it on video for my channel. There are times I like to just enjoy being with the animals and miss some very good video, but to me it's worth it. I think with more time the squirrels will take food from my hand.
All my best, from a new subscriber, squirrels are just too cute.😊
Thank you very much for your comment and for sharing your experience ❤️ I love to know how other people take care of the wildlife in their area and I just subscribed to your channel as well 😊
@@Squirrels_at_the_window Thank you so much, aren't animals just the best therapy for everything. It is such a pleasure to have them share their lives with us.
They really are the best therapy ❤️ Since I was a little kid I found comfort and joy among them. 😊
Wow! I remember when I was young and growing up we'd always feed squirrels at our door, we'd feed them whole pieced of bread. I don't know why bread, but that is what we fed them. Now that I am older, I really want to feed squirrels again, but where I live there aren't many. THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIDEOS!
Bread is not the best thing to feed squirrels, but it's better than nothing. It would be very nice of you to start feeding them again, but try to feed them nuts if you can. 😊
Nice balcony. Blessed with squirrels.
Oh my gosh, what a DREAM!! My goal right now is just to get one of my backyard squirrels to let me hand feed them; not sure how long that will take. I try to go out there when I see a squirrel, and I immediately start making a tongue clucking sound to call them over to their feeding tray and let them know they are about to be fed. They have slowly started to associate being fed with this sound. I have noticed one that doesn’t immediately run away as I approach the feeder. He has just jumped up to the closest branch, which gave me hope. The other day, he had attached himself to the tree with his back claws, and had his front paws on the feeder. He let me get *SO CLOSE* that I honestly thought he would take the food out of my hand. I could see him thinking about it! 😅
I am going to keep trying with their most highly-favored foods and just hoping and trying to be patient!
Try lying down on a blanket with your bag of nuts at first. More of a non-threatening posture. Once you get them to immediately go to a tossed nut, make them come a little closer to your blanket each time. If they're apprehensive, let them see you looking in another direction each time. They'll eventually come closer each time until they're on your blanket - and then eating from your hand. Still haven't petted one yet, but they do jump up onto my lap now and place their little hand on mine when they scoop up a nut with their mouths.
Good luck! 🐒
@dahofan: Oh I'd like to know how you're progressing with your clucking sound method please. I'm doing the exact same thing with our Pine Tree Club and it seems like it's working.
@@andthepoetliftshispen5752That's an awesome idea! I need to bring out a little pillow or something lol
Thank you, this is a really good video. I also feed my backyard squirrels, and have wondered if it would be possible to pet any of them. The most interesting thing to me about your video is seeing the difference between how wild squirrels and rescued pet squirrels react to petting. The wild squirrels clearly don't derive the same enjoyment from human touch, which makes sense. I have one squirrel who likes to sit next to me as she eats and it's very enjoyable. I will refrain from trying to pet her. I think the petting is more for us than for them!
I agree, they don't seem to need the petting, but for me is very enjoyable because I feel more connected with them, and as long as they allow me to pet them, I'll definitely do it. 😊🐿️
I have a little guy who doesn't seem to care a bunch about petting, but really enjoys a good back scratch, and will push his head under my hand to get the scratching started.
Thanks for sharing. The squirrels in my back yard are allowing me to hand feed them so obviously the next step is petting them ! 😂
Awwww love this!! They just have the sweetest faces and you just wanna hug and snuggle them for sure! Thanks for providing so much love to these precious babies and the food and attention as well. They are so lucky to have you!❤🐿🐿
I’ve spent a good amount of time with the 8-10 squirrels that come to my deck to see if I have any food for them. I have been able to feed a few by hand, but most of them aren’t too trusting. I simply observe their habits and behaviors. Then, I try to interact with them when they seem OK with it. 😊
That's very good, thank you for sharing this 😊❤️
I never feel the need to pet wild animals, but I absolutely will feed every critter there is to feed regardless to what anyone says.
I've been doing the same for four years and barely got to pet one squirrel once out of 7 squirrels. Impressive that you can do it over and over.👏👏👍
I spent months gaining that trust of a few black capped chickadees, the first time one landed on my hand Igot too excited and moved a little and they flew off. I moved into the city shortly after so I couldn't continue but it was an amazing experience.
I talk to my babies, and every now and then one of them will climb on my screen door for attention.
Exactly..
I've got a squirrel who's been coming for around 8 years now.
He's called Ginge and he's friendly but won't let you stroke or pet him even after 8 years of hand feeding.
On the other hand I've got Tina, who let's you stroke her and call her by nothing more than shouting 'Tinaaaa' out of the window and she's only been coming for around 2 years.
Thank you for sharing this 😊
One time in Tacoma WA, I was in my mom's yard and some squirrel, out of nowhere runs up my leg! I dunno who trains them to be so fearless, but some of them literally expect treats! He wasn't aggressive and didn't bite or anything, just let me give him little scratches and went back to squirreling
I wonder if soft music would help calm them down and open up more trust. A newly rescued 6 week old kitten was curious but apprehensive of his new indoor environment. I selected The Blue Danube Waltz and played it softly and he immediately calmed down and shifted his attention back and forth to each speaker in amazement. I've hand fed several wild squirrels but never attempted to pet one. Hoping music will help getting me to the petting step. Got a fear of bites!
Aw. I’ve been experimenting with music for the squirrels and birds. I just can’t tell yet, if they like it or even care about it.
🥰🐾🙏
Thank you for taking the time to make this video and discussing with us.
Love your channel. And love how you care and respect squirrels...other living creatures. And obviously, they truly like and appreciate you. 👏❤🐾🙏
Just wait until the squirrel says its name is conker and gets a hangover
So adorable 🐿❤ They're so soft.
Je úžasná a moc milá, vidím pokrok že se již nechala pohladit, a dokonce se osmělila a nahlédla více k Vám. Myslím si, že časem se odváží i na vnitřní parapet. Jsou to moc miloučká a inteligentní zvířátka. ❤
Indeed, thank you 😊❤️
The bushes rustle and then the squirrels appear-I love it
I feed 3 squirrels every morning. One has a tail and on the tail is a bald spot. I call the squirrel little baby, but it is a full grown. She lets me Gt near her . My next goal is petting her.
Great advice! Squirrels watch us humans and know and remember us and they tell other squirrels if we are good , safe or bad , dangerous! They are highly intelligent! Thank you for posting this much needed video ! And especially thank you for being the great Squirrel Mommy you are ! It matters !
Thank you for your kind words 😊❤️
Each have their personalities just like we do. Would like to pet and cuddle all of them but know that's not possible.
Everything you said its true, I enjoyed watching you pet your squirrels. Thank you friend
Thank you very much my friend 😊❤️
I love your voice and demeanor.
You have such a way with the squirrels!
Wouldn't it be great if we could all possess the qualities to interact with squirrels?
Thanks fot sharing that advice
Bless All Creatures Great and Small...Earth Soul Blues RocknRoll...
Somebody released a bottle-raised squirrel without weaning him first. He adopted me for five years. When I'd tickle his ankles he'd go bonkers. I could scratch him anywhere but if I blew on his tail he'd growl and swat me.
The first time he saw me come out of the shower (can't blame him) he bit me. It didn't hurt because his teeth were so sharp, it was like a razor slice. I didn't feel it until I saw the blood.
Awwwwe..Thank You❤
in love with your channel these videos are great
Thank you 😊❤️
This squirrel always comes to our bird feeder and eats bird seed, so I’m trying to befriend it.
Thanks
Thank you very much 😊❤️
I know who you are now! The Squirrel Whisperer lol ❤ Great advice, you have a such a special gift! Thank you❤❤
Wow, that's a lot of squirrels, greetings from Indonesia
Greetings and thank you for your comment 😊
Awesome!!
Ohhh So cute!!
Wonderful and rewarding. 👍🏻🏴
Thank you 🐿️
You're very welcome 😊❤️
That is just wonderful!
Thank you very much 😊❤️
I have the woods in my fenced in yard and Squirrels are so cool. For 2 years I've fed them. I put a cup of peanuts 3 Xs a day. Same time. If I forget they squeal to remind me.. 1 came up to the porch and just looked at me and walked back to his tree and sat there till I brought the cup. They also aiarate the yard for free..
Squirrels are very cool indeed! Thank you for sharing this 😊
How cute! Enjoyed watching your video.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it 😊❤️
@@Squirrels_at_the_window Is it true what Hans Landa said about squirrels, that they could equally carry any disease a rat has?
@@cashewnuttel9054 I don't know who that character is but I don't think is true. Squirrels are daytime animals and are very clean and careful with what they eat. But just to be on the safe side, if they bite or scratch you, make sure you clean and disinfect the wound thoroughly. And remember that is not their fault, it's our responsibility to be careful, but to still care for them. 😊
Amazing
I love the squirrels!! They are so cute! I feed them everyday. I also feed rabbits, raccoons and birds!! We live by woods so we have a lot of critters lol!! I also have fresh water for them every day!
Wow! 😃😍❤️❤️❤️ they're beautiful 🥰
Thank you for your kind comment. 😊❤️
I have a squirrel in my backyard that is very friendly towards me. He runs up to me, climbs my leg and sits on my lap… sometimes when I try to pet him, he’ll let me touch him while he’s eating, but as soon as he’s done eating, he’ll attack my hand. This is sort of confusing and has me thinking that he thinks my hand has more nuts and he’s trying to get them.
Omg so beautiful sharing really dear friend so cute sqarrel big like friend come you stay safe
Thank you for your kind words 😊❤️
I plan on attempting to bond with local squirrel's @ the beach with various nuts and seeds sometime this summer 💓🐿️
Nice video.
I have a local squirrel who I give nuts to, and she makes a vocalization I've never seen anyone cover before. It's just a little huffing sound. Like a single puffing of air out the nose. I can't tell if it's a thank you or a "keep your distance"
When I was a boy, my grandfather trained a wild squirrel (we named Minni) to climb onto his leg, crawl up and grab a nut. My grandmother got madd when Minni came into the house looking for my grandfather one day. He slept in the dog house for days over that. This is so kool.
My great grandmother had squirrels come inside her home even though she had cats.
When I moved to Woodland Park, CO in Sept. I put wildlife feeders all over my porch and backyard. Squirrels came right away. It took MONTHS before I could get them to feed out of my hand. Still quite skittish. I dont know if I will ever get to pet them. A few have dared to venture just inside the sliding doors into my house, but thats it. The black one(s) are quite jumpy and aggressive, one of them bit me once. She let up immediately and it didnt draw blood, but still it startled me. A good bite will require medical attention - be careful! Look at the claws - they can really hurt. Patience.
Ahhh!!! I love it!!!! ❤️🥰❤️🥰❤️
Enjoy 👍
Luv your voice!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this informative video.Each squirrels are so natural and beautiful! I like 1:18,2:11😍
Thank you very much as well for your lovely comment 😊❤️
Beautiful
Thank you 😊
Cool
Hello. It's a very nice video. Very cute. I am maintaining my registration. I'm looking forward to the next video. See you again. Thank you.
Thank you very much 😊❤️
I feed them in the park and my wife says they are best actors for Oscar because how they behave:)
Just subscribed
Welcome to my channel 😊❤️
I've fed them.. a few of them were right in my lap.. i was able to hold them.. it's called trust.. they wouldn't let anyone else hold them just me.. guess I'm a Disney princess LoL
When you get belly rubs, you know they like you
So many squirrels
I thought those squirrels were going to jump inside your window. 😂
I think in the future we may have domesticated squirrels.
I too have been observing Squirrels for three years. I was only able to pet one Squirrel who used to jump on my lap. I am learning a lot from you. Ty.
I'm very glad, thank you also for your comment. 😊❤️
In Florida they got a bad season for Bot flies ! Bot flies can put a hurting and at times kill the squirrel! So with all my squirrels I used Harris bug spray that has PYRETHRUM! Made from the all natural Pyrethrum Daisy flowers! It’s safe for pets ! So I waited for dark , sprayed the trees that all my squirrels climb up and down on and it worked ! The squirrels get the remnants of dry spray in feet and body climbing trees and it kills the bots that dig into the squirrels! I tried this as a last resort because my squirrels were going to die if I did not do something safe to help them ! It works great ! Just in case anyone else has a Bot problem! Harris Home Pest control sold at home depot, hardware stores, and on line !
You're backyard looks like mine with all the baby's good times😊👍
Cool 😊 But this is a parking lot in front of my window. I live in an apartment complex.
@@Squirrels_at_the_window I kinda figured that out when the cop's went by hope the baby's learned to stay out of the street I had one of mine get hit a few months back he was my big male poor little critter😔
Madam, you are a wonderful person. Thank you so much for doing this. I would love to help you if I could.
Thank you very much for your kind words. If you have the means there's a PayPay link for donations on the About page, but if not, I appreciate your intention and your encouraging comments are very helpful too. 😊❤️
@@Squirrels_at_the_window Madam, believe me, I am unemployed. However, I do help animals as much as I can. I hope I can find a job soon and help your beautiful squirrels. respects.
Thank You for these great videos. How do you tell them apart so that you can name them? Some have obvious markings different tails and bodies.
Red Squirrels are much more aggressive and it seems they don't like to given much attention. Although some videos will show just the opposite as I recall.
Telling squirrels apart is like telling identical twins apart. The more time I spend with them the more I notice unique features and behaviors. I have a video about it if you would like to learn more about how I tell my squirrels apart: ruclips.net/video/dRPqzajs7WE/видео.html
that is more stoling pets, :) wonderfull
I’m now hand feeding three in my yard. Only one i think is ready to be pet. The other two have super hard breathing and lots of tail flicks. The one is not afraid at all. This is our second summer. I question if she’ll climb my leg somedays 😂 that’s how comfortable and close she is while I’m in the yard.
Wonderful 😊
Mine already knew and trusted me, and I got curious if he would. Sat on a chair with nuts on my knee and sure enough, he was happy to sit on my leg and eat, as long as I didn't try to hold him there.
I got accidentally bit one thought my finger was a peanut, it was my fault. Tetanus and ok.
Love these sweetie pies!
Some of my squirrels think that my fingers are nuts too 😄🐿️ But as you said, is never their fault when/if they bite us, is our responsibility to observe their behavior and understand them. I'm glad you are ok though and thank you for comment 😊 ❤️
With our European squirrels here in Germany, I don't think that it might be possible to pet. Some of them are not really shy, on the one hand. In some city parks, it may even happen that they climb your legs when you're sitting on some bank there. But better don't try to actively touch them. What you can do with some of our squirrels here: Offer them food like nuts (like you do), from time to time they'll even take it from your hand. But even in the city parks where squirrels are used to the presence of humans, they don't like further interaction. And I've heard from several persons who got bites when they tried to pet them.
I didn't know I wanted to see this video
Why did the first one have a piece of its ear missing ?
It can take a good long time to actually be able to pet them, especially from a position above them, which most rodents find uncomfortable. Getting low makes the training process easier on them. Basically, use the same hand taming techniques as you would a rabbit.
One thing I might suggest as a health measure: Clean the bricks with hot soapy water regularly. There are a lot of squirrels urinating in one place. If you're attracting them in concentrations, you should treat it like a cage to keep bacteria and viruses down. You don't need to use bleach. It could blanch the bricks. Just a decent anti-bacterial dish soap is fine.
🐿❤🐿❤🐿❤
I have a few squirrels that come to my house and i have been putting nuts, grapes, cuties and water out for them. i have a camera set up and sometimes they come to my door and look inside, like hello are you home? lol i want to pet one but im scared to get scratched or bit. end of the day, they are still wild animals
🙏🏼💕
I found a squirrel that let me pet it and i fed it a cheeto
That's nice, but maybe try to feed it something healthier, like raw walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts or dry roasted peanuts.
👍👍👍👌
I liked squirrels but when i heard they bite I feared thats why im watching this I always feed squirrels when there outside my window i never petted one how did the squirrel feel
Do any like to stay and get more pets, or do they all jump away quickly? We've been feeding the crows at our new house each day, and a squirrel has recently learned to come when we call the crows because the crows will share the food. So now we're trying to teach the squirrel to come directly to us for peanuts.
That's very nice, I'm glad you've started to feed the squirrel too 😊🐿️ I have one squirrel named Cutie who likes to petted sometimes, and I have a video with that, if you would like to watch: ruclips.net/video/mW_0Xw86Bks/видео.html
I'm glad it worked out for you but I wasn't so fortunate when I got kicked out of my apartment for doing such a thing out of my apartment Window like that basically the landlord saw that happening in front of his very eyes from a distance and I got kicked out for it as I tried to tell him that these are not my pets and they didn't care I got kicked out anyway
do they eat cranberries too?
My sweet dear😇 Squirrel Girl would expect delivery everyday throughout the day. And then she handed out The Privileges. I got to rub her from nose to toes to tip of tail while she ate! I miss her sooooo bad 🥲
❤️❤️❤️
😊❤️
I usually have more words but I’m speechless at the size of your squirrel army! ❤️
😘❤️😘❤️😘❤️👍👍
Any of Your Neighbors Ever Pretend to Have a Problem With What You are Doing?
No