Two squirrels died within an hour at my mother's

[cynatnite]

She went out to the backyard this morning about 9am and found one. She looked around the yard before letting the dogs out. Mom worries about them getting into anything. A few minutes ago, she found another dead squirrel.

This is very odd. Nothing like this has ever happened before.

Any advice?

[BurtWorm]

1. Don't eat the acorns.

:shrug:

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

63. LMAO!!!! You owe me a keyboard.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

64. Or the squirrels, either. n/t

[SheilaT]

2. Is there an animal control where she is?

See if they'll come out and take them away.

If not, you could see if someone like the CDC cares.

[darkmaestro019]

3. Someone might've put out poison of some kind

I never grokked why people hate squirrels, but they do. Or the poison might not've been meant for them.

You may keep a close eye on dogs or cats if you have any, if some genius has got poison sitting out and around.

Poor squirrels : (

[BlackHeart]

10. Squirrels are destructive

they destroy bird feeders and they destroy bird nests by eating the eggs. If they can find a way into your attic they'll make a huge mess there too. My guess is that someone put out rat poison, or maybe antifreeze. Keep an eye on your pets.

[darkmaestro019]

25. Huh. I knew they ate birdseed from feeders, but not that they

ate bird eggs. I've never had my own attic, either. To me they're cute things that have bitching matches with my indoor cats. : )

Again, learning something new every day.

[BlackHeart]

27. Carnivorous Squirrels

Sounds like one of those 1950's Giant Attacking Animal pictures, but there have been a number of reports that these furry little critters will take advantage of a change in diet when the opportunity presents itself. Tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and chipmunks have all been noted to eat birds, lizards, snakes, amphibians, rodents, rabbits, other squirrels, fish, and crabs. These incidents have occurred everywhere from North America to the tropics. The article below discusses several hypotheses as to why squirrels occasionally turn to predation.

Callahan, J.R. 1993. Squirrels as predators. Great Basin Naturalist 53(2): 137-144.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So the next time you lie out in your yard, watch out for those cute little squirrels.

[Jose Diablo]

35. Ya ever notice the teeth on squirrels?

If they attacked in mass, it could get bloody. Wonder why we never had an "Attack of the giant Squirrel" B-movie.

[Richard Steele]

47. Mynd you, sqyrrle bytes kan be pretty nasti..... nm

[MnFats]

72. mai sister once wass byttend bai a sqyrrel....

thiss wass in Nordje.
bled all offer her sveeter.

[BreweryYardRat]

56. *could*? You must have missed that story.

There was a news story from Russia late last year-apparently a group of squirrels mobbed and killed a dog that was behaving aggressively.

[Tesha]

38. Remember, squirrels like to eat nuts!

> So the next time you lie out in your yard, watch out
> for those cute little squirrels.

...because squirrels just love to eat nuts! ;-)

Tesha

[spuddonna]

41. Are you saying I should tell my hubby to sunbathe while wearing a cup?

:evilgrin:

[sui generis]

51. I advise that

that skin has higher concentrations of melanin in most men - he could wind up looking like a candidate for melanin donor down there, except with no nuts.

I'm not telling you how I know this. :rofl:

[spuddonna]

52. LOL!!!

Thanks, I needed the laugh this morning!! :7

[Arkansas Granny]

28. I work for a building contractor. We recently repaired squirrel

damage to a house that amounted to over $6,000.00. They had chewed through siding on the house and entered the attic. They can do a lot of damage.

[jwirr]

29. A while back I lived in a high-rise. Several of us had birds in

our apartments. The squirrels must have been able to smell the bird feed because they crawled up the sides of the building and destroyed 28 window screens trying to get in. Our manager used live traps to catch them and took them out into the woods. We all got rid of the birds.

[tnlefty]

39. The little shits eat my house!!!

The outside not the attic or upstairs part of the garage, but the cedar on my house. I've not ever tried to poison them, but I did concoct a paste once with the juices from the hottest peppers that I could find which I then put into peanut butter and applied to some of their favorite chewing spots. I'll admit that was fun to watch.:evilgrin:

[Gormy Cuss]

45. I used to douse the bird seed with cayenne

Doesn't bother the birds, but the squirrels learned to avoid the feeder after one good dose. Of course, having squirrel brains, they'd forget after a while and come back for more. I now have a squirrel-resistant feeder that frustrates them to no end. And yes, it's fun to watch.

There were squirrels in the attic of my house when we first moved in. Around here, that's better than having the usual vermin in residence, the roof rat.

[tnlefty]

54. Thanks for that. I assumed that putting anything on bird seed would also

affect the birds so that's good to know. The squirrels haven't come around chewing on the house for a while now.

[alittlelark]

58. We used to have roof rats here in Los Altos.

The cats took care of the problem w/in 3 years. Our squirrels have never caused any problems.

[The Stranger]

33. Oh for fuck's sake.

This is beginning to sound like Caddyshack and Bill Murray's war on the "Varmint Cong."

[Lorien]

62. God knows that humans are NEVER "destructive" and that we're the ONLY

species meant to live on this planet! :eyes:

[sui generis]

16. sorry to be gruesome but

did the squirrels have evidence of oral (or nasal) or rectal bleeding? That's the biggest sign of rat poison - hemorrhaging.

Squirrels are part of the local ecology. You can't just kill 'em in your yard. If someone doesn't like squirrels in their garden, then train them feed them elsewhere.

The problem with most domestic critters is that they are "gut" eaters, so a freshly poisoned rodent who doesn't smell sick yet can also poison a cat or dog. In their own yard.

Take the squirrels to the local vet and get an opinion - there are also other kinds of tick and flea diseases (erlichiosis, et al) that can potentially be fatal to your pet if that's the cause, and if it's in the neighborhood you'll want to treat your yard and be extra vigilant with pet treatments.

[Tesha]

31. Warfarin (also known under the brand names of Coumadin®)

Just to complete the previous poster's thought...

What they were referring to was poisoning using Warfarin, the
most common rat poison. It's an anti-coagulant so the poisoned
animal bleeds to death. It's also sold to humans (at *MUCH*
higher prices) as the prescription anticoagulant ("blood
thinner") Coumadin®.

Other poisons (e.g., antifreeze) won't necessarily present
with the same symptoms (obvious bleeding from odd places).

Tesha

[ronnykmarshall]

49. Wadda ya tryin' to do? Make me sick?

[Sabriel]

4. This happened a month ago to us, too

We suspect our rodent-hatin' neighbor is trying to poison them. Not a mark on either squirrel, and one of them was younger.

[kstewart33]

5. Don't touch them with your bare hands.

If you dispose of them, I'd use latex gloves and put them in a plastic bag and seal it. Squirrels carry a great variety of diseases. Don't let the dogs go near them.

[babylonsister]

6. Good riddance to the rats with tails!

I kid, sort of. Perhaps a neighbor doesn't like them as much as your mom, or they died of old age?

I'm not a big squirrel fan; they prevent me from feeding birds around here.

Maybe she should call animal control in your area and ask if this is common, or if some tests should be done. :shrug:

[porphyrian]

7. It could be something, it could be nothing.

Maybe they were both nibbling too much on lead pipe caps (they inexplicably eat lead). Maybe they were both scared to death by the dog. Then again, maybe they have some kind of squirrel disease. If you're really worried, keep your mom and her dog away from the dead squirrels and call a vet or Animal Control or even the CDC to find out if anything really dangerous is going on.

[beam me up scottie]

8. See if animal control or the health department

will pick them up.

It's possible they might want to test for rabies or West Nile virus.

Two years ago when West Nile started affecting our birds, the city would come out to your house to get the dead ones. They even told people to freeze them until they showed up.

Like I really wanted a dead blue jay in with my veggies and ice cream.:P

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. Reminiscent of Camus' The Plague

First, the rats start dying. Everyone thinks it strange, but few do anything about it. Then...

[Warpy]

11. Use a shovel to pick them up, put them into a trash bag

and take them to the county ag extension office. If it's an urban area, call animal control and ask them where to take 'em.

One dead squirrel is unfortunate. Two within an hour means something's going on. It could be disease (in which case, keep the doggies in) or some asshole in the neighborhood could be using poison (in which case, keep the doggies in).

You want to know what the problem is.

[tandot]

12. One of my former neighbors shot squirrels with a BB gun

I found several dead in my yard and was wondering why...until my boyfriend told me that he saw that our neighbor the idiot is shooting them with his BB gun. I guess he thought shooting little defenseless creatures would make him a "real" man. He must have been a Republican.

[Jersey Devil]

50. You never went squirrel hunting?

Ever eat squirrel pie? Here's the results of our latest squirrel hunting expedition:

[FyurFly]

57. Squirrel stew Mmmmmm... n/t

[ThomWV]

13. Potatos, Carrots, a Good Bit Of Onion, and Gravy

Stew if they are fresh dead.

[meisje]

14. Let the sun dry them out, mmmmmm Jerky!!!

[Botany]

15. murder suicide pacts are common in squirrels

If only they could have gotten some help.

[sui generis]

18. they hooked their little paws together and leaped to their doom

:cry:

not a dry eye in the house.

[Botany]

23. This is no joke ..... how cold could you be.

cue the bad soundtrack from "Titanic."

"My nutz will go on."

[Clark2008]

19. LOL - I didn't even have to read your name to know it was

the Bot who posted that comment.

:rofl:

[Vinnie From Indy]

20. LOL!

eom

[kestrel91316]

17. Where are you located? West Nile Virus is known to kill squirrels.

We had some WNV squirrel deaths here in SoCal over the past couple of years.

[sojourner]

21. poison

[MercutioATC]

22. The dreaded "squirrel flu"...

...I hope she has plastic and duct tape...

:)

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

24. Two weeks ago I found a skunk dead in my bushes. I called town

animal control and was told that a few people had called in within a month to report dead skunks. I find this pretty odd.

[Tesha]

32. With skunks, raccoons, and the like, consider the possibility of rabies.

Don't handle dead mammals; you can pick up rabies by contact.

I think this is generally true of any mammal including squirrels
and chipmunks and certainly bats.

Tesha

[Mojorabbit]

34. I do wildlife rehab

Rabies is very rare in squirrels. I go with the poison angle.

[Tesha]

37. Oh I agree, but...

> I go with the poison angle.

Oh, in the specific case we're discussing, I agree.

And I agree that rabies is unusual in squirrels (and
you usually know the cause of death, if only by the
tire tracks left behind), but still, even if only a
few squirrels out there are rabid...

Tesha

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

36. Thank you for your advice! I didn't remove it myself.

I live in a townhouse condo development and management had someone remove it. Thank goodness for that.

[lectrobyte]

26. Any new dogs or cats in the neighborhood?

[marions ghost]

30. while poison or shooting are probably the first theories to explore

there also may be more benign reasons. Although we usually think of squirrels as very sure-footed, they have been known to fall to their deaths from trees, especially in spring when the males are squabbling over territories. Is there a large oak or maple in or hanging over your yard?

I'm on the side of the squirrels as far as their being a "pest" or not. There are much worse pests. Squirrels are annoying at worst and most of the time cute and fun, one way for children to learn to appreciate nature. I grew up in an urban environment and squirrels and birds were my only exposure to free-ranging animals.

[Ron Mexico]

40. Question

Forgive me if this has already been answered (I don't have time to go through all posts), but where does your mom live, and how much trouble would it be for her to leave?

Given the current administration's indifference (or, perhaps, hostility) towards the environment, I just wonder. The first thing I thought when reading your post is that she lived right down the road from Halliburton HQ, so I'm sure you see what I'm driving at.

[dave29]

42. Squirrels have been known to carry the plague

do not touch them. Please.

[Ganja Ninja]

43. Don't worry about it.

Squirrels are pretty prolific breeders. They'll be a couple more along to take the place of these.

[atomic-fly]

44. I used to see dead squirrels/birds around neigborhood in spring

I have a feeling all the crap people spray on their lawns has
a lot to do with it. One day the chemlawn truck was down the street
and that crap smelled awful. We could smell it from inside our house.

[Beaverhausen]

46. Your mother should not let her dogs out unattended until someone...

...inspects her yard. There could be poison somewhere that killed those squirrels.

Doesn't anyone here watch Emergency Vets???

[Jersey Devil]

48. The only good squirrel is a dead squirrel

http://www.deadsquirrel.com/

[sui generis]

55. I belong to a squirrel victims support group.

I was orphaned (and subsequently raised) by mad carnivorous squirrels, and forced to pay for my childhood by selling lactating tree rat cheese. My fingernails fell out from milking all those itty bitty dugs, and I was mocked and shunned and thrown out of many trees for not having a proper bushy tail.

Finally I moved in with a pack of exotic wild vietnamese pot bellied squirrel pigs, who ran a violent gang and profited by selling crack to field mice and norwegian roof rats, and then sold into slavery to a giant kangaroo rat operation somewhere in Australia.

Shown here after being taken captive by the local authorities are the two most dangerous giant kangaroo rats in the bunch, Chip and Dale.



I still wake screaming at night and clutching my nuts. :cry:

[TX-RAT]

53. I would definitely have someone come look at them.

Just remember theres a whole lot of he'ing and she'ing taking place in the animal world this time of year. It's not uncommon for older males to kill younger or weaker males.

[cynatnite]

59. Update: The count is now up to four dead squirrels

The first two looked fine and the last two appeared to have been mauled. My mom had animal control come out. The thought is now there is a nuisance in the neighborhood. A lady across the street recently got a cat.

[Mojorabbit]

60. Keep your ears open later

for a repetitive loud noise. Squirrels are nesting this time of year and if there are babies they will call out and probably by tomorrow if big enough will leave the nest from hunger and probably fall from the tree. If this happens look for a wildlife rehabilitator in your phone book who will take them and raise them out for release. Keep them warm in a box with an old tee shirt in it half on and half off a heating pad so they can move to the temp they are comfy with.

[Lorien]

66. May have been mauled by another animal AFTER it died

it's very rare for any cat to catch that many squirrels in a month-let alone a day. I'm still guessing is poison.

Talk to the neighbor and ask them to put a bell on their cat. Also, the neighbor should know to keep their pets indoors in case it is poison.

[Beaverhausen]

70. the nuisance could be a human putting poison out

My idiot landlords put rat poison around our property without telling me...my cat ate a tiny bit and got very sick but fortunately is OK.

You should tell your mom to not let her dogs out without supervision and also to alert any neighbors with pets in the area.

Lets hope it's not something like this:

http://komotv.com/stories/42812.htm

[Renew Deal]

71. You might want to call the local press

Let them follow it.

[Neil Lisst]

61. My advice? Write a poem about it.

That's what I do.

[Lorien]

65. There's some self centered asshole poisoning animals-I'd report

it to fish and game (may be illegal in your area). Poisoning is one hell of a way to die. No doubt some republican fuck is peeved over not being able to control nature COMPLETELY on "his" property and is too fucking lazy or brainless to squirrel proof what he feels is being "disturbed".

As a wildlife rehabilitator who knows that these are thinking, feeling, emotional creatures, such despicable excuses for human being make me sick.

[Renew Deal]

67. Do you live near Yellowstone?

:nuke:

[cynatnite]

69. We're in E. TN

Eastman Chemical Plant's right up the road a little ways.

One of the guys from animal control thinks they may have gotten into some antifreeze.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

68. Its a conspiracy by definition

whenever 2 or more squirrels are involved

oh wait

:)