# It's been a bit since anyone has ranted about goddamned squirrels **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 18, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185 "2017-10-18T04:43:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/1 "2017-10-18T04:43:04Z")
For the 3rd time in 2 weeks squirrels knocked out the electricity in our [neighborhood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_disruptions_caused_by_squirrels). The little bastards get into the housing up on the pole that holds a capacitor and some kind of master fuse. \*\* KA-FUCKING-BOOM!\*\* Sounds like a double barrel being fired. Tree rat gets fried and goes flying. On 2 of these occasions my wife was in the back area of our property and saw this happen. We’ve left the baked carcasses to rot, hoping the living ones would get the hint. They haven’t. I’ve owned this piece of property for 19 years. This event has happened at least 10 times. 3 in the last 2 weeks. Then the tech from the power company shows up. He tells me I need to set up traps to “catch and release the squirrels somewhere else”. As if it’s my responsibility to fight off a zillion squirrels by inviting them on my land with bait because WE Energies can’t properly house their equipment in the 21st century. :mad: Please post your anti-squirrel or anti-electric company sentiments. ETA: About 2 years ago when this happened the pole caught fire and the fire department had to put it out. If we hadn’t been home to notice it could have burned down to our wood fence and then to our house! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/2 "2017-10-18T05:12:46Z")
You should have some sympathy for the poor squirrels getting electrocuted! ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/3 "2017-10-18T05:18:29Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > You should have some sympathy for the poor squirrels getting electrocuted! Funniest post in a long time! You’ve never had the little pricks eat through the soffits of your house and get into the attic where they shit, fuck, reproduce, die and rot, and tear the living hell out of your insulation. When that happens report back here and proclaim your sympathy for dead squirrels! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/4 "2017-10-18T05:18:58Z")
I hate squirrels. Rats with fluffy tails. The best deterrent I have found so far has been dogs. I’ve had a few who were very interested in murdering any squirrel they could get their teeth into. After the first few deaths every spring, the squirrels start to avoid my yard. My husband would probably tell you to hire a neighborhood kid with a beebee gun to pick them off. He used to get paid by the pest when he was a young’un. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/5 "2017-10-18T05:31:49Z")
I have a bit of affinity for them because my Uncle used to call me “Squirrel” due to my puffy cheeks when I was a baby. But cutting off your power? Yeah, I’d be miffed. Is there not any way to protect those things from squirrels? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/6 "2017-10-18T06:43:59Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > I hate squirrels. Rats with fluffy tails. The best deterrent I have found so far has been dogs. I’ve had a few who were very interested in murdering any squirrel they could get their teeth into. After the first few deaths every spring, the squirrels start to avoid my yard. > > My husband would probably tell you to hire a neighborhood kid with a beebee gun to pick them off. He used to get paid by the pest when he was a young’un. Why should some kid have all the fun? If I didn’t live in the city I’d be out there with with my .22 rifle. Don’t need that kind of attention, though. I’ve cracked quite a few of them with BB’s. But there is a gazillion of them. The little bastards run on the wires so my dog can’t get them. Not that an English Bulldog is going to run very far. Allergic to exercise they are. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/7 "2017-10-18T06:51:43Z")
Gawd! That is definitely the responsibility of the power company. They own the transformer, not you. Dude, call your County Judge or state Representative. That is a public safety issue. I live in the boonies, My house is the only house on the power co. Transformer. Wasps built a humongous nest in it. It caught fire, subsequently the power coop we belong to changed the pole and transformer out and during the spring when wasps and other critters are building nests the linemen come and check it regularly and spray some stuff called 'Repel near it. I have lived here 25 yrs. Not happened again. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/8 "2017-10-18T08:15:15Z")
Reminds me of this Rube Goldbergesque squirrel event from a few years ago…**[Squirrel Leaves Trail Of Destruction In Its Wake](http://www.kxly.com/news/squirrel-leaves-trail-of-destruction-in-its-wake/177406496)** SPOKANE – A squirrel ignited a fiery chain reaction that led to a _ **power line collapse, car fire, natural gas fire and a power outage** _ in northwest Spokane Wednesday morning. It all started at 8:22 a.m. in the 4900 block of North Hartley at Wellesley when, according to Avista investigators, a squirrel came in contact with a transformer. That single action set in motion a chain of events. First, the power line burned through causing the line to fall to the ground and come into contact with a metal fence and a car. The car caught on fire. The fence, meanwhile, was energized by the fallen power line and the electricity was conducted underground to a natural gas pipeline which in turn burned through and started an underground natural gas fire which burned up to two gas meters at nearby houses. More at link… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/9 "2017-10-18T09:59:03Z")
Yesterday at my mailbox I had a squirrel almost chase me. It was chasing another squirrel when it saw me and got a gleam in its eye and started walking toward me (and I was only 10 or so feet away). I bolted the heck away because I certainly don’t want to risk rabies. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/10 "2017-10-18T10:22:53Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Yesterday at my mailbox I had a squirrel almost chase me. It was chasing another squirrel when it saw me and got a gleam in its eye and started walking toward me (and I was only 10 or so feet away). I bolted the heck away because I certainly don’t want to risk rabies. It was after your nuts. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/11 "2017-10-18T11:39:03Z")
We had a squirrel fry itself on the transformer around the corner from us a few years ago. The electric company put the replacement above the treeline. Hasn’t happened since. What did happen was that we were the only house where the lights didn’t come back on. Turned out that the _boom_ from the transformer fried our outdated electrical. Had to have everything, including wiring and circuit breakers, replaced. So in a way I could thank that squirrel for giving its life… ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/12 "2017-10-18T11:48:35Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I have a bit of affinity for them because my Uncle used to call me “Squirrel” due to my puffy cheeks when I was a baby. Not because you shit in the attic? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/13 "2017-10-18T12:26:46Z")
We hate squirrels soooo much at our house. They moved into a section of the attic and trashed it completely, took lots of time and $$$$ to repair the damage. It’s a constant battle against them. I hate them almost as much as I hate deer. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/14 "2017-10-18T12:43:46Z")
I hate the damned things too. The past couple of years they have been clawing at my motorcycle. Someone likes to put peanuts and stuff on my bike, I know because I find whole ones sitting on my bike. The squirrels have since taking to ripping up my seat and scratching and biting the plastic. One of the cars a few houses down from me has had the wiring chewed on 3-4 times. Wish I knew a way to keep them off my bike. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/15 "2017-10-18T12:49:25Z")
I am stealing the line about squirrels from a post several years ago. I saw two of them chasing each other through tree branches, and one “plumb forgot to hold on”. They bounce. He went right back up the tree to continue the pursuit. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/16 "2017-10-18T12:51:13Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > You’ve never had the little pricks eat through the soffits of your house and get into the attic where they shit, fuck, reproduce, die and rot, and tear the living hell out of your insulation. This summarizes my experiences with them. I’ve never been that fond of cats, but since I first saw our feline carrying a squirrel carcass around in his mouth, I was won over. The damn rodents congregate in my front yard. My plan is to take my .22 out to the hot tub, hunker down in there, and pick them off one by one. While enjoying a relaxing soak at the same time. And that’s how I plan to spend retirement. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/17 "2017-10-18T12:53:05Z")
Educational Nitpick: The boom isn’t the transformer. It’s the sound of a barrel fuse that protects the line (and, in a way, the transformer too). Barrel fuses have a fuse link in the center of the barrel. When the link melts it causes a high voltage spark which blows out the end(s) of the fuse and clears away the arc of the spark. The boom is on purpose. It’s the sound of the energy required to open the fuse. Mr squirrel managed to get his furry tail across the two leads going into the transformer which set off a short across his body resulting in a flash BBQ and the booming fuse. Squirrels are basically fuzzy rats. Little cute bastards, every one of them. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/18 "2017-10-18T13:14:38Z")
I’ve always wanted to see a flying squirrel… We’re in your neck of the woods (based on your “WE” reference), and we went round and round with AT&T about the cause of our slow DSL. Until we finally got them to send a technician… who found the wires chewed halfway through by “them fuzzy-tailed vermin”. Why they were chewing the wires, and how they did it without suddenly _transforming_ into a Rocky flying off to find Bullwinkle, I’ve never understood. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/19 "2017-10-18T14:30:39Z")
> [@digs](#): > > We’re in your neck of the woods (based on your “WE” reference), and we went round and round with AT&T about the cause of our slow DSL. Until we finally got them to send a technician… who found the wires chewed halfway through by “them fuzzy-tailed vermin”. > > Why they were chewing the wires, and how they did it without suddenly _transforming_ into a Rocky flying off to find Bullwinkle, I’ve never understood. Not enough juice in a phone line - enough to get them to stop (hence “halfway through”), but not enough to kill them. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185/20 "2017-10-18T14:47:03Z")
NB: This did not happen to me. I’m not male, don’t ride a motorcycle, and don’t live in TX. That being said, herewith a story of a motorcyclist who had a [most unfortunate encounter with a squirrel](http://lifeisaroad.com/stories/2004/10/29/neighborhoodHazardorWhyTheCopsWontPatrolBriceStreet.html). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-been-a-bit-since-anyone-has-ranted-about-goddamned-squirrels/799185.md?page=2)