# Squirrels--am I the only person that likes them? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654 "2012-08-25T23:03:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/61 "2012-08-28T16:34:22Z")
> [@colonial](#): > > Squirrels are arboreal rats. [Some](http://www.chicagoreader.com/gyrobase/why-eating-squirrels-makes-sense/Content?oid=7215952&showFullText=true) consider them “Chicken of the trees”. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/62 "2012-08-28T16:49:24Z")
I love squirrels, hate rats. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/63 "2012-08-28T16:50:37Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I like squirrels. They’re cute. > > I wonder what a pet squirrel would be like. I mean, I’ve had gerbils, mice, and rats, and they remind me most of rats. Which would be a good thing. But even if you raised from birth and it was tame, you’d probably need a _huge_ cage. A friend showed me [this video of Bernie Goetz playing with a rescued squirrel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjF5ccIrP8Q) back in Crim Law class ages ago. Seems pretty awesome, I must say–but probably impractical and a bad idea for lots of reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/64 "2012-08-28T16:54:26Z")
I like squirrels just fine. What I hate are the pigeons. We have so many of them in our neighborhood. They are messy and mean. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/65 "2012-08-28T16:59:09Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I like squirrels. They’re cute. > > I wonder what a pet squirrel would be like. I mean, I’ve had gerbils, mice, and rats, and they remind me most of rats. Which would be a good thing. But even if you raised from birth and it was tame, you’d probably need a _huge_ cage. I talked with a wildlife rehabilitator who raised orphaned squirrels. Here in Virginia it’s illegal to own them unless you have a rehab license. She said the regualr gray squirrels are “ok,” but don’t really bond with humans. But the _flying squirrels_ do tend to bond with humans, and are much more interactive and cuddly. She said she really likes raising the flying squirrels and would keep them as pets if she could. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/66 "2012-08-28T17:20:54Z")
Tree rats, I hate them. If they didn’t have the fluffy tails, everyone else would hate them too. But they do pick up the acorns in my yard which means I don’t have to try to rake them up, so I tolerate them. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/67 "2012-08-28T19:48:02Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > A friend showed me [this video of Bernie Goetz playing with a rescued squirrel](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjF5ccIrP8Q) back in Crim Law class ages ago. Seems pretty awesome, I must say–but probably impractical and a bad idea for lots of reasons. Oh, I know it’s a bad idea. Doesn’t keep me from wanting one. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/68 "2012-08-28T21:55:50Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I think they’re cute and great, but if they decide to chew on the wrong thing they are a lot of trouble. When I was a kid, the damn beasties gnawed the rubber/gutta percha/whatever coating off the telephone wire leading to our house. Every time it rained, the phone became very static-y until the exposed wire had a chance to dry out. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2012, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/69 "2012-08-28T22:39:41Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > So you’re “an animal lover,” except you hate the racoons, had the chipmunks shot, and would kill the squirrels because of the price of sunflower seeds? Yea…animal lover…BUT…I draw the line when they are trashing my shit!! If you are an animal lover, how “cute” do you think little bastard red squirrels would be if they were in your attic chewing your wires? Or how bout them cute geese that turn your lawn into a shit show??? The IS a line, is all I’m sayin!!! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/70 "2012-08-29T02:03:02Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > If they didn’t have the fluffy tails, everyone else would hate them too. But they do pick up the acorns in my yard which means I don’t have to try to rake them up, so I tolerate them. Are we talking squirrels or women? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/71 "2012-08-30T03:50:41Z")
I love squirrels. I think they’re cute and like to watch them, especially when they’re running along the power/phone lines (which we refer to as “squirrelfares.”) We almost got mugged by them one time, though, and that was a little scary. We were in a park and we’d bought a bag of peanuts to feed them with. We were sitting there on the bench, tossing peanuts to a few squirrels, and suddenly we were surrounded by like twelve of them, all advancing on us with absolutely no fear. I was afraid they’d climb right up our legs to get to the peanuts. We dumped the peanuts and got out of there while they were distracted. 🙂 Other squirrel story: when we were in college, spouse and I were walking to a bus stop. We stopped on a corner waiting to cross, and a squirrel ran up to us, ran right into spouse’s foot, stood there dazed for a few seconds, then wandered off. We have no idea why, but it was cute. Final squirrel story: When I was a kid, I used to mess with the squirrels that came to our backyard (blue jays, too). I’d tie a rubber band around a peanut and tack the other end of the band down to the picnic table. Squirrel or bird would run/fly up and grab it, get a few inches away, and _sproing!_–one surprised squirrel or bird! It didn’t hurt them at all, and it was sure fun to watch! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/72 "2012-08-30T04:02:46Z")
This past April in New York, we saw an old Chinese-looking man sitting on a bench in the park by the boat ferries to the Statue of Liberty, and he had three squirrels crawling over him. He was feeding them. Apparently some sort of local character, because when I mentioned this to a former NYC resident here in Bangkok, he knew exactly who I was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/73 "2012-08-30T04:11:05Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Are we talking squirrels or women? And are we raking up the acorns, the squirrels, or the women? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/74 "2012-08-30T04:16:34Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > So I throw a handful of raw in the shell peanuts out to the yard every other day. We’d been out of town, so they’d weren’t used to it. I had to yell at one sitting on top of the feeder. [You don’t live next door to Diceman do you?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=661286) ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654/75 "2012-08-30T05:07:09Z")
One day I was waiting at a bus stop on the local college campus (most convenient transfer point for my trip), and a squirrel hopped right up on the bench next to me to rummage through the grocery bag my lunch was in. Unfortunately for him/her, it was a frozen entree. 🙂 Some time later, I told that story to another bus passenger right near campus and he could top it. A friend of his had dozed off on one of the benches, and awakened to find a squirrel curled up on her, also napping. My guess is that the squirrels were finding enough softies among the students that they were pretty much tame, and figuring “human = potential food source”. More recently, I was working in a low-income apartment complex, doing in-home support for a disabled person, and near the laundry room, a lot of squirrels tended to hang out, so I started bringing peanuts for them. Several would run right up into “could be petted” range (I didn’t actually try petting them), and one bold fellow would come right to me, take hold of my fingers with his front paws, and very carefully extract the peanut I was holding. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/squirrels-am-i-the-only-person-that-likes-them/632654.md?page=3)