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SomeGuy
09-26-2011, 02:25 PM
Hi, I found your site after going through some links, and I have some squirrel questions. I was hoping to find a general section but this is the only place I can post it.

Question: How do you get a squirrel to stop stalking you >.<

Story: Sunday afternoon I decided I want to work on my car, so I went out open the hood and I just finish taking apart the air intake and the pipes to clean out when I heard something, looked at my driveway and notice a small squirrel standing in the middle of the driveway.

I thought thats pretty cute. It did stare at me, then I went back to work cleaning and checking the air filter, and then as I look over again.. I see the little squirrel walking towards me? O.o;; NOT so cute anymore..

It was getting pretty close, close enough that I took one of the cans of cleaner and nudged it on the side to stop it from walking towards me. I thought it was very odd to have animals interact with people, they always would just run away or hide. There are always squirrel in the neighborhood and they would run to see them run or hide from people.. This one was opposite?!!

Anyways, I try to shoo it away. I took the can and again nudge it gently trying to get it to go... but no... I gave up and let it sit and lay down on one side of the car as I continue to work and clean things up, every time I try walking to the other side the squirrel would get up and walk closer?! >.<
Anyways, I decided the best thing to do was maybe just to leave it alone and hopefully it will leave or a parent will come. I assemble everything quickly and incorrectly on some stuff, shut the hood then walk back to the house...

The squirrel still followed me?!! >.<;; If I remember, I read somewhere, never touch the animal and never feed it or it might keep coming back. So I just nudged it with a can, until it stayed and then went back inside.. This was about 4:30PM EST

This morning 9:45AM EST... I found it again.. it was sort of hiding it was climbed on the side of the bottom house where the basement, trying to get into the vinyl siding -_-;; The basement is brick As I walked by to get to the car to head off to campus it tried to follow me, but I got in the car real fast and it went back to the side of the house. It never left the driveway.

I could have sworn I saw its parents on top of the tool shed >.< There was a large older squirrel on the tool shed as I was backing up.. It was looking in the direction of where the smaller squirrel was, so I assume parent? I extremely carefully and very slowly backed out of the driveway and turning the car closer to the fence to make sure I don't hit it.


My concern is... what happens if the squirrel is still there when I get back at night -_-. Also what to do if it won't leave on its own? I mean it was cute as it was just sitting and laying there as I was working... but It keeps walking and running to me. I had a bad experience with a bat 2 months ago where it landed on my foot it got in some how when I was taking the a/c back into the house .. after I try to let it go after trapping it in a box.. so I am not a fan of any animals walking up to me at the moment -_-

So anyone know a nice way to get the squirrel to leave on its own. I hate to put in a box and move it to the local park. I wonder if it does have parents.

It does look healthy, it looked like it was fine on its own. but for some reason when it saw me it decided to walk up to me and now won't leave me alone.. Hopefully not someones pet..

Also hopefully it is gone when I get back at night.. I would freak out if something crawled on my legs at night when returning home at night while walking to the house.

Any suggestions on what to do if it won't leave?.. I don't wanna care for it, but I don't want to move it somewhere, where it doesn't belong. I mean its cute to look at, but not so cute when its stalking you. Hopefully I wont have to call someone to remove him..

If it does leave on its own I would be relieved. Have to wait until I get home to see if its actually gone, but thought I ask now in case it didn't

muffinsquirrel
09-26-2011, 02:48 PM
Buy it some pecans or hazelnuts and toss it a couple whenever you see it. It may well be a baby that someone rehabbed and released, which would explain why it isn't afraid of you. It is VERY unikely that it has any disease that you could catch - squirrels are not carriers of rabies. The majority of the ones I have released will still come and beg for nuts - some even bang on the door until I bring them one. So just relax, and enjoy the squirrel love...they are very special animals, and it is a wonderful thing to be trusted by a wild creature - speaks very well of your character! They don't put their trust in just everyone.

muffinsquirrel

Pierre
09-26-2011, 02:57 PM
Actually, if probably IS a baby and needs you to take care of it. :Love_Icon It will die on its own. Little babies who are orphans often come up to humans when they are in need. :Love_Icon

How big is it? I am guessing 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a full grown squirrel? Most fall babies are around 9-10 weeks old right now.

If the adult didn't come for it, it wasn't it's mother.

Also, there are no known diseases we get from them, including rabies [they do not carry it]. A little one like this, coming to you for help, is highly highly doubtful to bite [or try to bite] at all. It is coming to you for comfort, security and food.

If he's still there, bring him into your house and put him in a little cage or box... We'll all help you from there!!

:grouphug

Nancy in New York
09-26-2011, 03:02 PM
Actually, if probably IS a baby and needs you to take care of it. :Love_Icon It will die on its own. Little babies who are orphans often come up to humans when they are in need. :Love_Icon

How big is it? I am guessing 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a full grown squirrel? Most fall babies are around 9-10 weeks old right now.

If the adult didn't come for it, it wasn't it's mother.

Also, there are no known diseases we get from them, including rabies [they do not carry it]. A little one like this, coming to you for help, is highly highly doubtful to bite [or try to bite] at all. It is coming to you for comfort, security and food.

If he's still there, bring him into your house and put him in a little cage or box... We'll all help you from there!!

:grouphug

That was my first thought too. How many times have we seen a baby just go to a stranger looking for help....:shakehead

ALittleNutty
09-26-2011, 04:36 PM
Wonder if there is anybody close by in case it does need to be rehabbed? It does sound like a baby looking for some help.

Mads
09-26-2011, 04:51 PM
I could help if the little squirrel needs it.

littlebeky
09-26-2011, 04:59 PM
It does sound like it needs your help. :)
We've got some members in New England who I'm sure can help ya out. I wish I were closer to you!

stosh2010
09-26-2011, 05:00 PM
Any suggestions on what to do if it won't leave?.. I don't wanna care for it, but I don't want to move it somewhere, where it doesn't belong. I mean its cute to look at, but not so cute when its stalking you. Hopefully I wont have to call someone to remove him..

If it does leave on its own I would be relieved. Have to wait until I get home to see if its actually gone, but thought I ask now in case it didn't

It looks like he wants info on how to handle this squirrel situation, but he doesn't desire to cage and raise it. That is definitely his choice to make, so we may need "local" intervention to assist, if the squirrel decides to keep approaching him.

astra
09-26-2011, 05:43 PM
well, you do not have to care for it long-term, but it would be great if you could temporarily take this baby in - it won't survive on its own. If you could just keep it inside temporarily, with some water, old-tshirst to snuggle in, some food, until we could find a person who could take him (I hope, we could find a person who could take him):grouphug

SomeGuy
09-26-2011, 08:58 PM
Update: Its 8:28 PM Finally got home,

I drove up the driveway very slowly and since I had some tall grass I moved very slowly and kept looking in case he popped up. I did not see him/her so I stopped at the end, and being cautious got my things out the back seat and approached the side door. Nothing...


When I got inside apparently my mother got home first and since I come late and its annoying to switch cars she parked out on the side of the house, as she approached the side door of the house apparently the squirrel showed it self and started to follow her. Of course she walked back trying to avoid it and sort of panicked when it was running towards her. I don't know much about it but from what she told me she tried to get the squirrel to leave also, but it just followed her...

She took it to the back yard and she tried to walk to the side door to get into the house but just followed her again. She said she walked back to the sidewalk and couldn't figure out how to get the squirrel to leave. It kept following her no matter where she went. (I guess I should have told her there was a squirrel around,) (reason why I can't take care of it, I have members that will freak out anything comes into the house).

Apparently a close neighbor somewhere on our side street came and took the squirrel. It bit the person the first time when they tried to pick it up, but manage to get it the second time. I don't know who it was or if it was a guy or women. All I know is she was walking around the sidewalk back and forth trying to get the squirrel to leave when someone saw her and the squirrel. They came and just took the squirrel away.

I don't know if the other person moved it or temporarily adopt it, but I have to go out tomorrow for errands and I will be back out to see if the squirrel came back or if someone took it under their wings.

I wonder if its someone from the neighborhood who heard me try to get the squirrel to leave yesterday afternoon when it first approached me. I really hope someone took it home and is currently taking care of it. Time will tell.


The way it was acting.. it was so cute and looked very friendly, it was also small so I hope someone did adopt it, and is currently taking care of it. The neighbor on the fence does have a garden so I wonder if it got food there?

I have never seen a squirrel so friendly outside a park before. If it was a park I understand it coming close to people for food, but this was a residential area where squirrels tend to avoid people. Also on campus today I saw a small squirrel just like the one around the driveway, and those run into the bush. They are still close but they tend to hide.. never had one that approached me before.. especially in the open and just sitting and laying down next to me while I was working on stuff.. The noise did not bother it until I closed the hood of the car..

So hopefully it got a good home and it got adopted, or someone is holding on to it until someone can pick it up and care for it.