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View Full Version : Father in Law is a Pig



MollyBear361
05-23-2013, 11:41 PM
Ok, my fil is the sweetest 81year old ever unless it comes to squirrels. Long story short, he hates squirrels on his bird feeder and tomatoes. Last year, before I knew about squirrels he was trapping them and going to release in a park. My husband told him to bring them here bc we loved them and most of ours were gone (we had an owl here and then I put 2+2 together).. I didn't know until I had found my three baby foxers that he had trapped and released over ten squirrels here. I live in a city neighborhood on two lots. Not in the country. I am sure bc of this momma got ran off or killed and that's why I ended up with Three babies. Again, then I learned about squirrel territories, etc.
Today I took our dogs over there bc we are going out of town....and there was the cutest squirrel burying pecans. Poor guys tail is all messed up.its cockeyed and only about half a tail. It doesn't go up over his back...just to the right side and kind of lays there. Also appears he doesn't use one of his back legs much. Gets along really well but I watched him and he didn't use that back leg half the time or more. So he went to the fence and kept staring at the feeder but couldn't figure out how to get on it.its like a lamppost in the middle of their yard. My fil was watching also and said once that that squirrel is on the feeder he's history...and then said he's too curious. Its a feeder full of corn...hmmm, yeah, I bet he's curious. When I say he's history he means trapping. He won't kill it. I whined and said if its a momma he's leaving babies to starve to death, yadda yadda, but he doesn't care.:soapbox
So obviously if a squirrel touches he's feeder he's setting traps out. Would it be best that he let's them go at a park or here where my land is small, I have established squirrels, but I feed every day. There is no right solution to this, but if he insists on doing this, I kind of feel I need to look out for the poor little guy with the broken tail and bad foot so maybe he should come here. Btw I lost a wild two days ago. Got run over in front of my house at the house next door and across the street. Was not Joe since I've seen him but I haven't seen Lucy since and now I'm worried it may have been her. I checked its ears and I didn't see the notch she has in her left ear....but that's another reason I wouldn't want more squirrels here in a neighborhood where I have a busy street where people drive way too fast in front of my house. I have a no win situation. :shakehead

BigNibbler
05-28-2013, 01:44 PM
Steal the traps, or better yet, break em so they do not work! If the trap is squeezed, it will cause the mechanism to hang up and bind. Turn it sideways and stomp on it a few times a third in from each end, if its a double ended one.

Chickenlegs
05-30-2013, 03:12 PM
hmmmmm--I LIKE that solution--unless he'll go out and buy more traps or hurt the little squirrel. If he doesn't know why the squirrels don't get trapped--GOOD--as long as he leaves the squirrels alone. We all have pigs in our families and until we can choose our kinfolk we always will.

Jackie in Tampa
05-31-2013, 06:26 AM
here's the real poop...
removing sqs from their territory creates a void...
once the territory has no one guarding THAT area, THE VOID...
alot of sqs will come to take that territory...
he is leaving his feeders unguarded where he once had a sentry, a sq that WAS protecting those feeders from other sqs...
now there will a traffic jam as they fight to claim that stake.
He is actually doing more damage than he knows...
He needs to stop feeding period... there is no way to seperate who eats and who doesn't.
SQS plant the trees that birds nest in... they live and work in harmony... yes you FIL needs to be tied to his chair and forced to watch and enjoy nature, not decide who eats his dollars worth of corn each day!

BIRD poop on grandpaw...:shakehead