Me and my Jerk

[The Jerk]

Hey everybody, I just registered here to get an opinion on my room mate. I call it "room mate" because I can't quite get the concept of "owning" a squirrel..... It would be more accurate to say that she "owns" me!

I have been living with a fox squirrel in the house for about 3 years. We picked her up after a crow attacked her nest. She was newly born, bare and blind. She had fallen to the ground and had baked in the hot sun for quite a while when we found her. My wife nurtured her back from the brink, and raised her through her adolescence. Shortly after beginning to eat solid food, she attached herself to me as the attention/horseplay guy.

This squirrel earned her name, "The Jerk" by her behavior, which I presume is absolutely normal. She is a cocky arrogant little dictator who wants it all...... And she wants it NOW. The Jerk is the fattest biggest toughest most headstrong squirrel you ever saw. She is easily half again bigger than a normal fox squirrel, every bit of 2 1/2 feet from tip to tip. We will fight a bit then I have to rub her back and neck. She likes it when I scratch her face and chin, often falling asleep. If I should have the nerve to stop, then the fight is on again, rolling and scratching, gripping my finger with a stern look as if she is telling me "I can bite you if I want! You better serve me...."

This has been our life for 3 years until this spring. Shortly after March she became very angry. She gives that disgust/contempt sound, the one that sounds like a car wreck. she makes the sound of rending metal and breaking glass, a dismissive flip of her tail and runs home to her room. When she climbs my leg like she used to do to get attention, she doesn't want to be touched. That is VERY abnormal. I don't believe there are any health issues at all. She is just angry and foul tempered. Is this because she is a grown woman now? Is it a hormone fit? Teenage angst? PMS?

I wondered if she wants to breed. What can I do about that? I don't need four more of these in the house and I am afraid she will get killed if I let her out by herself. What do you guys think? Will this pass? It's been about a month. I miss the old Jerk.....

Please advise.

[DarkLies212]

Woah...I must see pics of her :eek

First, :Welcome to TSB! And you're darned right they own you!

Can you tell us about her diet and her living quarters?
This is our healthy diet thread to get the max out of our roommates :grin3
http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels

Some really common problems with their sudden behavior changes include a new scent. Have you changed cologne, laundry detergent, hand soap, body soap, shampoo, anything? They're really offended by new scents. What about a change in her environment?

[SammysMom]

:Welcometo TSB!!! Can't wait to see your Jerk! :grin3

[The Jerk]

Thanks for the welcome! The Jerk's diet Is very diverse. I give her a mix for rodents from the store. She gets raw vegetables when I am making supper, carrots, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, whatever. She will draw blood to get at raw mushrooms.

We get dandelion leaves, maple twigs, pinecones and clover from the yard. she will make a pass at the dog bowl but only eats certain kibbles, digging through all the others to get them. She will chew the dog's bones occasionally but it seems that she is only honing her teeth. she will make a pass at the cat bowl but generally turns her head at that.

I give her organic granola with raisins and almonds. she likes dry uncooked oatmeal. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dry ice cream cones. she will steal a cookie when she can get to them (pecan sandies). popcorn. Birdseed. An occasional raw ear of sweet corn. She goes to town shredding the husks but it takes her so long to actually eat the corn that we take it away before it gets fruit flies.

We get a vitamin supplement for her water bottle, but use it sparingly because she will drink so much water that she gets wet poop. She will on occasion steal vitamin C tablets and run away with them. She gets pretty much whatever she shows an interest in. She has even recently figured out how to open the refrigerator, that's a problem.

As far as scent goes, I have started using UNSCENTED deodorant...... The strong scented ones were irritating my underarms aside from the fact that they stink like bugspray.

Up till now The Jerk has been very attentive and almost possessive of me, to the point of snubbing my wife who raised her from a blind pinkie. She would do things that I suspected was mating behavior, such as pressing her chest against my forearm, and sniffing and licking the inside of my wrist. She would engage in corralling behavior where she was trying to cut me away from the dog or from my wife. She wanted me alone in a certain chair where I would have to rub her back and neck for hours on end.

My wife says that Jerkie is mature now and knows it's spring. The wife thinks that The Jerk instinctively wants to mate and that I am the dominate male in her life. She is angry at me because she is not getting what she needs. I don't know about all that, but then who DOES know about women? Especially fiery redheads.

I do have a video of me roughing The Jerk up, eventually rubbing her neck and cheeks until she knocks out and falls asleep. I don't know how to post it, maybe my son knows how...

[DarkLies212]

The best way to upload a video is to post it to youtube or photobucket and post the link here :)

What is the rodent mix she gets? She should be on a good block to get all the vitamins she needs. Most of us use these: http://henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/ It's got all the vitamins they need and as long as she's eating that, you won't have to worry about mushy poops from adding the vitamins to her water.

Watch how many nuts, seeds, sweets, bird seed, and corn she gets. The corn (and bird seed) because it's super high in phosphorus, which inhibits calcium intake, which can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease. The other stuff, well, just because it's junk food. Check out that link. I swear by, mostly, it with my boy.

As for starting to not be so fond of your wife, we have a member here who has to wear protective helmets and all for the exact same reason - he raised the squirrel from a baby, but The King just turned on him. I can't find a picture of his helmet and all, but here's The King's thread. http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32881-Meet-the-Costa-Rican-CRUISER!&highlight=the+king

As far as the mating ordeal, hey, the woman wants what she wants. :poke I've only got a hormonal male, so I can't really comment on a female squirrel's mating behavior. Thank god for stuffed animals! My boy during this time doesn't really like males around me. Now that he's calming down and the season is ending around here (so it seems), he's more tolerant of males around me. He would absolutely have a FIT when my fiance was near.

[The Jerk]

The best way to upload a video is to post it to youtube or photobucket and post the link here :)

What is the rodent mix she gets? She should be on a good block to get all the vitamins she needs. Most of us use these: http://henryspets.com/squirrel-diet/ It's got all the vitamins they need and as long as she's eating that, you won't have to worry about mushy poops from adding the vitamins to her water.

Watch how many nuts, seeds, sweets, bird seed, and corn she gets. The corn (and bird seed) because it's super high in phosphorus, which inhibits calcium intake, which can lead to Metabolic Bone Disease. The other stuff, well, just because it's junk food. Check out that link. I swear by, mostly, it with my boy.

As for starting to not be so fond of your wife, we have a member here who has to wear protective helmets and all for the exact same reason - he raised the squirrel from a baby, but The King just turned on him. I can't find a picture of his helmet and all, but here's The King's thread. http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?32881-Meet-the-Costa-Rican-CRUISER!&highlight=the+king

As far as the mating ordeal, hey, the woman wants what she wants. :poke I've only got a hormonal male, so I can't really comment on a female squirrel's mating behavior. Thank god for stuffed animals! My boy during this time doesn't really like males around me. Now that he's calming down and the season is ending around here (so it seems), he's more tolerant of males around me. He would absolutely have a FIT when my fiance was near.

Oh yes..... A male. Years ago we had a male chipmunk in the house, what a HORRIBLE beast! That rat wanted to KILL me all of the time. He was imprinted on my wife and was trying to drive me out of the house! And heaven help me if I was caught trying to defend myself against that viscous rodent...... He would cry like I was being mean to him and run to mommy! He would be peeping out of my wife's hair just laughing at me while my wife berated me for abusing Jr. Maybe I am getting even now with The Jerk being my best girl. Paybacks!

You must be an absolute HERO to live with and love a male squirrel! As tough and obstinate as The Jerk is I don't know what I would do if it were MALE..... These guys are large enough to do some damage if they wanted to..... They can open walnuts for heaven's sake! I cant even do that.

[DarkLies212]

Oh yes..... A male. Years ago we had a male chipmunk in the house, what a HORRIBLE beast! That rat wanted to KILL me all of the time. He was imprinted on my wife and was trying to drive me out of the house! And heaven help me if I was caught trying to defend myself against that viscous rodent...... He would cry like I was being mean to him and run to mommy! He would be peeping out of my wife's hair just laughing at me while my wife berated me for abusing Jr. Maybe I am getting even now with The Jerk being my best girl. Paybacks!

You must be an absolute HERO to live with and love a male squirrel! As tough and obstinate as The Jerk is I don't know what I would do if it were MALE..... These guys are large enough to do some damage if they wanted to..... They can open walnuts for heaven's sake! I cant even do that.

Oh they're all smart. 'Mommy mommy, daddy's being mean to me!' 'Oh was he now? How dare you daddy!' Meanwhile they're over there plotting their next move to get you fussed. Sounds about right to me! Ambrose does it all the time, though I'm the one doing the fussing..

Oh please, I'd much rather my boy than a female. I definitely would NOT want to deal with that. One hormonal female is enough in the house, thank you very much. I couldn't deal with a little furry me. :eek Though, funny you mention the cracking the nuts - I was thinking the exact same thing the other night when he opened a hardshell pecan. I can barely do that with a nutcracker..

[HRT4SQRLS]

:wave123 The Jerk
:Welcome to TSB
I'm really getting a kick outta reading your posts. You are hysterical. We will definitely be needing pictures of this gigantic squirrel. I'm more familiar with a basic FL grey squirrel which will fit nicely in the palm of your hand. I gotta see a 2 1/2 ft squirrel, especially a mad one. :poke:jump

[The Jerk]

Oh they're all smart. 'Mommy mommy, daddy's being mean to me!' 'Oh was he now? How dare you daddy!' Meanwhile they're over there plotting their next move to get you fussed. Sounds about right to me! Ambrose does it all the time, though I'm the one doing the fussing..

Oh please, I'd much rather my boy than a female. I definitely would NOT want to deal with that. One hormonal female is enough in the house, thank you very much. I couldn't deal with a little furry me. :eek Though, funny you mention the cracking the nuts - I was thinking the exact same thing the other night when he opened a hardshell pecan. I can barely do that with a nutcracker..

The Jerk will hold my finger in her mouth and pinch, all the time looking at me intently. It's like she is telling me that she can bite me if she wants to, so I better rub her neck!

Yes, the intelligence amazes me! This tree-rat can't have a brain any bigger than my thumbnail yet she seems as smart as the dogs. How is that?

Here is an example; The jerk sees us getting the GOOD stuff out of the white box (refrigerator). I am sitting laughing at her while she tries to get inside the 'fridge. She tugs and pulls but of course the magnetic seal is too tough for her skinny little arms. What does she do? She lodges her triangle little head into the crack and uses those massive neck muscles that they have..... A twist of the head and the door pops right open! OH NOOOOS! She has learned to get inside the 'fridge all by herself..... Bad deal.... Sometimes the door closes behind her and we can hear the muffled cursing from inside. one time she decided that she wanted some milk....... From the bottom of the jug! she chewed into the bottom of a gallon of milk, decided that she didn't actually want it and ran away. It was a mess I don't mind telling you!

[The Jerk]

:wave123 The Jerk
:Welcome to TSB
I'm really getting a kick outta reading your posts. You are hysterical. We will definitely be needing pictures of this gigantic squirrel. I'm more familiar with a basic FL grey squirrel which will fit nicely in the palm of your hand. I gotta see a 2 1/2 ft squirrel, especially a mad one. :poke:jump

Um..... Err...... You don't suppose that I have actually been living with a groundhog by mistake? I will try to get a photo, for identification purposes mind you.

I have no clue how I will get her stretched out next to a tape measure. I can rough her up real good if it's HER idea..... But when I have to grab her up and hold her against her will, that's an ordeal I don't mind saying. Could be worth a few fingers if I don't watch out!

[DarkLies212]

So, has The Jerk always been her name?

I vote a video of her getting into the fridge!! :poke

[HappyLittleSquirrely]

:Squirrel:Squirrel

[The Jerk]

So, has The Jerk always been her name?

I vote a video of her getting into the fridge!! :poke

We don't name our animals. They eventually reveal to us what their name has always been.

The Jerk taught us her name very early, as soon as she started to venture out from the safety of my wife's protection. This animal is the most arrogant cocky and willful person in my household. After several family members commented about her behavior, "What a jerk" she started to answer to it.

It really is very descriptive and fits her to a tee, plus she has been called a jerk so often that she comes right to your feet if you call her that.

If something is a problem in the house, you can bet the rent that there is a Jerk behind it.

[HappyLittleSquirrely]

:worthless:worthless

[The Jerk]

Uh.... You guys do realize that I am measuring 2 1/2 feet from tip to tip, right? That's the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail.......

Two feet from nose to rump would represent an actual FOX..... Not a fox squirrel! 'Just saying.

[DarkLies212]

Uh.... You guys do realize that I am measuring 2 1/2 feet from tip to tip, right? That's the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail.......

Two feet from nose to rump would represent an actual FOX..... Not a fox squirrel! 'Just saying.

Wait, so she isn't a squirrel? :thinking

[farrelli]

This is a lite and happy thread, but I do want to bring it back to diet. What you described sounds like a bad one, especially if that mix turns out to be as bad as most of them are. We find that a poor diet is the cause of most of the problems that we see here. If she does have the beginnings of MBD, she could be sore or even in pain, and that can cause them to be ill tempered. This would be especially true for a larger squirrel. So, if you could get into detail about what and how much she eats, you might be able to make her happier with a better diet. You'd certainly be extending her life.

Part of this problem could also be hormones. If so, it'll pass. For some, it lasts a day or two, for others it can be a couple months.

Changes in just about anything can set them off, especially smells, as you've been told.

Also, if she has any stashes of food in her house, that can really make them nasty. They protect it with their life. If she does have a stash, clean it out when she's not watching.

[HappyLittleSquirrely]

Please give your Squirrel a Varied diet! Lots of different Vegetables,less nuts, .Thanx!!!:):Love_Icon



http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?44440-Healthy-Diet-for-Pet-Squirrels-(Rev-Jan-2014)

[lilidukes]

:Welcome Jerk and family :Welcome

Really can't wait to see pictures and videos of this fabulous
sounding squirrel!

Their brain is about the size of that walnut you can't crack.:eek
So very right you are on how smart and cunning squirrels are.
Give them an inch and they take the whole house :grin3

I would like to advise you to up her calcium intake to protect
her bone density from MBD. The fact that she likes her
mushrooms so much is wonderful a great source of vitamin D
which is necessary for them to absorb calcium. MBD can
and does cripple and kill captive squirrels. With the right
diet Jerk will be making your life very interesting for the
next 10+ years.:thumbsup

[Madamelipstick]

:Welcome:goodpost:osnap:help:help:camera:camera

[stosh2010]

As for starting to not be so fond of your wife, we have a member here who has to wear protective helmets and all for the exact same reason - he raised the squirrel from a baby, but The King just turned on him. I can't find a picture of his helmet and all, but here's The King's thread. http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/s...light=the+king

Does she get any Natural Sunshine Daily--very important for processing Vitamin D.I'm the guy from Costa Rica with the "helmet"
--a Squirrel's Size isn't important...if they want to SHRED You, or chew down to the bone...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>PLEASE e-mail me your photos and I'll post them for you--RIGHT HERE......

stosh@jpcfl.com
Write: TSB in message line--
233791233792

[The Jerk]

stosh2010, That is some kind of helmet! If The Jerk tries to get tough, I just get loud. She runs to her room and cusses me from the safety of her nest. She knows when she has made me angry by the tone I give her and then she runs home. I suppose I am very lucky that she respects me, I think The Jerk could shred your helmet in short order!

I am sending you a video to see if you can do anything with it. In the video you can see The Jerk confront the dog before jumping up to get her attention from me. Then when she is done, she is done! GOOD BYE!

[The Jerk]

Well, my E-mail has bounced twice, so no videos until I figure out what's wrong. sorry!

[farrelli]

You can;t upload vids here. You need to upload them to Youtube or somewhere and post a link.

[The Jerk]

Not to bring a necrothread back to life but my Jerk and I are back. I have been to busy with health issues (screw cancer!) but I am back now, at least for the moment. I am trying to post a video of The Jerk but I really don't know how. I have her getting her rubdown and then running off to destroy something. look here -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oETY33KY5vY&feature=youtu.be

As you can see by the duct tape on the back of my leather chair she will do some damage if you don't give her attention when she wants it.

As the video begins notice the large dog and his pained look of contempt as The Jerk runs right past his face before jumping to the back of the chair to get her roughing up.

And so this is a relatively peaceful moment in the chaotic life of The Jerk.........

[Sara in NW MS]

Your video is listed as private so it can't be viewed. The title of this thread caught my eye... Now I must go to the beginning to see who the jerk is. Lol

[The Jerk]

Your video is listed as private so it can't be viewed. The title of this thread caught my eye... Now I must go to the beginning to see who the jerk is. Lol

I said that I didn't know how to do this! Check it now, maybe I've fixed it! (maybe.....)

[PuddyRat]

I said that I didn't know how to do this! Check it now, maybe I've fixed it! (maybe.....)

Yes, it works now. It did not before.