Help Please - Black Squirrel Invading My Grey's Home, What To Do?

[RachelArcher]

Dear all,

I thank you all for taking the time to read this. My name is Rachel, I'm 28 years old living in downtown Toronto in a 6-floor apartment building (I'm on the 5th). This will sound a little ridiculous, but for about a year I had a comfy blanket, the kind that keeps heat in really well and so are very cozy in winter etc, hanging out the crack of my window onto the window-ledge in a kind of bag formation, lol. I had been using it to put my wireless modem in to get good reception.

Well I haven't done that in quite some time now. My new modem works better than ever and no need to put it out the window, it sits right here inside. Anyway, I procrastinated about actually pulling the blanket out of my window, and lo and behold one day a friendly grey squirrel came along and burrowed her way inside there. It's easy for her to get in and get out, and warm too on cold nights even since the blanket-burrow has that insulating factor and the little flap of it that she comes in and out of can easily be pulled in when she goes to sleep.

She's been living there peacefully for months now. The window itself is tinted, so she can't see me. I'm very quiet but even so the area between the barely open window and the wall is stuffed tight with an old sweater and has been since before she came along. Keeps the sound out fine so she's not disturbed. Sometimes after I see her wake up, scratch a bit, wash her face (at least that's what it looks like), yawn and scamper up the brick wall to go off for her morning breakfast and exercise, I will wait a bit and then put a handful of unblanched plain almonds out on the windowsill for her. This artificial burrow or nest or drey or whatever you want to call it - this is her home now and has been for months.

Now yesterday a much older and male black squirrel was snooting about. I'd seen this squirrel once before, and it had been noissome and tried to push its way inside my apt during its 2 minute stay. This time I knocked on the window a few times and then pulled the sweater out and reached my hand out to scare it off. Scare off it did! But today, I wake up, I am drinking coffee ... reading on the computer ... and out of the corner of my eye (this was at about 11am EST, Thursday August 30, 2007) I see my friendly grey squirrel who lives here crawl across the top of the burrow, having just come off the brick wall. She crawls onto the ledge, looking happy and normal as usual, and snouts her nose in like normal to crawl inside to go to sleep till early evening.

Well she doesn't go in. She tries a few times. My curiousity piqued, I look closer (remember, the window is tinted so they can't see me). I hear a strange trilling sound coming from the burrow, and see a tiny bit of movement. Another squirrel is in there, what the hell?!

My poor sweet grey, she didn't know what to do, and after only a moment or two there she went off in the opposite direction she had come from, off to the left on the brick wall of the building. The intruding squirrel never showed its face. Well I wasn't about to put up with some bully! Not to mention, the grey squirrel has always been very happy to have its home there and hasn't tried to squirm or chew its way inside or anything (the blanket-burrow is really, really secure.

With the grey gone, I tried knocking on the window again but this didn't get so much a show of the thing's face, just a tiny bit of movement. I pulled the sweater out of the crack and poked the burrow with a stick that I had left over from a camping trip. That got its head poking out and upon that I shouted at it. It quickly got out of my grey's artificial home and ran the hell off.

With both of them gone, I put out a fresh handful of unblanched plain almonds on the windowsill, hoping they would somehow encourage my grey to make a second attempt to return to her home. But I am very upset at this occurrence!!

I don't know much about the differences between male and female, grey and black, etc etc re: squirrels to know what my grey will do about this. Will she come home again, or give up like that and go off somewhere else?? If the black male squirrel shows up again what should I do to get him to go away for good? He seems to have made both attempts at entry over the last two days shortly after the grey had awoken and left for her morning run.

I really want to see my grey squirrel happy and healthy and cozy and undisturbed here. Any advice you can offer me, or even just info about what these squirrels are doing/likely to do in this situation, will be very very appreciated by me. Thanks in advance, and please say a prayer for my little grey!

Fondly,

Rachel :)

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

Grey Squirrels and black squirrels are the same species. The black is the black version of the grey squirrel.

I think your new guy will lose interest if you don't put any food in it. He may be interested in your female as a mate as well :dunno They should learn to get along, squirrels are very social and typically work their differences out. Also, don't worry about her. She should have at least one back up nest to sleep in.

[4skwerlz]

Squirrels are very territorial and the bigger/stronger/older squirrel usually wins. Not much you can do about that. You could build or buy a couple wooden nestboxes and attach them to nearby trees (lined with the blanket?). That way, everyone gets a nice nest. Evidently there's a shortage of nest sites in your area!

[RachelArcher]

Dear squirrelsrule&bunniestoo,

Oh I never go IN to the nest. I only put the unblanched plain almonds out on the windowsill next to it occasionally, and only when I know she's gone off for a good while in the morning. She's a wild squirrel, true, a city one, and no doubt I could feed her in the park or something, but I have no wish to disturb her and I feel very privileged that she chose my ledge and blanket for her artificial nest. She has slept there each and every night for the last three months. I can't help but worry that this is it for her as far as nests go.

And yeah, sure she could always get a new one, but this is her home dammit! I would just hate for one incident like this (to the best of my knowledge, this is the first and only time she's encountered an intruder here in this nest) to cause her to abandon it. She'll try to come back at least once more, right?

All of the questions in my original post stand folks. Please offer any and all advice and info you can re: them. I can't help but worry till then! Thanks in advance!

Fondly,

Rachel :)

[rippie-n-lilgirlsmom]

A wooden nest box sounds like an excellent choice, even if he chooses to take over the little girls place maybe your girl will move in the nestbox.
They will take advantage of anything you offer them.
I also wanted to say you are the envy of alot of people here Black squirrels are one of the most beautiful squirrels ever to walk to face of the earth. I would be going out of my way to make (what could be a new friend) happy also.
Not many people get squirrels to trust them like you do. I would take advantage of it and have them both as my friends.:Love_Icon :Love_Icon
We love pictures!

[thundersquirrel]

you may want to consider putting food away from the nest. perhaps at the base of a very close tree? it's possible that other squirrels will be attracted to the food, which will then make them desire the nest more than usual. or you could put out less food- maybe two or three nuts a day, and soon before the grey squirrel usually comes back.

that's all i can think of. but i agree that it would be cool to have both of these guys as your friends.

[RachelArcher]

Alright, the black squirrel tried once to get to the pile of almonds (more than 60 of 'em I put out today) in the early evening at about 6:30, 7pm - but quick thinking, banging on the window and shouting scared it right the hell off, with only one measly almond in its mouth (it wouldn't even have gotten that if I had been watching the window more closely).

Since then, I watched careful guard, not moving from the window. The black male squirrel didn't attempt to come back since that one almond trick. The grey female squirrel that has lived here for 3 months, thankfully did come back. She made several trips with big mouthfuls of almonds to store them elsewhere, ate one or two also while atop her home as well.

Seeing as it's now getting almost completely dark, she put several into her mouth and crawled into her home, all the way. Then she was crawling in and out, pulling the rest of the almonds inside with her before she'll go to sleep. Now she is in her home, front half hanging out and watching the world as she rests in the cool of evening before crawling all the way into her enclosed home for the night. I believe she'll sleep undisturbed tonight.

I have decided to provide no more food for the next few weeks at least (after all, she's always appeared well and healthy, and 300+ almonds over the last 6 weeks will keep her in good condition, most of them having been buried by her I'm sure). So with no food being put out, that's one step to ensuring her peace and quiet and her claim to her home ....

But what else can I do, besides knocking on the window and shouting at the black squirrel when it makes an appearance to intrude (assuming it will again) to ensure that it stays the hell away from here and leaves my grey girl and her home alone? Will the grey female defend the nest if she's inside it during an appearance by the black male, and will she succeed??

Anything at all will help. I'd rather not have to stand watch so often, lol. Though with my standing watch and her resolve to live in her home, I am confident things will be OK from now on.

Fondly,

Rachel :)

[4skwerlz]

Squirrels have a "pecking order" and older males are usually at the top. IF he wants that nest, he will take it. I don't think you can stop it. He may only want the food though. So don't put the food in her nest anymore; that just encourages other squirrels to come to her nest and take it over because of the food. Put the food at the base of a nearby tree instead.

If he does want the nest, why not put some more nestboxes nearby, so EVERYONE can have a home. As others pointed out, this new guy may seem like the enemy now, but could be a new friend. The more squirrels the better!

[squirrelfriend]

Blacks and greys are the same species, they are just different color variations of the Eastern Grey squirrel. I find that the squirrels in my area know feeding schedules. They know when I usually put the nuts out and I find them waiting for me. You said that the guy comes right after your grey leaves which is around the time you usually put out the almonds? Squirrels have an excelent sense of smell. He was probably attracted to the smell of the almonds and has figured out when you usually leave them. How about trying to leave them out there AFTER the grey has come back or before she leaves in the morning? SHe will clean them out before he even knows that they are there.

someone said earlier that the bigger squirrel will always prevail. many of the times the smaller or younger will not even challenge them.

Hopefully your grey comes back. If not at least you have a new companion.:D

BTW, I am in Mississauga. Welcome to the squirrel board.

[Mrs. Jack]

I had a newcomer squirrel scare one of my girls out of her nestbox and he didn't even bother to take it over. He just wanted her out. I think this is one of those cases where you really have to understand your place.. you may provide these guys food and lodging and that's wonderful, but what it really does is provide you the amazing opportunity of observing these wonderful critters, not becoming the "god" of their community... they will fight and they will sometimes do things that don't seem "fair". But it's all a part of the squirrel world.. of course you will have favorites, and you'll want to do your best to make sure they're okay and fed and you'll worry about them. But when it comes down to it... you're the observer. they're the ones living the way they have for a long time. This black squirrel isn't a villain, he's just another squirrel trying to create a life and home in a world evermore taken over by humans. you can aid, but you can't disuade.. a squirrel's got to do what a squirrel's got to do. and though it's not always easy being that human part of the squirrel world, you just have to learn to accept it and know what a special thing it is, even when it's hard.

[RachelArcher]

Dear all,

Firstly my biggest thanks to you all for your replies, they are indeed appreciated.

:goodpost :goodpost

Now I might have been willing to let nature take its course were the black male squirrel content to simply live and sleep in the nest ... but as I previously stated, when he was in there before he was tearing the place up, dead set on squeezing/chewing his way through the open crack in the window and getting into my apartment. His temperament so far as I can see is aggressive, even by squirrel standards, and he would eventually force his way in here where he would certainly flip out and eventually have to be destroyed. That's no good for anyone, especially since my grey girl would have been chased off for nothing.

He also didn't seem interested in mating (not the right time of year for it I believe, but I'm none too knowledgeable about squirrel mating habits) either, seeing the way he made that weird trilling noise at my grey girl earlier and wouldn't let her into her own home. No, he's bad news and not fit to be granted residence in this nest.

I don't believe a second nest would help matters, as there are a great many trees in the area (directly under my window, and around the parking lot, several nearby parks, some with a multitude of trees both huge and small, etc). The ledge is small and narrow enough and of a type of plastic that I doubt I could properly nail a nest onto it ... though even if I could, it would certainly leave these two far too close for either's comfort - the male would take over and simply have both.

My solution is to keep watching carefully whenever my grey girl goes for her morning and evening exercise/eating etc ... and do everything possible to make the black squirrel completely uncomfortable and scared of being on my windowsill or in my girl's home. Poking it, shouting at it, grabbing at it - it has been suggested to me that I should use hairspray on it - it will never get one blessed moment of peace or rest in my girl's home if I have anything to say about it! I'm betting that if it doesn't already understand this, it will shortly ... and once it sees over time that there IS no more food around here, nothing but a grey squirrel who lives in peace and a nest that is dangerous and hell for the black squirrel when it tries to come near it, it will realize there's a million, nay, billion better places to go. Perhaps it is wrong to play "God" as you said, Mrs. Jack. Ordinarily, I'd agree with you.

But if I saw some meanie picking on someone just because they were fairer, weaker, smaller, younger, female, etc ... I'd come to that person's defense. The way I see it, this situation is no different.

I realize that some of you have explained how black and grey squirrels are two colour variants of the same squirrel species. Very good, that is an interesting thing to know, and I thank you for enlightening me. However, strictly on an individual basis, I believe I'm dealing with two distinct personalities here: one gentle, the other aggressive. One that is content to enjoy her home in peace, the other who only wishes to tear it apart almost out of curiosity and pure swagger. And so, one is welcome and the other will be chased off every time.

I love black squirrels, always have: this one invading squirrel isn't welcome, not because of his colour or because he wasn't here first (well partly because he wasn't here first, see above), but because he has demonstrated to me that he wouldn't use the nest appropriately as the grey has. And I love my grey girl and she deserves this place! 3 months without an issue is fair claim as far as I'm concerned.

Lastly, I appreciate feeding suggestions. However there are literally hundreds of squirrels on just this square block of downtown Toronto. Lots of em. Putting almonds or whatnot around the base of the tree directly below my window even wouldn't guarantee my grey would find or get any of them, and I'm not equipped financially to feed the entire squirrel population of this block, lol! :D Also, I cannot put anything out when she is there as she would both hear and see my hand; the sound of the nuts dropping onto the ledge would also startle her. I don't think everyone here realizes that she has never seen me before; I see her every day, she knows that someone is leaving nuts for her on an infrequent basis, but she has never heard or seen me. I can sit less than an inch from the tinted window and see her clear as day when she gets up in the morning for example ... scratching herself, doing her little face-wash thing that she does with her paws, etc ... stretching, yawning (so cute every time!). :) The window is only tinted on her side, hence I can see out but she can't see in. To her mind, there's never been anything on this side of the window but a blank wall.

So for now I'll stick to letting her feed herself. Besides, it's good for her to be self-dependent and run around each day. I will be content to make sure her nest is empty and always there for her. Perhaps in the wintertime when the snow is here and things are much colder I will resume more frequent feedings, she'd like that I'm sure. :Love_Icon :)

Anyway, thank you all once more. Thundersquirrel, I will consider what you've said about putting only a few nuts out instead of a bunch, and doing so closer to when I know she usually comes home. And to everyone who's worried I'm being mean to the black squirrel, I'll use as minimal force as is needed - the hairspray being a last-resort type thing if this goes on for weeks or some such. If I honestly thought there was any possibility these two could get along, believe me, I would love to have them both. I was surprised a bit, and disappointed, that the black squirrel didn't welcome my grey girl in today, as I've heard that adult squirrels will sometimes share a nest. Oh well, so be it.

Thank you one and all! *hugs*

Fondly,

Rachel :)

[island rehabber]

You could blind the black squirrel, using hairspray. I certainly hope that is not a serious option you're considering.

If it were me I would remove the 'nest' altogether until the black squirrel moved on. So long as the nest is there you are setting your grey friend up for a contentious situation with her melanistic rival.

[RachelArcher]

Rachel....I'm sorry but you have me quite upset....How high is this window ledge you are talking about? PLEASE...You can't go poking and jabbing a squirrel and let it fall to its death if this is a high ledge!! This squirrel is just being a squirrel, and I'm sure your little grey is very used to this behavior. They are not humans, and do not think of act like we would like them to. IR is right. You will blind this poor squirrel if you use hairspray!! I don't know WHO told you that but that is TERRIBLE! Squirrels move all the time to different nest. Just because she was there for 3 months doesn't mean she is going to stay there forever, or even much longer. The seasons are changing, and so do they. PLEASE... BEFORE you do anything to harm any squirrels, get to know these animals such as their behaviors, habitats, communicating, just their lives in general. You think because you have tinted windows they can't see you BUT they know you are there. They smell your scent. Squirrels have a very keen sense of smell. How do you think they can smell a nut buried under 4 feet of snow? If you're not happy, please do as the people who know squirrels have advised you. :bowdown :bowdown :thankyou

Fair enough, Gammas Baby. And for what it's worth, no, obviously the hairspray in its EYES would be cruelty to animals and something I'd never consider ... though a washed-out hairspray bottle filled with water, that I'd consider if other methods weren't working. I really don't think it will come to that. I'm hopeful that we've seen the last of him for some time, and if he does re-appear, a simple knock on the window, and/or the appearance of my hand coming out the window-crack will be enough to make him run off.

And as far as how high the ledge is, it's extremely high up. Today when I poked the burrow, i.e. the squirrel inside the blanket, I did so very gently with its safety in mind (poked the top of the blanket), to get its attention, not to hurt it or knock it off the ledge. I would never try to harm any squirrel, I just want this bully to know that it's not welcome as long as my grey girl is around.

If she up and leaves of her own accord due to the changing seasons or whatever, then fine. If she's gone for even a few days and nights, I would consider that reason to allow a new squirrel to take over the nest, should they wish to.

And I had no idea about the sense of smell being so strong in them ... I guess this means she's more comfortable with me than I realized. :)

I will consider everything that has been said here long and hard and you can bank on my never doing anything to hurt a squirrel. Thanks for posting and feel free to post more, I can only learn more from you kind folks and I am open to learning! I love all squirrels, truth is I simply have limited means and space with which to help and my intentions are certainly good. I'm open to learning more. :grouphug

Fondly,

Rachel :)

[teaka]

:jump Well Racheal I have many squirrels come in my yard on a daily basis and to think that any one of them is any better or more deserved of any of the food i put out for them would be just silly on my part. They are all loved by me and my husband and if just one of them went missing i would miss it. They come running every morning when they hear the bag that the nuts are in. We have grey black and even some little red squirrels which are not even half the size of the grey and blacks. Well ill tell you that those little reds are the kings of the castle and will put the run to any of the others if they want something. Hell they even put the run to the blue jays here lol. All of gods creatures are wonderful and to harm any one of them in my eyes is a sin.
I realize that you have come to enjoy the grey there what about the black maybe he needs a little loving and attention as well. maybe he seems mean because someone else has feed him and then chased him off before. Please dont do anything to harm him he is just being a squirrel. And squirrels do move from nest to nest which is what happened for me to get little roxy her mom was moving them and she ended up being left behind. But she is loved and so welcome in my home just as any other would be that is need of care or attention.

[Mrs. Jack]

The thing is, there is really no such thing as feeding 'one' squirrel. Eventually word gets out that something good is available. Because of your location, you won't get the crowds some of us get, but even if you succeed in driving this guy off, eventually some other brave squirrel will want in on the goodies.
Also, something to think of is that squirrels really are very smart, and they will observe and learn from what they observe. I've seen this. Some of mine that start off shy will sit and watch a few others come take nuts from my hands. Then they'll imitate. So if your gray girl sees you acting negatively to this other squirrel, it's possible that you could inadvertantly scare her off too.
Perhaps you could get a woodpecker block, can get them at the pet store they're a mix of nuts and sticky stuff my guys absolutely love. And nobody can haul it off or eat it all in one sitting. That way even if this other guy has a bite, you'll know that there is food available for your girl as well.