Squirrels

[HowieDawn]

You might think that I am crazy, but this is something that I was wondering. Where I live, in West Virginia, we have grey squirrels and Red squirrels. My husbands best friend and his family lives in Ohio. (About 3 hours away) Last summer, while visiting, we saw black squirrels. At first I wasn't quite sure what they were. Our squirrels here are twice the size that this squirrel was.

Are there any other colors out there? What colors are in "your neck of the woods?"

[Paul]

   Where we live in eastern Massachusetts we only have grey squirrels. I know I have seen black squirrels in other places but I can't remember where. From what I have read, black is a color variation of the grey squirrel. After years of seeing all squirrels with the same coat it is funny how amazing it is to see either the red or black ones.

Hinterland Who's Who
Black Squirrels of Westfield, Massachusetts


[This message has been edited by Paul (edited March 16, 2001).]

[HowieDawn]

you are right on the amazing part. I never really stopped to think that there were other colors out there. The joke now is, "What in the world is that?" when we all see a black squirrel.

[gini]

This isn't about what type of squirrel, but about a feeder that we had. We owned a cabin at Big Bear Lake in Calif. with another couple. When we bought it one of the things I loved about it was this little "mailbox" thing that was attached to the porch. We soon realized it was a feeder. You put raw peanuts in the shell in the top. A squirrel could come and sit on a little perch and the squirrel's weight would open the lid and he could help himself. It had obviously been made lovingly by hand. It was painted red.

It used to drive the bluejays and other birds crazy. They would watch the squirrels get all of the nuts they wanted and then they would fly on to the perch and nothing would happen. We would laugh as they actually jumped up and down trying to open the lid.

Sadly one snowy winter some kids vandalized it. My dad asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I shocked him by asking him if he could rebuild the feeder. It was a tricky little thing and it had to be weighted just right or it wouldn't open. Dad went around asking everyone how much a squirrel weighed. Dad was now in his 80's and was having fun.

In the Spring we had a nice surprise, all of the parts had been on the ground under the snow and the mystery of how it was made revealed itself and Dad was able to build me a new one - just in time for my birthday. My Dad is gone now, but this is one of my fondest memories of things he did for me. Oh, and the squirrels were grey and they had the entire property "mined" with nuts.


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[Logan]

Gini, I know those squirrels were so happy to have something that only they could enjoy for a change!!! With all the squirrel baffles on bird feeders to keep the squirrels off, those squirrels must have thought they had found Heaven!!! What a wonderful memory of your dad too. It was a very touching story.
Logan

[Logan]

By the way, Howiedawn, we are "boring" down in SC. We only have gray squirrels. But I remember as a child having a flying squirrel come down our chimney and what a terrible time my dad had getting him out of the house!!

[ilovehounds]

I live in Ontario Canada and we have Grey, Black, Red or brown (Im not sure if they are called red or brown but they are a chestnut color) they are fairly big. We raised five baby red squirrels one spring when we found them laying with thir dead mother, they were so cute :0) We released them when they were old enough to be on thier own. They stayed around the house and maybe still are there but we have moved since then so I don't know. People say they make a great pet but I couldn't keep one in a cage it would be cruel.

[peanutsquirrel]

I have seen gray squirrels that are blonde before. Some times, fox squirrels will be all red, or all black. I have seen black gray squirrels too. Kinda like a phenomenon (sp), similar to an albino. A man near me has a solid white gray squirrel.