I have to disagree with this statement. Most species are not on the brink of extinction, especially not squirrels. In fact, they are many species that are doing "too well" and changing the balance or becoming a nuisance. The grey squirrel is displacing the red squirrel.

Bless your little baby's heart. I know we have an abundance of squirrels. I have always been afraid of rabies. I don't know what your answer would be. We had a problem with the neighbors rooster coming in our yard. Against the law? People don't care. I was scared to death the thing would jump on one of babies and hurt them real bad or put their eyes out. This was a fighting rooster. Last time he came he brought his girlfriend and about 4 babies. I don't know why our yard is so interesting. The bad thing is with squirrels and roosters they can climb over a wooden fence. So, what do you do? My babies don't even want to go outside anymore.

Maybe you shuld "post" one of them owls like Walmart does(or at least in our area) on top of your house or in the yard. I have always looked out for them "crack eating" critters around here. They are always on the move nervously like they are on drugs or something. We have too many hawks and ows to really worry about them.

Here is what the CDC website says about squirrels and rabies:

"Small mammals such as squirrels, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, gerbils, chipmunks, rabbits, and hares are almost never found to be infected with rabies and have not been known to cause rabies among humans in the United States. Bites by these animals are usually not considered a risk of rabies unless the animal was sick or behaving in any unusual manner and rabies is widespread in your area."

CDC - Pet Risks - Rabies

Hope this helps.

There are so many species in the world that man doesn't even know how many or cannot even count. Even at the rate of 11,000 a year going extinct (which, I don't see how that would even be possible to track, to be able to definitely say not a one of species XYZ exists anywhere in the world, especially when we are still discovering species unknown before, ones that did not just evolve), no one can make the claim that "most" species are on the verge of going extinct. Not even close.

My understanding of the dwindling red squirrel numbers is that it is not for a lack of food. Rather, grey squirrels are doing *too* well because their resources are too plentiful and they are overwhelming the red squirrel (natural selection).

I agree that squirrels are part of the food chain, and their population can get out of control if they are provided an unnatural abundance of resources. My backyard is an example of an overabundance of unnatural resources that I planted: tons of holly berries, hickory nuts and oak acorns, dogwood tree berries (I never have blooms thanks to the squirrels :D) and on and on. The concentration of food in my yard would never occur in nature. And I do have a bird bath where all the squirrels rinse the nut shells out of their mouths, and I put fresh water in twice a day. :)

My poor Yorkies can't go in the backyard because the rabbit poop is unbelievably thick, and I recently learned that rabbit droppings can carry lepto. Max and Teddy never get to run off leash, as a result. :(

Aggression in squirrels and other animals can also be caused by humans feeding them, as was the case on my school campus. The squirrels were becoming so comfortable being around humans and receiving food, they started attacking for cheetos at lunchtime. The natural food sources on the campus were no longer satisfactory.

......... for this whole Cheetos thing.......I got nothin' :D
I mean who would have known??

I was being silly with the Cheetos. I don't even like them. :p;)

Me...(crunch crunch crunch).... either.....(crunch crunch)! :D

I'll need photographic evidence because I don't believe a nutrition expert like yourself would indulge in the orange puffs. ;);)

Glad to hear Shiner is okay, and your experience is an excellent lesson to everyone to make sure their pets are up to date on rabies shots. :thumbup:

I am so glad Shiner is ok. I know you must have been so scared!! Good point to remind everyone about having a rabies vac. However, I don't actually agree with the vet. I have been feeding the squirrels around my house for years. I have never had trouble at all. I am not sure that food is the only reason they would behave this way. I am not a squirrel expert by any means but it just seems there has to be another link. A few have said that they feed them and have never had trouble. Others think it is the food. Like I said I don't know that much about them but is there any thing else that could be a factor? Could the squirrel have had babies around or anything?

Oh, I am so glad your little Shiner is okay. How scary.

I'm glad Shiner is ok. We have a squirrel in our backyard who has no fear at all. He comes right up to my back door and looks in, even with Rhett and Scarlett standing guard.