tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post6221048670214551005..comments2023-07-04T10:10:25.205-04:00Comments on Apologia: Checking inWilliam Lusehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-31247715001521871242007-07-23T18:45:00.000-04:002007-07-23T18:45:00.000-04:00At this writing, he's still alive. Unless a cat go...At this writing, he's still alive. Unless a cat got him. Haven't seen him in a few days.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-10882597840462313222007-07-23T09:30:00.000-04:002007-07-23T09:30:00.000-04:00Please don't kill the rat, dad. He's not doing yo...Please don't kill the rat, dad. He's not doing you any harm, so why harm him?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-27758288824996774482007-07-20T01:55:00.000-04:002007-07-20T01:55:00.000-04:00I have the impression that rats are smarter than s...<I>I have the impression that rats are smarter than squirrels</I><BR/><BR/>No way. Nonoway. I can see it in their eyes. A squirrel, btw, is called a scatterer-hoarder. He can bury things in 50 different places not in proximity to each other and remember them all.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-55022236088194451472007-07-19T19:25:00.000-04:002007-07-19T19:25:00.000-04:00Disease-free pet rat, yes ma'am.I'm still having a...Disease-free pet rat, yes ma'am.<BR/><BR/>I'm still having a nomadic summer: I've seen my own house for only a few days in the last month and a half, it seems like. I've read a lot of what I normally read on-line, but I've commented much less (including at my own place).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-17876889289656484742007-07-19T10:49:00.000-04:002007-07-19T10:49:00.000-04:00Zippy, was this pet rat the white kind that people...Zippy, was this pet rat the white kind that people buy for their kids in pet stores, or was it just an ordinary wild rat that you happened to tame? If that latter, then I say "ewwwww" in a girl voice. If the former, then presumably he was clean and free of disease, etc. <BR/><BR/>Zippy, where _are_ ya' over on WWWtW?Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-79966275722313985342007-07-19T00:26:00.000-04:002007-07-19T00:26:00.000-04:00Yes, but when your pet rat chases off a strange sn...Yes, but when your pet rat chases off a strange snake you will appreciate him too. I have the impression that rats are smarter than squirrels: that makes them more like humans, which is to say more likely to be a genuine nuisance if the one in question is not your loyal friend. A squirrel however will never sit contentedly for an hour on your shoulder while you whittle with your pocketknife: he always has other places to go, other things to do, though if he is your friend he will visit frequently. Plus the rat's scaly tail has a tendency to creep out adults and girls and keep their unwelcome attentions at bay, whereas a tame squirrel has the opposite effect. I think a pet rat - especially one who befriends your dog and will ride about on the dog's back - is a wonderful pet for a young boy.<BR/><BR/>Granted I'm much happier with stranger-squirrels around than with stranger-rats though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-82694204370713917502007-07-18T23:57:00.000-04:002007-07-18T23:57:00.000-04:00This is all true. Cuteness helps too.This is all true. Cuteness helps too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-13940326014589154292007-07-18T22:01:00.000-04:002007-07-18T22:01:00.000-04:00The big differences (aside from sentimental things...The big differences (aside from sentimental things like cuteness) are<BR/><BR/>a) squirrels don't fight with dogs under ordinary circs. but rather run away up trees, hence your dog won't catch an unpleasant and fatal liver disease from a squirrel, as he might very well do if he has much to do with rats<BR/><BR/>b) squirrels' fleas have never caused an epidemic of bubonic plague in humans (that I know of)<BR/><BR/>c) squirrels for the most part (though with some exceptions) seem happy enough to live outside in trees, whereas rats are famous for infesting human dwellings and buildings.Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-22807049052353310172007-07-18T20:14:00.000-04:002007-07-18T20:14:00.000-04:00I don't believe Paul Cella really hates squirrels....I don't believe Paul Cella really hates squirrels. I refuse to believe it.<BR/><BR/>Squirrels are clever, resourceful, and admirable creatures. The differences in personality, behavior, and appearance separate them clearly from rats. I don't really hate rats, either, who are probably the quintessential mammalian survivors. But I know what I'm dealing with. Their presence among men has never been of any obvious benefit (except in the laboratory), and most often harmful. There's a reason they're called vermin.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-21839923716307057702007-07-18T13:18:00.000-04:002007-07-18T13:18:00.000-04:00It is gonna sound like I am making this up, but I ...It is gonna sound like I am making this up, but I had a pet rat as a kid too.<BR/><BR/><I>I was strangely impressed by the fact rather than angered.</I><BR/><BR/>Yeah, it isn't killing them when necessary that I don't get, nor even the relative gravity of various reasons for doing so. After all, I've gone to Newfoundland and come home lighter by one bullet and heavier by one moose, without any real need to fulfill which would justify it. It is the <I>animosity</I> I don't get. When you start talking to (some) suburban people about squirrels, a wave of pure hatred hits you in the face. I don't get it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-27266735974241124702007-07-18T01:35:00.000-04:002007-07-18T01:35:00.000-04:00I have several citrus trees, varied shrubs and flo...I have several citrus trees, varied shrubs and flowers, occasional vegetables, none of which the squirrel touches. The oak, camphor, mulberry and other trees in the area seem to supply him with all he needs. The birds like to peck at the citrus, but the trees are so bountiful I let them take their share. Squirrels will, however, gnaw on screens and other household components if they contain lead. I went up on the roof one day and noticed that the outer covering of the vent pipes was badly damaged. I was baffled for a time until a roofer told me it was the squirrels. I was strangely impressed by the fact rather than angered.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-20058199426379211882007-07-17T13:04:00.000-04:002007-07-17T13:04:00.000-04:00Well, yeah, that's the thing about all these cute ...Well, yeah, that's the thing about all these cute critters. They're fine if you _don't_ have anything they destroy. Like me with the chipmunks and the rose bush. And I suppose if you have a vegetable garden and fruit trees you're simply asking for trouble. I'd think birds would get the fruit, too, like crazy. I've no idea how you would even start protecting it from all the animals and birds out there. You'd feel like Mr. McGregor with Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny.<BR/><BR/>But the squirrel chewing through the screen is a new one on me. I'm surprised he wasn't a little more hesitant to face the humans. But that's where I would get hostile. Wild animal comes into my house; wild animal is now my enemy. I wonder if the lynx stuff from Shakeaway would work with squirrels? (Yes, they have lynx as well as fox.)Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-67829038867978439052007-07-17T10:44:00.000-04:002007-07-17T10:44:00.000-04:00Allow me to try to justify the hatred of tree-rats...Allow me to try to justify the hatred of tree-rats ... ahem, squirrels.<BR/><BR/>They are persistent destroyers of gardens, berries and fruit-trees. At my parents' house out in Denver, they descend on my mom's carefully-tended garden and eat the immature cherries, apples, strawberries and raspberries. Lettuce and vegetables are regularly violated in brazen ways. Once one of the little punks gnawed through the window screen in the kitchen and got into the peanut butter.<BR/><BR/>Our general strategy has been to shoot them with the pellet gun, pumped only a couple times. Gives 'em a good stinging, but does little lasting damage. A man's got to be able to defend his garden, right?<BR/><BR/>Zippy: my wonderful dog from childhood was named Strider. Best dog I've ever met.Paul Cellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00976325524080225869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-6620266193667248902007-07-17T10:07:00.000-04:002007-07-17T10:07:00.000-04:00Isn't it a bit late in the season for eggs or babi...Isn't it a bit late in the season for eggs or babies in the nest? I don't know a lot about that, but my impression (from the notes on the back of my cardinal photograph calendar) is that cardinals nest early in the spring, so the babies would be reared by now until next year. I wd. think this would be even more the case in the South, where spring comes early.<BR/><BR/>Zippy, I can't understand the hatred of squirrels either, unless they got into your attic or started chewing up some part of your house. Then you'd definitely want them out. But being hostile to squirrels around here would be a huge waste of energy and time. They're ubiquitous. We're just lucky they've always minded their own business, so we can regard them as cute. <BR/><BR/>I think chipmunks are cute, too, but was at wits' end last fall when one started on an apparently deliberate campaign to kill my one and only miniature rose bush. He industriously dug up all the dirt from under its roots, tunneled all around under it--just to make sure the roots would freeze in the very cold winters we get here--and chewed it completely down until it looked like it was going to disappear. Fortunately (sounding like a commercial) I found Shake-Away, which smells like fox, and this appears to have driven him at least far enough away that the rose is back and unchewed this year.Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-38067894173336962952007-07-17T01:13:00.000-04:002007-07-17T01:13:00.000-04:00I tend to like animals more than I like most peopl...<I>I tend to like animals more than I like most people</I> And I thought I was the only one.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-44496322366223246902007-07-17T01:11:00.000-04:002007-07-17T01:11:00.000-04:00Btw, Lydia, those cardinals I told you about over ...Btw, Lydia, those cardinals I told you about over at WWwtW were sporting about in the plum tree yesterday when I took Cedar out for a run in the back 40. Today I looked closely at the tree and saw a nest. Got a ladder and climbed up to have a look. Nothing in it. My hope is that the little one hatched and is now on his own, but I doubt it. The nest seems to have been there a while, but you'd think I'd have noticed it before. The tree's a thing with tangly, close-set branches and a few thorns, but nothing that could deter a bluejay. I'll keep an eye on it. Maybe it's just built and they haven't laid the egg yet.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-89131856532011402762007-07-17T01:05:00.000-04:002007-07-17T01:05:00.000-04:00I would find it hard to kill a rabbit, even if it ...I would find it hard to kill a rabbit, even if it multiplied like one. I hear they're pretty good eatin', but that's just hearsay.<BR/><BR/>Lydia, maybe soon I'll tell you the story of how I used to go rat hunting.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-58434716080156488762007-07-17T01:01:00.000-04:002007-07-17T01:01:00.000-04:00I've been surprised by the animosity that suburban...I've been surprised by the animosity that suburban people seem to feel toward squirrels, to the extent of inspiring a whole <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JJavOk8u6M" REL="nofollow">YouTube series</A>. I had an injured/rescued one as a pet for a while as a kid. Happy and loyal little fellow; hung around for a long time after we let him go. Bill will be happy to know that we named him Strider after a Tolkien character.<BR/><BR/>I don't "get" the hostility. I tend to like animals more than I like most people (though I'm partial to a good ribeye too). But then that is probably obvious.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-701514092736392142007-07-16T22:14:00.000-04:002007-07-16T22:14:00.000-04:00How are you on rabbits? We have a few in our yard,...How are you on rabbits? We have a few in our yard, and as long as they leave my vegetables alone I won't complain. We also have squirrels, chipmunk, all sorts of birds, and who knows what all else. This used to be prairie and I have never lived in the midst of such a profusion of wildlife before - not even in a college dorm.aliciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11687144369505900773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-34700717822370012262007-07-16T20:24:00.000-04:002007-07-16T20:24:00.000-04:00By all means, kill the rat. Just don't get hurt yo...By all means, kill the rat. Just don't get hurt yourself. Nasty critters. You wouldn't want him to find a lady rat and start multiplying. Ick.Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-85838689054918120832007-07-16T19:38:00.000-04:002007-07-16T19:38:00.000-04:00I once saw a mouse drop - 'jump' would be more acc...I once saw a mouse drop - 'jump' would be more accurate - from an overhanging oak limb 30 feet to the pavement in front of my car. He hit the ground running.<BR/><BR/>I think I'm going to have to kill the rat.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-35062299958660445802007-07-16T08:30:00.000-04:002007-07-16T08:30:00.000-04:00All I gotta say is, the papers won't go anywhere. ...All I gotta say is, the papers won't go anywhere. :) I hope you left them alone and enjoyed your family!<BR/><BR/>As for squirrels, it's true that they play chicken with cars . . . I see them high-fiving each other on a regular basis as I barely keep the car under control on our neighborhood curves . . .Beth Impsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15560137034653905618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-28227887896470605172007-07-16T02:17:00.000-04:002007-07-16T02:17:00.000-04:00I don't have a dog. The dog belongs to my daughter...I don't have a dog. The dog belongs to my daughter, who has returned home. I miss him a lot. And her too.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-77479806597509953792007-07-15T19:25:00.000-04:002007-07-15T19:25:00.000-04:00_Where_ do you have a resident rat? I hope he's ou..._Where_ do you have a resident rat? I hope he's outside, anyway. I should think your dog might have something to say about a rat. On the other hand, it might not be safe for the dog to try to catch it.Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3712012.post-9383749969765403232007-07-15T18:51:00.000-04:002007-07-15T18:51:00.000-04:00If you have real player, you can find on this page...If you have real player, you can find <A HREF="http://www.squirrels.org/t_video.html" REL="nofollow">on this page</A> links to 3 video excerpts from a 1995 Discovery channel program illustrating the squirrel's ingenuity in navigating an obstacle course. In one, he actually crawls up inside a vending machine to steal a candy bar.<BR/><BR/>I also have a resident rat, for whom I experience no affection, and am still deciding what to do about him.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.com