red squirrel

[click photo to enlarge]

Meet Nick. (So named because of his right ear.) I have no illusions about keeping wild animals as pets, though I was once party to the domestication of these fluffy rodents at a local park.

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Years ago, I discovered that a worker at a field house fed the squirrels every day. They became so friendly, I frequently enjoyed hand-feeding them, myself. I could sit on a park bench, put an almond on my shoulder, and a squirrel would walk right up, take the nut, and eat it right there, next to me. They took them from my hands all the time. I'll bet if I was patient enough, and had no regard for common sense, I could have even held one of these squirrels.

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They were red squirrels of course. Gray squirrels are more skittish, and black squirrels are very rare in these parts.

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Yes, I said almonds. That seemed to be their favorite. I used to make bulk purchases of almonds in the shell, and hang around with these guys. (Since I worked night shift back then, I didn't have much of a social life.)

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Then I got married, became a dad, switched to days, and became much more sensible. These days, I don't try to train or domesticate them, though I occasionally leave mixed nuts out on the deck. My wife and kids try to recognize and remember who's whom, and they even give them names. This is the first time I've named any of the local squirrels.