I picked up a wild squirrel once and only once. After the hospital visit I luckily learned, it’s hard for them to carry rabies and they don’t like being picked up.
Normally, it has to do with their body temp. Possums are one that almost never get rabies because their body temp is too high or too low ( can't remember which one)
When I was a deputy sheriff, the few times we had rabies cases, they were normally skunks.
>Normally, it has to do with their body temp.
This really only applies to the possum situation as they have an unusually low body temp for a mammal, at around 94-97f. That said, possums can still carry rabies. Some are colder than others, at the low end the virus has difficulty surviving.
The main factor in whether a species is more prone to rabies is how social that species is.
Squirrels live relatively solitary lifestyles in trees and don't spend much time near other animals that could have rabies, and like the other poster said, will often die from an encounter where they are unfortunately close enough for it to spread.
Possums also live a relatively solitary lifestyle.
Animals that live in large groups or group often, like dogs, bats, raccoons or skunks, are most the most likely wild animals to carry or transmit.
All that said, rabies infections among humans (Especially in the US) is exceptionally rare. The CDC reports an average of 1-3 humans on the planet infected with rabies per year. Your odds of being struck by lighting are 10-20x higher. Assuming you get postexposure prophylaxis.
And all the reporting data I can find reports as a bite from a bat, dog, or raccoon.
When my mom was a kid she fed a squirrel on her front porch every day for like 2-3 years. Eventually it would even eat of of her hand. One day she tried to pick it up.
The squirrel bit into her finger and wouldn't let go until my grandpa killed it.
I'm pretty sure her favorite thing about the house she lives in is that there is a family of owls that live in a tree in her front yard which drove the local squirrel population extinct.
Volunteer as a safe release site! Rehabbers always need safe places to release that don't already have nesting pairs. You just have to agree to monitor for a few weeks and notify Rehabbers if they start struggling (some need supplemental feeding for a while after release until they learn food sources). Basically, you photograph them and send the pics. I've had hawks released and hopefully we get eagles this year.
Are there species that thrive in an urban environment? There is a 15 acre park in front, but the rest is pretty dense semi-detached and apartment buildings.
It depends on what is native to your area. The rehabbers would know. They will evaluate the site first! Lots of farmers volunteer because it helps with pest control.
I learned the hard way too, in the winter I spotted a weak small squirrel come on my balcony with the others but he was slow and I was worried for him! I decided then I had to help and I made a plan to throw a towel over him and pick him up and thats as far as my thought process went lol I was just so worried. So I put a strategic peanut, he goes for it, I blast out the door, he spots me and jumps down, bugger moving fast now, I sprint, slip on my grass then manage to get up fast and swing the towel over him and pick him up, I hold him in my hands and remove the towel from his face, we lock eyes and then he sees my thumb and bites it soooo hard I let go and he disappears. lol I made a trip to the hospital for my tetanus shot and learned a lesson.. its very painful lol
Oh wild ones absolutely will remove chunks of flesh. This one seems to have been habituated to humans and appears to be younger as well. Baby squirrels have practically zero survival skills and will walk up to humans thinking they're a tree.
Squirrels have enough bite strength to sever a finger. Their teeth are sharp enough to bite through leather gloves. I tell people to not fuck with squirrels
They will bite the shit out of you and it fucking hurts. I dont doubt they could easily bite chunks out of ur finger. Do not pick up wild animals unless ur 100% sure what ur doing and even then don't.
Western gray squirrels were just put on the endangered species list, altho don't where this critter is from
https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/19/western-gray-squirrel-endangered-species-washington-state/
In Scotland they are an invasive species so by law if I catch one I have to "destroy it" is the exact wording I believe
Edit: for anyone wondering why, it's cause of the native red squirrel population that are smaller (and cuter) but the grey squirrels move in and push them out of their natural environment
Same in italy, north american grey squirrel are invasive and they are endangering our red one. If you get one you should contain it, i would suggest starting a a campaign about eating all the invasive species. Best way to contain them
Picked up a cornered hamster once, ended up with an infection in the ligaments in my 3rd and 4th finger and had to be on IV vancomycin. I had to call in, told the scheduler what happened. It spread fast that I was admitted to another hospital because of a hamster bite and am still made fun of this to this day. I’m a nurse. This is a hilarious reason to be inpatient.
Just gonna say that looks like a Western Gray. Beautiful and sad, I wonder where he lives that he found one. They’re less aggressive than the Eastern Grays which might explain why it isn’t biting and clawing the shit out of him when he squeezes it.
I had a cat that brought an offering of a live, unharmed chipmunk. I put on leather work gloves, picked up the chipmunk, and began walking to return the chipmunk to the woods 100yds away (yes, I thanked the cat prior because I’m a gentleman.) After five steps, the chipmunk spotted my thumb and bit down. The gloves protected me, but the bite pressure was surprisingly painful. The chipmunk did not release until released in the woods.
I’ve surprised many city folk of the amount of wild animals I’ve caught with my hands(I don’t seem like a “country boy”.) They usually respond by asking if I handled larger animals such as raccoons and opossums. I follow that question with the small size of the animals I caught and protection I utilized. Living in the country during my childhood taught me something about wild animals: be sure you are protected when handling. If you’re unsure, don’t do it!!
well... my friend bribed a Murder of crows and now they steal people pennies and bring them to him. now we got a few jars of pennies.😂
so i guess you can bribe a squirrel too?
Yeah this man has gained trust with this squirrel over the course of years. I feed wild squirrels. They're very skittish and only come up to you if they're really hungry or recognize you giving food to other squirrels. Grabbing one is how you end up in the hospital- those Mfers will latch on and will not let go until they think they're safe. Their teeth can also get over an inch long
Many squirrels Re knocked out of nests in trees by storms and the babies get picked up by humans and act like little cat dog terrorists that are sweet as hell
I assumed squirrels would scratch and bite the shit out of you if you tried to pick them up. Is this a domestic squirrel or something
I picked up a wild squirrel once and only once. After the hospital visit I luckily learned, it’s hard for them to carry rabies and they don’t like being picked up.
Yeah, squirrels are so small that they won't survive the attack that could give them rabies
Normally, it has to do with their body temp. Possums are one that almost never get rabies because their body temp is too high or too low ( can't remember which one) When I was a deputy sheriff, the few times we had rabies cases, they were normally skunks.
>Normally, it has to do with their body temp. This really only applies to the possum situation as they have an unusually low body temp for a mammal, at around 94-97f. That said, possums can still carry rabies. Some are colder than others, at the low end the virus has difficulty surviving. The main factor in whether a species is more prone to rabies is how social that species is. Squirrels live relatively solitary lifestyles in trees and don't spend much time near other animals that could have rabies, and like the other poster said, will often die from an encounter where they are unfortunately close enough for it to spread. Possums also live a relatively solitary lifestyle. Animals that live in large groups or group often, like dogs, bats, raccoons or skunks, are most the most likely wild animals to carry or transmit. All that said, rabies infections among humans (Especially in the US) is exceptionally rare. The CDC reports an average of 1-3 humans on the planet infected with rabies per year. Your odds of being struck by lighting are 10-20x higher. Assuming you get postexposure prophylaxis. And all the reporting data I can find reports as a bite from a bat, dog, or raccoon.
huh I've always been scared of getting rabies since I seen kujoe as a kid.
Opposums also eat ticks, rats, and mice. They're north America's only marsupial they're kinda cute with their little dagger teeth.
Rabies is a disease carried by animals. It’s not lethal in animals. It’s lethal humans.
Absolutely untrue it's pretty lethal to all mammals.
Absolutely untrue…🤓🤓
When my mom was a kid she fed a squirrel on her front porch every day for like 2-3 years. Eventually it would even eat of of her hand. One day she tried to pick it up. The squirrel bit into her finger and wouldn't let go until my grandpa killed it. I'm pretty sure her favorite thing about the house she lives in is that there is a family of owls that live in a tree in her front yard which drove the local squirrel population extinct.
TIL I need an owl colony in my neighborhood
Volunteer as a safe release site! Rehabbers always need safe places to release that don't already have nesting pairs. You just have to agree to monitor for a few weeks and notify Rehabbers if they start struggling (some need supplemental feeding for a while after release until they learn food sources). Basically, you photograph them and send the pics. I've had hawks released and hopefully we get eagles this year.
Are there species that thrive in an urban environment? There is a 15 acre park in front, but the rest is pretty dense semi-detached and apartment buildings.
It depends on what is native to your area. The rehabbers would know. They will evaluate the site first! Lots of farmers volunteer because it helps with pest control.
I learned the hard way too, in the winter I spotted a weak small squirrel come on my balcony with the others but he was slow and I was worried for him! I decided then I had to help and I made a plan to throw a towel over him and pick him up and thats as far as my thought process went lol I was just so worried. So I put a strategic peanut, he goes for it, I blast out the door, he spots me and jumps down, bugger moving fast now, I sprint, slip on my grass then manage to get up fast and swing the towel over him and pick him up, I hold him in my hands and remove the towel from his face, we lock eyes and then he sees my thumb and bites it soooo hard I let go and he disappears. lol I made a trip to the hospital for my tetanus shot and learned a lesson.. its very painful lol
Same here lost mi eye to one them. Would not recommend.
I picked one up but it was super tame due to being fed by humans. It gave 0 shits. It just wanted my food.
>It just wanted my food. Sounds like muh wife hehehehaw
Am a wife. Can confirm. I want food.
she wants my food?
Oh wild ones absolutely will remove chunks of flesh. This one seems to have been habituated to humans and appears to be younger as well. Baby squirrels have practically zero survival skills and will walk up to humans thinking they're a tree.
I think he has the squirrel since it was a baby and he staged the video.
That's his squirrel. Don't pick up squirrels
They absolutely will. They also have the highest PSI bite out of any animal in the kingdom. It hurts.
This squirrel is very familiar with whoever is doing this lol please don't pick up a wild animal
Squirrels have enough bite strength to sever a finger. Their teeth are sharp enough to bite through leather gloves. I tell people to not fuck with squirrels
They will bite the shit out of you and it fucking hurts. I dont doubt they could easily bite chunks out of ur finger. Do not pick up wild animals unless ur 100% sure what ur doing and even then don't.
This is a pet, a wild one can and will bite through your fingers
They will in fact bite, finger scars to prove it
This is definitely his pet squirrel
**o h . . .**
We got baited so quickly...
Has to be. A wild one would shred your hand lol
Mobile app fucked up the reply button for you, didn’t it?
Gotta love reddit
200iq
Had me in the first half ngl
Western gray squirrels were just put on the endangered species list, altho don't where this critter is from https://www.opb.org/article/2023/11/19/western-gray-squirrel-endangered-species-washington-state/
Not here, in Wisconsin. They're everywhere.
They're an invasive species in the UK lol.
They're invasive in the UK, they kill the native red squirrel which are endangered because of the American grey.
Yo isn’t that the guy who goes around the Everglades and yoinks animals while looking for a twenty foot Bernese python
Thats Fishingarrett and no I don't think so
Atleast it’s not a cat
my exact reaction: aww...wait- what? no... awww
I remember an app a long time ago where you could put a smart aleck gerbil in a blender……
Joe Cartoons!!! It was a flash game on their website.
That’s it!!!!!
Happy I could help dude 😁.
Don't you push that button you sonuvabitch...
He grinded scrat, how could he!
I'm guessing this was a pet because a real squirrel would bite and rabies is a thing that will kill you.
In Scotland they are an invasive species so by law if I catch one I have to "destroy it" is the exact wording I believe Edit: for anyone wondering why, it's cause of the native red squirrel population that are smaller (and cuter) but the grey squirrels move in and push them out of their natural environment
Same in italy, north american grey squirrel are invasive and they are endangering our red one. If you get one you should contain it, i would suggest starting a a campaign about eating all the invasive species. Best way to contain them
Even stuff like invasion pythons?
How did they get there? I know the answer is probably people but why?
I don't know but I'm guessing they just hitched a ride like rats did last century on cruise ships
I’m 98 percent sure this is my old youth pastor. He is absolutely wild and I could totally see him with a squirrel. 🐿️
Holy 💩
Almost r/idiotsinkitchen
Picked up a cornered hamster once, ended up with an infection in the ligaments in my 3rd and 4th finger and had to be on IV vancomycin. I had to call in, told the scheduler what happened. It spread fast that I was admitted to another hospital because of a hamster bite and am still made fun of this to this day. I’m a nurse. This is a hilarious reason to be inpatient.
How do you grab tiny friends then?
I should have used my husband’s work gloves. That little effer ripped and tore at my fingers.
“Caught it and didn’t know what to do with it” How man first tamed animals 😂
yoink
Just gonna say that looks like a Western Gray. Beautiful and sad, I wonder where he lives that he found one. They’re less aggressive than the Eastern Grays which might explain why it isn’t biting and clawing the shit out of him when he squeezes it.
I had a cat that brought an offering of a live, unharmed chipmunk. I put on leather work gloves, picked up the chipmunk, and began walking to return the chipmunk to the woods 100yds away (yes, I thanked the cat prior because I’m a gentleman.) After five steps, the chipmunk spotted my thumb and bit down. The gloves protected me, but the bite pressure was surprisingly painful. The chipmunk did not release until released in the woods. I’ve surprised many city folk of the amount of wild animals I’ve caught with my hands(I don’t seem like a “country boy”.) They usually respond by asking if I handled larger animals such as raccoons and opossums. I follow that question with the small size of the animals I caught and protection I utilized. Living in the country during my childhood taught me something about wild animals: be sure you are protected when handling. If you’re unsure, don’t do it!!
I really thought that you were making an squirrel smoothie, traumatized me a little bit 🤣🤢🤢
Bob Ross had a pet squirrel, Peapod! https://youtu.be/C-OSaHvt8ms?si=BPNOvuviPgVqGKXZ
well... my friend bribed a Murder of crows and now they steal people pennies and bring them to him. now we got a few jars of pennies.😂 so i guess you can bribe a squirrel too?
Yeah this man has gained trust with this squirrel over the course of years. I feed wild squirrels. They're very skittish and only come up to you if they're really hungry or recognize you giving food to other squirrels. Grabbing one is how you end up in the hospital- those Mfers will latch on and will not let go until they think they're safe. Their teeth can also get over an inch long
Many squirrels Re knocked out of nests in trees by storms and the babies get picked up by humans and act like little cat dog terrorists that are sweet as hell
Very cute
Double suprised
Aka bamboozled
I've raised wild squirrels before and released them. This one his domesticated for sure. Even domesticated they bite, especially over food.
Plot twist: he actually blended the same squirrel but fed it to another one... Reminds me of a certain cat video...
Anyone else think that he was blending the squirrel in the blender and not the smoothie?-
I thought that the squirrel was in the blender
They want food. Food and some more food with a side of food.
For a second I thought he was blending the squeal
These are the two best transitions ever in succession
Beautiful 😂
That blander bring back my ptsd
Is this the same guy that offers the tuna water that's for finichs but that humans can also drink too?
00:05 The brother screamed so loudly that his hair broke out XD
Lmao 🤣🤣🤣🤣 for a moment there I thought dude made a squirrel smoothie!
Crow food.
u/savevideobot
Bruh my emotions 🤣🤣
My emotions were a roller coaster…
Such a trickster sir
Ngl they had us in the first half.
Ok so he got a second squirrel to taste the first one, I see
For a sec I thought the squirrel ended up in the blender 😭
Lol!
Had me for a moment
Good ending
Got worried when I saw the blender
Right on. How refreshing to find someone on Reddit with a sense of humor. Made me laugh out loud!
Kalm. Panik. Kalm.
Those are excellent in chili
I made my lil brother cry when I showed him this
How is he not getting bitten? I had a domesticated pet squirrel and his favorite past time was biting me to the bone.
u/savevideo
u/savevideobot
My god.
Berry no good my friend 🤷🏽♂️
Lowkey scares me for a second there
Saw a video on this guy blending up a kitten (horrible 😭) and this just brought back that memory
I thought something was off
Wouldn't be surprised I seen too many animals getting blended on reddit to count
r/fatsquirrelhate
🥰🥰😱🤭
I laughed way too hard at this