Who wound up the squirrels ?

[Wrightwood]

I've never seen anything like it!

We have at least three gray squirrels that have been going nuts for the past 2 days. These guys are running around chasing one another  like they're drinking black coffee from the guzzler.

Do they think spring is near or are they getting in the last fun before we get dumped on?

[MtnDude]

We had 3 Raccoons visit us last night on our rear deck....the first time since we moved to this house.  They were hungry looking for food.  Maybe they sense the "real" winter approaching. 

[WWMtnGal]

I've never seen anything like it!

We have at least three gray squirrels that have been going nuts for the past 2 days. These guys are running around chasing one another  like they're drinking black coffee from the guzzler.

Do they think spring is near or are they getting in the last fun before we get dumped on?

We have had the same thing happening at our house too!  I thought there was no way it was squirrels this time of the year but heck yes it was squirrels!!!  The are "off the hook"!

[KWBoy]

Noticed a few squirrels running around last week... I haven't seen any for like 3 months till this last week...

[Naughty pines]

Wrightwood is gettin' squirrely. 

[storm]

i found a dead pocket mouse last week that had an "excessive" amount of longer guard hairs within it's fur than the field guides suggest is normal.  extra insulation for the near future?

pocket mice have long tails with long hairs at the end...

[treehugger]

Heard a tree furry squawking just now when I got home. The Big One is coming!

[Breezymtns]

storm would that be the same as the kangaroo rat?

I believe observing animal behavior is a great way to predict weather & natural disasters.

[ForestGal]

Today, while walking my dog, we passed an empty tree-filled lot, where at least 6 squirrels were chasing each other up and down the trees, and all around.  I just stood there for a few minutes and watched - they are so entertaining! 

[makgirl]

I've never seen anything like it!

We have at least three gray squirrels that have been going nuts for the past 2 days. These guys are running around chasing one another  like they're drinking black coffee from the guzzler.

Oops, guess I put too much caffeine in Nolena's nuts!

[Nolena]

Hey, now! I'm a girl!! 

Could it be squirrel mating time? So then the babies are born in the spring? (And the adults can stay warm in the winter!  )

[Nolena]

Females may have 2 litters a year, 1 in March or April and the other in June or July.

Birth occurs six weeks after mating.


Female squirrels can mate only twice a year, but males can mate at any time. Often, several males will attempt to mate with the same female. They try to attract her attention by slapping the bark of trees with their paws and chattering loudly.

...and I'm not even going to compare their behavior with humans...

[storm]

kangaroo rats differ from kangaroo mice and pocket mice in that they have a dorsal skin gland.  kangaroo mice are the only ones to have a constriction at the base of the tail.  pocket mice don't tend to jump like the other two groups, and their ears are shorter as well.  pocket mice are secretive foragers, while the other two hunt out in the open...

[Breezymtns]

ty storm

Down here where I live in Llano we have kangaroo rats... I think somewhere I heard they are endangered?  They get huge!  If they are truely protected... someone needs to tell the kangaroo rat authorities they are all livin' in Llano lol  I will try to check on the DFG site & look them up to check their status.

[Surfer_Dude]

They are protected alright, they even have a tax for every home built. I could be mistaken.  I know there was talk in Redlands about having to relocate Kangaroo rats to build a park.

[KWBoy]

ty storm

Down here where I live in Llano we have kangaroo rats... I think somewhere I heard they are endangered?  They get huge!  If they are truely protected... someone needs to tell the kangaroo rat authorities they are all livin' in Llano lol  I will try to check on the DFG site & look them up to check their status.

They are everywhere here in Pinon Hills... Didn't know they were protected... OOPS! 

[Breezymtns]

Okay I looked them up DFG has 6 different types of Kangaroo Rats listed on their threatened and endangered mammals list.  I am at a loss as to which one is native to our area though 

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/species/t_e_spp/temammal/temammala.shtml

[Hillbillies]

I grew up in Riverside.  I remember the Stephen's Kangaroo Rat was a big story back in the 80's.  I can remember one family who owned a small orange grove (maybe 5 acres).  They wanted to sell their property and retire.  They couldn't.  The Kangaroo Rat was more important...... 

I drove by the place awhile back.  The dead orange trees and empty old house are standing testimony for those who defended the Rat family that happily resides undisturbed on the property. 

Funny thing to me is that right across the street they could build 3,000 square foot homes.     I guess the Rat protectors were able to train the rats not to cross the road....

Who zones this crap!?

[Chesslike]

I would suggest you get a hold of Penn and Teller's B.S. show, from Showtime, that talks about the Endangered Species Act. I got it from Netflix and it was quite an eye opener. Consider the fact that it was passed by the Nixon administration and you will come to realize that it was a way for the government to control land without having to pay for it. We all know what a great conservationist Nixon was <sarcasm>. They showed a disabled lady in a wheel chair who was not allowed to build a home on land she owned because of a protected bird in the Jay family, even though no one had ever seen one on her land. A few hundred feet from her land, Wal-Mart was given permission to build one of their huge stores. Stories of how the ESA has helped the animals that were listed are dubious at best. The show will get your blood pressure to rise a good deal.

[storm]

WG squirrels have their babies about the same time that owls generally do (around February).  so they are trying to kiss and hug each other right now.  today i watched one tearing apart a large bag of industrial sand here at the camp, stuff the paper in it's mouth and running off--nest building time!