Can wild squirrels be trained? (paging SpeedyE, I guess?)

we have a rule around here.

If you kill it, you eat it.

It tends to curb the "lets shoot the squirrel" mentality in youngsters

PS. Squirrel ain't half bad

Speedy

I bow to you sir!

 

SpeedyE, I'm not sure how to broach this situation and show my, let's call it a bit of disbelief, on befriending all the animals that you showed in your earlier post. I don't want to offend you but having been born and raised in the country I've never seen anyone get close to a wild badger, or possum in a "few days."

When you state that a possum will not bite I'll going to have to throw the bull flag on that. I know for a fact that a possum will bite the hell out of you. they're not baring all those teeth just for the fun of it. Their seriously not liking the situation that they find themselves in.

A wild animal is just that, wild. Humans, or any other species, are not looked upon with any favor by most of the wild animals and to add, the predators such as a badger, are especially not too cool with getting within yards of anything or anyone.

I've captured red foxes as pets and kept them for several weeks after their mother was run over by a car and even though the kits were fun to play with, (and they played just like a puppy) when the kit would get under the bed they would growl like nobody's business if you reached for them. (The ungrateful slobs. I raised them on a bottle.) The wild just doesn't go away within one generation of an animal.

I'm not doubting that you may have befriended some animals and obviously you have a good way with animals, but I will say this. Consider yourself very lucky that some of those animals, like the badger, didn't take a chunk out of your ass as he bounded out the door.

I would be seriously interested in the details of how you got the badger and possum close enough to hold them in your arms. Doing that with one out of the wild would be magical.

 

I dunno....can't really answer that.
In my experience, once the wild animals have spent time around humans and lose their fear, they lose thier aggression.
Yes, some animals I have seen never do lose their fear and are somewhat dangerous in the sense that you can get a superfical bite(s), but most I have seen are able to be handled in time.

The first coyote pic.....She was baring teeth and hair was on edge. Sat w/ her for about five minutes, touched her, rubbed on her, scratched her, then gently lifted her and put her in a crate, and she never got agressive after that. I was walking around the vet's hospital w/ her in my arms.

The second coyote was on fire when caught, and fought for her life, but I was wearing gloves and even if I wasn't it wouldn't have been worse than a dog bite, nothing life threatening. As soon as we put her in a kennel and watched her for about 10 minutes several of us were in the kennel with her, examining her, etc and she showed no aggression. And again, everyday she got more affectionate and liked to be comforted and scratched. Once they are not scared, they are not mean....they are only mean out of fear, and most lose that fear pretty quickly.

I don't know. I have been shredded by adult wild coons (just cuts and scratches), but for the most part they calm down in time. You can usually gauge how far you can go w/ handling them.

I will say though, roadracing is far more crazy and dangerous than holding a calmed down wild animal. A bite is no where near highsiding at triple digits.
And to be honest, everyone here is an adreneline junky who likes to take it to the edge....I guess the same goes for me w/ the animals....but w/ the animals it's less risk cause it's only a bite.

I can guarentee anyone of the racers here, past or present would have no problem handling an animal if they were into them.
All racers are a little crazy and love a little risk. But the animals are far less risky than racing.
:up:

Seriously, almost all the animals I have been involved with calm down, get used to being handled and then show signs of affection.

 

I kill anything that damages my shit. Everything else can live (well except the deer cause them is good eating and I hate them running out in front my my bikes and cars).

I was admiring a mostly white fox a few nights ago in my back yard. It caught my attention cause it was screaming something terrible at 2am. I found out its mating season and it was calling other foxes. I was gonna grab a camera and take pictures of it - cause when i went on my back porch it didn't run - but just stared at me for like 30 secs, then walked away.

Except today my neighbor told me he caught the fox attacking his cat - and before he could do anything the fox got the cat - with the cat screaming in its mouth in pain - the fox ran into the woods with it. Probably killed and ate it. Sorry - now if I see the fox again its gonna get a 22 in the head.

 

In all honesty, if anything killed one of my pets, I would kill it too.
I have big owls in my backyard woods and stand guard w/ a shotgun (w/ flashlight attached) loaded w/ rubber buckshot, while my 10 pound chihuahua plays/hunts in the woods at night.

Wild animals kill to survive, and pets need to be protected....all I am saying is once in captivity they become docile and affectionate.
Sweat Pea the raccoon with the snout broken off was a wild adult when rescued, and she is the biggest love-bug now. They really are full of love, once they get to know you.

 

Orvis, I have to add two stories for you.

I always have possums running around my backyard for years. My chihuahua always corners them and they hiss and snap. I pick them up all the time and a bunch of times I will put them over my shoulder and play on the computer, then put them back outside. I have never been bit.

Sad story for me...last year I had to shoot a dying raccoon in the head. The people that found it had it under and upside-down wheel barrow.
When I flipped it, there was a big raccoon laying there, looking right at me.
I swear to God, no lie....when I reached towards it with my left hand to hold it down, it extended its paws to my hand as it looked right at me.
I will never forget that.
I had my left palm on its body as I put the gun to the top of it's head, and it just looked at me.
It's body went limp instantly....it broke my heart....still does. Wild animals are not mean.

 

So what is it exactly that you do Speedy? You should start your own thread with these stories I would be interested in reading them

 

I don't mind if you take over this thread, Speedy. If you do start a new thread be sure and leave a link here, pls.

 

The shit Speedy does is real. My kid and I have been around when he has had some of the animals. He is almost like an animal whisper.

 

I want the episode where Speedy cuddles a wild boar.
On video.

 

you know i'd prbably shoot the chihuahua and protect the owl cause they're cool. I've raised owls so i'm partial to them. Small dogs not so much.

 

Just tie a bowling ball to the chihuahua. There's only so much weight an owl can handle.

 

:up::up::up::up:
That is awesome!

Honestly though, possums 99.9% of the time will not bite.....I have handled hundreds of them and never been bit. They just open wide and show their teeth to scare off predators....then they play dead. Their body temperature is too low to support any viruses/rabies/etc, so they are harmless anyway.

This is one from my backyard a year or two ago....pic was taken w/in 5 minutes of picking it up. The camera angle is skewing her...she is actually a wild adult. Showed teeth and hissed, but no bite and calmed down in a couple of minutes.




Thanks RC-Rick, but you know from all the scars JoJo the chihuahua has given me, that is false!!!!!!

99% of the time is just to sit and let them see you aren't attacking them, and then gently (carefully) touch them....and gauge if you can pick them up.
Sometimes you can't right away.
They just get used to you always coming in their enclosure cleaning, water, food etc....I think when they see you as a food source is what really puts them at ease.

Raccoons are prolly the only animal that will bite 99% of the time, but they can't hurt you....just shallow puntures and shallow gouges(sp?). I always wear gloves when catching an injured adult coon....if no gloves, I get bit. But they always calm down, then get used to you and want to play/etc.

Animals are afraid of people, and the last thing they want to do is bite/fight....it's usually a bluff. You can get bit, but almost all the time they become handlable pretty quick and most get to the point that they crave some sort of touch/comfort.
The badger got to the point that he liked playing so much (and he played ROUGH) that when you would try and walk out of the cage he would grab you by the ankle to keep you there, almost make you fall

Thanks guys, but I am not doing anything special....anyone can do the same thing if they wanted too....you just give them time to relax and move slowly. If it doesn't feel righ you put on gloves and fight it out. But again, once you have them in a cage for a few, they calm down.

But to be fair to Orvis, I have had a couple raccoons raised on the bottle that didn't like to be picked up and would bite you if you did lifted them. My big girl from last summer would snap if you tried to pick her up....and she escaped once (well a bunch of times ) and when I caught her in my woods she would fight me pretty good. But once back in the cage, she was fine to be petted, just not picked up. But at the same token, if I sat in the cage she would get in my lap and go to sleep. So, who knows. They are all different.....but they are all capable of playing, having fun, and love/affection.

Sorry for hoarding this thread....I just like talking about animals and trying to share to people how wonderful they really are.

 

FAAAACK!!!!!! ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!! :up::up:

 

My chichi is a bi-polar A-hole.
I would give warning shot.... I'd only shoot the owl if it snatched JoJo up in the air, then I would hope JoJo can fly

 

Here is a video of the badger.....he is getting real cranky cause we were messing w/ him and holding him way too long and he wanted down.
He is used to people, liked to be pet and played with. He was super friendly.

http://youtu.be/oZjMROpeakE

 

These guys catch one w/ a sheet. Guy is laughing cause it is bluffing when it lurches towards him. I wouldn't pick it up though.....get some good bites on your hands. A week in a nice enclosure w/ humans around, and he would be touchable.
http://youtu.be/XA8pxzawUGM

 

Some dude w/ a pet Wolverine

http://youtu.be/CRy5gnhvuLA

http://youtu.be/CRy5gnhvuLA

 

I said animal whisper, not dog whisper. Besides, your chihuahua is neither...it's a friggin mini demon.

 

Crazy stuff.

Whoops, nevermind that link that might have been here before the edit