[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thelonious Monk /img/forum/go_quote.gif i would be pissed off if my neighbors randomly put a bunch of baby squirrels in my garden.

I wouldn't. I'd love it! Squirells are so cute. Only problem is, my cat would bring them in all the time >_>

Luckily she normally brings things in alive.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by apnk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lobsters are boiled alive and then eaten right? People don't feel bad about that.

Technically lobsters do not have a central nervous system as mammals and other more complex animals have, so they do not register "pain" in the same way. The so-called "screaming" people hear when lobsters are boiling is a pressure release, not actual screaming. Also, lobsters do not have vocal cords or sound generating organs.

Also, lobsters are pretty much c0ckroaches of the sea, their physiology is not all that different. But hot damn, if roaches were tasty as lobsters, We'd see restaurants like Red Roaches.

-Ed

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraseyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wouldn't. I'd love it! Squirells are so cute. Only problem is, my cat would bring them in all the time >_> Luckily she normally brings things in alive.

Squirrels are capable of carrying some pretty nasty diseases, though. So beware. In the southwest, squirrels (ground squirrels mainly) have been known to carry a strain of Yersinia Pestis. That's right, the plague. But they are not just carriers, it makes them sick, and they die from it. So stay away from diseased, dead, or dying squirrels, m'kay.

-Ed

 

[appophylite]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thelonious Monk /img/forum/go_quote.gif i hate to look like a jerk, but crap, i am going to kill it if it's in my way. i am the bigger, smarter species. they would do the same if they were three times my size, trust me. it's payback for mirror Thelonious Monk being smashed by giant spiders in a far away universe. i would never end the life of an animal just for the fun of it, but crap, i don't think i have the balls to grab a wasp and let it out gently. i will generally just avoid wasps since they are useful in that they get rid of some very pesky insects. i wouldn't kill a snake unless it was poisonous and a potential danger to me and the others around me. rats? you betcha, i don't want big smelly vile animals eating my corn flakes. they're mine. not theirs. again, if roles were reversed, that rat would kill me if i tried to get at his ham. he'd slash at me without giving it a second thought. guess i might be contradicting myself by saying i wouldn't end the life of an animal for the fun of it but go hunting occasionally... i won't try to cover that up. if i can instantly kill the pest, that's what i will do. for insects, a quick smack against a surface always works. i'd like to throw back to the last paragraph in that i have only killed 2 rats in my life and normally just get my dad who catches them and releases them somewhere (normally the creek where it will find its way back somewhere else to make hell). with stuff like snakes, unless it's poisonous, i will capture it and let it free. crap, who the hell would kill a lizard? that's sick, they aren't even pests. one time i even caught one and kept it as a pet when i was a little kid. overall, i don't believe that using size or cuteness as a measure for what's OK to kill and what isn't is a good method. to me, it's all about how much this certain creature intrudes upon my life. a lizard? lol.

I do not mean to be be an ass or insult anyone else's judgement, but I don't think you'd say that if you ever lived in a place like India. I have never had pest problems with squirrels or rats quite as badly as I have with ****roaches and lizards. They used to be everywhere in India and used to get into everything. My mom even found a couple in a bag of rice we stored once. In India, no one thinks twice about picking up a lizard and tossing it out. They get the same reaction a ****roach does: a quick smack and brush with a sandal into a garbage can and then four-five minutes spent looking for the tail that it probably broke off.

Again, I don't mean to insult anyone; I kinda gotta agree with you. One man's unobtrusive animal is another man's pest. As long as the animal in question is actually a significant pest for that region and is killed humanely, I don't see a problem in killing them.

 

[flamerz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Squirrels are capable of carrying some pretty nasty diseases, though. So beware. In the southwest, squirrels (ground squirrels mainly) have been known to carry a strain of Yersinia Pestis. That's right, the plague. But they are not just carriers, it makes them sick, and they die from it. So stay away from diseased, dead, or dying squirrels, m'kay. -Ed

Wow. There's a squirrel that we feed at my house. It's not afraid to come close to us at all unless the dog is around. I'll be a bit wary around it now, even though I haven't seen it much recently due to the winter.

 

[Edwood]

Quote:

Originally Posted by flamerz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow. There's a squirrel that we feed at my house. It's not afraid to come close to us at all unless the dog is around. I'll be a bit wary around it now, even though I haven't seen it much recently due to the winter.

It's very rare to get sick from a squirrel, and there hasn't been a documented case of rabies transmission from squirrel to human.

And the plague thing is only really known in the southwest (southern california mainly) and it's pretty rare as well.

So don't be afraid to feed a squirrel, but I really wouldn't hand feed it though.

-Ed

 

[Thelonious Monk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by appophylite /img/forum/go_quote.gif I do not mean to be be an ass or insult anyone else's judgement, but I don't think you'd say that if you ever lived in a place like India. I have never had pest problems with squirrels or rats quite as badly as I have with ****roaches and lizards. They used to be everywhere in India and used to get into everything. My mom even found a couple in a bag of rice we stored once. In India, no one thinks twice about picking up a lizard and tossing it out. They get the same reaction a ****roach does: a quick smack and brush with a sandal into a garbage can and then four-five minutes spent looking for the tail that it probably broke off. Again, I don't mean to insult anyone; I kinda gotta agree with you. One man's unobtrusive animal is another man's pest. As long as the animal in question is actually a significant pest for that region and is killed humanely, I don't see a problem in killing them.

yeah, i see what you mean. there's definitely no lizard problems in the United States Midwest/South... i would probably think differently if i lived in a place where they were abundant. same thing with monkeys, if i lived in some of the places with tons of monkeys that i see on Discovery Channel and stuff i would keep a very long stick with me at all times. i've seen a video of a macaca stealing some guy's mango out of his hand and running off with it, then coming back later and jumping into a cake or some sort of pastry and leaving again. darn monkeys.

the mention of tails falling off reminded me of something: i need to stop buying audio gear so i can just buy my gecko already!

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edwood /img/forum/go_quote.gif Squirrels are capable of carrying some pretty nasty diseases, though. So beware. In the southwest, squirrels (ground squirrels mainly) have been known to carry a strain of Yersinia Pestis. That's right, the plague. But they are not just carriers, it makes them sick, and they die from it. So stay away from diseased, dead, or dying squirrels, m'kay. -Ed

Aaah... Now i get it. But don't blame the squirrel for carrying diseases! Its our fault really. We probably spread them to the squirrel in the first place anyway >_>

I don't need to worry about staying away from them though. No squirrels in New Zealand!

 

[smeggy]

My garden used to be full of squirrels, skunks, raccoons, cats, birds and whatever else decided to wander in (no fences, opening to a hillside) and we were perfectly happy. My wife will pretty much feed anything furry, and she did. If they are outside I think they should get to do what they do without being hounded.

Aside from annoying bugs I've never felt the need to kill anything and despise sport hunting. Anyone who gets their jollies killing animals for fun is a sick **** in my books. I've lived all over the world and encountered a great many creatures both in and out of houses and I'm fine with most and evict the rest. I like animals and am happy to share the world with them.

 

[Marados]

Note: I am a vegetarian.

I think if you're going to kill an animal, then you do it humanely. A great way to get rid of pests is to put them into a breadbag and then put a car tailpipe in the bag. Carbon Monoxide posioning...painless, just like going to sleep and not waking up.

 

[panik343]

where's the parent squirell?

 

[perplex]

Is it barbecue season yet?

 

[chuckm]

Squirrels are really nothing more than cute rats - and they are definitely pests.

We got a some in our attic a couple years ago. They make a mess of the insulation and make an amazing racket up there. I got a live trap, captured one and carried it down to a nearby bayou and let it go. By the time I walked back to the house I saw a squirrel (maybe the same one) hop up under the eve and climb into the attic. He was mocking me I tell you !! I got some expanding foam insulation, closed up that access and put the live trap back up in the attic.

This time I caught two at the same time. After the last experience, I drove this pair a couple miles to a wooded park and let them out to live amongst their squirrel friends.

That seemed to be the last of the squirrels in the attic. Hunting is not for me but I harbor no ill will towards those that do it. I certainly couldn't bring myself to "off" the squirrels - pest though they may be.

 

[Naga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cotdt /img/forum/go_quote.gif some guy boiled a turtle and a few months later the turtle almost killed him in a car accident in thailand.

i am interested in hearing more about this

 

[daggerlee]

Another pic I took today

Don't know where the parent squirrel is!