Talkback: Grey squirrels

Gardeners' World Web User

I like Grey Squirrels,the have adapted and are prospering despite the often bad press,too many people want to reintroduce animals that have failed to survive ( sea eagle,beaver,wolf) and yet want to kill of those that have.

Gardeners' World Web User

I too have a family of four grey squirrels which visit my garden which backs on to a large cemetery where they live in the tall trees., I have tried unsuccessfully to stop them eating the food put out for the birds. I also bought a squirrel proof feeder but they managed to open it, despite then tieing it shut with wire, which the chewed through...

Gardeners' World Web User

I have endless stories about squirrels. The dumbest one lives in my garden. It has to flatten itself to get under the side gate but, when I have propped it open for some reason, it still flattens itself as if it were shut. My sister had very clever squirrels in Edmonton in Canada. They would dry their fungi between her logs and check everyday for dry ones to take away for winter storage. They had also learned to suck the sugar solution she put out for the humming birds. I have to look out for the buried nuts, chestnuts, acorns, in my garden when they germinate or else all would be jungle. My feeble-minded squirrel cannot remember where he buried them.

Gardeners' World Web User

I was in the park yesterday with my 20 month old daughter. When I got back to my pushchair there was a grey squirrel on there. It wasn't until I got home that I realised the cheeky fellow had helped himself to the onion rings I had just bought from the supermarket! They sure have evolved!!

Gardeners' World Web User

I have RED squirrels in my garden. My local wildlife trust hosts the Save our Squirrels team who are working to protect the remaining red squirrels in England. www.saveoursquirrels.org.uk.
Grey squirrels are good to eat. Local butchers supply them here in Northumberland. Maybe if people elsewhere asked their butchers for them we could get the hunters out looking for easy prey and reduce the grey squirrel population. They spread squirrel pox to reds as well as destroying trees and houses.

Gardeners' World Web User

Where I live I have 8 to 10 red squirrels feeding in autumn and winter and right now there are4 fighting for prime position on the feeder. We are very lucky on Arran as there are no greys but these reds can be extremely mischievous. They do come expensive though with large sacks of peanuts keeping them happy!!

Gardeners' World Web User

We have a plague of grey squirrles and have shot 40 of them in the last two 18 months. They may be nice in a suburban park or back garden, but they are countryside thugs and ruin most things they can get into.

Gardeners' World Web User

I can appreciate that greys may provide amusement to anyone who has not witnessed the beauty and grace of the red squirrel. Greys may do little damage in the garden, apart from digging holes in what were at one time perfect lawns. They are also responsible for stealing eggs from birds nests and sometimes taking young birds and they do have a devastating effect on our native reds. These foreign invaders spread the deadly squirrel pox virus, which the greys are immune to. Unfortunately the reds are not immune to the virus and to see a red with this virus is a horrible sight. Do your bit for native British wildlife and help us to try to dramatically reduce the grey population and preserve our precious red squirrels. More publicity should be given in wildlife programmes to the beauty of the reds.

Gardeners' World Web User

I too can understand why people are oftern charmed by grey squirrels that visi their garden and seem to do little or no harm. I too am an animal lover and do not like the thought of killing animals. However, do these same people realise that grey squirrels should not be here and although they have acclimatised well and breen incredibly successful in the 150 or so years they have been here, they belong in America and are slowly but surely replacing our wonderful red squirrel which has been here for 10,000 ears? Apart from various amounts of damage they do in gardens and often inside houses, greys cause thousand of pounds worth of damage to tree plantations each year. The same plantations that provide us with many of our wooden goods from houses to salad servers. Greys carry squirrelpox virus which they appear immune to but with deadly consequences for reds within 2 weeks. Would those same people feel the same if the mink were to kill off 99% of otters, or Himalayan balsam was to invade their garden so all other species of plants were suffocated and killed off? I think not. So consider what the influx of the alien grey is doing to our gardens and countryside and their deadly impact on our native reds who have been here since the last ice age!

Gardeners' World Web User

Greys do cause damage as do foxes but given the choice between them and cats with doting owners who reject acknowledging their murderous and fouling ways I'll accept the squirrels in numbers anyday.

Gardeners' World Web User

we have put up a bird boxes and squirrel boxes in our local cemetery.It is loverly to sit and watch them but one man takes it on himself to smash them down because he is complaning about the birds and squirrels sitting in the tree and messing on his stone