[Aliska]

So cute! At the risk of boring people, these are my squirrel FRiends. The first I think is a gray hybrid, think I saw a pair of smaller less interbred last year. It's name I hope will come to me; it had to do with the kink in its tail IIRC. Taken in April 2003.

The next is what I think is a red squirrel, not sure, a little less pure. I had one with a more golden tail and named it Goldie. Our red squirrels have disappeared now the last few years haven't seen any at all. Taken September 2006.

And the last one for tonight is an example of be careful what you wish for. I made friends with many of them, some get more trusting than others. I had wished I could teach this little black one to knock on the door. This is as close as I got but it sure got my attention. I named it Flag because it had a white tip on it's tail. I either eventually lose them in the street or they disappear. Taken May 2003.

I would never purposely hurt or knowingly eat one.

[higgmeister]

I would never purposely hurt or knowingly eat one.

Would you eat a rabbit?

[Crucial]

So these are conservative squirrels? You said they were your FRiends...

[Does so]

Canadian Grey Squirrels can appear really and truly black. This sub-species has extended their range into New York State. Colorings of gray, "red", and black is due to location of the colors in individual hairs on each sub-species, and is variable in individuals. Blacks have a gold-colored underbelly. Albino Greys are fairly common.

Offer treats on the back of your hand—NOT your fingers. Grey Squirrels do not intend to bite you, but their teeth can draw blood: there are reports of rabid squirrels. Eating of shot squirrels is fraught with mentions of Mad-Cow Disease (https://www.greysquirrel.net/brain.html and NYTs).

There is a Red Squirrel species local to New England: smaller, very vocal, and sporting a short nose. They are especially destructive, giving Greys and Chipmunks a bad name. I would suggest hunting only the genuine Red Squirrel species, and not the various Grey Squirrel hybrids/subspecies. I make multiple partial slices using a wire-stripper on a 22 LR bullet to assure an instant kill. (Snake-shot might also work). The lead portion of the cartridge is longer as a result—and has to be chambered individually—but any good contact with this "spaghetti-bullet" is fatal to the squirrel.

Slow-moving Fox Squirrels, until 2015, were an endangered species. In my long lifetime, I've seen only two Fox Squirrels (Kissimmee, FL). The DelMarVa Fox Squirrel is probably extinct.

[neverevergiveup]

“I would never purposely hurt or knowingly eat one.”

My either. I have tons around my house, and they are entertaining - and smart.

[MarMema]

We feed about 10-15 black squirrels and a few reds.

A rare gray squirrel every now and then.

My friend says she feeds about 30 black squirrels every day.