A family of red squirrels has taken up residence in our pump house. Can’t blame them, the pump house is well insulated and a couple of 100-watt light bulbs keep it toasty over the winter. This will be the squirrels’ second winter there and, unfortunately, the population has increased enough that they’ve started messing with the insulation. 
I fear it’s only a matter of time before one takes a big, final bite out of an electrical wire. (Pretend I never said that, maybe we’ll make it through this winter with no fatalities or electrical failures.)
Why don’t I get rid of them, you ask? Simple. They’re CUTE! I can’t bring myself to evict them. I know how they get in the pump house – can’t get myself to plug the hole. They travel to and from the pump house and a large, nearby cedar. Little pump house guards, they scold the cats and me as we approach. What would I do with them if I trapped them? Using poisons near the well-head is a theoretical no-no. (Although, we have a drilled, 233-foot well, with a sealed head outside of the pump house proper, so the poison thing is somewhat less critical. Still, you don’t want to inadvertently contaminate your own water supply.)
The problem will only get worse, you say. That’s true. But I’m also armed with the knowledge that we’re rebuilding the pump house next Spring – a more exotic water system involving larger tanks and possibly harvesting geo-thermal energy. (Griz is an engineer, he can’t stop himself.) So whatever damage the squirrels render is only temporary.
So you won’t poison the squirrels to avoid contaminating the water, you say. Well, what about water contamination by squirrel poop? Hedging: a little organic matter in the water never hurts, obviously one can’t control all forms of contamination – like insect parts, dust, the occasional tiny turd. Our well-water is also treated. The guts of the pump house are a chlorination and filtration system – which would probably also handle warfarin if I decided to use poison and any made it into the water. I admit it – my squirrel diplomacy is all rationalization, based on cuteness.
You’ll change your mind when they chew the wiring and the water stops flowing, you say. But no, our well is low-flow artesian and located at the top of our sloping property. We get water even when the power is out (though with less volume – no dishwasher or laundry in power outages).
But if the wiring gets damaged, you’ll have to call an electrician, you say – and that can get expensive. Handily, of the many varieties of engineer – Griz just happens to the electrical type. (I know, I SO take him for granted.)
Squirrels are rodents, of course; but by virture of their “cuteness,” most of us don’t think of them that way. You know if a family of rats (even mice) was living in the pump house, I’d get rid of them in a flash. IT’S RODENT DISCRIMINATION – and it’s based on that classic premise of discrimination – how you look established through cultural precedents based on how your ancestors looked.
I admit it – I’m a mouse/rat bigot. Spiritually, I try to honor ALL life, but when it comes to mice and rats, I’ll honor them outside of my house (and outbuildings), thank you. I don’t bat an eye when the cats capture a mouse or field vole (aka field mouse); I praise the cats as good hunters, look the other way and let them have their fun and snack. In summer, the cats are also reasonably successful bringing in baby wood rabbits. When the bunnies seem unharmed (other than psychological trauma), I sometimes rescue them. Definitely discrimination - possibly even betrayal from the cats’ point of view.
Although the squirrels’ arborial skills make them a rarer variety of prey, Dart sometimes snags an adult squirrel as it traverses the ground from tree to tree. But when the prey is that large (full sized voles, half-grown bunnies, adult squirrels), the cats make a quick kill and don’t play around – so there is no option for rescue. Law of the wild – that’s what I tell myself. I’m not one of those who promotes making vegans out of cats. Cats are true carnivores, not even omnivores like dogs. Other than attempting to train the cats to keep their prey out of the house (not always successful), I don’t mess with their hunts – other than when it’s those CUTE little bunnies.
I’m not going to roust the squirrels. Let them have another warm winter, although I’m a little concerned about creating a generation of red squirrels that won’t grow thick winter coats – light-bulb dependent tamiasciurus hudsonicus. When eviction occurs, I’ll handle it as the weather warms – at least give the little buggers a chance to fluff-up before the next cycle of cold temperatures.
The mice, rats and voles, of course, will have to fend for themselves against all elements, including the cats.
