One Deck, One Grill, One Squirrel. Of Course.

/ Ally Bean

[Subtitled: Do Squirrels Eat Hamburgers?]

I happened to be walking through the back of our house when I glanced out the patio door onto the deck and noticed that our Weber grill had grown a tail overnight.

DSCN3511 - Version 2

Upon closer examination I noticed that there seemed to be a certain critter hiding behind the grill.  So I bided my time to see if, by chance, this critter was our good old friend, Fuzzy.  It didn’t take long for me to confirm that Fuzzy the Squirrel was back to his annoying tricks.

DSCN3524

From my vantage point inside the house I could see that our friend was using his backside to try to nudge the top off the grill, presumably to get to the hamburger grease + burnt nibbles that were left inside the grill from the night before.

DSCN3515Naturally when I inquired about his sneaky-looking behavior Fuzzy ignored me.  He is a master of indifference, so when he turned his back on me I wasn’t all that surprised.  Instead, I just waited to see what he’d do next, knowing that he can never stay still very long.

DSCN3525

And true to form, with one wistful sideways glance toward the grill, Fuzzy ran away from me along the top of the deck railing toward his home in Tree #3479 in the forest primeval.  It is there, I presume, he found something else to do with his time besides making himself a nuisance on our deck.

DSCN3529

But he also left me wondering if squirrels eat hamburgers.  So I did a quick Google search after which I realized that this question has no reliable answer, but does lead one to an unexpected link to an abstract of an academic paper.  Of course.

25 thoughts on “One Deck, One Grill, One Squirrel. Of Course.”

  1. Fuzzy pics and an intellectual paper. Life is inded good. Such a hate-hate relationship you have with Big F. Perhaps someday you and F will have peace, right after the Middle East.

    Like

    • Z-D, isn’t it warpy to find the point in time where that stupid squirrel and something smart like this academic paper come together? And as for peace btwn Fuzzy and me… I don’t know, sounds far-fetched.

      Like

  2. I can’t see a squirrel without thinking of the one stuck in the house in Christmas Vacation: SQUIRREL!!!!

    I tried to access the last link to check the title of the abstract. No luck. It wouldn’t open. Maybe I need Fuzzy to help ~> “Open Sesame.” 😛

    Like

  3. This sounds like the beginning tales of a children’s book. Fuzzy is a great character! This also reminds me of the pre-school song.

    Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, swish your bushy tail.
    Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, swish your bushy tail.
    Wrinkle up your funny nose, hold a nut between your toes.
    Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, swish your bushy tail.

    Like

  4. Very interesting. My lazy search says that squirrels will eat just about anything in front of them, so long as it tastes good, but I have never seen our squirrels even eat the cat food I put out for the raccoons. They always liked the birdseed, of course. I think you should do a study. I just love Fuzzy.

    Like

    • Zazzy, squirrels are supposed to like cat food that is full of meat protein? I’ve only seen them eat nuts, birdseed, vegetables, fruit– and carbs like bread or waffles. I thought that squirrels were vegetarians, but apparently not.

      Fuzzy is a fun little annoyance, isn’t he? As long as he stays outside of the house we’ll have no real probs.

      Like

      • I’ve always thought they were vegetarians, too. Possibly not? As for Fuzzy, yeah I think he’s definitely cuter outside the house. I once had to chase around half a dozen birds that came down the chimney, I think Fuzzy would be even harder to catch.

        Like

        • Zazzy, chasing birds sounds like it was nuts. I don’t want to find out how much more difficult it is to get a squirrel to leave the house. So let’s hope that he never gets in.

          Like

  6. Never had squirrels in our grill, everywhere else but there! We did have a mouse have babies in our grill. Fortunately my husband looks inside before he lights it. I wouldn’t let him use the grill for a few days. The mama took the baby out after we had opened the lid but I wasn’t taking any chances.

    Like

  7. I love it when our curiosity brings up interesting and esoteric questions and research. My family has always been like that and it’s led to some fascinating discoveries and discussions.

    Like

    • Margaret, my family growing up was always like that! Follow the curiosity and see where it takes you. This is why I had to include my research findings on this post. I mean, who’d of thunk I’d find the paper that I did?

      Like

  8. I have a picture somewhere on my blog that I found on the internet of a squirrel salvaging a discarded fast food hamburger out of a trash can…. though he may have just been after the buns. I can not adequately answer the question whether squirrels will display carnivore tendencies or not…. but if Fuzzy’s going to those lengths to get burger bits from a closed grill, I think he needs a more accessible treat! 🙂

    Like

    • evilsquirrel13, so the mystery continues! No one knows for sure if squirrels eat burgers or not. As for your evil idea of me feeding Fuzzy, no stinking way. There’s a whole big ravine filled with overgrown trees and shrubs + a creek with water behind our house. He can forage for his nuts and berries back there.

      Like

Comments are closed.