General Cycling Discussion - Squirrels

I had my first run-in (quite literally) with a squirrel yesterday while doing a little training around the neighborhood and I don't think he was very happy about it.

I was drafting about a car-length behind one of the local PD SUVs and we were doing a pretty good tempo when a squirrel darted out from the side of the road and, of course, slammed on his brakes DIRECTLY in front of me (apparently to enjoy the scenery from the right lane.) I swerved to avoid him and, like squirrels will do, he moved very quickly in the same direction. Uh-oh was about the only thought that had time to zip through my brain as I barrelled down on potential road-kill. I pulled pretty hard back to the left and managed to avoid hitting the squirrel's body but caught the tail right up near his little butt. :)

I didn't know that squirrels could scream. :D

I know I didn't kill him because he was gone when I came around for the next lap.

Did I do the right thing? Should I have smashed his little acorn-eating butt into the pavement? Should I have stopped to make sure he was alright and administered squirrel first-aid if he wasn't? Any other advice?

aww man! I was thinking about this yesterday on my ride. What would happen if you hit a squirrel spot on? Would it be really, really gross - guts spraying into your face - that was the first image I had. The second was of me eating pavement.

Has anyone ever hit an animal?

Have never hit one; have never come close to hitting one; but I ride so slow that neither one of us would be in any kind of danger if one of them should stop in the road in front of me.

However, if one of them did stop in front of me and demanded its share of the road, I'd probably just run over it. There are too many of them in my neighborhood anyway.

Avoid hitting squirrels, either dead or alive. My idea of bike maintenance does not involve picking blood, guts and ass out of the spokes, chain, gears etc.

Plus, I like squirrels. They're cute!

I didn't hit any, but I did have to dodge a half dozen or so baby racoons on my ride thru the park last night. Talk about cute! Too bad they grow up to be kings of the garbage heap.

Originally posted by Bumbaclat

Plus, I like squirrels. They're cute!

Me too. Saw one hit by a Volvo the other day(he didn't try to brake). It snapped it's spine and the squirrel crawled off shook a bit and died just as I got to it.

I know they can be problematical but hey, a life is a life.

Originally posted by Brian_T
I pulled pretty hard back to the left and managed to avoid hitting the squirrel's body but caught the tail right up near his little butt. :)


You must live in my neighbourhood Brian because I saw your squirrell yesterday! We have tons of squirrells here (they drive the dogs nuts :p ) so I usually don't pay any attention to them, but the one that caught my eye did not have a tail! Goofy looking little guy. :roflmao:

My brother-in-law's story about cycling in Zimbabwe . . .

They're zooming along in the sticks on MTBs, along dirt roads, and they ride thru a village.

A pile of chikens take fright and run across the road. Manky, skrawny inbred things (the chickens, not my brother-in-law) with no feathers on their necks. My B.I.L. gets a chicken straight thru the spokes of each wheel.

Completely shredded the birds.

I must ask if they offered any compensation to the owners of the birds. It would have been two dinners down the tubes after all.

Stew

Originally posted by Bumbaclat
My idea of bike maintenance does not involve picking blood, guts and ass out of the spokes, chain, gears etc.

On a recent training ride we were in a tight group heading up a long hill and then around the bend. I was concentrating on the guy in front of me and we usually call out obstacles on the road. Well this time the guy in front missed the call and I ran over a raccoon dead-on (sorry for the pun). Thump-thump I went. Thankfully he was very crispy and had been pancaked onto the road surface. Nothing liquid got me, but I still cleaned off the bike frame as soon as I got home from the ride just to be safe. Yuck!

Now whenever I ride with the same group and we see road-kill everybody makes a point to tell me it's there so as to avoid potential messes. Thanks guys:)

Thanks to cycling I am an expert in road-kill. I can identify them even when there is nothing left but the pelt of smashed fur. I saw several dead birds recently, a possum, a racoon and the tail of a squirrel. I wonder if this is the missing tail? Tell your squirrel I have his tail. :D

You should try to miss the squirrel, but if you can't...ah well. What are you gonna do, ya tried.

Now my wife will drive the car off the road to avoid a squirrel or other animal, my thinking is: try if I can to avoid, if it is either me or the squirrel and my life/health is in danger, the squrrel gets it.

Anyone who purposly tries to hit an animal is disturbed and an a--hole.

Digger

Uhm....folks....there IS a reason that they call them squirrels and that the term "squirrel" has come to mean what it does....

Clocked a groundhog in the head with my pedal once at the bottom of my spin. The guys behind me said the critter was standing on his back legs and spinning in circles when they passed him a couple moments later :D

We have more of a problem here with rabbits and deer. Right now the hunters are driving the deer into the valley and they are jumpy - I would be as well. The rabbits, though, have this weird habit of running in an arc. They'll take off, run beside you for a moment then curve right in to you. They are just to big and cute to hit.

I hit a squirrel once. Once.

I was cruising down the campus walk no-handed. I spotted the furry rat along the side of walk, he was watching me approach. Now I know squirrels were stuck in the back of the line when God handed brains out to rodents, so I expected him to dart out at the worst possible time. I dared him. Sure enough he lunged out right as I passed - thumpx2 - then he runs away. Personally I think he planned the whole thing.

So do I win some kind of prize for running over a squirrel no-handed?

BK

You win a Squirrel Lovers Figurine (http://www.krittersinthemailbox.com/animals/squirrels/figurines/cta1048.htm).

At least Squirrels don't stink.

On a ride on Martha's Vineyard my Dad ran over a recently deceased :angel: skunk with his new Softride. My parents were staying in a hotel room, so my Mother bought a couple of gallons of tomato juice and they washed down the bike in the bathtub of the hotel room.

I'm not sure who got it worse, my Dad, my Mom, or the poor cleaning lady who had to wash the tub.

Don't have much run ins with squirrels,
however we do have a problem with snakes and
tarantulas. Rattlesnakes are not happy campers when
approached by a bicycle, best to avoid them.
A squirrel is a rat in fancy clothing.

Marty

Waaaa! How can you say that! You Killer!

:mad:

I hate seeing squished squirrels in the road. I just hate to think of them getting all squished. I saw one yesterday that had just been hit by a car, not squished. It was still alive but died right after, because it was dead when I saw it on the way back. Poor thing! It probably got flattened by all the traffic later. I hate to think of it. But I know it happens. A few times I've nearly wiped out trying to avoid squirrels or chipmunks. But it hasn't happened yet nor have I ever run over one.

Not long ago, I did see a squished skunk. Phew! I smelled it before I saw it. I'm surprised I don't see more since skunks are nocturnal and would be hard for drivers to see, but then I guess there are less cars on the road at night. Either way, yecch.

Squirrels are viscous little creatures. Did you know they eat nestlings? Here is a picture of one mowing on a dead woodpecker. (http://www.dausettrails.com/carnosquurl.htm)
Oh and here (http://www.scarysquirrel.org/carny/carny.html) is a picture of one of the little monsters eating a baby bird. I don't like to see anything suffer but squirrels deserve little sympathy - they aren't even native to the West. I was surprised when I heard they eat birds, local Audubon folks made a big deal out of it when it was found the squirrels were wiping out the birds in a local park.

Would it be really, really gross - guts spraying into your face

I do not believe this would happen. But you might get a pissed off squirrel tossed onto your leg.
I usualy just hop over them, even on my road bike.
The biggest problem we have out here are rattle snakes. On a good day I will have to swerve or hop over at least 3 or 4 during the course of a ride. Now that it is cooling down they should not be around so much.
Slainte:beer:

Originally posted by Rotifer
You win a Squiirrel Lovers Figurine (http://www.krittersinthemailbox.com/animals/squirrels/figurines/cta1048.htm).

Squirrels getting it on - whoohoo!

Originally posted by Rotifer
You win a Squiirrel Lovers Figurine (http://www.krittersinthemailbox.com/animals/squirrels/figurines/cta1048.htm).

Oh how cute--one squirrel is giving mouth-to-mouth to the victim of a bicycle hit-n-run accident.

This item is currently out of stock. If you would like to be notified by e-mail
You two are sick, did you buy them all?

[QUOTE]I hate seeing squished squirrels in the road. I just hate to think of them getting all squished.

Wabbit your just a big softy

I should know. i love to see the squirrels around my garden , ever since they found out we have hazel trees. Drives my cat nuts. he'll sit out there motionless for hours trying to catch one but they are just too quick.
Plus as he is apricot and white his camoflage sucks.

I found out that the guy next door was trapping them in a cage and disposing of them a few months back and had a few choice words with him about it. A few weeks later he fell down the stairs and died. I felt a bit guilty about that. ..........

A couple of years ago I was out walking the wife and her dog( they both needed exercise) and there was a thud on the path behind us. We looked round and there was a squirrel lying on the path with its feet in the air. It had fallen out of the tree...
We all just stood there with our jaws drooped and after a few moments he got up and limped off at the speed of light.

No you have got to do whatever it takes to avoid running over the little critters I guess.
:rolleyes:

Hey, I likesquirrels!

They're animals and they do what animals do to survive, so I don't hold that against them. They're cheerful and fun to watch as they play in my backyard. They're the closest thing I have to pets.

I also like chipmunks, Groundhogs, otter and beavers... and all the other animals I see on my rides...

I wish I were capable of being responsible for those tailless squirrels but my fitness surely wouldn't allow me to travel more than about 20 miles (on a REALLY good day) from home--need more miles.

This little dude still has his fluffy side attached as there were no remnants in the street or elsewhere when I came back through. He wasn't sitting on the curb shaking his little fist at me either. :)

I'm afraid you squirrel lovers might not want to hear this but the next one to cut in front of me is TOAST. I won't be aiming for him but I'm not prepared to do a Roberto Laiseka faceplant to avoid smashing the little acorn-snatchers.

Originally posted by Rotifer
Squirrels are viscous little creatures. Did you know they eat nestlings? Here is a picture of one mowing on a dead woodpecker. (http://www.dausettrails.com/carnosquurl.htm)
Oh andis a picture of one of the little monsters eating a baby bird. I don't like to see anything suffer but squirrels deserve little sympathy - they aren't even native to the West. I was surprised when I heard they eat birds, local Audubon folks made a big deal out of it when it was found the squirrels were wiping out the birds in a local park.

Oh, gee, by all means then let's kill the little (*&^%^!

They aren't vicious, they're wild animals. What are they supposed to eat- squirrel chow? Order pizza?

You know, birds can eat other birds too- gulls swoop down and eat baby ducks! And what about owls?Owls eat mice! I guess they're vicious creatures too. It's the nature of the wild- animals eat other animals. Squirrels are no worse than any other animal and it certainly doesn't mean they deserve the fate of being squished by a volvo.

Not to mention that we humans eat birds! (I'm guilty of that, so there you are.)

Originally posted by lotek

A squirrel is a rat in fancy clothing.


You say that like it's a BAD thing. :D

I've had pet rats, and they can be intelligent, inquisitive, and very sweet.

Today on the bike trail, a little red squirrel bounced across the path in a series of jumps so high it looked like he was flying.

They aren't vicious, they're wild animals.

Baaaarely. One point was that they are destroying native birds. That was probably lost in my attempt at humor. People are drawn to them because they are "cute". My second point is the same as yours, they are carnivorous rats. They are killed by the score here every year - no exaggeration. I wouldn't hesitate to crunch one if it ran in front of me, I will also go back to make sure it isn't suffering. A little aside ... I also had a girlfriend in college with a pet squirrel. Interesting little creature, till the bastard runs up your naked body after a shower. Our relationship was never the same (the squirrel and I).

No experience with squirrels, but lots with groundhogs. The worst was as a kid on BMX bikes. My buddy was up ahead and decided to use a dead bloated G-hog as a jumping ramp. Yes, you can "get guts on your face". He starts puking cause of the messy stuff covering him and the bike. I puke due to the pure stench.

I had a hog jump in front of my car while going down the highway @ 60mph. He dodged back and forth and my last ditch effort was to straddle the poor guy and hope he ducked. Well, he didn't. A quick look in the rearview showed a hog standing on his head spinning like a top. I didn't know hogs could breakdance!!

Aside from that, its just been a couple of snakes out here in the phoenix dessert. That scares the heck out of me as they usually strike at the bike with their dying effort.

I am going to buy that Squirrel Lover Figurine. I know, I know, I am completely out of my mind....

I clicked the link in the post above, not knowing what to expect.... I nearly fell out of my chair and had an asthma attack laughing at the squirrel lovers. I can't stand the little ba$tard$ but that is FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!.:roflmao:

I feed birds, in fact I was just outside and I had about 10 different hummingbirds around my head. I love the birds, hate the squirrels. I put 2, 5 gallon buckets of seed outside for easy storage only to replace the lids 3 different times because the squirrels chewed the lids off. I have replaced feeders, I have now purchased a metal container with a locking lid for the birdseed.

However, my beagle and my other pup love chasing them. My little beagle collided with one the other night while chasing three of them. One got confused and ran right into her. She was already at full run and wasn't expecting it, so they collided and then she came to a skidding stop to have the squirrel shag a$$ the other direction. She was so disappointed!!!!!! I was too! I was curious to see who would win the battle, but I have heard that the squirrel can put up a hell of a fight even with a dog.

I've heard that rats are actually great pets. I've thought of getting one. I like the rats with the black heads and white bodies- hooded rats. The bad thing is they don't live very long- about 2 years.

Anyways, I like squirrels, I don't care what anyone says. Thbbt! I feed them and actually get a kick out of them. However, I don't like that they get into the garbage and make a mess of it. And last year we found a dead squirrel in the driveway as we were about to go out for a ride. IT wasn't squished, it was just dead, we have no idea how or what happened. I guess it just died.

I was "MAD,MAD,MAD,......."yesterday .

A few miles from home, I passed a RED Squirrel road kill.

As Red Sqirrels are now an endangered species in the U.K.
Here in the N.E. of England is the last bastion of them, they have been taken over by the less endeering Grey Sqirrel in other parts of the country.

So to see a dead one on the road made me really upset, I spent the rest of the ride feeling at war with all of the motorized vehicle on the road, the perpitrates of this vile deed .
:mad: :mad: :mad:

Willic,

Let me know if you want some red squirrels imported. I'll box up a few dozen from my yard and send 'em your way. ;)

Nice...

On my ride today I saw two pancaked squirrels within 1.5 feet of each other. Must have been lovers.

Do squirrels mate for life?

Waaaa! That's so sad!:(

What's kind of funny is when the squirrels start porking up at this time of year as they store up for winter. They get huge! Sometimes they're about the size of woodchucks. It's hilarious to see them laboriously struggling up the telephone pole.

Were they holding paws?






Sorry Wabbit! I couldn't resist.

I don't know if I'd call it holding paws or ...
paws smushed together

Originally posted by Inkwolf


Oh how cute--one squirrel is giving mouth-to-mouth to the victim of a bicycle hit-n-run accident.

That's exactly how I saw it! I'd swerve and sacrifice the body for them. I'm like velocipedio, they're the closest thing I have to a pet, so I couldn't imagine hurting one of the little buggers. :(

LONDON (Reuters) - A squirrel which terrorized a British town by attacking people has been shot and killed by the grandfather of its latest victim.
Geoff Horth, enraged by the squirrel biting his two-year-old grand-daughter Kelsi Morley on the face, took up his airgun and hunted down the rogue rodent, the Sun newspaper said on Friday.
"When I tracked him down I was surprised how big he was. He came down a tree and headed for me, but I shot him before he jumped," the 61-year-old school caretaker told the newspaper.
The bad-tempered squirrel's reign of terror in the town of Knutsford in central England had made parents frightened to let their children out to play.
Animal experts say it is very unusual for squirrels to behave in such an aggressive way toward humans.
Horth was philosophical about his role as gun-totting local hero. "Its a shame he went nuts, but I couldn't let this little beggar hold the town to ransom," he told the newspaper.


All of the British bikers owe gramps a thank you. The little bastard. See what happens when they go bad? I say launch a preemptive strike, take 'em out before it's to late.

http://www.wavelo.com/images/squirrel.jpg

Originally posted by Ritalin
On my ride today I saw two pancaked squirrels within 1.5 feet of each other. Must have been lovers.



Maybe it was a suicide pact...;)

It was a Grey Squirrel NOT a Red as depicted in your picture!

"Red Squirrels" are now extinct anywhere South of Durham.

That is why we have a "Red Squirrel" watch here in Northumberland, the last bastion of numerious Reds left in England.

Well squirrrel dodging behavior makes a lot of sense. To a squirrel, anything large and fast bearing down on them WANTS TO EAT THEM. That is a reasonable assumption. So they run one way and then swap ends and take off in the opposite direction. It works great if something is TRYING to catch you.

As we all know, that dodging behavior makes avoiding squirrels with our bikes .... challenging.

I was in a paceline a while back. One of our riders, dodged a squirrel. Edwina (an extremely proficient rider) chided him for doing so. She said that you should just run down the squirrel rather than dodging and putting another cyclist at risk. Besides, Edwina claimed that you could run over squirrels with impunity. Although, it must be hard on the squirrels.

I was out riding side by side with a friend of mine. A squirrel dodged her and went right under my front wheel. It got sucked up by the wheel and literally chopped in half by the spokes and fork. Gosh it was nasty and gross. I stopped and sprayed off the resulting squirrel debris from my tubes, legs, feet, and wheel with my water bottle. Edwina was right, you can run them over. But I would prefer not to.

By the way, I think that squirrels are cute. However, they are rodents with a high reproductive rate.

The only time I hate squirrels is when I'm on the bike. They are very entertaining in the back yard. A few years ago when I lived along the Mount Vernon Bike Path in VA I had one ride where I hit three of the little suckers. One of them almost sent the bike (and me) into the trees. After that I tried to scare them away as best I could. I found that hissing at them sent them up the trees. I've never experienced the squirrel gut issues mentioned above they usually just sort of crunched or limped off.

Has anyone posted this yet?

http://www.fun.from.hell.pl/2003-05-23/supercureuil.jpg

Tremble, cyclists!

Shoot, I like squirrels, too. Particularly in a gumbo.....

The only good squirrel is an absent one.

I don't make any effort to avoid the squirrels that happen before my bike. I've learned too many times that that it doesn't matter what direction you happen to swerve to avoid them because they are unpredictable. Sometimes they dart back from where they came from, sometimes they continue on their way, sometimes they run will you and then dart, and sometimes they just sit.

I just keep on my line and if I hit another one, oh well. Too bad. More grub for the marsh hawks.

The squirrels around here are too brave. I used to drive to the park in the morning to eat breakfast and they would jump on my hood and just look in at me like they were waiting for a handout. This morning, I had my first squirrel experience on a bike. I was on a bit of a downhill and a squirrel running across the road slammed on the brakes when he saw me. I don't know if I'm imagining things or not, but I think I heard little claws scraping the pavement, and he skidded into a little ball and ran the other way. Then I passed a flattened squirrel on the way home. Not in the same area, though.

If a squirrel runs out in front of me I am defintiely not going to swerve to avoid it. That Squirrel is toast ,I am not going to risk a crash that may injure me or damage my bike. Sorry to all of you squirel lovers.