They eat plants to the ground. They steal fruit, tomatoes, and eggs. They dig all over the place. And they're hell on birdfeeders. They are master thieves.
:grr:
I had an antelope squirrel, a cute little local groundsquirrel, as a houseguest for 2 weeks a couple of years ago. My tomcat caught him, brought him in, and turned him loose. I've learned that anything the cat brings in alive stays alive; they won't hunt or catch it after they've turned it loose. I think it's supposed to be part of my training program. I'm supposed to catch the things; birds, mice, lizards, etc.
Anyway, this little guy was too fast and too smart. He hid during the day and came out to eat catfood at night. One morning, about 5am, I got up and headed to the kitchen to make coffee. As I walked past the plant stand in my atrium, he started scolding me. He was sitting about 6 feet up, in the pot that holds my big spider plant. He whisked his tail at me, scolded me roundly, and melted down the plant stand and behind the filing cabinet.
I called him "Zippy," and my students asked for daily updates on whether or not I'd caught him. They were rooting for Zippy.
I finally got him out of the house; I called my son over to the house to help. We propped open the front door. I chased him around the house, armed with a broom. The cats delightedly joined the chase; they weren't going to catch him, but couldn't stand to miss out on the fun. Finally, I was doing my "homework." My son stayed a step ahead, shoving furniture and other obstacles around as the squirrel sought shelter. Finally, after about 20 minutes of this, we managed to herd him towards the front door and freedom.
Here's what Zippy looked like: