Mom Fed Up with Squirrels Greases Bird Feeder Pole and Watches Them Slide Down
They’re fluffy, friendly, and oh-so-cute. They scurry, hop, and scramble from one tree to another.
They’re squirrels, of course — and they’re pretty fun to watch. But they’re not so amusing when they get into your prized petunias, or your vegetable patch, or your patio decorations.
The thing is, squirrels are far from the pickiest eaters on the planet. According to the website whatdosquirrelseat.org, these clever critters are some of the most adorable omnivores in the animal kingdom.
That means they’ll scarf down almost anything they can find. Nuts, seeds, fruits, plants, even most types of meat — if it’s lying in the vicinity of your lawn, some covert squirrel SWAT team is probably considering its snack potential.
Any gardening enthusiast knows that bird feeders are extremely high on this list. But one Florida mother recently decided to stand up for our feathered friends in the funniest way possible.
Her straightforward solution? A little bit of oil applied to the feeder post.
The woman’s family decided to film the proceedings. And let’s just say one particular squirrel’s shenanigans have gone viral across social media.
This resolute ground rodent was pining away for the elevated feeder sitting chock-full, high in the air. A short snippet posted by Twitter user Christina Rotondo shows him nobly scrambling upward … then slowly sliding back down into the weeds.
But for this determined critter, a single try simply wouldn’t cut it. Just like that pesky gopher in the classic film “Caddyshack,” the squirrel’s head poked up from the grass once again.
He briefly considered his next move. Then, in a single valiant motion, he hurled himself toward the pole for a second, single-minded attempt.
The result was a super-slow-motion fail. The camera operator suppressed quiet chuckles as Mr. Squirrel skidded down into the dirt.
Apparently, his avid omnivore appetite was no match for some inspired human ingenuity. In fact, you might even want to give this easy approach a try in your own backyard.
Your local sparrows and finches will probably thank you. Though if you happen to find peanuts buried in all your potted plants, you’ll know your neighborhood squirrel is having the last laugh.
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