Sometime last year or so, as I was getting ready for work, I heard a little scratching above my head. I looked up at the ceiling and followed the scampering sound across the length of our master bath. Over time, the little scampers grew heavier and soon we woke during the night occasionally to hear them running what seemed to be a race course, complete with cheers from the crowd.
One time, I heard what sounded like a tiny sumo wrestler entering the ring – boom, boom, boom. I figured he must’ve had a bad day. Poor guy.
Everyone I mentioned the critters to automatically said they were flying squirrels. How exciting, I thought. I didn’t mind them being up there at all really. They needed a safe place to live, too. And I certainly didn’t want to kill them.
So, they were our little buddies for at least several months, until a contractor/builder came over to give us an estimate on repair and maintenance to our cabin (One of four, by the way. It took two years and four contractors/builders to find one who would follow through with the project. That’s a story for another time, though.).
This builder said the squirrels leave a giant pile of poo that can transmit deadly diseases and to get rid of them ASAP. Yikes! I was all for giving the little guys a warm, dry place to call home but not at the expense of unhealthy and potentially dangerous conditions.
The humane way we chose to remove the cute flying creatures was to install a one-way exit tube to the hole they used as a doorway. When they flew out for food, they wouldn’t be able to get back in. I felt bad for them and had wanted to provide a different place for them to move into but there was no time for that.
The contraption worked. Mike, my husband, even got to see one of them searching for a way to get in and jump/fly to a nearby tulip poplar. I’ve yet to see them. Yeah, I’m a little jealous.
After about a week of them scurrying around that corner of the house, my morning routine became a quiet one. Even after the fine folks who worked on our cabin (They did a great job.) removed the tube and put up a wire mesh netting to keep the area blocked, all was silent. For about a week.
Once again I hear little scratches and movement. I’m kind of glad even though I know they can’t stay up there. The good news, however, is that we now have made a flying squirrel house they can move into to if they want.
Mike and my dad went over to a friend’s house to build us some critter houses we’ve been wanting. In addition to the squirrel house, we’ve got a bat house and a screech owl house. I’m super excited about all of them and can’t wait to get them put up. We were joking last night that we’ll have to put the screech owl house far enough away from the squirrel house. Or, we may have another problem on our hands – a little owl too fat to fit in his hole.
Lauren Bearden is assistant editor at The News Observer. She can be reached at 706-632-2019 or by email at lauren@thenewsobserver.com.