It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Casual Banter] >> Polls and Other Random Stupidity



Message

JerseyKrissi72 -> It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 11:46:12 AM)

I guess it really doesn't take much to amuse me anymore..I was walking home from the store the other day and came across a groundhog-- never seen one up close before so of course I had to get a closer look...I was surprised that he actually approached me, I assumed all animals were scared of humans but not this one lol...I had some walnuts in my grocery bag as I was planning on doing some baking so I threw a few at him and he quickly devoured them then came up to me, sat at my feet making this funny sound almost begging for more...I ended up giving him the entire bag-- he quickly put them in his burrow, probably to save them for later..needless to say..no baking for me that day...He appeared so friendly, is this out of a ground hog's character? I really don't know much about the creatures honestly...I went there today and fed him..he came close but wouldn't come all the way up to me though....have you had any encounters with wild life that were on the positive side? just curious...[:)]



mythi -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 12:05:07 PM)

If someone has taught them that human=free lunch, then yeah, a lot of wildlife will become tame.  I personally have a mated pair of ducks and several squirrels on my nut & birdseed dole.  The danger is that they can become so dependent on the handouts that they can no longer hunt and forage for their own food.  Fine if you can keep feeding them all they need indefinitely, otherwise try not to become the lil critter's main hookup.

::breaks out into an off-key rendition of Steppenwulf's "The Pusher"::



JerseyKrissi72 -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 12:07:16 PM)

I can see your point there because they will become lazy and expect us humans to feed them...I just couldn't resist, he looked like he was begging lol...he looked fat enough I doubt he missed a meal[8D] but I won't feed him anymore- just can't help but go over there and watch him, he's so adorable!!



MasterFireMaam -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 12:10:08 PM)

If you're regular on that route, keep a few in your pocket...but don't give him a whole bag every time. He could become dependent...or is that co-dependent?!

Master Fire



soultoshare -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 12:20:40 PM)

while it's fun to feed him, the only downside to it is that if he gets used to approaching humans, one day some sick little bastard will hurt him.  Unless you're out in the country someplace, and the little dude is off the mostly beaten path,  try leaving him his goodies somewhere hidden.  Most groundhogs dig their burrows at a grass line, toss the nuts into the grass for him...he'll find him trust me.  But i do agree with you...they are cute little critters! 

i've had all sorts of little "pets" in the wild.....had two squirrels that would always come to my balcony....Spot and Stumpy.....me, the dog and the cat would sit there for hours and watch them......Spot finally decided that it was just as much fun to tease them, too!  He'd hang on the screen of the patio door looking in, and they'd sit there looking out.  Hey, it was cheap entertainment!



KatyLied -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 1:13:17 PM)

You know they are nothing more than huge rodents, right?  They aren't a favorite of home owners because they can be destructive to yards.  I wouldn't encourage doing anything that is likely to keep them around.



MistressMaamNH -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 1:28:42 PM)

Wild animals should never be approached, or allowed to approach.  There is no way to tell if they have just been around people too much to lose their fear, or even worse, that they are sick in some way.  Yes, they may be cute to look at, but not worth risking life or limb to be close to, to be sure.

MMNH



LaTigresse -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 1:32:11 PM)

Think, potential for rabies.



DommeChains -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 1:34:05 PM)

Yes, you shouldn't make him/her dependent on you for food (from the woman who feeds every dang grackle and pigeon in 3 mile wide area lol). Yes, groundhogs are rodents and destructive but they are still a piece of the wild and it does all of us good to make connections with nature.

I have had the experience of hummingbirds lighting (very briefly) on my shirt begging for sugar water, fed geckos and carolina anoles from my hands, had a raven (which was totally cool at the same time totally freaky cuz those bills are huge!) walk up to me and take food from my hand and coaxed a doe to eat right next to me.  All of these experiences are ones that made me smile and made me feel like I was connected to a greater gesalt.  So, JerseyKrissi72 enjoy your groundhog encounters.  Feel happy about making another creature happy.



proudsub -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 1:38:52 PM)

quote:

then came up to me, sat at my feet making this funny sound almost begging for more...


Just like some subs i know.[:)]

quote:

have you had any encounters with wild life that were on the positive side? just curious...[:)] 



We have a lot of wildlife on our property but i never approach them, especially the bears and coyotes. Even the racoons can potentially be dangerous with rabies and vicious bites.  It is fun to observe them though.



JerseyKrissi72 -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 2:22:58 PM)

 I never realized the destruction they make to a yard until I saw it first hand...granted, it's in an open field where noone grows anything but the thought of having them tear up "my" yard.....you are right about the rabies issue as well-- I will now just admire them from a distance....When I was a young girl, my grandmother had a pet racoon that she had since it was a baby (it's mother passed away)..she bottle fed it and it lived in the barn..I can remember just a little about it but from what my aunt tells me, it was like a member of the family lol..



windchymes -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/3/2007 2:59:49 PM)

Cute story, sounds like something I'd do [:)]  But that's unusual for a groundhog, they can be really aggressive when provoked. 



JerseyKrissi72 -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/6/2007 9:38:00 PM)

    I got to see a baby ground hog and it's mommy today[:)] ..I just watched them from a distance and once they noticed me they took off lol....it was a beautiful day to be outside.



ElectraGlide -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/6/2007 9:54:28 PM)

Groundhogs are funny and cool. We have lots of them here. I always see them out in the wild and have never had them try to aproach me. I got a nice picture for my photo gallery the other day, the ground hog was under a park bench.



JerseyKrissi72 -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/7/2007 1:05:12 AM)

they are cute as anything...i enjoy the squirrels around here as well, i can hand feed them ..once, one of them got caught in a peanut butter jar and was rolling down the drive way..[8D]



denika -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/7/2007 9:28:27 AM)

Who needs TV when there is wildlife.  I have had a few encounters on our acreage with wildlife, chickadee birds are very friendly and if you sit still long enough they will land in you hand if you have bird seed. I always leave a bowl of  dog food in our back woodshed, we get some strays out here both domestic and wild and I am such a softie, there is a fox and her kits that live in the forest behind us and one night of of her kits came out and stood about two feet away from me while I was filling the bird feeders, lol I named him Fred. We also had a grouse that frequented our back yard--- not the sharpest birds but funny to watch. Instead of flying away when a predator was close by the thing would stay on the ground and go still and stand up so it made itself thin and tall.

denika



JerseyKrissi72 -> RE: It Doesn't Take Much To Amuse Me (5/7/2007 9:50:39 AM)

I do love wild life but there is a limit too lol-- i saw a man once in Atlantic City who had pigeons all over him (literally) because he had a bag of peanuts, they go crazy..



Page: [1]

Valid CSS!




Collarchat.com © 2025
Terms of Service Privacy Policy Spam Policy
0.03125