Day 148: My outdoor pets.
I’m tired tonight, so I am not going to write anything profound (if I ever do), but I am going to tell you about Chip. Yes, usually my names for pets are what they are or what they look like.
Chip is my backyard pet chipmunk. Chipmunks belong in the squirrel family, only much smaller. I noticed this little guy (this is not a picture of him because the pictures are in my phone, and not in my computer, but who cares, they look alike) about a month ago. I know that there have been others, because I found one dead in a bucket of water that he had fallen in and I didn’t know that. Sad.
Chip scurries about my yard, which gives him plenty of options to live, but I think he has chosen to live under the gazebo floor. They actually live in burrows with one open door and several others that may be covered by leaves. They have extensive burrows with sleeping quarters they keep free of shells, and they have a bathroom of sorts, refuse tunnels, where they store their feces. He seems to come around me when I am sitting in the gazebo, and I’ve noticed lately that he makes a lot of noise to get my attention.
Every time I see him, I say “Hi, Chip, how’s your day going?” I tell my sons to call him that when they see him so he can start to learn his name. I think he has, and he is becoming more comfortable around me because he will get fairly close to me, and kind of dance around, or run back and forth. Today, I left him a pile of hemp seeds, and I leave a bowl of water for him. (I don’t know if he is a he, but I do believe he is alone. I think they produce one litter a year, so if I see little ones, I’ll believe he is a she.)
They perform important functions in the forest ecosystems. Due to their harvesting and hoarding tree seeds, they have a major role in ‘seedling’. They eat a variety of things, are considered omnivores eating both plant and animal, such as, worms, insects, even small bird eggs, though I don’t think they make a point of stealing them, but if they come across them. I believe a favorite food is a beechnut. They will eat fungi, and as I throw all my vegetable and fruit scraps in my gardens, Chip has a decent supply of food.
I have found a neighbor’s cat in my back yard, hunting, which I don’t like. I get nervous when I don’t see him for a few days, but he is very safe under the gazebo floor because no cat can fit there. He can also get into small spaces like behind my wood box, so I do think he is quite safe, and astute. They can live from three (outside) to nine (in captivity) years. We may have some time together coming. I hope so, but I DO kind of hope there aren’t babies as that will attract predators.
I have a pet tree squirrel that I call Rocky. I say Hi to him, also, and he lives in the tree that hangs over my gazebo roof. My next door neighbor has a rabbit that has been around for a couple years, and I call him Hopper. He comes to eat from my gardens, and he is getting used to seeing me, too. But, Chip is my favorite, and I think that is because he purposely tries to get my attention, now. He doesn’t hang around too long, but we do make eye contact, so I know the attention getting behaviors are meant for me.
I have four indoor cats, too. They are 14–15 years old, and one of them has recently been following and yelling at me for constant attention. It used to be my late dog who followed me everywhere, so maybe she is just moving into his position. She has become quite needy, and vocal.
Well, it’s off to bed.
