Squirrels eating lead

[James Watson]

A strange one for you.

The squirrels in my parents garden are eating the lead of there roof :shock:

Any ides why :?:

 

[tenbears10]

No. But if you shoot them it should sort the problem.

Bill

 

[tenbears10]

Oh and by coincidence if you shoot them they will eat lead to stop them eating lead if you get what I mean.

Bill

 

[masongary44]

A Family of grey squrrels ate pretty much the contents of my loft.... The house survey did not mention that we had lodgers....

Like has already been said... an injection of lead and they kind of loose their appetite

 

[jakunen]

Most likely they are not actaully 'eating' it but are just chewing it to wear down their teeth. Mice and rats used to do the same thing with lead pipes.

All rodentia need to chew things to keep their teeth from growing too long. If they don't then the teeth get long enough to permanently lock the jaws open, or grow through the lips and so the animal dies a very painful death of starvation. I used to have to trim the teeth of my pet rats occasionaly.

 

[Paganwolf]

My aunties house nearly burned down because squirrels chewed the wiring in her loft ! dont mean to worry you but i think the time has come for squirrel a la orange :shock: :rolmao:

 

[ollie]

Tree rat a l'orange sounds good. Don't break your teeth on the lead.

 

[Buckshot]

Is it a good idea to eat animals that have been chewing on lead.?
Doesn't the toxin build up in the body?

Cheers

Mark

 

[Swampthing]

Mammals tend to absorb lead into the tissues of the brain.
It does find it's way through most of the tissues in the body but the biggest (and ultimately fatal) accumulation is in the noggin.
Also bear in mind that the lead is going through the furball's body in shards or chunks and not dust (or in a more easily absorbed compound.)
Unless you intend eating the squirrel's brain, or an awful lot of squirrel meat, then you're probably okay.
I've been passing lead shot through my system for years and the only side effect is the jingling in the bottom of the pan after a game supper. Note to self- is this how 'Panning for Gold' was discovered?

 

[Paganwolf]

Tree Rat A la Orange; one tree rat, place in double thickness of tin foil add juice a little zest and a couple of slices of one orange, splash of white wine and a T spoon of butter (heaped) wack it in the oven or on the barby 25 mins half hour and there you go orange flavoured tree rat add a little sugar or honey if you like a sweet sauce mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ratty goodness :shock:

 

[Kim]

Has anybody actually eaten a squirrel and would you gut them in a similar way to a rabbit?

Mind you, you'd have to catch a lot of squirrels to make it worth your while.

I can't believe I'm thinking about ways to finish off squirrels, I used to be such a nice person...

:shock:

 

[Adi007]

Ate one at the BCUK meetup (wasn't caught there). Taste is similar to rabbit - very tasty, stress-free meat! Prep is similar to rabbit.

 

[Paganwolf]

Hey Kim, Squirrel is quite a nice nibble BBQ's up a little tough best in tinfoil as i described above or stewed, its prepared much the same as rabbit but the skin is a damn site tougher to get off :wave:

 

[Kath]

Squirrel is delish! A little bony though - personally I think you need more than one for a decent meal. The BCUK meetup showed how to catch them as well as preparation and cooking. Grey squirrels are classed as vermin and legal to hunt and trap on private property (with the landowner's permission).

:biggthump

 

[Tekeeler]

May I recommend that squirrells removed from deciduous woodlands are much nicer than ones from coniferous areas. Acorns, Chestnuts and Beech mast seem to give a better flavour than endless Pine cones, which result in a bitter acidy meat. Added to a stew of wild garlic and wild onions tree rats become sublime. Happy feasting. :rolmao:

 

[Adi007]

I'd agree ... it's true of rabbit that the better the land it comes off, the better the meat.

 

[Paganwolf]

i used to shoot at a place where wild garlic was prolific, the rabbits were pre flavoured with garlic it was incredible! mmmmmmmmmmmm yum i may have to pop over there now :shock:

 

[boaty]

It's even true of fruit and vegetables - for example wine growers have added mineral supplements to the soil for generations, to subtly alter the taste of the grape