#learnontiktokcontest #educatoraward Douglas squirrels are relatively small compared to the majority eastern Grey squirrels. They tend to be more feisty to compensate. Also more independent and less social in general. In other words they will interact with you for food without first creating a personal bond. Grey squirrels in contrast want to trust you to the extent that they consider steadily over time you gradually become like a special member of their clan as it were. Douglas squirrels will bond to one human especially if it is in their home territory which they will jealousy defend from other Douglas squirrels. Also some grey squirrels who roam through the main center of the territory who will be chased around not really knowing which way to run to escape the unwanted attention of the little brown furry bundle of energy. The fur on the grey squirrels tends to be long enough that they don’t really face much danger in these pursuits. Douglas squirrels tend to be less afraid of humans than Grey squirrels and can have the courage and self confidence to come up to you in a first or second encounter in certain circumstances. In this video an occasional visitor who hasn’t particularly bonded to me but is plenty comfortable accepting food from me was hoping for something bigger to take with her rather than compete with grey squirrels hanging around. Her body language spoke volumes and she knew that I knew that she wanted something else. So her impatience with human slower brain processing speed made it the logical choice to give an unmistakable message by taking me by the hand so to speak. This has happened with this and maybe one other of the little brown ones on a few separate occasions. It can occasionally break the skin but is not an attack or punishment by the squirrel for being slow but an expression of the urgency that the little squirrel is experiencing. The teeth are surgically sharp and have a very low surface area so any puncture will be similar to the puncture of a lancet used in getting a drop of blood for an on-site blood test if it even does produce any blood at all. The pain if any is minimal. The key is to see it for what it is and not overreact which could only make things worse. This tends to happen with babies to about a year old. After a year old their tempers are more even and likely their experience with you will also add to their comfort and eliminate the need they feel to expedite the process of fulfilling their Immediate goal of a quick meal. The grey squirrels seem to know their strength better and will similarly grab a finger in some circumstances but with a very controlled firmness that would not break the skin at all with the exception of jerking the hand back essentially causing a break in the skin. Of course if any wild animal feels cornered or threatened then the situation is completely different and I recommend not forcing any such situation and allowing the creature to interact with you in a calm and natural way. #squirrel #behavior #interaction - @christophernolen1