San Jose couple asks: ‘Why does this squirrel keep staring at us?’

DEAR JOAN: We have a squirrel in our yard who has taken a liking to us.

We have a wood deck in our backyard, and every day for the past several weeks, he comes there, sits and looks at us for 15 minutes to almost a half hour, always in the afternoon between 2 and 4 p.m.

We have named him “Scout.” What do you think he is doing? Sometimes he will sit with his back to us, but mostly he just stares at us in our family room.

We have several squirrels in our backyard and they are very entertaining, but Scout is special. We are retired and spend a lot of time sitting in our family room!

— Peter Rushbrook and Joyce Churchill, San Jose

DEAR PETER AND JOYCE: There are several reasons that Scout might be staring at you. Perhaps he’s retired too, and his hobby is human watching.

Most likely, he’s taking a turn as the watch squirrel. As you might imagine, squirrels appear on the favorites list of many predators, so they rely on their senses to avoid being eaten. While their hearing is keen, their eyesight is even sharper, and while it appears Scout is staring at you, he might be instead checking his peripheral vision as a true scout would do, standing still and not moving his head or his eyes.

If he is directing his attention toward you, he’s likely assessing whether you are a threat. Squirrels often freeze, observe and then either go about their business, assured you aren’t going to attack, or flick their tail to warn the other squirrels of danger and take off on an erratic path to confuse any pursuers.

Because Scout arrives around the same time every day, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in the neighborhood had been putting out food in the afternoon, and Scout is expecting the same thing from you. The staring might be akin to a dog begging for food at the table.

It also could be that Scout isn’t looking at you, but instead is napping. Squirrels sleep with their eyes open, and if the place on the deck is in a warm, sunny area, Scout could be catching 40 winks.

DEAR JOAN: I found a rat living in my shed, but I’m wondering how it got in. I store all my garden tools in there, and I hadn’t been inside since I cleaned out my vegetable beds for the winter.

The only thing I found was a small space in the corner that couldn’t be more than half an inch wide, where the two walls don’t quite meet up. How could a rat fit through that?

— Jamie C., Concord

DEAR JAMIE: Quite easily, actually. Although rats might look substantial — especially if you encounter one unexpectedly — they aren’t as bulked up as they appear. If a rat can fit its nose through an opening even as small as a quarter, it can squeeze its entire body through.

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If you manage to chase the rat out, repair the hole or stuff it with steel wool.

Puppy love

If you want a special Valentine’s photo of you and your dog, stop by Oakland Animal Services between 3 and 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at 1101 29th Ave. in Oakland. There will be a kissing booth and a photographer ready to snap a photo.

The cost is a $25 donation to Friends of Oakland Animal Services; no reservations required.

Animal Life runs on Mondays. Reach Joan Morris at [email protected].