Have You Noticed That Squirrels in Maine Are Super Chunky?

Meet Fatty McFatterson from Damariscotta.

The Bangor Daily News reporter Julia Bayly did a fantastic article where she started off saying they are calling it “Squirrelzilla.” Lots of people are reporting that the little gray squirrel that usually scampers around nervously is moving a tad slower this year, cuz they are packing on the pounds. This squirrel was named Fatty McFatterson by Beth Ditkoff in Damariscotta.

Beth's little 'Fatty' is so big that the support posts on her deck rails aren't big enough for him to hide behind. Okay, that's bad! She told the Bangor Daily News,

I’m looking at him right now because he’s watching me through the glass door. We have this deck and we are used to seeing squirrels scampering around, but there is no scampering anymore.

Beth says that squirrels aren't running around anymore. Oh no, they are actually lumbering, waddling, and plodding around looking for the next meal. I thought only I did that! If you have a bird feeder, you know that it's a squirrel feeder too. And those suckers are determined to get those yummy seeds. According to the BDN article, some squirrels have figured out how to unlatch feeders so they have a giant pile of seeds. Others actually stuff themselves, take a nap IN THE SEEDS and wake up to do it all over again!

It's a bumper crop of fat squirrels because the wild food they live on has been plentiful. Acorns, beechnuts, and hazelnuts are some of the nuts that all sorts of wildlife eat to survive a Maine winter. Plus, look at your lawn. Is it still packed with mushrooms? That's thanks to the wet humid weather we've had. It's providing yet another food source for our plump little friends. 

Do you have a giant squirrel in your backyard? Maybe try intermittent fasting. It worked for me.