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  • From: "Doreen Howard" <gardendiva@charter.net>
  • To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>, <gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: crazycatlady07@comcast.net, David Howard <davidphoward@hotmail.com>
  • Subject: [NAFEX] More Critter Stories
  • Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 19:44:22 -0500

I spread cocoa hull mulch on a number of beds, because it does a terrific job of smothering weed seeds and stopping quake grass.  I bought a couple of bags yesterday to fill in spots that had migrated over the harsh winter.  However, the squirrels beat me to it.
 
Early this morning, I looked out the kitchen window to see about 30 squirrels congregated around a sack of cocoa hull mulch.  They had punctured the plastic bag and were eating the hulls.  What commenced was bizarre.  The old Credence Clearwater Revival song about "happy creatures dancing on the lawn" describes it best.  Evidently, the theobromine in the hulls acted like an intoxicant, because the squirrels ran, did cartwheels, hopped, shrieked and generally acted drunk!  Of course, I didn't have a camera handy.
 
Theobromine in chocolate and bean hulls will kill dogs, I know.  The compound causes hyperactivity, vomiting, arrhythmia, seizures, coma and sometimes death.  Can I hope the same hold true with squirrels?  Cocoa hulls are certainly a fragrant way to take care of destructive critters.
Doreen Howard
 



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