Indian Palm Squirrels for sale

Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum

Help Support Aussie Pythons & Snakes Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Stewart – I was saying the current population of Palm squirrels appear to be radiating out of Perth Zoo – that is have found a safety in the zoo grounds from predators (Cats, foxes or dogs most probably). But back to my last statement to my knowledge there has never been a bio diversity risk assessment done on these little guys or many other animals in Australia.

By what you are saying – a flock of sheep is a pest species because it breeds in the farmers paddocks. (You have not taken in account the farmer keeps the sheep safe from predators much the same as the Perth Zoo fences protect the palm squirrel’s from predators)

You can release guinea pigs in your back yard – they might bread for a while – but before long they will probably die out due to hawks and other land predators (Cats, foxes and dogs).

JasonL – I also saw many species squirrels in both Thailand and Bali – you can often see them bouncing along the tops of buildings in Thailand. But without the assessment there is no way of determining if they will become a pest in Australia.

As pointed out before a population of Indian palm squirrels was established in Sydney and Adelaide – but since died out. Gray and Red Squirrels in both Melbourne and Ballarat – since died out.

Back to what I was saying – there has never been any bio diversity risk assessment done on Indian Palm Squirrel – and as a result we do not know the potential risk they pose to the Australian environment. What we can say is to date they have not been very successful at colonizing Australia (Two out of three isolated population since vanished)
 
All the animals you have mentioned were deliberately released and many of them were released multiple times due to failure of the first release (there was a rabbit master paid to watch over the released rabbits).

So the other feral species didn't take off straight away, what makes you think the squirrels are any different?
 
Stewart – I was saying the current population of Palm squirrels appear to be radiating out of Perth Zoo – that is have found a safety in the zoo grounds from predators (Cats, foxes or dogs most probably). But back to my last statement to my knowledge there has never been a bio diversity risk assessment done on these little guys or many other animals in Australia
By what you are saying – a flock of sheep is a pest species because it breeds in the farmers paddocks. (You have not taken in account the farmer keeps the sheep safe from predators much the same as the Perth Zoo fences protect the palm squirrel’s from predators)

I was saying the current population of Palm squirrels appear to be radiating out of Perth Zoo

There's no doubt about that. In fact, I mentioned the feral population at Perth Zoo just before you denied its existence.

I don't think that anyone from Australia would disagree with you - sheep are definitely a pest species (albeit a tasty one) over here! But a flock of sheep in a paddock being cared for by a farmer isn't a self-sustaining population - the farmer is an outside entity that is sustaining the population. Again, maybe something is being lost in translation here. You sophisticated New Yorkers might have different definitions for these terms compared to our simple Australian ones.

Speaking of New Yorkers, it must really be the town that never sleeps! Why are you up so early in the morning?!? You must be very enthralled in this discussion!

But back to my last statement to my knowledge there has never been a bio diversity risk assessment done on these little guys or many other animals in Australia

You keep going back to that statement. No one's disagreeing with you here. But the fact that a biodiversity risk assessment has never been done doesn't negate the fact that there is a wild, feral, self-sustaining population of these cute little squirrels in Australia. And according to the source you found while Googling, they're been here since 1898. That's a fairly long track record of existence. And I'm sure that your denial of their 110 year existence would be very offensive to them. Or perhaps the population is not self-sustaining, but is instead comprised of 110-year-old squirrels?

there has never been any bio diversity risk assessment done on Indian Palm Squirrel – and as a result we do not know the potential risk they pose to the Australian environment

But we do know that they have the potential to produce a wild, feral, self-sustaining population in Australia. And this, despite no one having done a biodiversity risk assessment.

This thread has gone on so long I've forgotten what we were even talking about. I'm not sure that you even knew what we were talking about in the first place.

Vegetarian cats, carnivorous dugongs, extinct squares... What's the world coming to?!?!


Stewart
 
OK gentle people, all those who want to learn about the introduction of feral animals and plants in this country, may I suggest you get and read a copy of "They All Ran Wild" by Eric Rolls. 1969,
This is about the introduction of feral animals, birds and plants. You will be staggered, amazed and relieved, to learn about the amount of ferals that were introduced, but were not successful at adapting to Aus. conditions. Good read, promise!
 
Resourceful critters...

I don't think we should allow squirrels into Australia. Maybe it's not a totally relevant point but look at what happened in the UK where introduced grey squirrels adapted so well that the native reds are now endangered... I lived in London for ten years and I can assure you that they don't need oak trees to thrive!!! I had one grey squirrel who lived in my backyard and earned the nickname "Fat Bastard" after ripping open the bags and gorging on rubbish every Monday before the dustman came around. Got so fat that he couldn't climb vertical surfaces (i.e. the wall of my house) like "normal" squirrels can. Squirrels are highly intelligent, persistant and always hungry. Anyone remember the David Attenborough doc where they set up a series of obstacles and mazes for the wild squirrels to negotiate in order to get to a stash of nuts? There you go. I'm sure that if enough of them got out we'd be in trouble... Also I was shocked to see them climbing coconut palm trees in Bali!!! Coming from an English winter it didn't compute, I couldn't believe what I had seen! I can tell you there aren't many oak trees there, and more than a few starving, stray cats and dogs who should be able to keep them in check... All that said I saw one the other day out at the Frog and Reptile show in Sydney and there's no denying that they are almost unbearably cute small fuzzies...
 
I don't think we should allow squirrels into Australia.

...seems a moot point since they have been here for the best part of 100 years...

...as has been said, the populations in the Southern States have died out - so we seem pretty safe in that regard - and the Perth Zoo population seem to be controlled from any major spread due to predation or similar...

...however, JasonL makes a great point in that these cities don't fulfil the requirements for the Squirrels to thrive - and if an environmental impact study is yet to be completed then a lot of caution needs to be taken to control their spread as 'pets' as noone seems to know for sure IF they will have an effect on the more Northern regions where the climate, in theory, would be more suited...
 
For those that are interested - get out to the Frog & Reptile Expo today and have a look at one of these squirrels. Yes, they are very cute. But seriously, the only reason any of us would want to buy one is because in NSW we can buy a squirrel off a breeder but not a sugar glider. Go Figure!!! Surely there would be much less envirnmental risk if they just allowed us to buy sugar gliders off breeders in Victoria or South Australia. Oh, and I dont think they would cost us $1,000 each either.
 
these were at Berkshire Park Bird Farm when I went there yesterday
 
They were so tiny, im not a fan. For 1k i dont see the appeal.
 
Grim - Agreed, interesting due to the novelty factor, limited appeal at a reasonable price - no appeal at $1k
 
You can release guinea pigs in your back yard – they might bread for a while – but before long they will probably die out due to hawks and other land predators (Cats, foxes and dogs).

i have had guinea pigs running around my back yard, and breding quite profusly for years without any substantial predation.
 
$1000 for squirrel what a joke they where selling them up my way for $175 each . i was also told they werent the best pets as they like to hide most of the day.
 
For those that are interested - get out to the Frog & Reptile Expo today and have a look at one of these squirrels. Yes, they are very cute. But seriously, the only reason any of us would want to buy one is because in NSW we can buy a squirrel off a breeder but not a sugar glider. Go Figure!!! Surely there would be much less envirnmental risk if they just allowed us to buy sugar gliders off breeders in Victoria or South Australia. Oh, and I dont think they would cost us $1,000 each either.


That's a good point you raised PJ.
 
Speaking of New Yorkers, it must really be the town that never sleeps! Why are you up so early in the morning?!? You must be very enthralled in this discussion!

I think we all know Miss Croft isn't really in New York :D ;)
 
I had a pet grey squirrel in the states for a while. It was free - just picked it up off the road where the rest of its family had been wiped out by cars. Nice little animal, but not worth $1000!
 
hahaha ..... even if they went feral...they look good ...better then freakin toads.
 
I was actually at the Zoo yesterday and just found this thread while trying to find more info on these squirrels. I had to ask one of the Zoo guides if they were chipmunks or squirrels!

What he told me was that they basically jumped ship while the animals get transfered and roam free around the Zoo and other areas. I asked him if they were pests, but he said they didnt pose any threat to Australian wildlife so werent actually pestsof any sort.

He said that they are also found in other surrounding areas of Perth Zoo, and if you catch them you can keep them!!!

Thanks for the interesting conversations about the Indian Squirrels, I thought that if they would make a sweet pet for my daughter, but if they were being sold for $1000, that seems a bit steep for something you could catch for nothing, maybe next time we go to the Zoo we will come armed with nets...:lol:

Does anyone know if you can buy them elsewhere?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Back
Top