Squirrel Question for the Alpha Gams!
 

Hi Ladies!
Excuse the intrusion on your board; I'm writing on behalf of my 6 year old who has a question about Alpha Gamma Delta's mascot.

There is a squirrel who has been visiting our porch several times a day for the past week or so and my daughter *loves* to leave out peanuts for him. He'll even approach her to get them from her hand, although he isn't quite that bold yet.

Anyhow, while we were sitting on the porch today I told her that there is a sorority called Alpha Gamma Delta and guess what the mascot is? She got a huge smile and said, "A squirrel???" I said yes and she informed me that "the squirrel is the cutest mascot ever!" (she is a very enthusiastic little person) Then she decided she wanted to name the squirrel who hangs out in our yard after the AGD squirrel.

I took a quick look at your International website, but no real squirrel info. Does your squirrel have a name?

Thanks!
Tracy (and Caroline)

Hi Tracy,

The Alpha Gam squirrel does have a name. It's Skiouros, which is the Greek word for Squirrel. Here is a brief description of Skiouros taken from the recent Quarterly on Fraternity Ed Review :

"In the days when Gamma first made the triple colors of red, buff, and green her own, some of her energetic number sought a mascot to symbolize the characteristics of the colors and progress of Alpha Gamma Delta. In the autumn tints, so beautifully dear to us in our song of that anme, they received the suggestion, and the little squirrel, typical frequenter of autumn haunts, was chosen as the mascot...Our ittle friend, we find is also nimble and agile - he leaps from branch to branch and accomplishes much progress...to symbolize the spirit that never dies, the spirit of energetic alertness and progress."

i hope that helps with your daughter!

Nicole

Something I just thought of......there are squirrels of different colors just as there are AGDs of different colors..but we are all the same!:D

Nickname the squirrel Ski(ee)ts or skeeter! :)

Them red squirrels in Michigan are pretty bold. They don't care at all.

Hope y'all don't mind that I crash, too!

I see tons of squirrels in my neighborhood (I live 1/2 mile from a huge park). I can't help but notice that the red squirrels are hit by cars much more often than the others. Is there a reason for this?

Btw, I have a "squirrel-friend" who comes to my deck when I whistle a certain way. He (she?) knows I have treats!

Funny thing happened yesterday--my roommate and I were studying in our room and the window was open 'cause it's been nice out lately. I saw a movement in the window and figured it was the Betas' cat who always comes here, looking for food (I think it's cause she secretly wishes she was an AGD cat :D) but no! It was a brown squirrel, sitting INSIDE our room! Brown squirrels are pretty hard to come by in Toronto, mostly one sees black, mangy looking ones. Our little friend sat on the window ledge for a while, sniffing at us but then ran away when s/he figured out we had no food :)

I like to think that Skiourios was wishing my luck on my exam :p

My Mom lives in a neighborhood that is home to a solid black squirrel. Believe me, it is the talk of the street! (No one has ever seen one here in Tennessee.) I recall seeing some in Michigan once, but never in the South.

Also, has anyone ever seen the squirrels near the coast of South Carolina that look like a cross between a squirrel and a raccoon? They are wild!

We definitely have black squirrels in Michigan. Perhaps that one in Tennesee got lost!

The one in South Carolina that looks like a mix definitely sounds interesting. How does it look like a raccoon? The coloring?

We have a pet squirrel at the clinic I work at-his name is Mango. He was found paralyzed and we were only suppose to keep him for a few days to see if he would regain the function of his hind legs. My boss became very fond of him and 2 years later he is still there. When we give him nuts he goes around the clinic and hides them-it is so cute. He likes to play with stuffed animals and he also likes to have his neck rubbed. He has such a personality!

That is funny that you mentioned the black squirrely... my father in law has been catching squirrels in his yard for about the last year and relocating them to another part of town... away from his yard... they have been eating his bulbs and flowers. But before he relocates them, he spray paints them black... so that he can tell if they are finding their way back to his yard.... all I can say is that I'm glad he isn't killing them.

If anyone is near Brevard NC be on the look out for white squirrels.

Hello?? PETA?

There is a squirrel living in a tree outside my office and it comes pretty close to me when I'm outside. I'm sure the little critter wanted a bite of the peanut butter sandwich I had, so I might get some unsalted peanuts in a shell to leave for it when i eat outside.

Reminds me of this site:

http://squirrelhazing.squirrelsinblack.org/

I am against it also... I have tried to get him to just feed them and maybe they won't eat his plants... but his reply is that he would feed them something that would keep them alway... forever...

So if he just wants to paint them black or blue or pink then that is fine with me... at least they are alive.


As to PETA... don't get me started...

We just returned from a family vacation on the east coast, and Arwen finally got to meet her first squirrel (s)... cute chubby gray ones. My best childhood friend in PA sat on the front steps with her to feed them, which she has been doing since we were kids. Arwen LOVED it and got to do it again when we went down to D.C. later in the week.

I would have introduced her to the ones in the big tree by the house I grew up in, but they used to throw acorns at us anytime they thought we were trying to climb their tree. Can't have the little legacy start off with a negative squirrel experience...she may not pledge!