If you're thinking about attracting squirrels to your wildlife porch, you may want to consider the possible impacts on your pets, plants, home, and wild bird feeding, your neighbors, and laws and regulations.

Bird Discouragers

Squirrels like most bird feed, so if you're feeding birds, you may find yourself with no birds, no bird feed, and fat squirrels. Not only do the squirrels gorge on the bird feed, but they will also discourage birds from approaching.

Container Plant Destroyers

If you garden on your porch, patio, or balcony, beware that squirrels like chewing on certain plants like crocus, tulips, snapdragons, strawberries, and Japanese maples.

Laws and Regulations

Some housing associations may prohibit you from feeding squirrels from your balcony or other outdoor areas. What's more, in some towns, it's illegal to feed squirrels. Of course, other considerations exist for attracting wildlife general to small outdoor areas.

Your Neighbors

Encouraging squirrels to visit your wildlife porch means more squirrels in the neighborhood. That's more squirrels to harass your neighbors, eating their container-grown fruit or nesting in their exterior walls. Many people consider squirrels "tree rats".

Flea Carriers

The fleas squirrels carry can easily be transferred to your dog or cat (but, then, that's true of most mammals that wander through your backyard or porch).

Household Destroyers

Squirrels can chew through house exteriors, thick plastic food containers, and more. By chewing electrical lines, squirrels have been known to cause house fires. The possibility exists, however remote.

See Also

Check out my posts on deterring squirrels or even feeding squirrels, if you decide not to deter them.