March 22, 1987
By Deborah Curtis Drummy
Vigo County Historical Society
Squirrel cage offbeat piece of local history
This week’s historical treasure, a homemade squirrel cage made of sheet metal, is one of those offbeat items tending to make would-be researchers pull out their hair. Knowing, however, that the cage dates from around 1890 and was built and used locally, it’s not too difficult to speculate about its background. The point to begin with is why a squirrel might have found a place as a household pet in the first place.
The answer might spring from the fact that, until recently, pet shops offering small “petting” animals such as guinea pigs, white mice, hamsters and gerbils, were the providence of big cities. Rural children had their dogs, cats and livestock, but for variety they turned to the vast array of wild creatures they encountered daily--snakes, frogs, turtles and their two most frequent mammalian wild pets, raccoons and squirrels.
Raccoons, given their large size and unpredictable temperaments, were more suited to outdoor activities. Squirrels, however, made more appropriate household pets; their smaller size was more suited to cages and their diets of hickory nuts, acorns and dried corn were much easier to provide.
Finding young squirrels to raise was not too difficult. The farm woodlot, where trees were harvested to make fenceposts and lumber, or areas being cleared to make fields or pastures, were the chief source. The high squirrel nests, inaccessible in a standing tree, came down to the easy reach of children eager to nurture any homeless young squirrels they found.
In the Wabash Valley, the most common squirrel is the fox squirrel, which is unique among squirrels in that it most active in the daytime. Other squirrels are chiefly nocturnal. This habit makes it a more fun squirrel to keep, and less disruptive to a good night’s sleep! Another rodent, the flying squirrel, is purported to make an even better pet, given its tame, affectionate nature.
The museum’s squirrel cage was obviously built by someone who cared about the resident squirrel’s comfort. The “house” part of the cage is quite roomy (11 by 19 by 21 inches) with a sliding feeding door and screened ventilation windows. The attached wheel made of hollow metal tubes provided the squirrel with vital exercise opportunities. A squirrel housed in such quarters and given adequate food and water could possibly have lived well into its teens. Squirrels in the wild, if lucky enough to survive their first year (most don’t), might expect to live an average of only six to eight years.
The squirrel cage, which came from the George F. Keller residence southwest of Brazil, was donated to the museum in 1976 by Beatrice Keller Scheid. It may be seen in the Victorian nursery on the museum’s second floor.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.