We have squirrels and we have rats. They all have their own unique virtues and faults.
The squirrels are worst with the fruit trees. They bounce around and take a bite of everything so all the fruit goes bad. The rats, by comparison, are quite sensible and polite: They find one ripe piece of fruit and nibble it beginning to end, sometimes over the course of a couple days. Sometimes even while watching you.
Of course the squirrels don't try to sneak in the house when it gets cold like the rats do.
We also have ants. If its very cold, very hot, or very wet, they come in the house. As it's currently cold and wet, we have to deal with the ants. Fortunately, they're not the stinging kind, just very prolific.
An exterminator told us that the only way to get rid of all of them was to get rid of all our fruit trees and most of our plants and basically live in a concrete mausoleum. This does not appeal.
Instead, we view the wildlife as entertainment. The dogs love chasing the squirrels and the rats, and even sometimes catch the rats if they come inside. And the ants do useful work in the garden, so we just make sure to put all the food in tightly sealing containers and take the garbage out more often.
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