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Barnyard Buddies:  Getting rid of squirrels  |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 02 2009 : 12:23:13 PM
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| My dad has had a terrible problem with squirrels and now they are getting into the apartment house. Trapping is not an option as he lives at the edge of the woods and they will just keep coming. He "kicked them out" of his shop so now they are getting into his rental house! He's more interested in poisons or deterrants. Anyone know of anything. I can't find anything on line. It's all for city use where you have to get a permit to trap a squirell...hahahh |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2009 : 2:10:55 PM
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Cats!! They are great squirrel deterrants. I have 6 outside cats and not a squirrel or bird in sight. I'd love to have a bird feeder but just can't because of the cats. It would not be fair at all. We don't even have mice anymore. And they are always hunting in the fields, too. I just feed them in the morning a little and they're on their own the rest of the day.
Good luck. Kris
Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. Maori proverb |
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vermont v
True Blue Farmgirl
194 Posts
Victoria
Chester
Vermont
USA
194 Posts |
Posted - Jan 02 2009 : 4:07:21 PM
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One of the easiest things to is to find out where the little devils are getting in and plug up the hole with something. Also if they are already in get a Havahart trap and give them a long trip out into the country. |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2009 : 09:07:45 AM
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| He's already in the country, thats the problem. |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2009 : 06:52:54 AM
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We had a terrible problem with squirrels for about 3 winters in a row. They were coming in through holes in the rotten boards behind our gutters. They were incredibly stubborn. We suspect it was the same squirrels coming in over and over, even though Animal Control swore that they were taking them across the river to release them (our area has a law against transporting wildlife, so we couldn't drive them way out to the country). This fall we got new gutters, which included replacing the boards, and we think this is the final solution.
In the meantime, though, there were a couple of things that worked well:
1. Plugging the hole: My husband filled the holes where they were getting in with a combination of steel wool and spray-in foam insulation (I think the brand name is "Great Stuff"/"Crate Stuff" - not sure of the spelling). He couldn't actually reach the holes because of where they were located, so he just rammed a bunch of steel wool pads down there and then sprayed in a ton of insulation to seal the area.
2. Making them not want to come in: We heard that ammonia will repel squirrels (same affect as the smell of a cat's litter box). We filled up several old teacups and set them in a row right along the eaves in the attic. Alternated with teacups full of mothballs.
When we got the right comination of steel wool and stinky things, the squirrels seemed to give up. We didn't have any trouble with them for a full year before we got the new gutters. We didn't try to poison them because we didn't want them to die inside our walls. Also because we like squirrels, in general. Just not in the house! |
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Marybeth
True Blue Farmgirl
6418 Posts
Mary Beth
Stanwood
Wa 98292
USA
6418 Posts |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2009 : 10:03:14 AM
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Re cats: We do have a cat... but he doesn't go outside and once the squirrels were inside we were leery of shutting him up in an enclosed space with them (the attic). Our old street-brawling cat got some nasty infections from bite wounds. Just having a cat in the house was not enough to deter the squirrels from coming in, because they never encountered him directly.
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dkelewae
True Blue Farmgirl
1310 Posts
Diana
Saint Peters
MO
USA
1310 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2009 : 10:55:32 AM
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I generally love all furry critters, and although squirrels are cute, they're definitely a nuisance! Our neighborhood is over run with the yard rats, and they've terrorized my bird feeders, dug up plants and bulbs, and even chewed hunks out of our wood privacy fence.
I have 3 cats but they stay indoors, so they're no help. I also have a dog who's 1/2 lab 1/2 beagle...but the only time he wants out is to do his business and even then he wants me out there with him, so he's basically useless too.
I wish we could use a .22, but we live in the burbs and it's against the law.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #272
St. Peters MO
Country Girl trapped in the city!
http://farmgirldreams.blogspot.com/ |
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babysmama
True Blue Farmgirl
931 Posts
Elizabeth
Iowa
931 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2009 : 11:11:40 AM
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We had squirrels in our attic and could hear them in the walls. Hubby noticed a small hole around the vent fan so firgured that is where they were coming in. We didn't want to lock them into the attic but didn't know what else to do. So in the morning he put wire up to block the hole and we set a live trap with food in it so if one was locked in the attic without a place to escape we would catch him. Well, we must have shut them out because later in the day we saw two squirrels trying to get in and they couldn't and never caught a thing in the trap. Problem solved. I really think all you can do is try to stop them for entering your home by blocking the holes. Poison can make them die in your house and then you have a stink somewhere.
-Elizabeth |
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KJD
True Blue Farmgirl
402 Posts
402 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2009 : 7:44:16 PM
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| We have too many squirrels, but I LOVE wild birds, so it's been a battle. Finally, I read that squirrels don't like safflower seeds, but birds do, so I am using that excusively and it's a miracle! The sqirrels are still around the yard, but aren't terrorizing my feeders any longer - but I have more birds than I could dream of, and of every variety - this is wonderful! I can buy it in bulk at the feed store, or if in a pinch, the grocery store carries it as well. |
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eskimobirdlady
True Blue Farmgirl
700 Posts
connie
fairbanks
ak
USA
700 Posts |
Posted - Jan 05 2009 : 9:10:47 PM
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what about an airgun? are they ilegal too? a slingshot works well too with some practice! squirrels (and snakes) are the only thing alive i will shoot on sight just because they are there! i only do this within the perimeter of our yard because they are so destructive and costly! they eat the chicken and cow feed, thy spread disease, they destroy what ever they can get there nasty teeth into! i wouldnt use poison because of the chance of innocent critters getting into it! live traps are not effective as the little buggers will just procreate and you still have the problem! they have an internal gps and will just use it to come back home!!
peace connie in alaska |
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Barnyard Buddies: Getting rid of squirrels |
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Getting rid of squirrels
