Squirrels

[TakingThe5th]

Looking for effective solutions against grey squirrels. We were prepping for our first trip of the season and discovered that Mom had found a home for the 3 little ones in the rear of the 5er, mainly on the street side. She gained enterance at the bumper support by jumping on the bumper and chewing thru the chloroplast. Here may have been a small hole there but it's hard to tell now. The other side is pretty tight. She chewed away some of those pesky wires for tank sensors, tail lights, and interior electrical but she did not get inside.

When we winterized last fall we used all the usual stuff to deter mice-cloves, dryer sheets, electronic device, and lots of mothballs all around the exterior and especially around the tires and landing gear. Stabilizer jacks were up. We still had the strong odor of moth balls all around and mothballs still in the gravel driveway.

The nest inside was made primarily with leaves and there must have been a small amount of water in the hose leading from the water tank because she chewed through the hose and tank fitting to get the water. About 1 foot of hose was half chewed off.

We are finally the road after three hard days work to fix things up and so far all looks good except my back and fingers which look pretty raw.

Any suggestions on how to avoid this next year?

[MrWizard]

Our rough coat Jack Russell is almost 18
She can't see the squirrels anymore and has lost interest in chaseing them, but she was a good example for our chocolate Chihuahua
And he won't let anything get past him, he has accepted the gauntlet, he is the critter dog now

[mabynack]

broken axle wrote:

kellertx5er wrote:
Ground cayenne pepper- get it cheap at the dollar stores and apply liberally.

I bought Cayenne peanuts by accident and thought it would be funny to watch the squirrels eat them and run for the nearest water source. heck they loved them and the cayenne didn't bother them they ate the whole bag in 2 days. I found brillo pads work well for plugging holes. they hate the steel wool but the soap also adds another dimension to the issue. I also had a female squirrel with babies in my first house there is nothing that will deter her if the babies are still in there.

I grew Jalapeno Peppers a couple of years ago and found several of them that the squirrels had taken a bite out of. I wondered if they did it by accident or actually liked them.

[broken_axle]

kellertx5er wrote:
Ground cayenne pepper- get it cheap at the dollar stores and apply liberally.

I bought Cayenne peanuts by accident and thought it would be funny to watch the squirrels eat them and run for the nearest water source. heck they loved them and the cayenne didn't bother them they ate the whole bag in 2 days. I found brillo pads work well for plugging holes. they hate the steel wool but the soap also adds another dimension to the issue. I also had a female squirrel with babies in my first house there is nothing that will deter her if the babies are still in there.

[JaxDad]

TakingThe5th wrote:
Looking for effective solutions against grey squirrels.


Any suggestions on how to avoid this next year?

I use the Mark 1 Jack Russell. Even rodents with good PR like squirrels don't stand a chance. Very effective indeed.

[mabynack]

I've been battling with rodents, too. I have two electronic repellants. One in the front basement and one in the rear of the RV. I sealed around all the plumbing with steel wool last year. The did over $500 in damage to my wiring and I had the repairman put rat poison in the belly pan when they reinstalled it.

I haven't seen any new activity so far, but I probably won't discover any issues until my lights quit working and the circuit breakers start popping.

[ro_sie]

I am one of those sinners who actually fed the little devils. Bought dried corn on the cob for them. Then at a time when I guess I was lax on puttong corn out for them they chewed huge holes in the plastic trash can that I stored the corn in. Ruined like over half a barrel of corn because it rained and the corn went bad. I got rid of the corn and also the trash can and I don't feed them anymore. In fact, I sprayed watered down pine sol all over the patio where I fed them, patio table and chairs, everything there as a matter of fact. the squirrels left. I kinda miss their antics, but not their destructive ways.

[edatlanta]

As was stated previously: .22 cal pellet rifle with scope. Mine is a Benjamin BTN292SX. It also works well on chipmunks which I had a bunch of. No problems now. Besides, it gives me something to do early in the mornings while drinking coffee. I have worked myself out of a job however. No more of the little critters around my place. Good!

[Impkitti]

DavidP wrote:
If you notice they get access again you need to trap them immediately and relocate them at least 10 miles away.

You need to check with your local ordinances before relocating. Many places require that you either release them at the edge of your property or kill them humanly.

Relocating is a slow death for many animals as they do not know where to find food or shelter, plus they are now in someone else territory.

[nineoaks2004]

I have 2 feist dogs that would love to get with your squirrels, I have no problems
with them around. Remember those tree rats are good to eat too.

[kellertx5er]

Ground cayenne pepper- get it cheap at the dollar stores and apply liberally.

[Shadow_Catcher]

Rat traps bait with chocolate.

[tonymull]

Rodents hate steel wool. You can also get powdered coyote urine online, just google it. Works and I never noticed the smell myself. Besides it gives the coyotes gainful employment.

[Lynnmor]

You can get stainless steel wool that won't rust.

[TakingThe5th]

Thanks for the feedback. The spray would be tough to do with he sealed underbelly although I've been thinking about some aluminum flashing around the edge as an alternative. The DW was wondering if I could somehow turn that into an electric fence-Ha.

I don't know how well urine will work in combination with snow. I know gardeners who walk around their plots dragging a shovelful of Cougar dung in the spring and that very slight smell is effective but again, snow.

I've also heard steel wool solutions and might be willing to try it except for the rust and the mess.

Mama S showed up while I was doing the repairs and I didn't have my .22 but I threw at least 22 things at her without any luck.

I hear those words about Mom and the kids returning. Mom I worry about but the young ones were already invited for dinner by other wildlife. Hope to see more of them.