jimmyjames

get a cat

Tsal

Squirrels.....yuk...we had squirrels get into our attic...we tried everything. Finally I heard that spreading bloodmeal in the attic would deter them from wanting to be in there. I purchased 2 pounds of bloodmeal at our local greenhouse (it doesn't smell bad or anything.... just smells like earth to me) and sprinkled it on top of the insulation. We haven't had squirrels up there since we did that (4 years +) It also deters deers and rabbits from eating the garden. It is used and sold at the greenhouse as a fertilizer.

chrisn

Bloodmeal will not work in the yard if you own a dog, trust me.

Red Squirrel

I'd close the hole up, that's the #1 fix. If squirrels can fit, so can bugs, and even snow. You want your attic to be fairly well sealed from anything but air. (still want air to circulate, but the air holes should be small and in large numbers).

See if you can live capture them and just bring them far in the bush somewhere. I'd also check for food in insulation since they probably figured the insulation is a perfect place to store winter food, and you don't want that food to rot and cause smells.

Also check for a nest with babies, just see if you can move it outside or see if animal control has tips on that. I would not do anything to harm them but you do want them out of the attic!

PLAIN O TX

Do whatever you can to stop them. We spent over $6K (no kidding) repairing damage from the pests. We put up Hardie soffit hoping the cement board would discourage them. The next thing we are going to try to eliminate them is peanut butter, plaster of paris, and vegetable oil in equal mixtures rolled into balls. I am told it turns them into "rock squirrels" when it absorbs liquid from their insides. Plus the plaster cooking them from the inside. One of my neighbors shoots them with a pellet rifle and all of our neighbors are gratefull!

fireguy

I got home this AM, and was informed the squirrel that got in the trap was in the garage, and I had to take care of it . Two neighbor dogs spotted the squirrel and killed it. The squirrel is still in the cage, dead. But, the cage is OK, so I will remove the squirrel, bait the trap and catch another tree rat. I have to do this after dark, the neighbors love the nasty things.

gma2rjc

We really like the squirrels in our back yard. We bought a squirrel feeder so we could watch them, especially in the winter. They sure are cute.

BUT! If they were getting in my attic, that would be a different story. They would be my biggest enemy.

BTW, I was told by another member of this forum that if you sprinkle boric acid in your attic in generous amounts, you won't have animals or bugs up there. They hate the stuff. It's won't be a problem for you or your family if you put it in your attic.

Red Squirrel

Actually if you feed them regularly it seems to keep them out of trouble. Most people here feed them and I don't hear of any issues. I used to tame squirrels all the time at camp. They're fun little fellas to have around. Chipmunks are fun too, they tend to be less timid then squirrels. I did manage to get some squirrels to eat from my hand though. They love Reeses peanut butter cups. Gets expensive though. And the last thing you want to do is give sugar to one. If I could convince a squirrel to keep running in a hamster wheel it could probably power a whole block.

gma2rjc

I haven't tried feeding them from my hand. I did feed chipmunks (not Alvin or Theodore) from my hand at the top of a mountain in Estes Park, Colorado. They were fat little guys. I think every other tourist fed them too.

It seems that we're providing lodging for our squirrels as well. The small window in our shed is missing the bottom pane, so I think they spend the winter in there. They don't do any damage though. If they did, we'd spend the $5 to replace the glass. lol

We've tried putting Froot Loops in the bird feeder they eat out of, but they weren't interested. I didn't know they liked sugar.

I rented an old farm house about 24 years ago. Off the back of the kitchen was a 'canning kitchen'. There was a door that closed it off from the regular kitchen. Every time I opened that door, I saw squirrels scurrying to get outside through the ceiling. We moved out after 6 months. They're only cute when they're outside. A week after we moved out, we went back to get the rest of the furniture. We found acorns under the couch and a bed. Yikes! They didn't even offer to pay part of the rent!

Red Squirrel

Haha wow, yeah it's really good to properly fix any possible way they can get in, the same way you'd fix stuff indoors if you don't want your cat or dog to get to a certain area. Squirrels are too curious...

fireguy

Squirrels can be trained. We train them not to eat out of the bird feeder. We tell them "No! Bad squirrel, bad squirrel!" Of course that never works, but a bit of cayenne pepper does work! They get a mouthfull of seeds and pepper, spit the seeds out and rub their little faces aganst the lilac bush bark. Once is usually enough.

We have used moth flakes, not moth balls. Flakes work best. It is best to do that just before you leave for vacation. It also kills bugs, spiders and crawly thing. The most potent way to use flakes is put some in a coffee can, set it on the stove and leave quickly.

Cecosugi

I'm picturing this and laughing. Not in an evil way. It just makes me wonder how you "gently" discharge a CO2 extinguisher! Every time I've had a fire extinguisher to discharge, they have the power of a fire HOSE, and I end up getting it everywhere. And the noise! Nothing gentle about it!

I wish there was a gentle way to kill the little buggers, but I don't think there is. Don't get me wrong...I like squirrels as much as the next animal lover, but not if they were chewing a hole in my house!

chrisn

[quote=Cecosugi;323296]I'm picturing this and laughing. Not in an evil way. It just makes me wonder how you "gently" discharge a CO2 extinguisher! Every time I've had a fire extinguisher to discharge, they have the power of a fire HOSE, and I end up getting it everywhere. And the noise! Nothing gentle about it!

I agree completly!

Here is what I use for the little beasts, works great!


http://www.cabelas.com/p-0012674212177a.shtml

fireguy

[quote=chrisn;323551]
We did have the air gun loaded and cocked. The little nasties would recognize the end the barrel poking out the door and run. But, shooting an air gun is not as easy as most people think. I shot one squirrel and broke the tail. The neighbor's wife adopted that one and I did not dare to try for that one again.

I would try one of the .22s, but the noise factor would limit the deniability.

There seems to be some confusion about the CO2 extinguisher, it is colorless, odorless but does make noise. A dry chemical extinguisher is much quieter, mostly odorless but is very visible! The CO2 displaces the oxygen and the squirrel just goes to sleep, w/o much distress. I have had enough practice I just feather the valve handle so only vapor goes into the plastic trash bag, not the "snow".

Another thing about CO2 extinguihers, they kept the kid's cat out of my shop. I do not care for cats, I have an allergy to them. A couple of shots of CO2 at the cat, and it soon learned to keep out of my shop. The cat even got nervous when I loaded/unloaded the van of fire extinguihers. Now, if I could have figured how to teach the cat not to crap in the flowers in the house. It was easier to teach the kids to clean up after the cat. Then the kids taught themselves to throw the cat outside when the cat started to perch over the flowers.

Scuba_Dave

I've used a .22 w/cap rounds - very little noise
I used to prop the basement bulkhead open just enough to shoot
Squirrels can take a lot of hits from a BB gun or pellet gun

We also used to catch them live & bring them over to my Uncle
He had a hawk or falcon that he fed them to

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