Non Lethal Squirrel Deterents?????

[FISH4BUGS]

I have had it. A new world's record was set this morning with 14 gray squirrels feeding on the bird feeders and corn on the ground. We have 5 feeders and put out corn for the turkeys.
I could easily pop the squrirels with my scoped Marlin 80 and CB caps, but they are just trying to make a living like the rest of us.
Is there anything I can do to keep them away without shooting all of them?

[ErikO]

Well, getting an outdoor cat would work but that'd not fix the birds' ability to get to their food. lol

Squirell feeders that are easier to get to than the bird feeders might help. http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?cat=474

[markinalpine]

My oldest brother started a war with the local squirrels and raccoons over his bird feeders. What he ended up with (sorry, no pictures) was two 4X4 uprights 8" tall (10' posts embedded in the ground) about 4' apart. He placed 4" PVC over the bottom 3.5' of these posts. Then he built a platform between the two posts for ground feeding birds, and covered the platform with a shed roof hung between the tops of the posts, and hung various tube feeders and hummingbird feeders from this roof. Everything was working great until the deer moved in and trashed it, so he rebuilt the platform using 2X4s and plywood, and enclosed the whole platform with wire fence (12 gauge with about 4" square openings, IIRC) to keep the deer off.
He kind of went a little nuts! :veryconfu
Mark :coffeecom

[Blacksmith]

You might want to shoot some of them as they can be destructive. Chewed up the wireing in a car and did over $500 damage to the fuel system of my truck.

But here are some suggestions. My son has a Yankee Flipper and it is entertaining.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEW9TG6Dcgg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgDa_cpgHWs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5-d3rZZ-_M

Blacksmith

[Dale in Louisiana]

We had 'em attack the control wiring to one of my 7000-horsepower compressors. They'd crawl into the cable tray and start chewing away. My tech started out spraying Tabasco until he got some 'official' squirrel repellent. Problem has stopped.

Another one cost us a two-day outage when he took down a transformer. He didn't survive the flash.

I offered to spend the weekend in the station with my 10-22, but they pointed out that I was inside city limits...

dale in Louisiana

[Tom-ADC]

I use mothballs to keep cats and other critters out of the garden and flower beds.

[oneokie]

Well, getting an outdoor cat would work but that'd not fix the birds' ability to get to their food. lol

Squirell feeders that are easier to get to than the bird feeders might help. http://www.woodworkersworkshop.com/resources/index.php?cat=474

Have you personally witnessed what happens when a cat takes on a squirrel?

[ErikO]

Have you personally witnessed what happens when a cat takes on a squirrel?

Only a Maine Coon. Squirrel stood no chance once that big guy got ahold of him. It did take a while, but the cat suffered no damage. Never knew just how much blood there was in a squirrel...

[quilbilly]

Cayenne or hotter pepper powder mixed in with the food I am told works and doesn't affect the birds. After I moved our bird feeder that is on a skinny metal post farther away from our deck (about 4 feet), the squirrels quit bothering it but ours are the little native red squirrels, not those big alien gray squirrels.

[Pepe Ray]

Brunswick Stew

[Houndog]

Fried Squirrel makes a mighty good entre for dinner!

[DCM]

Short of lead poisoning we have found the twirl a squirrel to work best.

I tried for a long time to "train" them with a low velocity target air rifle to no avail.
We put a piece of heating pipe around the post to our XL size feeder, that was fun to watch for a couple of days but they learned to leap from the nearest perch with some success.
I don't shoot what I can't eat and the wife refuses to cook them but she does want them gone at almost any cost so we got the twirl a squirrel and they don't go near the feeder hanging from it.

[bearcove]

Magnum pellet gun and squirrel stew. They require a predator if food is available. The young ones aren't bad.

[bearcove]

PS. don't know any non-lethal methods. 22lr is best.

[Mk42gunner]

Have you personally witnessed what happens when a cat takes on a squirrel?

Yes. Sad to say that my Mom's house cat has gotten more squirrels in town than I have in the timber over the last few years. She is teaching her current crop of two kittens to do the same.

Cats don't have a problem killing squirrels, suprisingly enough. Cottontails are just a little bit too big so it takes them a while to kill a rabbit.

Robert

[dragonrider]

Here's what you need.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=fDng7wajzHA

[MtGun44]

How about rigging up a fence charger to some sort of a barrier, maybe a structure with
some insulators and string wire on the insulators and every other wire in the array being
grounded?

Bill

[contender1]

I am a state certified Animal Damage Control Agent. I deal with these questions all the time. Most of my squirrel work is to deal with the ones that have already invaded homes & are causing damage.
Chemical deterrents are, at best marginally effective. Even the "tried & true" mothballs do not work. (I know, I know, some folks swear by them. I just happen to see too many cases where they are tried & do not work.)
Bird feeders are a constant battle for homeowners.
A squirrel can leap up to 8 ft horizonally. It can leap up to 5 ft verticllly.
Think about these measurements when constructing a squirrel proof bird feeding station. First, a pair of metal poles, (slick ones,) or good wooden ones about 10 ft long with metal flashing wrapped around them, sunk in the ground approximately 7 ft apart, AT A 60 DEGREE ANGLE OPPOSING EACH OTHER. (Think of a "Y" without the bottom leg.) That will make the tops of the poles more than 7 ft apart. A 1/4" steel cable tightly strung inbetween each pole top. Attach a clamp for the feeder to the center of the cable where it can not slide to either end. On the cable inbetween each end and the clamp, add a 3" diameter piece of slick metal lightweight pipe. (The pipes should be about 1-2 ft long each.) These act as rollers if & when a squirrel actually gets on the pole or cable. If they get in the roller, it will roll them off. A short step ladder can be used to attach & fill the feeder. Just make sure the bottom of the feeder is at least 6 ft off the ground.

Then there is the guy I know who built a homemade catapult to launch the squirrel out into the lake,, as he had a lakefront home,,,!

[firefly1957]

I can tell you that 2 "AA" batteries connected to a old cameras strobe circuit can be fatal to a squirrel. I though it would just shock them and recharge but it killed instantly. If you have that many squirrels at feeder it is time to thin the herd I just know of no other way to prevent damage to nearby occupied spaces as if you cut them off from their food they will look elsewhere!

[crappiejig]

I have squirrells eating the handrails on my deck!They act like it's like crack or something.Shot a few of them with BB"s, and they just come back.I have new lumber to replace they old handrails, but i don't want to replace them if they are just gonna eat those too.Any suggestions?????

[ErikO]

Cottontails are just a little bit too big so it takes them a while to kill a rabbit.

Robert

And the racket rabbits make will make your hair stand on end, especially if you have kids.

[Charley]

I am a state certified Animal Damage Control Agent. I deal with these questions all the time. Most of my squirrel work is to deal with the ones that have already invaded homes & are causing damage.
Chemical deterrents are, at best marginally effective. Even the "tried & true" mothballs do not work. (I know, I know, some folks swear by them. I just happen to see too many cases where they are tried & do not work.)
Bird feeders are a constant battle for homeowners.
A squirrel can leap up to 8 ft horizonally. It can leap up to 5 ft verticllly.
Think about these measurements when constructing a squirrel proof bird feeding station. First, a pair of metal poles, (slick ones,) or good wooden ones about 10 ft long with metal flashing wrapped around them, sunk in the ground approximately 7 ft apart, AT A 60 DEGREE ANGLE OPPOSING EACH OTHER. (Think of a "Y" without the bottom leg.) That will make the tops of the poles more than 7 ft apart. A 1/4" steel cable tightly strung inbetween each pole top. Attach a clamp for the feeder to the center of the cable where it can not slide to either end. On the cable inbetween each end and the clamp, add a 3" diameter piece of slick metal lightweight pipe. (The pipes should be about 1-2 ft long each.) These act as rollers if & when a squirrel actually gets on the pole or cable. If they get in the roller, it will roll them off. A short step ladder can be used to attach & fill the feeder. Just make sure the bottom of the feeder is at least 6 ft off the ground.

Then there is the guy I know who built a homemade catapult to launch the squirrel out into the lake,, as he had a lakefront home,,,!

Ditto on the moth balls...Para crystals (para-dichlorobenzene) don't work, except under almost prefect conditions, which don't happen often. If you elect for chemical repellants, most of the pepper based products work fairly well. Critter Ridder is probably the best known, but there are several on the market that our folks have used.
Physical exclusion is more work, but will give the best results.

[Maven]

FISH4BUGS, Try this: http://www.havahart.com/store/live-animal-traps?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=%5Bhavahart+traps%5D&utm_content=%21acq%21v2%216689886983-787204346-436923220&utm_campaign=Bing+-+Branded+Terms+-+Newer

Btw, Amazon.com also sells them.

[Charley]

Trapping and relocating is a never ending cycle with animals like squirrels, racoons and possums. Nature won't tolerate a vacuum, as fast as you remove on animal, another takes its place, if the habitat is good for them.
You have to either going to kill them, or repel them.

[waksupi]

I have squirrells eating the handrails on my deck!They act like it's like crack or something.Shot a few of them with BB"s, and they just come back.I have new lumber to replace they old handrails, but i don't want to replace them if they are just gonna eat those too.Any suggestions?????

Livestock suppliers carry a product used to help stop horses from cribbing. I think it is called "Stop-Crib". It would probably work. Most likely the same stuff used to make a baby stop sucking it's thumb, but a lot cheaper. I bet it would help.

[MtGun44]

Probably salt soaked into the wood on the handrail problem. I have seen this with porcupines
too, hand oils and salt apparently are attractive if they are deficient of salt in their normal
diets. Kinda like a salt lick.

Bill

[BOOM BOOM]

HI,
THOSE WERE HILARIOUS. THANK YOU FOR THE LAUGHS.:Fire::Fire:

[contender1]

Ok, I gave advice on how to deal with the squirrels in bird feeders in a non-lethal way.
Others have asked about how to deal with them "differently."
If shooting them is out, then things must be done to alter their habits & patterns.
Realize this; ALL animals spend their entire life doing 3 things. Eating, sleeping or reproducing. Time is nothing to them.
If they are getting in your home, then they must be evicted. In NC, trapping requires either a trapping liscense, (and only good during trapping season,) or a depredation permit. (Permits are free.) Relocation of them is ILLEGAL. NC has a law against relocation due to disease issues. So, if you trap them, they must be killed, or released ON SITE.
In a squirrel job, I first seal the home of all POTENTIAL entry points. I use 3/8" gaps, cracks, or holes as a guideline. I add a chew preventive and an airflow sealant to those places. (We want to prevent the evictees from being able to re-enter somewhere else, or their cousins from moving in later on.) Next, over the main entry point(s) I install an excluding device. It's a one way valve that allows them to go out, but not get back in. Usually after 2-3 days,, all squirrels have left, and relocated locally on their own. No killing, and no more problems.

[10x]

I do not have a bird feeder but I have a number of spruce trees close to my home. I live trap and relocate over 20 squirrels over the course of a year. That is the only positive way to deal with them.
If you have 14 that you have seen, you have enough to make your self a bit of money on the side if the prime hides are marketable. Where you see 14 squirrels there are considerably more...

[btroj]

I have learned to just live with them. Our fox squirrels aren't getting into my attic, aren't destroying property, and generally just eat. I figure that since they aren't bothering me I will just leave them alone.

Now deer, they are a different story. They eat everything. Living in town shooting them is not an option.

The turkeys just pass thru. They are of no real concern.

[SharpsShooter]

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r255/SharpsShooter_photos/UmarexwithTruGloDot.jpg

Fires 6 round bursts at nearly 600 ft/sec. Very accurate and quiet. Probably not lethal unless you are 10 yards or less, but perhaps entertaining for you and educational for the squirrels.

SS

[higgins]

We have a couple of metal squirrelproof bird feeders from Lowe's that actually work and are reasonably priced. When a squirrel jumps on it, the outer spring-loaded casing slides down and covers the feed ports. They tried for a while to figure it out, but eventually gave up. Now the squirrels come up on the deck and poke around for dropped seeds and leave-they don't even jump on the feeders once they figure out that they won't get any seed out of them. We use black oil sunflower seeds in them; a smaller seed like millet may spill out on its own and waste a lot of seed. We don't put out any corn, so avoid attracting squirrels to it.

[ole 5 hole group]

Ha - you have mentally challenged squirrels. The War Department purchased a couple of those gizmos and the squirrels found a spot to hang upside down and will empty that puppy in 3 days.

[contender1]

The feeders that have the spring loaded pan are effective IF and only IF they are placed high enough that they can't jump up to them, on a pole they can't climb. Next, they can not be placed anywhere a squirrel can leap upon the roof of it as they will be able to hang upside down & get the feed. Think of a 8 ft circle around it from the ground up to infinity.

[Down South]

I don't have that problem at the house around my feeders since squirrel is one of my favorite foods.
The Havahart trap that Maven mentioned is what I was going to suggest if you can't shoot them in your area or if you don't digest them.

You could always transplant them to my place. My little 17 HMR would like to see them.

You do need to thin them out as they can become destructive. Like someone mentioned, sooner or later other squirrels will replace them so it will be an ongoing war. But it is doable. I've managed to keep them thinned out at my place.

[cajun shooter]

There was a special on one of the news programs that addressed this very problem. It was 60 minutes, 20-20 or one of the others.
They had wildlife experts set up different types of barriers and they timed how long it took the squirrels to defeat the set up.
Some took as long as three days but they were able to reach the food. The one that worked was close to the posting about using two poles with round short pieces put on the wire that would roll when they made contact.
I have one more thing to add. First you can't have any trees or objects that the squirrels may climb and jump. I have seen them jump from 90 foot pine trees when hunting in Louisiana.
You do the same set up that was posted but you also use heavy duty wheel bearing grease on the poles from top to bottom. You also cover the short pieces of pipe on the wire. Use a crimped fitting on both sides of where the hanging feeder is placed so that it stays in place. It has to be high enough so that no squirrel may jump up from ground level.
If this system is defeated I have some very good South Louisiana Recipes for them tree rats. Take Care David

[jonas302]

Take the bird feeders down and the squirrels will quit eating from them

[chuckbuster]

I'm not sure none lethal works......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrPOsqzqx7k

Kevin

[Four-Sixty]

I could always come over...

Your squirrel problem would "go away".