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We weren't aware of the tenacity of squirrels when they are trying to get into your home looking for food until we bought a cottage on a lake. My father-in-law told us to always leave the toilet lid down when we were away to keep the squirrels out. Yeah, right, I thought. Then we returned one weekend to find a squirrel which had drowned in one of the toilets. They get into those little roof pipes which connect to the toilets, come down, and then scamper about destroying everything in their way trying to get out again.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have squirrels nesting in my attic. My husband nosed around up there one day and found that they've been chewing through our phone and electrical lines, a huge fire hazard! Does anyone have any suggestions on humane ways to drive them away?
Rubber snakes bought from a discount or dollar store will scare them away. I have placed them in my planters that they dig in and also under by BBQ grill where they get into the grease catcher cup.
put a few boxes of moth balls in your attic the squirrels hate the smell
You might call your county animal control to see if they can lend you a trap. If not, try using a "Have A Hart" trap, they are easy to set and you can release the animal outside. Then you need to make necessary repairs so they will not return.
We are overrun with squirrels in our yard and my husband traps and releases them about a mile away in a park or field. They are destructive to fruit trees.
Syd Barr
Dunkirk, MD
My landlady and I had the same problem, so we contacted our local humane society for some assistance. Their wildlife department had highly recommended this man's business to us: "A Better Deal Animal Control, Inc." His name is Dave Gallanis,and he does fast, humane removal and relocation of the animals. He also does prevention and exclusion work and installs chimney caps.
We were very happy with the results he gave us. He gave us a total of twelve visits and he charged us $150.00.
This price also included the use of several different traps and the bait to help entice the animals into the traps.
He is located in New Berlin, Wisconsin and his phone number is (414)282-3700. Dave does excellent work and he was also the most reasonable in price. Other pest removal places charged for each individual visit, and they all don't treat the animals in a humane manner. I highly recommend him. - Kitty Wuerl
hi. my name is mike. i'm having problems with the squirrels going into the bird aviary. how can i get rid of the squirrels with rubber snakes? do i hang the snakes on trees,fences,or the bird aviary itself?can you help me out ? thank you.
mike
We created a new request for Mike so that it will get noticed. It can be found here: www.thriftyfun.com/
I had the same problem and a friend suggested I "borrow" a cat to put up there for one day... (of course leave some water and food for the cat) - put the cat up into the attic in the morning, take him out in the evening) do this for 2 days and the problem is solved!!
We had same problem in our house. Were told that if trapped, the critters must be removed at least 12-miles away; and you will only trap about 10% of squirrels in your neighborhood. Others will follow the scent of previous squirrel residents. What a life they have - free roof over their head, heating, cooling, comfortable flooring in the form of insulation, and tasty snacks in the form of electric and phone wiring, and possibly carrying diseases. I concider them rodents with cute tails.
GARLIC. Minced garlic around their entry sites. A squirrel got into my attic through the soffit and set up house. Minced garlic put into the attic at the soffit area finally drove it out. I used an extension pole with a light bulb-changing cone on the tip. I tied a string to a knot in the bottom of the inside of a narrow plastic bag. I put the bag into the cone and secured the top of the bag to the pole. I then filled the bag that was tucked into the cone with minced garlic, then raised that end into the soffit, then pulled the string and that dumped the garlic into the attic. If the garlic pieces are bigger than minced, the squirrel will just bat them into the insulation and bury them there.
I have been working on garlic vs. mouse. Mouse leaves, but returns after 3 weeks. Pepper sauce aids the garlic. I'll try peppers in vinegar in a spray bottle for the holes where plumbing gives access to the house. Then I'll stuff those holes with Spic 'n Span steel wool.
We had squirrels in our attic last fall and were told to put moth balls. We put several boxes of moth balls in the attic. The squirrels stayed - WE had to move out of our home for a few days, but they didn't seem to mind the moth ball smell. We had a moth ball smell for 3-4 months - it was bad! We ended up putting metal plates on the places where they chewed their way in to the cedar on our house. They are back! Going to plan B---
They tear up my chair cushions to get cotton out I guess to make a nest--I have replaced 2 times
Use Rataway, it is nonpoisonous stops rats, squirrels, mice, raccoons, woodpeckers, dogs, puppy's, cats pigeons
from nesting and chewing. go to Rataway dot com
email Rick Suddes at a o l . c o m or
ratawayman at a o l c o m
Squirrel was making a nest in my work van. It ate the wires and cost me more then 2,000 in damages and still fighting with it.
For $4.99 my simple, safe, humane, inexpensive, effective, reusable, environmentally friendly, and long lasting way of getting squirrels out of your attic will do the trick and restore your peace of mind. Search eBay for squirrels in the attic $4.99
I don't know why, but there are more squirrels this year than I've ever seen, my problem? Somehow they are getting into my garage! I had babies in there in the spring and recently my husband found two just inside the garage door and had to shoo them out. They're cute, at a distance, but how do I stop them from coming in the garage? PLEASE HELP! I'm at my wits end!
What do I do? These attic squirrels are driving me crazy!
We found the hole in the eaves where the squirrels were coming into the house. Imho, this is the most important thing to do because if you don't take care of the entry, you'll always have a problem.
I live in a rural area. In the fall, field mice enter houses to keep warm. We keep out a constant supply of Rid-Ex. (sp) The mice take it and store it away for food. I don't feel too badly if the squirrels eat it, too. After all they are rodents and in spite of their cuteness can spread fleas and disease.
We have squirrels in between our kitchen ceiling and bedroom upstairs, we do not know how they are coming in but do know they go onto the roof. Does anyone have any ideas how to keep them out besides trapping them. The electronic Pest Control units do not seem to work, I have 3 of them.
Here's some tips from another site...
realtytimes.com:
"I can say with some certainty that as long as there are plenty of food sources out of doors and the weather is warm, rodents will remain outside. As the weather turns cooler, they'll check into any motel that will have them.
Set up roadblocks. Seal access to your house with sheet metal, steel wool or cement, especially around vents, pipes and ducts. Make sure windows and doors close properly. Keep garbage in sturdy cans with tight-fitting lids.
Remove nesting materials such as newspapers and boxes from the walls and off the floors. Store firewood, lumber and building supplies away from buildings and at least a foot off the ground.
Trim bushes and hedges away from the house and clean up plant debris to prevent nesting.
Baits should be put in low-traffic areas such as basements, garages and attics. Once they consume the bait, mice leave the area to die.
Set the bait in dark corners -- behind the stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer. In fact, put the bait in as many places as possible without endangering children and pets.
Check the bait frequently and discard any that's wet and contaminated. Check to see whether a large amount was consumed. If so, increase it, because the rodent infestation is bigger than you thought.
Put traps in high-traffic areas. If mice aren't caught in four or five days, move the traps. Peanut butter, nuts and cheese are effective baits for mousetraps.
If the bait and traps have remained undisturbed for 15 days, it is likely that the problem is solved."
Source: realtytimes.com/
Here's another link that may help
shoot them when you see them they taste good too
Please visit us at www.squirrelevictor.com....We at Evictor Products have a product called the "Squirrel Evictor". It uses a high intensity strobe light that annoys their sensitive eyes and removes them from a residence safely and harmlessly. It is a more humane method of eviction that will make trapping squirrels obsolete! It is cheaper and more efficient than trapping.
It is against the law in most states to kill or poison them.. I have to put out RAT poison cubes to help control my Tree rat problem however the squirrels keep eating it and dying! they seem to love the taste!
Hey Dave where do you get those cubes?""
Hot pepper helps with squirrel problems, put it where you think they travel. If you have any wires going into the house they will climb the wires. Put hot pepper sauce on the wires, good luck.
What natural or homemade product can I use to keep the raccoons and possums out of my attic? I'm disabled and live in a townhouse community, where 8 units are attached. Over the past years we have trapped several and took them to TX Wildlife. Please help.
By Terrie from Houston
You have to locate the area that they are entering the building. There may be more than one area. Then get some hardware cloth at your hardware store. Hardware cloth is wire mesh. hen securely attach the wire mesh over the openings. You may have to do this after dark as these animals are nocturnal. They are also very smart and strong. I have racoons in my area and they rip up my secure compost bin that is secured ot the ground with 10 inch screws.
In addition to the mesh wire I have always been told that mothballs can deter animals from invading a home.
I have heard that using ammonia on rags, in the area will work; or make a "hot pepper" mix; these will only last a couple of days however; I have also heard that you can get a "panther" or "bear" scent that might deter them away again though this is only going to last a short time and will need to be reapplied. Did the wildlife who came to pick them up offer solutions to keep them away from there? I know that I leave water available for any nocturnal animals outside away from my house and have never been bothered by any damage!
I use mothballs in the attic also with great luck.
