Intervention!!

[aveareya]

My prayers have not been answered, so I shall turn to you mortals. The war on squirrels is a losing battle. I need help.

Don't defend the squirrels unless you hate freedom.

Comments

[technoir]

Squirrels are a valuable member of the mammal family and should be left alone. Only petty tyrants want to kill all squirrels.

[aveareya]

freedom hater

get out of my house

[technoir]

I cant help it if you cannot understand unconditional love for all of gods creatures. Silly petty tyrant.

[mystech]

Squirrels are not one of God's creatures.

[mystech]

I have some traps. Live, trapped squirrels may be released elsewhere (I recommend the bottom of lakes or mine shafts). Alternatively, there are many fine recipes for squirrel and even a generous hunting season in this state.

I hate freedom AND I hate squirrels

[twelveoaks]

Are they getting into your house/attic or just eating your yard?

When squirrels and raccoons were in our roof, we hired a guy who seemed to know a lot about wildlife. He tracked where they were getting in and out based on chew marks and holes, then set traps to specifically trap the group (family? flock? troupe?) that had made their nest in our house. He trapped them live and took them away to release somewhere more wilderness-ish. (I think killing wildlife outright is legally dicey).

Then we hired another guy who did acrobatics on a ladder and patched up the holes they were using to get in. He put in some wire screening over the soffets (sp?) and in places where they had chewed through knotholes in the cedar he put patches of metal flashing behind the wood before patching the hole with wood or wood filler and painting over.

The next year we had a few straggler squirrels trying to come back and mystech trapped a few with traps the 1st guy accidentally left behind. Supposedly he released them into the wild as well

Re: I hate freedom AND I hate squirrels

[aveareya]

hmm - I suspect the trappers will laugh at me when I tell them they keep destroying my bird feeders... something along the lines of how they can't get all of the ones in my neighbor hood. sigh. I don't want to kill them exactly, just torment them - or maybe humiliate them until they darken my doorstep no more

Re: I hate freedom AND I hate squirrels

[twelveoaks]

Ah! If it's just bird feeders you can buy bird seed that the squirrels don't like. Whole Foods (and probably the bird store) sells a sunflower seed called "hot meats" that in covered in some kind of red pepper dust. The birds don't notice it, but it keeps the squirrels off. It's serious stuff though, If you get it on your hands, don't touch your face and get it in your eyes. Ouch!

I also don't think the squirrels care about thistle seed, which attracts goldfinches and some other nice smaller birds.

I am told squirrels won't eat safflower, but my birds didn't eat it either. I may try it again some time in a mix with the hot kind.

They also make several feeders that keep squirrels out. The most common one closes a door on the food if anything heavier than a bird gets on it. If you want to come over some time I can show you the one that worked for a year or so until the springs rusted out. The one I'm using now is sturdier and I have high hopes.

If you want to spend more money, there is a fabulous device called the Yankee Flipper. It

The joys of the Flipper

[nighthob]

The Yankee Flipper is the best! I can't tell you how much fun it is to see those greedy vermin being flung away from the feeder. )They don't get hurt, so nobody call PETA on me or anything, okay?)

[tomdpimp]

Be careful what you say. They will find out! The Mayans foresaw the date the squirrels will rise up and enslave us all!

[silverdawnatl]

What exactly is the issue?

If it's that they are getting into the walls and/or attic that can be delt with. If you are trying to protect a bird feeder so it can actually feed, you know, birds then I'm affraid it's hopeless. Squirrels have been proven to be able to defeat even the most elaborate defenses in no more than 7 tries. If they just offend your sense of natural order I would suggest a tazzer with a 20 ft or so range. It can be quite fun but potentially illegal. Pish. Stupid cruelty to animal laws. ;)

S~

[lilisonna]

For feeders, there is a solution in changing the stuff you're feeding the birds.

For the rest? Give in, accept your new squirrel overlords. Or call an exterminator?

[aveareya]

damn squirrel overlords. They've destroyed 2 bird feeders now - one they just smashed on the ground to get the seeds out. Damn thugs. What do you put in feeders to keep them away? Red ants? Birds eat ants, right?

[lilisonna]

I swear by Hot Meats. For birds and other things. :-)