Hello Jim
[ATTACH]26384[/ATTACH]
Make My Day!! :D
Ok not funny.....
gawd, it's like being back in the school playground. Want me to tell him you hate him and if he pulls your pigtails you'll tell teacher, cic?
lol! There's a reason for that Jim. You aren't going to let that asshole squirrel get the best of you are you? :)
The squirrel is going down.
i was reading up on squirrel trapping tonight.
apparently it takes about a week of incremental baiting and a +25 mile relocate to effectively rid yourself of a squirrel tennant without killing the squirrel.
I'm thinking bb guns at dawn.
You could relocate him to the lake...
Trap? Orlly? I can be of no advice here. I had one that refused to leave my car for hours.
I have a low squirell-set.
And in no way was it the jerk you have on your hands.....
You could relocate him to the lake...
the one site i read recommended drowning them by submerging the trap in a big trash can. :(
i'd rather kill him/her quickly with a projectile or bladed instrument.
you need a squirellapult
Here is one idea
I'm thinking more along the lines of a squirrel a tine
Play three or four cords, then bite his head off.
Why is the squirrel a problem? I must have missed something.
i have a house guest....in my attic.....I've asked him politely to leave, and closed off his entry point..... and yet....he seems to have had a back door.
....he seems to have had a back door.
Thats too bad - but I told ya. He MUST be relocated. Look at it from his/her perspective. Your attic is like the Taj Mahal compared to a bunch of twigs on a tree branch. Get a hav-a-heart, trp him and drop him off at RichL's place. :3eye:
yeah...i'll relocate him to squirrely heaven.
now now - FSM's creatures and all that....
I have a BB gun with a scope if you need to use it ;)
you gotta buy the pellets though - the shot just don't fly straight.
I recommend the one in the top right of this image.
It will NOT be pretty and the squirrel will most likely NOT die initially. It will be writhing in pain and screaming in agony. Just so you are prepared.
I prefer this:
from a BB gun? shooting in your yard? at a squirrel? possibly towards our house or other property/people?
Helloooooooooooo???????
This morning there is a very grisly looking squirrel road kill right in front of my house, ......and I wonder if I could be this lucky.
They have extended family. There is always a cus waiting in the tree next door to move into to your house.
is he actually causing any trouble in the attic?
Wild parties, pot, alcohol, poker games...you need to put your foot down, jim, and make that damn squirrel get a job.
is he actually causing any trouble in the attic?
yes, he is. or was hopefully.
shitting all over, messing up the insulation, i found a chewed wire, chewed up nutshells all strewn about, etc.
I think what Dana was getting at was, have you really taken the time to consider this from the squirrel's perspective? Being a rich white man who has had it easy his whole life you can't possibly understand the plight of the squirrel just trying to get by in this cold cruel world.
Are you suggesting a symbiotic living arrangement? :D
I'm telling you, the damn squirrel needs a purpose. He can start small, a job at the local market, maybe take a class or two at the community college. Only education and need will make parasites like your squirrel finally start giving to society, and some tough love is in order. Of course no one likes to work, but tell him "fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life" (Animal House)
You're not a squirrel, you're a squirell. Big difference!
I think what Dana was getting at was, have you really taken the time to consider this from the squirrel's perspective? Being a rich white man who has had it easy his whole life you can't possibly understand the plight of the squirrel just trying to get by in this cold cruel world.
I loll'd
@ Lj: ok that does sound quite inconvenient :P Have you contacted pest control/extermination services? They can often offer non-lethal solutions.
I asked whether he was causing trouble, because I know very little about squirrels and whether or not they cause damage etc once inside the house. I realise for some people having a 'pest' squatting in their house is enough of a reason to get out the bb gun, but I wasn't sure if that was the case here' or if the squirrel was actually causing damage/trouble.
If he's chewing wires, the problem should eventually resolve itself. :shocking:
And hopefully the house won't burn along with it.
@ Lj: ok that does sound quite inconvenient :P Have you contacted pest control/extermination services? They can often offer non-lethal solutions.
Why? It's a bushy tailed RAT. The only good thing about them is they don't do as much damage to your car as deer, when you run over them.
And hopefully the house won't burn along with it.
Never thought of that...does that really happen?
I'm sure it can happen. The little fucker has chewed through 2 wires to date. Fortunately there was no power to them. It's the storage section of my attic, and i have an extension cord running down the length of the inside of the ridge that connects a few strings of c9 christmas lights, an old wall sconce, and one of those clip on metal dish thingers they use for heat lamps. He chewed one of the extension cord, and shortened my c9 string. I don't think there is any loose powered wires up there...but my cable wires go through right where he had been getting in before.
I just invested $50+ in this.....
fucking thing. I'm not sayning I won't kill the bastard once I catch him, but this seemed more cost effective than buying a higher powered weapon, and probably putting my own eye out.
Hard to shoot your own eye out when your tongue is stuck to the flagpole, lj.
[COLOR="Red"]D-[/COLOR]
Never thought of that...does that really happen?
All the time. Up here in the Toolies the FD tells me it accounts for about 70% of the fires we have.
You're not a squirrel, you're a squirell. Big difference!
I suppose the next thing you're going to tell me is that squirrel's don't know how too spell?
Squirrelz can haz cheezburgers.
Speaking of Chibbaguh Chibbaguh (No Coke, Pepsi)
My neighbor gives her squirrels the happy dispatch with a little potpourri made of sugar, cornmeal and plaster of Paris, all wrapped up in a little saran wrap sachet, tossed in the attic. They nom nom nom the P o P along with the sugar and cornmeal and then when they drink they beverage the plaster sets in they tummeh. They go to the clinic and usually never make it long enough to see the squirrel doctah.
What will you do with it after you trap it?
Speaking of Chibbaguh Chibbaguh (No Coke, Pepsi)
My neighbor gives her squirrels the happy dispatch with a little potpourri made of sugar, cornmeal and plaster of Paris, all wrapped up in a little saran wrap sachet, tossed in the attic. They nom nom nom the P o P along with the sugar and cornmeal and then when they drink they beverage the plaster sets in they tummeh. They go to the clinic and usually never make it long enough to see the squirrel doctah.
That sounds like a horrible way to die.
My bets on LJ driving 30 miles in the boondocks to let it go.
I don't know about Jinx. I keep waffling between benevolence and squirrel stew.
Not worth turning the stove on for 1 squirrel.
Not worth turning the stove on for 1 squirrel.
Try not to invite moar.:p
i may decapitate it and put it's little head on a little pike outside the hole in my gable.
That sounds like a horrible way to die.
What could be better than a full tummy?
What could be better than a full tummy?
The worst constipation in the universe?
I have a jump box for jumping a dead battery. if i hook both leads to the cage, will it blow the box out? or just cook the squirrel?
prolly pop the breaker, better to wire it so the squirrel completes the circuit. You'd have to isolate one part of the cage form the otherand when the squirell bridges them the current flows though him.
Electrical wiring isn't a hobby, as my friend the electrician is fond of saying...
yeah, it's a Faraday cage, and the electricity would go around the squirrel. It would be in there laughing at you.
check.
looks like drowning may be the only practical solution. I cant see myself squezzing it to death like
this site seems to recommend
relocating them seems fraught with peril:
[COLOR=#660000][FONT=Arial][SIZE=4]Releasing Trapped Squirrels[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=Black]
WE DID A TEST....
Over about a three-year period, in the summers, we released the squirrels we caught on our own property, a total of about 90 squirrels, at different distances from our office, using both straight-line runs and zig-zag patterns to different areas. Each squirrel was released away from buildings, parks or residential communities. For our "local" test, releases were within sight of residential properties, although some distance away.
HOW WE DID IT
To keep track of "our" squirrels, we used spray paint to mark them. We used red for males, orange for females, and another color for the specific release site. All in all, the females came back a little more often, gravid or not, when the release site was within a mile or two. Squirrels trapped again and re-released, came back more often and quicker, even when the route was completely different. Males seemed to be the ones (if they came back) that were more persistent in coming back again. Most of the returnees could be trapped again, although it usually took longer.
RELOCATION TECHNIQUE
A zig-zag pattern within that local mile or two makes no real difference to the normal, healthy squirrel, especially the males. Their perception of distance is different from ours and they usually have no problem getting back. The return of females released within that same range is a little less likely, it seemed. Probably 80 percent of the squirrels released locally came back. (Lots of people have the paint idea, we pick up painted squirrels on a fairly regular basis.)
When we hit the 5-7 mile range, using a zig-zag pattern, returns were rare, maybe 1 out of 15-20. We did have squirrels return from as many as 10-12 miles, but less than a half-dozen times. Even stranger, we had one amazing return from almost 25 miles, although HE was taken on a straight-line run out a county road adjacent to our office. We never tried our relocation plan in the winter, I doubt if any of them would return.
We never saw one of our painted squirrels dead, but I suspect a good many of the missing perished, especially seeing as how the ones that did come back were mostly pretty ragged-looking.
Releasing squirrels at night, and at a 10 mile range was virtually certain to eliminate their return - even locally, if the release site was at least a mile away. We only had two return under those conditions, although one male was back two days later.
The squirrels we used were not rogue squirrels, and not squirrels we had retrieved in the course of our business activities. We could not risk releasing squirrels caught at a customer's, in the event they would return. Our "test" squirrels were trapped on our property and released that same day or that night.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Black][/COLOR]
I've been a big fan of just putting them in the freezer alive. I do it to mice that aren't quite dead yet. Just drop the trap with the mouse in a coffee can and put it in the freezer. Next day, throw it away.
Looking at it from the animal's point of view, I've been really cold before. It's pretty uncomfortable, but not as terrifying as when you are running out of air under water or choking. So it's uncomfortable and then you eventually lose feeling in your extremities and then you go to sleep and die. I think it's probably one of the most humane ways to kill an animal yourself. It's certainly very easy and clean.
A squirrel in a cage is kind of big for a freezer though.
Releasing squirrels at night, and at a 10 mile range was virtually certain to eliminate their return - even locally, if the release site was at least a mile away. We only had two return under those conditions, although one male was back two days later.
Drive a few miles out at night and release it.
yeah....i don't see how i'd get it out of the cage and into something i could freeze. I'd prefer to squeeze it, but i would be afraid it would escape when i reached in to get it....
for those that are appalled by the prospect....
If you release him somewhere else, and that animal has any diseases, (and they all do) you have just moved those disease(s) that much further. You moved that animal much faster and further than Mother Nature would, and in the process, perhaps affecting other animals quicker, making for more carriers and vectors of diseases that can affect you and me, your children and your pets too. (Don't forget, after handling ANY animal wild, domestic or whatever, WASH YOUR HANDS with soap and water!)
Besides, if you DO let that squirrel go, you don't think he's going to stay in the woods/park/forest do you? Not for one New York Minute, he's not! He's going to head for another structure. He might even find his way back to YOUR place, you can't be sure unless you take him miles and miles, in a zig-zag pattern. Even then, squirrels sometimes find their way back. Kind of a tiresome ordeal if you have to relocate a half dozen squirrels or more. Especially since most of them will perish anyway, in a far worse way than you could probably devise.
And don't think "he'll be happy" because you took him to the woods/park/forest where there are lots of other squirrels. Believe me when I tell you that ALL the squirrels will be unhappy. There is no squirrel, including his own mother, that will welcome him. There's just no way in the world he's going to be able to establish his very own territory, so he's not going to stay where you dropped him. He'll be chased out post haste, he'll just "head for the light" - someone's house - find some flaw, then find his way in, BINGO, instant squirrel problem. (Even though I use the term "he," it is just as often, or even more so, that the females do this.)
Why did we rule out poisoning the peanut butter in the cage?
poisoned peanut butter or throw a blanket over the cage and run a hose from your jeep's exhaust into the cage. easy peasy no more squeaky.
Do you actually have the squirrel in the cage at this point?
ok, fine - just run the hose from the jeep up to the attic and let 'er go. the squirrel will probably be dead when you start feeling lightheaded downstairs.
the jeep is a Hemi. I can't afford that much gas.
i don't know why we ruled out poisoning....
no, glatt, the cage is in the attic propped opened allowing the squirrel to get used to it. i want to be home when i catch it, so that will have to wait until friday night at the earliest. I don't want it in there freaking out for half a day until i can get home to deal with it.
i may decapitate it and put it's little head on a little pike outside the hole in my gable.
As long as you don't block those entry points, it's no use killing/deporting your guest. :headshake Others are just queueing to move in. :right:
i don't know why we ruled out poisoning....
Uh huh.
the jeep is a Hemi. I can't afford that much gas.
You drive the Jeep to work?
I don't want it in there freaking out for half a day until i can get home to deal with it.
Why not? You're overthinking this, it's a bushy tailed rat. It's not going to start banging it's tin cup on the bars, it'll probably take a nap until you show up.
Hmm. Hadn't thought of the spreading disease aspect. Or the territorial nature of the other squirrels.
Now, if it were me, I'd drive it down to the nearest vet or animal rescue centre and just dump it on them to deal with :P Say it turned up in my garden/house and seemed injured: barely reacted when i tried to catch it etc etc. And then walk away.
They wouldn't take it. :headshake
That'd depend on the place I'd have thought. I'm pretty sure if I showed up at the local RSPA and said 'here' and dumped the squirrel in its cage on their counter, and then refused to take it away with me, they'd deal with it. Wtf do I know about injured squirrels? They're the animal experts not me. 'T'aint my squirrel. Just found an injured wild thing and took it to someone who might know what to do.
I like squirrels. I did a whole photo series on them years ago. That being said, bruce is right - set the cage, catch the bugger, and put him out in the least messy manner. Hose from the tail pipe is quick and easy and relatively humane.
You drive the Jeep to work?
NEVER
it's jinx's baby
*nods* that does sound a better way to go than poisoned food or drowning.
I remember when we had rats years ago, the pest control guy came and put poison down. I was a little hesitant about the idea. Don;t like the thought of anything going through a slow and painful death. Bastard lied to me and said, it's a pretty quick way for them to go. I being stupid and a little too willing to believe, let him put the stuff down.
There was a juvenile rat in the yard a few days later; clearly in a bad way. Just sitting there and occassionally moving a little, stretching itself out and then curling back into itself. The it started crawling off towards the edge of the yard, slow and painful looking movements. Seemed to be really having to drag itself. Then it was just lying on its side. Still moving a little. twitching every so often. I had to go out, and when I came back it was still there. Still moving a little. Not dead yet.
I killed it in the end with a fuck-off big rock. *slight shudder*
Why not? You're overthinking this, it's a bushy tailed rat. It's not going to start banging it's tin cup on the bars, it'll probably take a nap until you show up.
because if there are more than one, i want to minimize the time the squirrel spends trapped alerting others to the danger of the cage.
Poisoning it has the down side of stinking up the joint for weeks or even months if it dies someplace inaccessible like a wall or something. If the squirrel somehow can get the bait without setting off the trap, you might find yourself in a smelly situation.
That'd depend on the place I'd have thought. I'm pretty sure if I showed up at the local RSPA and said 'here' and dumped the squirrel in its cage on their counter, and then refused to take it away with me, they'd deal with it. Wtf do I know about injured squirrels? They're the animal experts not me. 'T'aint my squirrel. Just found an injured wild thing and took it to someone who might know what to do.
Gosh that's so humane of you Dana, make it someone else's problem. :rolleyes:
Bruce is right though. They won't take it. I've been this route with the baby squirrels.
If the squirrel somehow can get the bait without setting off the trap, you might find yourself in a smelly situation.
Yeah that's what we would have to be careful of. Jim said he had the peanut butter in the cage in a way that it cant get to it from outside though. Not poisoned yet.
An advantage of peanut butter is it can't be carried off whole, like most baits.
Poisoning it ....If the squirrel somehow can get the bait without setting off the trap, you might find yourself in a smelly situation.
good point
Gosh that's so humane of you Dana, make it someone else's problem. :rolleyes:
.
*grins* yup. I'm all heart. I was also working on the assumption that they probably have many very humane ways to get rid of such a creature. I have a bit of a soft spot for squirrels. I'm also a bit leary of supposedly humane execution methods, because of the experience with the little rat. Really stuck in my mind.
So far the car exhaust seems the best suggestion.
Yeah that's what we would have to be careful of. Jim said he had the peanut butter in the cage in a way that it cant get to it from outside though. Not poisoned yet.
i took one of those gladware containers that deli meats come in now, and wired it to the back of the cage tilted so even long armed tool using squirrels cant get to it from anywhere but the front.
another point made on that site is that squirrels may not be the only inhabitants. mice can get out of these traps even if they are sprung.
[COLOR=Black]
BAIT GONE, NOTHING IN TRAP
When this happens, you should consider the possibility that there might be MICE that are invading your trap. Mice will be able to escape through the cage grid of either the HavaHart 1030 or the 1040 traps. Some of the other models too. Mice can get through anything they can get their head through - that's just about the size of a dime.[/COLOR]
OMFG - Trap it and bring it to my house.
Adopt a large cat and give him a new home in your attic. At least that would keep any mice down and possibly solve your squirrel problem, too.
There was an old lady who swallowed a fly....
And a large dog to catch the cat, to catch the bird, to catch the spider... :haha:
edit... too slow:blush:
OMFG - Trap it and bring it to my house.
OK
Just give me a heads-up - I can probably meet you 1/2 way.
OMFG - Trap it and bring it to my house.
OK
Uh, [SIZE=1]why[/SIZE]?
I'd use a George Foreman.
I've been mulling over this thread. The idea of the squirrel being killed is something I find mildly upsetting. But I suspect had it been a rat we were discussing; I probably wouldn't have found the idea so upsetting. I have no idea why that'd be the case; because I quite like rats as creatures, as long as they don't make their presence felt in my home.
I guess I just don't think of squirrels as 'vermin'.
I gots me a Cuisinart and a new pie plate.
Perfect that recipe, there's millions of children starving in Africa
There you go, LJ. Ship the squirrel to Arrica. It'll never find its way back from there, and you can write the shipping cost off as a charitable contribution.
I guess I just don't think of squirrels as 'vermin'.
Let me know how you feel about it when one starts shitting in your house eh?
I love me some squirrel hunting. Why can I NEVER spell that?
Let me know how you feel about it when one starts shitting in your house eh?
*chuckles* good point. I've never actually come across them indoors before. They're all over the place outdoors. In the woods, in the university campus. My nieces rescued one last year. Called Darwin. Very friendly.
Mainly I think of them as things Pilau likes to chase when we're in the woods:P
There you go, LJ. Ship the squirrel to Arrica. It'll never find its way back from there, and you can write the shipping cost off as a charitable contribution.
Hell, ship it down here, people eat them all the time. On second thought I will just send you a receipe.
*chuckles* good point. I've never actually come across them indoors before. They're all over the place outdoors. In the woods, in the university campus. My nieces rescued one last year. Called Darwin. Very friendly.
Mainly I think of them as things Pilau likes to chase when we're in the woods:P
Trying to persuade an animal rescue center here to accept a squirrel would be like taking a slug to the RSPCA. There are many, many more squirrels here. You can't go 5 yards in a town without finding one dead on the road. Srsly.
Is squirrel bacon any good?
That's interesting. Would you say your view of squirrels has changed since going to America then?
You probably grew up with Squirrel Nutkin and the squirrel in the road safety vids, like I did. Over here, I think they're viewed less as pests (though there's quite a lot of anomosity towards the grey squirrel, for ousting our beloved British red squirrel).
[eta] Tufty! I've been trying to remember the name of that road safety squirrel. It was Tufty!
Well Birmingham is a little overrun with them, our cats used to catch squirrels in the UK and bring them in through the catflap, and they used to attack us in the park so I wasn't overly fond of them there either. Currently I don't have any in my house and these cats haven't managed to catch one yet, but they're as common as birds, at any given time I can go out in my backyard and see half a dozen, and they're so common squished on the road that notbody says "aw" when they see squirrel corpse. They often cross roads on the overhead cables. and the fuckers dig up my garden and bury nuts in my flower pots. and steal my veggies and eat my sunflowers. bastards. yes i like them less. and the road safety squirrel was an annoying goody-two-shoes iirc
...but I'm real glad we don't step on slugs in the living room anymore. That was nasty.
*shudders*
When I come downstairs in the morning I often find the little silvery trails coming under my front door and going across the kitchen/vestibule and under the cooker.
by the way, the squirrels in Michigan are the size of cats.
Hell, ship it down here, people eat them all the time. On second thought I will just send you a receipe.
My Dad grew up in Kentucky during the depression. He and his brother would go out and shoot squirrel to put some meat on the family table. He told me that if never tasted a squirrel again, he'd die a happy man.
Dana-sized.
[Goodies flashback] Are you sure they're not just people in suits pretending to be animals?[/Goodies flashback]
by the way, the squirrels in Michigan are the size of cats.
you should see the ones in PA
[youtube]sqltIamw_CQ[/youtube]
This video contains content from Channel 4, who has decided to block it in your country....? wtf....CH4 is in my country. Wtf are they doing blocking content from Brits?
well......... search for trigger happy tv squirrels....on UKtube or whatever you got over there
you should see the ones in [COLOR="Red"]MY ATTIC[/COLOR]
:eek:
Let me know how you feel about it when one starts shitting in your house eh?
That only really separates them from (well trained) dogs, though...
Dogs belong in the barn. [/my (great) granny]
Almost in time -- yesterday was
Squirrel Appreciation Day.
well......... search for trigger happy tv squirrels....on UKtube or whatever you got over there
We have Youtube...
We have Youtube...
but you pronounce it differently ;)
How about throwing a couple boxes of Chinese toys up there?
pics first, watch the lolsqwuurls thread....
Woa! You got him? What's he doing? Laughing maniacally?
What are you going to do with him?
Cool , what Now ??
now I put the trap back in there to see if there are any others
got him
now I put the trap back in there to see if there are any others
Is it just me or is it a little sinister that LJ hasn't said what happened to Sqrl #1?
He's probably waiting for Sqrl #1, wearing a sqrl mask ala Silence of the Lambs.
The fava beans aren't ready yet.
Is it just me or is it a little sinister that LJ hasn't said what happened to Sqrl #1?
In this instance. Ignorance is bliss.
Is it just me or is it a little sinister that LJ hasn't said what happened to Sqrl #1?
same thing that happened to squirrel number two this morning. :(
Is the trap back up there?
yebbut....not set. I'll set it again tonight when I get home. fuck
That sucks. Maybe it's just the two.
nope. at least 3.
this is getting harder....not easier. what the fuck
nobody taught the squurls how to use condoms
Ick. I do not envy you this little squirrelly nightmare.
and 4. Holy shit, Houston.... Holy mother of fuck.
Just wait until you catch a baby one, and it holds out its little paw to you with a sniffle and says, "Please, sir..."
the one this morning was growling at me. I didn't know squirrels growled.
the one this morning was growling at me. I didn't know squirrels growled.
ut o
They are pissed and coming to avenge the death of their mates.
I wonder if you are going to spend all fucking winter killing squirrels?
no really, ....It sounds like a nightmare.
What are your options?
I am not sure who/what I feel more sorry for.:(
You guys are probably at your wits end and if the little beasties are going to keep coming like lambs to the slaughter. ugg
Getting rid of one opened a whole can of worms! I can't imagine having to deal with this.
Nature abhors the squirrel-vacuum in your house.
You'll have to shut the valve, or else they'll keep coming.
Nature abhors the squirrel-vacuum in your house.
You'll have to shut the valve, or else they'll keep coming.
this is not true.
The sites that I read said get them all BEFORE you close up the hole. Otherwise, they just make new holes.
I read somewhere that if you put some cat or dog fur down around the entrance they're using, they think there's a porential predator and it dissuades them from entering.
[eta] by which I think they meant cutting off a bit of hair, not skinning your pet :P
... get them all ...
All those in the house already, or all in the area?
How do you know when you've got them all? - Doesn't seem awfully practical to me.
Maybe plug the hole with something easy to gnaw through? So new squirrels aren't attracted by the constant flow of nice, toasty air, but previous occupants can find their way to your trap with minimal additional damage.
Go further with Dana's suggestion -- move some cat litter box remains up to the attic (temporarily!) That might tell them there's a predator nearby... We got fewer chipmunks pooping on our porch after the dog pissed on the bushes nearby.
Just let the cats loose in the attic. ...oh wait, there's probably dodgy insulation that they shoukdn't come into contact with. scratch that.
Maybe plug the hole with something easy to gnaw through? So new squirrels aren't attracted by the constant flow of nice, toasty air, but previous occupants can find their way to your trap with minimal additional damage.
Saw a reccomendation to fill the hole with newspaper once you think you got them all. Makes sense.
Just for the record - I have heard squirrels growl.
There were a lot of them in Greenwich Park. The ones close to the lake were semi-tame. They would come up and take monkey nuts from your hands. Probably why there wasn't a surfeit of monkeys in the park.
But the ones closer to Trafalgar Road were the wild boys, running free. I heard them chatter at dogs once they were a safe distance up a tree. And during the Spring I heard them shouting and swearing at eachother from different trees. And I don't mean trees with interlocking branches, I mean trees on different sides of a wide path.
Squirrels are growlers.
But growlers aren't squirrels.
Saw a recommendation to fill the hole with newspaper once you think you got them all. Makes sense.
I'd be really cautious about that. Just keep trapping them as you are. The plan is in place.
Putting
anything (structure, impediment, scent...) that might dissuade them from entering the hole you already have will lead them to create new ones!
To be clear.... Once the trap is sprung, I need to limit it to one end of the cage. So I made a slotted board that fits that purpose. I poke a chopstick at him to get him to the proper end. This last one grabbed it, bit it and growled like a dog fighting over a chew toy. Grrrr grrrrr grrrrr
I dunno, give it a steak.
How are the swimming lessons coming coach? Do you have any potential medalists?
I run a pretty good swim camp in the summer for possums and woodchucks. So far, most of them liked camp so much they refused to go home.
Our team's swim mom shirts say "underwater, no-one can hear you whine". I'm guessing that works for growling too.....
Oh jeez, jim's turned into a squirrel trapper.
I had no idea this was going to turn into such a long journey [COLOR="Silver"]road to hell[/COLOR].[SIZE="1"][/SIZE] :)
happiness is an empty squirrel trap
all quiet on the squirrel front. Good thing. it was 13 degrees this morning..... I don't know what I would have done with one if there had been one in the trap.
If all is quiet until Sunday, I'll be spending my morning in the attic.
you can't drown them at 13 degrees? ice too thick to break?
I'm not sure if you have a hole plugging plan in place, but may I suggest coarse Bronze wool and expanding foam? In the spring you can get outside and fix the boards properly but for now if you take coarse bronze wool (doesn't rust, get it at a paint supply store or a boatyard) and gently pull it apart so it very loosely fills the hole, then you spray expanding foam into the mess of wool it will expand and create a nice foam plug that noone will want to chew through.
that's great advice -well at least it sounds like it, I will bear that in mind if we ever need to fill a hole quick in the depths of winter. thanks
i have some hardware cloth:
in place.....and was planning to get a little bit more thorough with that...and then fill it in with some great stuff:
that's great advice -well at least it sounds like it, I will bear that in mind if we ever need to fill a hole quick in the depths of winter. thanks
*sniggers*
Another thing you can do with that can of Great Stuff is squiggle it around to completely cover the surface of a board, then sand it a bit, and give it a subtle paint job of different shades of gray... and you have yourself a pretty good imitation of a stone fireplace for a high school theater set. You know, if that's ever something you need.
Jeez, you're a veritable cesspool of information, good shit that covers the ground. :thumb:
So, I think this case is closed. I left the trap there for a week and there were no further visitors.....
yesterday, i vacuumed up squirrel turds and cardboard shrapnel, filled in the area with steel wool laced expanding foam, and then reinforced it with hardware cloth and another layer of foam. Then I re strung my lights, and tidied up a bit.
now I need to spend another couple days throwing stuff out and reorganizing what I want to keep. bleh
