Do We Have a Squirrel.6g Forum?

[Rael]

Any ideas for stopping a squirrel from taking his dinner guavas, crawling up under my car every night and making a mess eating on top of my engine? (The cat that used to live next to the guava tree apparently moved away.)

I realize the guavas will soon be gone, so do I just leave my hood up in the meantime? (I apologize if we do have a pest control forum.)

Thank you.

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[Deleted member 69033]

Pellet gun oughta do it.

 

[CarbonZ]

Get a dog, PCP gun, traps, or snares.

 

[m3incorp]

Get a raccoon....no on second thought...don't do that.

 

[Cordero1]

 

[Avispa]

That yard enforcer is awesome!!!

 

[Cobra Jet]

Garlic powder around the car - kinda like putting down salt at door thresholds and in rooms to keep demons/witches/ghosts out.

You're laughing, but garlic powder does keep many rodents away... we have done it outside at flower beds, gardens and where rodents have made tunnels...

The salt trick for keeping unwanted spirits away, I have absolutely no clue if it works...

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There's also a variety of large rodent traps available at Home Depot/Lowes - both humane and inhumane . . .

 

[Qcman17]

Maybe the squirrel doesn't know there's a Coyote under the hood. Surely it would never mess with a Coyote if it knew.... so I would put a note on the hood saying "Coyote inside". Problem solved!

 

[Rael]

Well, I'll try the garlic, at least.
Thanks for all the thoughtful suggestions.
(Left my hood up last night; he dined elsewhere. Oh, and I did give him the evil eye.)

 

[BrownT]

Any ideas for stopping a squirrel from taking his dinner guavas, crawling up under my car every night and making a mess eating on top of my engine? (The cat that used to live next to the guava tree apparently moved away.)

I realize the guavas will soon be gone, so do I just leave my hood up in the meantime? (I apologize if we do have a pest control forum.)

Thank you.


Garlic powder around the car - kinda like putting down salt at door thresholds and in rooms to keep demons/witches/ghosts out.

You're laughing, but garlic powder does keep many rodents away... we have done it outside at flower beds, gardens and where rodents have made tunnels...

The salt trick for keeping unwanted spirits away, I have absolutely no clue if it works...

---

There's also a variety of large rodent traps available at Home Depot/Lowes - both humane and inhumane . . .

Unless you want to sit around for some time, pellet gun is ehhh. Not sure if garlic powder worked(I'd be impressed if it did long-term though). When I had similar problem - just put traps for 2-3 nights, worked like a charm

 

[Skye]

Most owners don't want to get rid of a fruit-bearing tree, for any number of reasons. As long as a food source is nearby, you'll always have this problem. Squirrels could take up residence and be a constant presence, like any animal with a ready food supply.

The squirrel probably chased the cat away; they can be aggressive with territory and food. The squirrel owns the area now. I've witnessed squirrels take over rabbit warrens as well.

I live in the burbs where all the natural predators have been pushed out. I've been trapping rabbits for years (the rabbit population was completely out of control) and am now trapping squirrels. It is catch and release. Anything caught is taken to some undeveloped areas a few miles away.

I run traps from Feb to Oct, when it's not freezing (so as not to spoil the bait).

https://www.havahart.com

havahart traps work very well. I keep one in the front of the property, one in the back. Rabbits are 90% of the catch, squirrels the other 10%.

Squirrels and rabbits will be attracted to and eat apples. Cut an apple in half. Pierce the apple half with an ice pick, to poke a hole. Feed a piece of 18 gauge wire through, so one end is tied around the apple, the other end loose. Take the loose end and suspend the apple inside the trap. You're suspending the apple to allow the scent to travel, but also keep it off the ground, so the ants don't eat it.

One apple can serve two traps. Once a day, I slice off the dried face of the apple, to keep the scent and bait fresh. If running one trap, keep the other half of the apple in the fridge for use later. The apple halves can last about two to three days where I live.

The trap model I'm using has a certain style release. I place a small twig under the handle of the release, creating a hair-trigger effect; this allows me to catch animals of the lightest weight (juvenile rabbits and squirrels).

Whatever you catch, do not attempt to pet or touch it. Squirrels have a lot of energy and are doing everything to get free. Most rabbits just sit there. The traps have a handle in a good place. The only way you'll get scratched or bit is if you stick your hand or finger near the animal..

Traps are checked once in the morning, once in the evening, Feb to Oct. Average take is 25 rabbits a year (from one house property) and now, about three to five squirrels. The numbers give one an idea how quickly some of these animals breed. I've been able to maintain the population; it isn't overrunning us, but somewhat small and stable.

When first using the traps, you'll be learning. Over time, you'll notice tells. You can eventually look at the area around the trap, nibbles on the bait, etc., and tell what kind of animal (rabbit, squirrel, sometimes bird) is attempting to take the bait, and how often. You'll learn their feeding patterns.

Maintain a low presence. Many in the neighborhood know what I'm doing. Most don't. I don't announce it. Traps are in subdued areas where the animals transit or rest.

 

[Rael]

Very interesting, Skye. (I live in the suburbs. The pineapple guava tree lines and messes my driveway, but it's the neighbors' tree. It is a big, beautiful tree though.)

OK. Here's an update for those waiting with bated breath. (Pun intended.) The very next morning after I had discovered the rodent bedding on top of my engine, I opened my hood again--and there was more!

So I started keeping my hood open at night. That has solved the problem for now, but I can't keep my hood open forever. Two evenings later, I realized I had forgotten to open my hood. I went out, lifted it--and there was a rat. We were very surprised to see each other.

The rat ran off. (I started my engine to make sure of that.) I looked on Google and found some electronic under-hood pest repellers that emit ultrasound and have small strobes to interfere with rat-night-vision. I ordered one, and some peppermint oil spray.

Now that stuff has arrived--along with a storm in this area of drought that is keeping me from continuing my Groundhog Day-like efforts.

 

[Cobra Jet]

Very interesting, Skye. (I live in the suburbs. The pineapple guava tree lines and messes my driveway, but it's the neighbors' tree. It is a big, beautiful tree though.)

OK. Here's an update for those waiting with bated breath. (Pun intended.) The very next morning after I had discovered the rodent bedding on top of my engine, I opened my hood again--and there was more!

So I started keeping my hood open at night. That has solved the problem for now, but I can't keep my hood open forever. Two evenings later, I realized I had forgotten to open my hood. I went out, lifted it--and there was a rat. We were very surprised to see each other.

The rat ran off. (I started my engine to make sure of that.) I looked on Google and found some electronic under-hood pest repellers that emit ultrasound and have small strobes to interfere with rat-night-vision. I ordered one, and some peppermint oil spray.

Now that stuff has arrived--along with a storm in this area of drought that is keeping me from continuing my Groundhog Day-like efforts.

The rat is attracted to the content used to manufacture the wiring harness casings believe it or not... there's been an uptick with rodents eating wire harness casings and of course, chewing right through the actual wires themselves.

Get the large (inhumane) rat traps available at any hardware store and let it meet its demise... if there is one rat, there's a family of them. These are large snap traps, not the small ones - they're big enough to kill rats. Wild rats carry many diseases.

 

[BrownT]

Most owners don't want to get rid of a fruit-bearing tree, for any number of reasons. As long as a food source is nearby, you'll always have this problem. Squirrels could take up residence and be a constant presence, like any animal with a ready food supply.

The squirrel probably chased the cat away; they can be aggressive with territory and food. The squirrel owns the area now. I've witnessed squirrels take over rabbit warrens as well.

I live in the burbs where all the natural predators have been pushed out. I've been trapping rabbits for years (the rabbit population was completely out of control) and am now trapping squirrels. It is catch and release. Anything caught is taken to some undeveloped areas a few miles away.

I run traps from Feb to Oct, when it's not freezing (so as not to spoil the bait).

https://www.havahart.com

havahart traps work very well. I keep one in the front of the property, one in the back. Rabbits are 90% of the catch, squirrels the other 10%.

Squirrels and rabbits will be attracted to and eat apples. Cut an apple in half. Pierce the apple half with an ice pick, to poke a hole. Feed a piece of 18 gauge wire through, so one end is tied around the apple, the other end loose. Take the loose end and suspend the apple inside the trap. You're suspending the apple to allow the scent to travel, but also keep it off the ground, so the ants don't eat it.

One apple can serve two traps. Once a day, I slice off the dried face of the apple, to keep the scent and bait fresh. If running one trap, keep the other half of the apple in the fridge for use later. The apple halves can last about two to three days where I live.

The trap model I'm using has a certain style release. I place a small twig under the handle of the release, creating a hair-trigger effect; this allows me to catch animals of the lightest weight (juvenile rabbits and squirrels).

Whatever you catch, do not attempt to pet or touch it(unless you have some sort of hunting thick working or hunting gloves on - I've got a pair in some time ago from package of hunter supplies from https://gritroutdoors.com/hunting/ , worked pretty good over the years). Squirrels have a lot of energy and are doing everything to get free. Most rabbits just sit there. The traps have a handle in a good place. The only way you'll get scratched or bit is if you stick your hand or finger near the animal..

Traps are checked once in the morning, once in the evening, Feb to Oct. Average take is 25 rabbits a year (from one house property) and now, about three to five squirrels. The numbers give one an idea how quickly some of these animals breed. I've been able to maintain the population; it isn't overrunning us, but somewhat small and stable.

When first using the traps, you'll be learning. Over time, you'll notice tells. You can eventually look at the area around the trap, nibbles on the bait, etc., and tell what kind of animal (rabbit, squirrel, sometimes bird) is attempting to take the bait, and how often. You'll learn their feeding patterns.

Maintain a low presence. Many in the neighborhood know what I'm doing. Most don't. I don't announce it. Traps are in subdued areas where the animals transit or rest.

Good advice all around. I don't run traps too often, but gonna check those out for next season! Definitely agree with not trying to touch anything you catch - that's a straight open line to getting bit...

 

[DougS550]

Any ideas for stopping a squirrel from taking his dinner guavas, crawling up under my car every night and making a mess eating on top of my engine? (The cat that used to live next to the guava tree apparently moved away.)

I realize the guavas will soon be gone, so do I just leave my hood up in the meantime? (I apologize if we do have a pest control forum.)

Thank you.

When this happened to me, I put rodent killer bait in different places under the hood, bought from Menards. I also sprayed Rodent Repellant spray on my wires under the hood, it doesn't smell or leave residue. Good luck they will eat all wire outer dialectic including spark plug wires.

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