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Posioning is out, relocation isn't an option, and shooting is against the law in town. Plus, they are just ground squirrls and don't do much harm at all. But the little buggers are taking a shine to everything in the flower beds, garden, and making a million holes in the yard.
I've got like 20 of them in the back yard - they just multiplied in numbers.
I've done the "garden hose down the hole - wait with pitch fork" thing, but that's not real "clean".
Anyone use one those high tech "pest" ridders? They make one that goes in the ground and suppose to drive moles and other furry ground things away.
Nick
Why not make an area of the garden really 'furry friendly' and put food and stuff there encouraging them to stick to an area you define.
There probably quite cool apart from digging up the flowers and might be quite enjoyable to have if you could encourage them to behave!
Nick
<-- not a dog guy...
Searching on Google gives a surpising number of rent-a-dog sites:)
Yes, it beggars believe doesn't it.
They're rather beastly little dogs, but highly effective, and pretty charming. (speaking from experience)
Have fun crawling through the bushes looking for Coyotes to see if you can get them to piss! LOL... I hope they sell that stuff in garden centers or something :)
You can always shoot them with something else: pellet gun, BB gun, paintball gun, etc.
Or, get some of those bear traps.....might be messy though.
ha! It's illegal to discharge a firearm in the city limits andrew - you can go out into the country and squerril hunt all you want...
Couldn't find their affiliate program BUT check this out!
This is the solution [predatorpee.com] which proves that there are MANY WAYS to make $ on the www
Alright, get yourself a large mallet....it will get you in shape, and might improve your hand eye coordination. ;)
If you put a garden hose down the hole until it fills up, they come out kinda dazed - enough to slap the biz end of a hoe on them. One will squirt out between the hose and the hole every once in a while.
Darn things are even down in the window wells to the basement. They run around the yard so much, they have little paths warn like cows make - just not as wide :-)
...leave it to Mackin to find a link like that! Affiliate program - ha. Only on the web...
I recall reading about "zoo doo". Basically,
Lion and Tiger droppings zoos sell to place around
flower beds.
I wonder if some sort of sonic solution would work.
Sounds of a given frequency that humans can't hear
but that the pest can't stand.
Also, how about the "worm rods" fishermen use. They
stick an electric pole into the ground that delivers a
mild current -- and up come the worms to the surface.
Maybe a couple of these by the house. Would think
squirrels would like it even less. Especially if
the ground is wet -- be careful you don't
electrocute yourself!!
How about a "scarecrow" that "flaps in the breeze"?
Basically, I'm thinking if you combine the additive
power of a few annoyances they might move to a
different neighborhood.
Also, how about cyan pepper sprinkled around their
haunts? Heck, get a bottle of super hot pepper
extract and mix up some spray. Then spray all over their
little paths and around their holes -- being ESPECIALLY
careful to be upwind and wearing goggles and a mask!
Moreover, what are they eating? Maybe there is a
way to rid your yard of their favorite food, thus
minimizing their motivation to put up with whatever
annoyances to them you can come up with.
One thought on the dog. A squirrel can inflict a
lot of damage to a dog's face with their claws.
Sooner or latter you might be in for a large vet bill.
I hope you can find a humane solution that drives them away.
Best wishes,
Louis
Pellet guns use compressed air (pump or cartridge) and may not be illegal, since they aren't firearms. You can even get varmint pellets. Go for the highest velocity gun you can find - it will shoot straighter and have more stopping power. This won't cure your problem, but might provide some emotional satisfaction when you nail the little critter that bit the heads off all your flowers!
I like the mallet approach, too - sort of real-life whack-a-mole...
We get groundhogs coming in off our golf course. Those things dig giant foot-wide tunnels. You could break a leg. (So could a trespasser/golfer, who would then sue you.) Half the time, pellets bounce off their hard little heads...
Of course, I can attribute some of the critter problem to my neighbor - she was feeding the "cute little" critters, including several families of skunks. Ugh.
I advise giving up on the tasty plants.
I wonder if some sort of sonic solution would work.
Try the tennis ball trick Brett - it's cheap and easy.
I got some useful results on Google using "ultrasonic mole repel repellant".
Since we're on the subject of squirrel avoidance, here's a tip to get them out of your way while driving: Hit your horn repetitively, fast, and in very short bursts... Bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip-bip ("Bips" are too short to be heard as "beeps" - bouncing your fist off the horn button works.) This triggers their tiny little brains into "unfreezing" as they realize they've been spotted. Maybe reminds them of a diving hawk or something? Anyway, they unfreeze and get out of the way, and save you having to explain to your young daughter why you made a red-road-pancake out of cute Mr. (or Mrs.!) Squirrel...
I've been waiting years to post this info - I never expected it to be "almost on-topic" at wmw of all places!
Jim
Man that is funny :)
I bet he makes a few bucks
Steve
