Ground squirrels! How do I keep them out?

[drdvmd]

We live on a property with a large number of ground squirrels. Our chicken run was built with hardware cloth extending as an apron 18" out from the run walls, and yet ground squirrels have tunneled under these aprons into our run and are creating massive holes and tunnels everywhere. I am at a loss as to what we can do to keep them out. They tunnel in every night (we have a security camera in the run and can see them on the night vision camera). I will not use poison. Any other ideas? They are SO destructive.

 

[Notaneggspurt]

I know this might sound silly but can you post a one of pictures from the camera? And a picture of the run might help with some suggestions. Is there a food source available in the run?

 

[Molpet]

https://www.animaltrapsandsupplies.com/products/the-chipmunkinator-multi-catch-live-trap.html

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Are your feeders in the run? If so, what type of feeder? Type of feeder matters as even closing or removing them wont cut draw of food if type allows spillage which will leave feed for them to be after

 

[drdvmd]

I know this might sound silly but can you post a one of pictures from the camera? And a picture of the run might help with some suggestions. Is there a food source available in the run?

Thanks all. My husband was in denial...I thought they were rats the entire time but my husband was insistent they were ground squirrels since we've had problems with the squirrels before. We have determined they are RATS. Currently we've been taking the feeder out of the run at night, and I'm looking at Grandpa's Automatic Feeder. Any other ideas to keep these nasty rats out? GROSS.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

....We have determined they are RATS.

I read where you said the camera showed them at night...and was just about to reply that 13 lines ground squirrels and chipmunks are not nocturnal...then I saw that it’s rats!

If it were me I’d set up a food source / bait station away from the coop and poison them... but you mentioned not wanting to use poison... so I guess trapping is the next best option ... but rats can be prolific so it can be hard to trap them all, still it might help relieve the issue even if it doesn’t fully solve it.