Squirrels a nuisnace ( in UK) any suggestions?

[princesslayer]

Hi there,

Our local squirrels have discovered our chicken feeder and not only do they eat loads of the food , but knock it over and the rest spills all over the floor. Also, they keep getting into our feed bins. Hubs wants to shoot them. I can't think of any other way, but for a start we don't know anyone with a gun. Can't think of anyway to stop them getting in that wouldn't also stop the chickens getting in.

Any ideas ???

 

[princesslayer]

...obviously they are a nuisance and not a nuisnace!

 

[rancher hicks]

You could try my famous "peanut butter, anti freeze, tranquilizer" sandwich. I put it in a trap outside the run, so I know I got them. Use a trap to small for cats though. Or you could just trap them live and transport them out of your area like I do. Others take their place but I just repeat. Or practice your aim with a bb pistol and give them a shot in the ...

Hope your soon squirrel free

Rancher

 

[princesslayer]

Hey there, will the antifreeze kill them?

 

[jjthink]

Probably not what you (or your husband) want to hear, but I just put out enough for everyone. I adore squirrels. That said, there may be a way to change your set up a bit but in the meantime, I bet if you put birdseed/sunflower seed elsewhere in the yard they would much prefer it to regular chicken food. When you first start doing this take up the chicken food during the day so they think it's gone - it could well change their pattern (of course, let the birds eat well before you open their door in the morning and before bed and if you can, at a supervised interval or two during the day so they don't go hungry during this squirrel retraining period)

The all too common refrain of let's just shoot this, that or the other critter is in my opinion overkill (ha! didn't plan on that pun

, especially since we're not talking about a predator here.
JJ

 

[jjthink]

PLease never ever use antifreeze. It is a torturous grizzly way to die and you could well end up with unintended victims.
JJ

 

[Tim63]

Why don't you just buy a 22 and keep it handy?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yes, the antifreeze will kill whatever drinks it. Cats seem to love it.

I personally have no problem with someone shooting them in the right circumstances, but consider the danger posed by guns and riccochets. Plus you will have to dispose of a lot of bodies. After all, bushy tailed rats are NOT an endangered species.

I second the notion of a live trap. You will have to move them at least 10 kilimeters from you to release them so they won't find their way back. Releasing them may not be legal for you. It is not for most of us on this side of the pond.

I once trapped squirrels out of my back yard and released them a long way away. They were doing a lot of damage to houses in my neighbohood, including mine. Find a trap that is sized properly for squirrels. I used black sunflower seeds as bait, scattered some on the ground around the mouth of the trap and put some back behind the pan. Face the opening of the trap toward a tree so they feel they have a safe escape route. If you have the kind of trap that has openings on both ends, close one of the openings. That extra opening is just another escape route and a smart but useless marketing ploy.

Before I started, it was not unusual to see 5 or more playing together in my back yard in the middle of the day. I took over 50 squirrels out of my back yard in a month and got a neighbor started trapping them. Here leased them only about 3 km away so I'm pretty sure his came back, but he claimed over a hundred in two months. There were so many in the neighborhood that others just moved into the vacated territory.

I had a friend who trapped them in his back yard and released them on a friend's property way out in the country. Hunting was legal on his friend's property so during hunting season, they went squirrel hunting many times.

Good luck! This is not an easy problem to solve.

 

[Oven Ready]

Guns in the UK are not much of an option these days, even BB guns have to be brightly colored I believe so they are not mistaken for real guns - so why don't criminals paint their 9mms lurid green, pink & yellow? Anyways guns & the UK don't mix unless you're a farmer or a sociopath.

So...trapping is the only way to get rid of them. I think it's illegal to release grey squirrels and illegal to trap red squirrels, how your trap is going to know the color of the squirrel I don't know. Your local council people should be able to help or a hardware store will sell the traps. I'm not sure if the council will dispose of them for you, but (and I know this isn't going to be a popular view) the quickest cleanest option left to you is drowning them, keep them in the trap, put it in a bucket of water (or a wheelie bin filled with water) wait five minutes and your squirrel is no more.

Be careful what you neighbors see of they'll 'ave the law on ya' despite you being in the right (after checking with your local council of course).

Edited to add - I like squirrels, they are cute and fluffy but like everything else, when they become a pest they are just rats with nice tails.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
The peanut butter attracks them, the tranquilizer puts them to sleep and anitfreeze makes it permanent. Yes, I'm sorry to say but some folks don't have a problem with that. That's why I suggested putting the trap outside the run and one to small for cats.
Remember I said I take them far away and let them go near a wooded area, you just have to be prepared to repeat as necessary.

The choice is yours and best kept secret.

Rancher