Ground squirrels

[Starless]

I had a post about squirrels on here a couple of months ago, sorry, I don't know how to attach it here. I had the same issue, I didn't want to see them suffer, was hoping for a one shot kill. My problem is i can't use a .22 in my area, so I'm using a 4.5mm pellet gun. Do i get one shot kills? No, not really and I feel bad about it, but, the red squirrels have been ripping the screens from our 3 season porch and coming in and causing damage. It's a matter of priorities at this point. They cause damage to my garden, our potted plants, they rip the felt liner from inside our grill cover for their nests, sorry, it's war. One thing that works when I'm not around is i fill a 5 gal. pail 1/3 full of water, sprinkle sunflower seeds to cover the water and place a ramp with some seeds so they can climb up and see what they think is a pail full of seed. They jump in, can't get out and drown. Is it humane? I dunno, but it works.

[targa911S]

poisoning is a bad idea. If you are willing to collect all the dead bodies fine, but the carcasses will be eaten by other animals in the area and it will kill them as well. I just rehabbed a red tail hawk chick that was poisoned. Rat bait.

[Jeff Higgins]

I know nothing about this kind of poisoning, so I have to ask - aren't there poisons that kill the targeted species when they ingest it, but are no longer "poison" to anything that might eat them once they are dead? I know this was a big, big deal with black footed ferrets that were eating poisoned prairie dogs, with the ferrets driven to near extinction. I thought there were better poisons these days, without the secondary poisoning of the predator species. Maybe?

[targa911S]

I can’t say. However the raptor rescue center I took this bird to recognized him as poisoned and said it was common in agricultural areas.
My guy pulled through once they flushed his system.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by targa911S

I can’t say. However the raptor rescue center I took this bird to recognized him as poisoned and said it was common in agricultural areas.
My guy pulled through once they flushed his system.

Rats. I would hope we had moved past this by now.

As a kid in the '60's and '70's here in Washington, it was pretty uncommon to see raptors of any kind. Once DDT and other insecticides that were killing them were banned, we started seeing them again. The Red Tailed Hawks were the first that were back in big numbers.

The Bald Eagles have since made a tremendous comeback as well. It is not uncommon to see them circling my neighborhood, in what has grown into a real "suburbia" in the 30 years I've lived here. Just this last winter, when all the leaves were off of their preferred nesting trees, my wife and I counted something like 17 nests in about a 30 mile drive up the Snoqualmie River valley. And those were just the ones we could see.

Granted, we don't have the problems with invasive rodent species here on the wet side of Washington that even our dry side, east of the Cascade range, suffers. I have, however, kind of (maybe mistakenly) taken our awesome raptor recovery as a sign that the poisons in use in our farmlands might not harm them anymore. I realize they must be different poisons for insects vs. rodents, so maybe my glee and optimism are just based on my observations in an area that only needs to use the former.

So, no, if the poisons used on rodents still kill raptors and other predators, that's a real no-go in my book.

[targa911S]

Good for you Jeff and spread the word. Spring traps will do the job on rats and mice. Humane traps will work for the ground squirrels and then just kill them in the trap.

[Tobra]

That house is practically on the American River Parkway, you are liable to get a visit from somebody with a badge and a hat if you put out poison


Traps and shooting them with a pellet gun is the way to go, but it will be a job, there is literally thousands of acres of primo wildlife habitat right behind the house, how you gonna poison that?

[targa911S]

Interesting that this came up today. We found another dead juvenile hawk tonight. Dead. No signs of trauma. Most likely poison. I’m reporting it to fish and game commission tomorrow.

[Craig T]

Nobody wants to resort to poison if they don't have to, and the collateral damage is real. Rodenticide poisoning caused the death of a local mountain lion that was endeared to the area and under study because he was able to cross the 101 Fwy successfully several times. Poisoning also kills the coyotes which are the only successful predator of the ground squirrels in any numbers. In a residential control situation, traps or a pellet gun might keep them at bay, and poison can be avoided.

Unfortunately, when the problem gets so bad that if starts to affect commercial crops, then more drastic measures have to be taken. When avocado trees fall over in the wind because the squirrels have undermined the root system so badly, or a berry farmer's crop is unprofitable because of rodent damage, then poison is the only option.

I love all animals, and enjoy seeing bobcats, hawks, and owls on my property, but its unrealistic to think that farmers and orchard owners will walk away from their land and businesses to avoid collateral damage to a hawk or coyote. When a better solution comes up that saves the predators, everybody in my area would happily stop using poison.

[Baz]

FWIW, they do make products that will eliminate pests, without poison.

I'm using one now to manage a few rats that have moved into my property. I have one living in my garage in fact - but I think he's gone now, perhaps due to this product.

I don't like killing any living thing but sometimes it's part of management. I just don't want any collateral damage to the other living things on my property or in adjacent areas.

[Tobra]

My sister used bubble gum for the rats at her place. Ostensibly it stops them up and they die of constipation, may be urban legend

[john70t]

Originally Posted by KC911

Didn't read close enough earlier...didn't realize laser...bothers their eyes eh?

Had a flashlight with a laser, chased a herd of raccoons from the back yard up a neighbors tree, and shined that low-level laser in its eye for an hour while hissing.
(that translates into "stay out" in animal language)

It would not move or look away during that hour and kept staring even with the chance to go.

[Don Ro]

Originally Posted by Rapewta

I have a choice to make and both choices seem bad.
My father's home butts up to the American River and the only thing that separates his home and the river is a levee.

The ground squirrels have honey-combed the levee and have multiple holes now in his back lawn.

I have two choices to get rid of this invasive species...
Kill them with a slow death by by-passing receptors that tell the animal to hydrate.
Slow death. 3 to 7 days. Pellets put in the entrance of the many holes.

Or... shoot them with a 22 cal pellet firearm that has a precision green dot (no suffering).

No safe traps please. No harse language please. No exhaust pipes. No country involvement. No peanut butter with (add whatever).

Just some help where you have a conscience.

I used to hunt and killed many animals three decades ago and I can't stomach
killing anymore.

Thanks

Same here...grew up hunting.
I used to shoot squirrels out of my Fig tree in CA.... .177 scoped - 30 yards away, or so.
Until one day I walked over to one that was on its back screaming a gagging for life.
I felt sick.
I'll shoot birds out of my AZ Fig tree now...but I may never again shoot a mammal of any kind.

[LWJ]

For the O.P. a story:

I went camping a few years ago and some ground squirrels raided a sunflower seed back I brought. The made a mess and who was I to go and eat seeds after the squirrels were in there.

At the same location, we had a beautiful pair of Golden Eagles and a juvenile Bald Eagle. All three would soar over our camp site.

When we left, I took the rest of the seeds and put them in a small mound in the middle of the road - where there was no cover. Surprise squirrels! Time to participate in the food chain!

My point? You don't want to do the killing. Is there a way you can encourage Mother Nature to do your work?

[Tobra]

A LOT of hawks and coyote along the river.

[targa911S]

Originally Posted by Baz

FWIW, they do make products that will eliminate pests, without poison.

I'm using one now to manage a few rats that have moved into my property. I have one living in my garage in fact - but I think he's gone now, perhaps due to this product.

I don't like killing any living thing but sometimes it's part of management. I just don't want any collateral damage to the other living things on my property or in adjacent areas.

Thank you for posting this. Totally eco and wildlife friendly. Approved by raptor rescue.
Thanks.

[Evans, Marv]

I've used RatX several times & saw no apparent results.

[sammyg2]

me too me too, I hate killing nasty little disease-ridden rodent pests that trash stuff!

I feel better now.

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

me too me too, I hate killing nasty little disease-ridden rodent pests that trash stuff!

I feel better now.

LMAO!

When my wife and I bought or avocado property we used to drink coffee in the morning and laugh at the "cute" little frolicking squirrels. We adored them. At the end of year one we lost half the crop to squirrel damage and several trees to root damage. Now we drink morning coffee with a .22 in the breakfast area and my wife yells..."A SQUIRREL! KILL THE DIRTY BA$TARD!!! HURRY!

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Craig T

.... Now we drink morning coffee with a .22 in the breakfast area and my wife yells..."A SQUIRREL! KILL THE DIRTY BA$TARD!!! HURRY!

LOL...Have you considered decaf ?