Squirrels!

[notfarnow]

I don't know how the hell they're getting in, but they aren't leaving alive. The catch & release amnesty program ended last year.

Had one last year that was a cinch to catch, but they are making me CRAZY this year. I've caught 2 in the past week. I can hear one of the fuchers right now, chewing and scratching.

2am and I'm fit to kill

[SlowToady]

Bow and arrow works wonders:-D Fun as hell too.

[Rondinone]

Peanut butter mixed with anything poisonous. Bye-bye.

[Rick V]

Big assed cat with a type A parsonallity works well at my house.

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by Rondinone
Peanut butter mixed with anything poisonous. Bye-bye.

Considered poison, but I don't want to be hunting for bodies. A friend of mine had to cut a wall open to get at a rotting squirrel that had crawled in and died. No thanks!

I put some rat traps up in the attic, and nailed them down.

Still have to find where the bastards are getting in. Not easy in a 130 yr old home. Spent the last two hours checking soffits, around trim etc...

[Steve PH]

Be wary of mutant squirrels

[legion]

Originally posted by notfarnow
I don't know how the hell they're getting in, but they aren't leaving alive. The catch & release amnesty program ended last year.

I had grackles in my soffit. They got no reprieve. They had picked a hole in my roof. I figure, if they know how to get in, they're not going to stop until they get in again--then they will teach their offspring how to get in. (I caught the grackles and repaired the hole.)

[Usmellgass2?]

+1, Cats I have always kept a couple of barn cats around for vermin control. The wilder the better.

[Dixie]

Squirrels hate mothballs. Put some in old pantyhose, and then hang them in the attic near the edge of the roof. The smell will last a couple months. That may give you a reprieve.

Second, don't use rat poison. They'll wind up dead all right. But they'll be dead inside your wall.

The really answer is you need to find out how they're getting in and seal it. Call a professional if need be.

[livi]

For advice, see 'Caddy Shack'. Mr. Murray have a few pointers on getting rid rodents. In the words of Jean Paul Sartre: Au revoir, gofer. Should work for squirrels too.

[notfarnow]

Chased one out of the attic about 20 minutes ago, and found where he was getting in. There is a spot where they are able to lift the soffit vent and climb in. Good thing I watched him leave, otherwise I never would have found that.



Bad news is it's going to be really, really tough to get at. I can't reach it from the attic. I can get at it from the outside, but I'll have to use a ladder... I hate heights.

Worse yet is that I think it's my fault, I had torn the covers off in September to properly vent the soffits, and I must not have fastened them back on well enough. And I rented 3 lifts of staging to do that work... maybe I'll get my neighbor to go up there with a ladder.

[oldE]

Jake,

Good work tracking down the little buggers' access. A few minutes on the ladder and your troubles should be over. (Watch our if there is frost in the ground. A guy I know broke his back when his ladder slipped on frozen ground. Have somebody hold the ladder. Or better yet, You hold the ladder while somebody else goes up!) Hey, I'd go up if I was closer.

Les

[Dottore]

Originally posted by Capt. Carrera
Squirrels hate mothballs. Put some in old pantyhose, and then hang them in the attic near the edge of the roof. The smell will last a couple months. That may give you a reprieve.

Second, don't use rat poison. They'll wind up dead all right. But they'll be dead inside your wall.

The really answer is you need to find out how they're getting in and seal it. Call a professional if need be.

There are some sophisticated poisons about that blind the animal, so that they come out looking for light and die outdoors.

[RallyJon]

For actual advice and myth debunking (mothballs), go here:

http://unexco.com/SQ1.html

They even have a squirrel killer forum.

[MRM]

Nice place.

[HardDrive]

You guys do know that there are some AWESOME air rifles available. $200 gets you a .17 killing machine. 1000 fps.

[fireant911]

Originally posted by HardDrive
You guys do know that there are some AWESOME air rifles available. $200 gets you a .17 killing machine. 1000 fps.

Along the same lines... I purchased a pellet gun for the sole purpose of exterminating our squirrel problem. I really preferred to live in harmony with these creatures until they crossed the line and started living with me! The squirrels had gotten into our attic and were not pleasant house-mates. I begain the process by removing all bushes, shrubbery, and / or trees in which the squirrels were gaining access to our roof. I then visited Walmart and purchased a pellet gun with a telescopic sight (a Crossman 66 Powermaster Air Gun - 0.177 caliber pellet). I spent an afternoon 'sighting-in' the pellet gun and then took out seven of the uninvited guests. I have not experienced any other issues with squirrels since then - and that was five years ago.

My latest problem is with those pesky chipmucks...

[Bill Verburg]

Problem w/ guns, even air rifles, is the neighbors, they do get upset.

I like Have-A-Heart traps baited w/ bird seed. Squirrels can't resist. Once trapped the Have-A-Heart merely needs to be dunked in a convient pool of water, no more squirrel problem and it's all quiet and private.

[notfarnow]

Originally posted by Bill Verburg
Problem w/ guns, even air rifles, is the neighbors, they do get upset.

Pfft! Not as upset as Mrs Notfarnow would be. She's actually a little miffed that the "catch & release" program was terminated. Last year when we caught a rat in a live trap, she wanted me to set it free, and put up quite a fuss when I refused.

Rat traps are the way to go; quick and easy to deal with. I can deal with them discreetly without getting Mrs Notfarnow into a flap. If she saw a dead squirrel in a rat trap, it would seriously break her heart.

So I'm going to go up and fasten down the soffit covers tonight. Thanks for the advice with the ladder, Les. I hadn't thought about the frost.

I'll ask my neighbor to hold the ladder, which is code for "will you climb up the ladder for me". Worked when I was putting in the vent for the bathroom fan!

[dhoward]

Originally posted by legion
I had grackles in my soffit. .......snipped

Is that what you're calling it now?