Never seen so many red squirrels as this year.they chewed my neighbors fascia on her shed off.then this morning she asked me to come over as something was chewing all night and she never slept.well they chewed into the crawl space and were up in the floor joists.set up some rat traps and had 3 in an hour.ive been picking them off with the pellet gun all year and cannot keep up.couple of years ago they chewed wires in a friend's grandmothers house and set it on fire.
Squirrels
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Prof
Minister of Fire
We never have enough squirrels around to be a problem. A bit unfortunate since I love squirrel stew. It would take a bunch of reds to make it though.
Every few years I need to go after them at the cabin. I wipe them out and eventually new ones move in.
Sawset
Minister of Fire
2 litters of 6 per year = hawk food
I made a repeating trap once and caught 18 chipmunks (not all at once) and still didn't seem to dent the population.
Around that same time I had just bought a 40acre piece, had some time on my hands, and did some envelope math on how many coyotes could be sustained if a half dozen bunnies were introduced on that 40acre piece. It was a lot, with spare bunnies for next yrs crop.
Whatever is done, don't put out feed to attract the critters. Feeding the birds is a noble pastime, until the other hungry things, like squirrels, decide your car or house wires are on the menu.
I made a repeating trap once and caught 18 chipmunks (not all at once) and still didn't seem to dent the population.
Around that same time I had just bought a 40acre piece, had some time on my hands, and did some envelope math on how many coyotes could be sustained if a half dozen bunnies were introduced on that 40acre piece. It was a lot, with spare bunnies for next yrs crop.
Whatever is done, don't put out feed to attract the critters. Feeding the birds is a noble pastime, until the other hungry things, like squirrels, decide your car or house wires are on the menu.
fire_man
Minister of Fire
Same problem here. Squirrels have destroyed the bottom panels of my garage doors trying to chew their way in. Chewed the lead flashing on my chimney. Ate my entire pumkin plants and all my hot pepper plants right down to the stem. The only thing safe was the ghost peppers themselves.
stoveliker
Minister of Fire
Battle them every year. Shoot about 15-30 of them. I use Propane Torch and put it in the hold and let it rip for 5min. Then Cover it up. If they are home they Die. They be Ugly (Colombia Ground Squirrel). They are only awake for 4 months of the year. Plowing the back 5AC kills them too. Just don't want the Dust.
johneh
Minister of Fire
We have a grove of mature Black Walnuts so we have Chipmonkes.
Red Squirrels, Black, silver, gray, and 2 albino squirrels
Dispatch close to 60 a year with my trusty pellet rifle
Don't mind the bigger one they stay away from the house
but the reds are a holey tearer and destructive
Red Squirrels, Black, silver, gray, and 2 albino squirrels
Dispatch close to 60 a year with my trusty pellet rifle
Don't mind the bigger one they stay away from the house
but the reds are a holey tearer and destructive
enordy
Member
Prof
Minister of Fire
fire_man
Minister of Fire
I wonder what happens if you eat one of those squirrels that ate my lead flashing
I've heard that lead paint tastes sweet. So, that squirrel might make for really good BBQ.
wishlist
Minister of Fire
I absolutely hate those squirrels. I have probably 3-4 miles of maple tubing in 4 different wood lots and they chew the tubing just for fun ! It causes major vacuum leaks so it’s a constant repair every year .
Fortunately one of the woods there’s a young neighbor who loves to squirrel hunt . I give him $5 for everyone he gets . It’s a win win for both of us .
Fortunately one of the woods there’s a young neighbor who loves to squirrel hunt . I give him $5 for everyone he gets . It’s a win win for both of us .
fire_man
Minister of Fire
That sounds like a nightmare with the tubing, too bad there wasn't some kind of cheap covering to protect it but 3-4 miles ouch.
I ended up covering my lead flashing with sharp edged aluminum flashing so the little bastards will cut their mouths.
I ended up covering my lead flashing with sharp edged aluminum flashing so the little bastards will cut their mouths.
wishlist
Minister of Fire
They chew it where the tubing is up against the trees . They do make a stainless “sleeve “ that would protect the tubing but cost wise it’s just not feasible.
fire_man
Minister of Fire
I painted my garage doors with ghost pepper/vinegar mix and it worked to keep them away. I guess you dont want to get ghost peppers near the maple syrup 
Sawset
Minister of Fire
One place I was at, the chipmunks and squirrels were overrunning the place and emptying the bird feeder faster than I could find time to enjoy any birds at it. So I added capsicum powder - and waited. One evening the sun was setting behind the feeder, and I could see the powder dust all over it's whiskers - made for a great picture, but, it seemed to just make it cajun flavored and in the end had no none effect. They just chowed, pepper and all. So brilliant me I decided to wire the feeder to as electric cow fencer. And I waited. Flipped the switch and never laughed so hard ever. Pinged that squirrel 20ft away. And the look was priceless - he just shook his head and looked, then looked down, then up at the feeder again with this squinty look, and shook his head again - what the heck was that. But, it didn't take long and the ping didn't work any more, at all. Hmm, tough squirrels.
Grizzerbear
Minister of Fire
fire_man
Minister of Fire
Those pictures are painful to look at. Cars since around 2010 are using bioplastics in the wiring (more ecofriendly and lower cost) but the critters like to chew the soy based plastic.
At least the damaged wires look accessible to splice.
How do you know they're wood rats?
At least the damaged wires look accessible to splice.
How do you know they're wood rats?
Grizzerbear
Minister of Fire
Yea that's a 06 mercury. I use if for work to keep miles off the truck and to save gas. I got home Monday evening and popped the hood.....I already knew what I was going to see. He was sitting there snug as a bug in that nest. I will get it fixed this weekend.
I wish cars came with the wiring in aluminum looms. Bio plastics? Are they more critter deterrent. I've read about the soy based and how they like to chew on them.
It's a ongoing battle with the rats. I normally spray under the hood with peppermint oil and it actually works really good. I forgot to do the car the last time I did all the vehicles.
I wish cars came with the wiring in aluminum looms. Bio plastics? Are they more critter deterrent. I've read about the soy based and how they like to chew on them.
It's a ongoing battle with the rats. I normally spray under the hood with peppermint oil and it actually works really good. I forgot to do the car the last time I did all the vehicles.
tlc1976
Minister of Fire
First year in my old house, a squirrel decided to go down my plumbing vent pipe. I didn’t have any means to do anything about it. 20 feet up on the roof, straight down to the crawl space, and all pipes were copper even the septic pipe. It screamed for about 3 days until it finally died. Never had any plumbing problems so I just left it alone. I’m sure it decomposed by the time I sold the house 17 years later.
i had a customer that hired me for three years straight. every year his pool boiler wouldn't fire, i had to rewire the thing because mice ate the wires. other customers have the same problem and the nests look just like under the hood of your car. the boiler guy that i did it finally ended when the mouse bit into the wrong wire and i found him fried to a crisp.
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