# A squirrel is living in my spare tire. How can I get rid of him? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 17, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156 "2001-09-17T14:16:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/1 "2001-09-17T14:16:45Z")
I have a Jeep Wrangler with the spare tire on the back, with a cover over it. A squirrel (and possibly his/her family) is living in there–ugh! I’ve cleaned out the nest twice, but they just come right back and fill up the space with brush, sticks, leaves, etc. How can I get rid of it/them without killing them? I was thinking about sprinkling a lot of cayenne pepper in there, which works to keep deer from eating plants. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/2 "2001-09-17T14:26:46Z")
Take the cover off. ---
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Magic-Gro\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e95f7d/32.png) [@Amazing\_Magic-Gro\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Magic-Gro_Monster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/3 "2001-09-17T14:42:02Z")
You might try going to the drug store and getting a little bottle of Eucalyptus oil. Soak a wad of cotton with the stuff, drop it into the bottom half of an aluminum coke can or similar vessel (be warned, the stuff dissolves some plastics, so a plastic cup won’t do) and just put it wherever the squirrels hang out. I was having a terrible time keeping racoons out from under my house. Stuff works magic. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/4 "2001-09-17T14:58:19Z")
My father-in-law shoots them. I wouldn’t, but it works for him. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Creant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Miss\_Creant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Creant)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/5 "2001-09-17T15:01:50Z")
Have you asked him to leave? I’d let my dog check out the tire at every opportunity. Dogs consider squirrles the anti-Christ ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/6 "2001-09-17T15:32:06Z")
**spare tyre**. _n_. **2**. _Brit. slang. jocular_. a deposit of fat just above the waist. **Source:** _The Collins English Dictionary._ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/7 "2001-09-17T15:37:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nostradamus \* > \*\ ***spare tyre**. _n_. **2**. _Brit. slang. jocular_. a deposit of fat just above the waist. > **Source:** _The Collins English Dictionary._ 🙂 \*\* So, what you’re saying is, lose some weight? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/8 "2001-09-17T15:47:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KSO \* > \*\*How can I get rid of it/them _without killing_ them? \*\* (italics mine) [Why?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=6163) ---
**Author:** ![Ennui](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ennui/32/3396_2.png) [@Ennui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ennui)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/9 "2001-09-17T17:36:36Z")
Moth Balls, they hate the smell even more than we do. My mother had them liveing in here eves and that was the only (leagal) way of removeing them, save hireing a professional. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2001, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/10 "2001-09-17T23:05:12Z")
Move the car two or three times in five or so days. I have been told that the the bushy tailed rodents don’t like mobile homes. Of course if this batch turns out to be the exception to the rule you could have them knocking on your door asking for another move. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/11 "2001-09-18T00:24:02Z")
Put the spare tire cover on one of the wheels on the vehicle. Wait for the varmint to build a home inside. Then take him for a “spin” around the block. After that, the squirrel will say “tire = spinning” and never try it again. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2001, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/12 "2001-09-18T00:30:16Z")
I am not going to say what i would do with the squirrel lest people may think I have no heart but I just wanted to say that I believe in the English language animals, inanimate objects and babies are correctly referred to as “it”, the one exception being ships which may be “she” as well as the cat’s mother. ---
**Author:** ![KSO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@KSO](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KSO)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2001, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-squirrel-is-living-in-my-spare-tire-how-can-i-get-rid-of-him/82156/13 "2001-09-29T01:43:51Z")
Thanks for all the suggestions. I haven’t seen it since last week–he was forced to take a flying leap off the tire as I was going about 10 mph down the driveway, so maybe that scared him off. I just want the little bastard gone so I think I’ll throw some moth balls in there. I have no comment about the spare tire around my waist.