For the second time in 2 years a squirrel(s) has chewed his way through my roof and gotten into my attic where he [they] have eaten insulation, shit, made “finger nail on chalk board” noises through the ceiling, and generally made a #*%$ing mess in my storage area. Because of certain factors it is impossible to prevent them from getting on our roof. But how do I deal with them after that? every place I’ve been to only has “smoke bomb” type poison for squirrels that burrow in the ground. No good for my problem.
I need one of two things:
something I can put on my roof (or in the attic) that is considered so foul by squirrels that they’ll leave & never come back, or…
something they will willing eat which will quickly kill the sonsabitches.
I don’t want to have to shell out for a pro exterminator.
The stores sell all sorts of poisons & repelants for rats, mice, gophers, etc., but nothing for tree rats. I do not want to trap them! I want them to go away on their own, or be dead, dead, DEAD!! Any suggestions is greatly appreciated!
You don’t want to poison them when they are in your attic. When they die up there, they will most likely be very hard to find. That is… until the smell comes… then the nausea… then the “For Sale” sign in the front yard… it’s terrible.
I wonder why they are going into your attic. Are they looking for shelter (what’s the temperature like outside when they do this)? Are they looking for food? If so, you could try a rat trap that is TIED DOWN VERY SECURELY. Maybe they are just curious (you mentioned that they tore $h!% up).
You asked about something you could put in your attic that they would detest… try mothballs… lots of them. Most animals hate the smell of mothballs.
You should consider trapping them. Catch one in a cage, then torture the little bugger and send him back out to his friends. Just before you release him, you could tell him that if he didn’t warn all of his friends that you’d hunt him down and shove bamboo under his claws.
I don’t know what to tell ya, man. I had’em about a year ago and never came up with a good defense. A couple of months later, I boarded a rat for a bit. After several weeks of feeding him rat poison, both he and the squirrels were gone.
Your idea about torturing the squirrel is evil and violates the rights of animals!
I love it.
If you’re ever in Milwaukee stop by & I’ll buy ya a brew or two (or 20). Hell, we’ll get drunk and kill some f#$%ing squirrels and beat the shit outa some animal rights activist!
I have exactly the same problem with the little bastards—squirrels are nothing but rats in drag.
It’s illegal to poison them in some states, you’d better check first. And yes, every so often (like this weekend!) one of the buggers cashes in his chips on the roof, and my whole apt. is full of flies. They even steal the flowers from my window boxes—Bastards! I want them DEAD.
That having been said, the best you can do is fumigate the attic to chase them out, then hammer up special heavy metal grates where they’ve chewed in. I’m sure there is some kind of squirrel repellent you can get to discourage them—if anything WILL discourage the monsters.
Trapping them, and setting them loose does no good—they just jump on your car and ride back with you laughing all the way.
I can’t stand the nasty little long tailed rats either! They have been in my attic for a couple of months. Last weekend my BF set a couple of traps. We got two of them. We couldn’t figure out how they were getting in. We still can’t find a hole, but if they are anything like their disgusting little cousins, mice/rats, they can get in through a spot the size of a dime.
If they are coming in through a particular place, could you affix some wire mesh over the area? This is the solution commonly suggested for protecting daffodil bulbs (which squirrels love.) You dig a large hole, plant your bulbs, place wire mesh over them, and fill in with soil. The bulbs grow up through the holes but the squirrels can’t get to them.
Our neighborhood squirrels have acquired a taste for my tomatoes and last year ate at least half my crop. This summer I am trying a squirrel repellent that is basically hot pepper oil in a wax-based solution. I’ve found hot-pepper oil to be very effective. I dumped some over my newly planted bulbs after seeing a squirrel digging there and no one has dug since. The wax is supposed to make it stick to the leaves longer. You could try something like that in the opening they have already made.
Actually, beatle probably has the best answer - a pet feline. Maybe not a bobcat, though. If you could give a housecat the run of the yard and provide a means for her to get on the roof (a cat-a-pult, perhaps?), I am sure the squirrel problem would go away. Just keep in mind that she may want to bring her trophy for you to admire after she kills the furballs. Try to teach her to bury the dang pests (in a cat-a-comb, maybe?). If she really becomes good at catching the nut-hoarders, you may want to cat-a-log her achievements. I am sure a decent sized pussycat can help you avoid a cat-astrophe. When it’s all over, you can celebrate with a bottle of Cat-awba!
Get a portable CD player. Put in a Ricky Martin CD on repeat and press play. Watch the little bastards run, never to return again. I realize this is both cruel, and unusual, but you asked. Don’t play the music too loud though because it may attract the people from P.E.T.A. and you don’t want Kim Bassinger pissed off at you.
Tightly pack their holes with steel wool. If they attempt to chew through again don’t be discouraged just replace it. THey are wearing their teeth down and if they keep at it they will starve!
Step two can be done one of two ways. Since the squirrels usually come in under the eaves, you can either cover the board from the inside with thick wire mesh staple on, or you can get a cayenne based oil or wax as described above. Spray it under the eaves where they sqirrels come in. Use it liberally and do more than one application so it will soak into the wood.
I would also recommend placing a havaheart trap in your attic. Check it daily.
If you catch one, you can lower it into water, and drown the thing, or set the trap right by the exhaust of your car and leave it running for an hour or so.
I would say that Scylla probably knows best as he has been at war with their cousins for some time now. That method would work if you are in town.
However, if you are in the country/outside the city limits just shoot them. Much quicker and a lot less hassle. Depending on the state you are in and whether or not you own your home you may not even need a hunting license or need to follow hunting seasons as squirrels are considered small game. I would recommend either a .22 or a good pellet gun. Use a scope with either one(4X will do). With the .22 you could use .22 shorts and there would not be much noise associated with your sniping.
As a side benefit a lot of fishing lure manufacturers will pay you for the tails and will double what they pay you if you use it to purchase merchandise from them. We are only talking about 7 cents though so don’t quit your day job.
You know I hear some people like the taste of tree rats. yuck!!
Ok this is a little off topic but pidgeons, I also hate them! I live in a small town with many beautiful little song birds. They drive the song birds away! Their crap is huge and their nests are heavy and break down the siding on your house. They won’t nest in the trees like a damned normal bird, they infest your home. I don’t have any nesting in mine but the neighbors are beginning to become infested. And they are dropping their huge poops on my car every damned day! Does anyone have any suggestions on how to rid my neighborhood of these nasty creatures without harming the desirable birds? Don’t tell me to get a cat. I don’t like cats either, besides there are enough of the lazy buggers in my neighborhood already. They don’t mess with the birds or squirrels just my damned trash cans! They’ll be next on my list.
Years ago in my hometown of Great Bend, Kansas, there was a local character named Otto Standke. He gained national fame as the man to call if your premises was being over-run by annoying pests such as pigeons, starlings, and even squirrels, IIRC. I think he was even on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
Mr. Standke would not reveal his secrets and I am not sure he is still around. Maybe someone knows some info on this fellow. I think he did not use those ultrasonic repellant devices that many people claim actually have some degree of success. I seem to recall some people saying he used natural means like peppers or some plants or other stuff that the critters didn’t like. Anyone remember this?
Needs2know: Who says pigeons aren’t desirable birds, Pigeons are a kind of Dove. So instead of hurting them, just think of them as beautiful doves-a sign of peace. Especially when they are crapping on your car, recking your siding, and scaring away the song birds. Wait I like song birds too. Ya, on second thought shoot dirty little peace lovers!
4 squirrels cut into 5 pieces ****
salt & pepper
.25 cup bacon fat
.5 cup cooking oil
.75 cup flour
2quarts + 2 cups cold water
4 ribs celery,chopped
.66 cup parsley, chopped
.66 cup green onion tops, chopped
1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
Season squirrel with salt & pepper.
In heavy skillet make roux with bacon fat, oil, and flour.
Stir continously for about 1.5 hours
Transfer roux to 6 quart soup pot.
Add water and all other ingrediants.
Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook 2.5 hours for young squirrel or 3 hours for old squirrel.
Serve over hot fluffy rice.
serves 8
**** 5 pieces of squirrel is 4 quarters plus one head
Get an old blanket that has been used by a dog or cat to sleep on . Do not wash the blanket. Just hang it in your attic. The smell will scare off the little beggars.
At one time, we had Flying Squirrels in* our* attic.
Nothing normal at this house. Normal = Dull.
I have another question: I have been plagued by flies lately. I kill 20–30 of them every night when I get home (on the upside, my hand/eye coordination has become amazing!). Could they be there because of the squirrels in the attic? My landlord said he removed a dead squirrel from the roof—but I think the LIVE squirrels must attract flies, too—any ideas?
