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Squirrel problem

Hello all,

What could I do to keep the squirrels from digging in all of my outdoor containers? I think they're just burying acorns but they're disturbing the roots. Yesterday I dropped mothballs around the containers to see if that works. Anyone got any other ideas?

Thanks.
 
Better be a strong pellet gun, they have tough hides. .22 short is my recommendation, make sure you have some fire crackers in case the man shows up. "No sir I did not discharge a weapon, it was a fire cracker.."
 
Oy. There is a product called something like Critter Ridder that I use, also to stop the squirrels at this time of year. It's actually a mix of black pepper and crystallized capsaicin. Does the trick for me - first pot I find dug in, all the pots get it, then no more digging.
 
Better be a strong pellet gun, they have tough hides. .22 short is my recommendation, make sure you have some fire crackers in case the man shows up. "No sir I did not discharge a weapon, it was a fire cracker.."
One shot, one kill. I have killed a few hundred with pellet guns, mainly with bb's. Head shots are where it's at, killed plenty of rabbits as well. A 22 is pretty loud for residential areas.
 
Well, if you really just want to kill them, have fun with that! The stuff I use requires no dead body cleanup afterwards. ;)
 
I am mainly joking about killing them, no need to get in trouble over a squirrel. They are good eating however!
Yeah, in the residential community I live in, that would create a bigger problem for me. And I suspect giving them gum (assuming that works like it seems to on the gophers) might also be construed to poisoning them, which is also against the law here. Turned out a year or so ago there was a groundhog living underneath my garage. I didn't know about it, because it knew better than to mess with my pepper plants. But it went after my neighbor's non-pepper garden with gusto, though the neighbor didn't say anything to me about it. Only he got in trouble with the city trying his own methods of erradication, and the city let me know that had I ended up with a rotting groundhog under my garage, it would be my problem to deal with, even if my neighbor caused it. Oh the joys.....
 
No cleanup if you have foxes or hawks! A .177 works just fine@900fps, nice and quiet too. Just don't use it on humid days or it can break the sound barrier & you'll see a vapor disk form at the muzzle; pretty cool though. Deterring tree rats just let's them breed and then you have more of them. If they're hungry deterrents won't stop them from eating.
 
Here in Montana we use juicy fruit gum to kill gophers it clogs them up and they die :shh:
carl-spackler.jpg

ORLY?
 
My pump Crossman is so inaccurate its a waste of time, now my single shot long barrel 22 is a different story, 22 shorts are not loud, though in a zero lot line area I wouldn't think of using it. Out here its normal to here the cracks from time to time, helps having neighbors that practice the same crowd control methods.
 
I have heaps of squirrels around The Blues Casa here in Texas.

They don't bother anything plant wise.

On one side of the yard is where I have my raised beds.

On the other I have a squirrel feeder mounted to the top of my backyard fence for seeds, nuts and corn for them.

The box has a flip top on it that is part of the fun in getting the treats for them, and the lid keeps out the grackles and other birds that just want to crap all over ever 'thang.

The squirrels are an infinite source of entertainment and irritation for my dawg' missylou.

The squirrels and missylou have achieved a sort of MAD (MutualAssuredDestruction) stance if you will, or as they would say in the 50's and 60's, detente.

missylou is the queen of her domain.

A few weeks ago a possum had come under the fence and missylou chased it and caught it as it got halfway back out.

She grabbed the damn critter like she would her squeeky kitty toys and yanked it back into the yard.

Then the ugly little turd eater played "possum".

missylou got all upset and started whining and backed off.

The fun was over and she was feeling bad about it.

She thought she killed it.
 
Oy, TB - possums really are possibly the world's ugliest critters. I only wished the one that got on my 2nd floor apartment porch one year when I still lived in TX had played possum - the darned thing actually hissed and barred its teeth! Maybe you should rent out Missylou, let her earn her keep.... ;o)
 
The mothballs didn't do anything. I even saw one that looked like something chewed on it. I also found two small bell peppers that had been bitten into. I think I'm going to move everything into the GH today instead of taking any more chances outside.
 
Ah, TB is right. Dogs are another deterrent.
Oh if you have a greenhouse definitely move them in, that's the best protection there is. Mothballs are toxic anyway and who knows what they do to the soil when it rains; better off not using it.
 
I trap em and drown em. Sorry to anybody that doesn't like that but, they are a major problem in my backyard. Little bastards.
 
The .22 is an option, we live on 5 acres and I don't even hear someone firing off a .22 around here. I'm just a 'live and let live' type person. I was looking for a more nature friendly option. My wife, on the other hand, would kill a hundred if even one looked at her funny.
 
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