Pinoyfisher
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squirrels

What can I do about them? They're a definite pain in my edited!! They eat everything :cry:

tedln
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We have this discussion quite often on this forum. It's pretty much divided along the lines of "I love squirrels. What is the best thing to feed them?" and "How do I get rid of those #%&***&%$ tree rats?". I won't comment on the best thing to feed them, but will say a shotgun is pretty effective for getting rid of them. Other than a shotgun, I don't know if an effective way to get rid of them exists.

Ted

Urban_Garden
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Squirrels… bleh.. tree rats. I have NO interest in killing them, since they are just following instincts, but at the same time they are very damaging to my poor garden! They steal fruit, dig up plants, and just to anger me rip leaves off my plants! Why? I don't know! Needless to say, I've had my share of looking like a nut job running out into the yard growling at squirrels until I find myself trying to climb the tree with my teeth. =/
They push my buttons.

I've heard blood meal repels them but I haven't tried it, I've found my running out into the yard foaming at the mouth to be both a good source of exercise and a effective way of keeping them out of the garden. :D

The war against the tree rats will never end.

Joyfirst
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Squarrel net?

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Kisal
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Joyfirst wrote:Squarrel net?
:lol: That, I believe, would have to be welded wire, with a 1" x 1/2" mesh! :lol:

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1chichi
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They made a mess in my raised bed. I'm still trying to save the heirloom tomato plants they buried under the soil.
A friend is loaning me her trap, so I can relocate some of them to the park.
There are nut trees all over the park, so they should love it.

Tate
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Try a product called Shake Away. It is Fox urine powder. Sprinkle it around your beds. It worked for me. Good luck.

Tate

NokeStar GreenThumb
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You could always get a dog :D

I have two, a jack russel and pit bull mix and have noticed a huge decrease in squirrel sightings since buying my home. If I do see them they're climbing across the power lines to stay away from my yard and my dogs.

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lj in ny
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I second Noke's suggestion: adopt a dog, save a life, gain a friend, scare a squirrel, grow a garden!

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rainbowgardener
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We have squirrels, and outdoor cats, which keep the squirrels from getting too bold. Cats can't manage to catch the squirrels (I'm glad), but they keep them from settling in! In the meantime the squirrels have their own feeder to keep them from being quite as motivated. And everything I really want to save in the garden is wrapped in deer netting which is effective for keeping the squirrels out.

garden5
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rainbowgardener wrote:We have squirrels, and outdoor cats, which keep the squirrels from getting too bold. Cats can't manage to catch the squirrels (I'm glad), but they keep them from settling in! In the meantime the squirrels have their own feeder to keep them from being quite as motivated. And everything I really want to save in the garden is wrapped in deer netting which is effective for keeping the squirrels out.
Hey, that gives me an idea: why not put out a squirrel feeder far away from the garden. This way, the squirrels will congregate over there to eat their preferred diet (shelled corn and bird seed) and leave the garden alone.

tedln
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garden5 wrote:
rainbowgardener wrote:We have squirrels, and outdoor cats, which keep the squirrels from getting too bold. Cats can't manage to catch the squirrels (I'm glad), but they keep them from settling in! In the meantime the squirrels have their own feeder to keep them from being quite as motivated. And everything I really want to save in the garden is wrapped in deer netting which is effective for keeping the squirrels out.
Hey, that gives me an idea: why not put out a squirrel feeder far away from the garden. This way, the squirrels will congregate over there to eat their preferred diet (shelled corn and bird seed) and leave the garden alone.
Nope! Doesn't work that way. They are like some people I know who want theirs, but will still take yours.

Ted

FailedSlacker
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Thirding the dog suggestion - though it has to be one the squirrels are afraid of. My parents have two havanese and the squirrels just taunted them.

My heelerX ambushing from the window of a parked car was much more effective. I'm thinking he has joined the local squirrels urban legends since my parents haven't had any problems since.

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Kisal
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I feed the squirrels in my front yard. They seem content with that, and never bother anything in my back yard.

I do have dogs, but they're penned in the side yard, unless I let them out for a run. :)

elementfiftyfour
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I'm ready to go the shotgun route but I really doubt my neighbors will be too happy about that. Has anyone ever thought about using pepper spray? It is non toxic right and can be washed off when the tomatoes are ripe and ready to eat.

Here is an article I found that discusses pepper spray and squirrels specifically.

https://www.squirrelrepellent.net/squirrel-repellent/homemade-squirrel-repellent-spray-recipes-for-your-garden

[img]https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/elementfiftyfour/2450615d.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y191/elementfiftyfour/e63aa494.jpg[/img]

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kimbledawn
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That's what my first ripe tomato looked like yesterday :evil:

Pinoyfisher
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My trusty pellet gun (1000 f.p.s) laid to rest 2 rabbits and 1 squirrel over the weekend :clap: But, there is one smart azz squirrel that is proving to be quite the adversary. As soon as I look out the window, he hightails it back to his burrow!! It's only a matter of time....tic...toc...tic...toc!

tedln
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Joyfirst wrote:Squarrel net?
No need to take drastic measures! Joyfirst was right.

Squirrel Net = Deep fried squirrel with mashed potatoes and biscuits and brown gravy. Maybe some garden tomatoes you saved from the squirrels and garden cucumber and garden salad on the side. Sounds mighty fine to me, and you can tell all your friends your entire meal came from your yard. :roll:

Ted

cynthia_h
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I dunno, guys. I hate the Fluffy-Tailed Rats incredibly when they're eating *my* garden plants.

But to tell ya the truth: if I had to kill the meat I eat, I'd probably be a vegetarian. Maybe an occasional fish. Or a chicken/turkey that really, Really, REALLY got in my way! especially since I live on a 50' x 100' lot with mostly house, pavement, carport, and redwood tree. Any firearm/weapon I might even *think* of using would be much more likely to hit a neighbor's house than an intended squirrel target.

But by

1) encouraging the few outdoor cats on my block and my 10-year-old Bernese Mtn. Dog girl, who's always been eager to chase live prey (forget toys and balls; this girl will only chase The Real Thing--squirrels and birds),

2) PLUS telling my neighbor that she did the right thing by deciding not to feed squirrels on her porch after she found MICE eating the squirrel food (and BTW I deserve an Oscar for that performance; to this day, she thinks that I was grossed out about the mice and not the squirrel feeding),

I'm seeing many fewer squirrels in my redwood tree this year. No young 'uns, and that's the best news I've had re. squirrels in a very long time. :) Maybe this year my young plants won't have peanut shells buried next to their not-yet-settled roots.

Cynthia H.

Vergil had a much better day today; max pain meds yesterday and today have helped; he's much more comfy and slept more soundly.

grease monkey
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Plant enough to share with them if you have room. They can't eat all of what you plant.

cynthia_h
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I've worked very hard to develop 96 sq.ft. of planting space in raised beds. I'm hard pressed to know where I'd find the additional 4 sq.ft. to make it to 100: the "bones" of the landscaping would have to go....and it's all out by the public sidewalk, unprotected by fencing. (The 6-foot-tall jade plant *is* the fence. The juniper *is* the fence. This is what I mean by the "bones.")

No "additional" here. Fluffy-tailed rats can go somewhere else. :evil:

Cynthia

tedln
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grease monkey wrote:Plant enough to share with them if you have room. They can't eat all of what you plant.
Birds have a tendency to peck holes in tomatoes and in general spoil a lot of fruit. If they would eat the entire fruit, I wouldn't mind sharing. I don't really have a bird problem right now, but I have in the past.

Squirrels tend to eat an entire side of the fruit. They will usually leave the side that is most difficult to reach. They can and do destroy a lot of fruit in one day. I also don't have any squirrel problems now, but have had in the past.

Birds and squirrels seem to like most fruit when it reaches a growth stage we also find attractive like a pink or red ripe tomato. It tends to really tick me off when a tomato reaches the exact stage of ripeness I like and a squirrel or bird beats me to it.

Ted

garden5
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tedln wrote:
grease monkey wrote:Plant enough to share with them if you have room. They can't eat all of what you plant.
Birds have a tendency to peck holes in tomatoes and in general spoil a lot of fruit. If they would eat the entire fruit, I wouldn't mind sharing. I don't really have a bird problem right now, but I have in the past.

Squirrels tend to eat an entire side of the fruit. They will usually leave the side that is most difficult to reach. They can and do destroy a lot of fruit in one day. I also don't have any squirrel problems now, but have had in the past.

Birds and squirrels seem to like most fruit when it reaches a growth stage we also find attractive like a pink or red ripe tomato. It tends to really tick me off when a tomato reaches the exact stage of ripeness I like and a squirrel or bird beats me to it.

Ted

Birds? So that's what the occasional holes in my tomatoes were from.

tedln
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If the holes are black, it probably is from a caterpillar. If the hole is fresh and moisture is still running from the hole, it was a bird. Caterpillars tend to eat holes in small tomatoes at the bottom. I've watched beautiful tomaotes grow and ripen only to discover the bottom is full of black holes when I pick it.

Ted



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