In Search Of... Squirrel Expert. No, Really!

[dilettante]

People feeding them is likely the origin of the problem.

 

[CallMeKate]

People feeding them is likely the origin of the problem.

It goes deeper than that, though... they love the bird food that drops on the ground. They hang upside down on the suet cake holder to get the birds' suet cakes. Not really an issue of choosing to feed them 'cause they eat everything. Christmas lights included, apparently.

 

[Mike]

Have a read at this site Kate, there is a list of things that
they don't like, one is "Predator Urine", you won't find
any of that very easily, but over here, "Human Male Urine",
gets rid of foxes.
10 Scents That Squirrels Hate (and How to Use Them) | DIY Pest Control

Mike.

 

[PeppermintPatty]

I live trap loaded with peanut butter

and a long drive......to a park

Squirrels can also chew up the wiring in the engine compartment of your vehicle if the wiring is made with a vegetable composite

Find something better for them to do.
Feed them peanuts, corn, sunflower seeds, suet ……
I’ve read about cayenne pepper stuff but I think the squirrels read the same thing and proved me wrong. Having said that cayenne sauce is probably more potent but it’s also more easily diluted too.

 

[Sliverfox]

Dare I say I don't use live traps?

Which breed of squirrel is chewing on the wires?

Red squirrels are noted for chewing on anything that doesn't chew on them.
More white coloring on red squirrels, bigger than chipmunks.

Fox squirrels are a bigger size than the reds,,size of young cats here.
They seem to stay in the woody areas where natural supplies them foods.

 

[wcwbf]

Maybe you can string them up to look like popcorn.....LOL.

oooh, whatif you hot glued them to a length of twine... tree rat garland, you could call it.

 

[PeppermintPatty]

Dare I say I don't use live traps?

Which breed of squirrel is chewing on the wires?

Red squirrels are noted for chewing on anything that doesn't chew on them.
More white coloring on red squirrels, bigger than chipmunks.

Fox squirrels are a bigger size than the reds,,size of young cats here.
They seem to stay in the woody areas where natural supplies them foods.

You clearly haven’t seen big black squirrels. They are the biggest squirrels I’ve ever seen. I’ve something thought they were cats. Lol

 

[dilettante]

Our squirrels have gotten blacker and blacker. Once they were light brown. Then we had black as well. For a while it was getting crazy, many of them part black/part brown, and a few even had blonde tails.

Now though they're pretty much all shades of black from dark brown to really black.

 

[jujube]

When we moved down to Florida from Michigan, I thought every wild animal I saw was a young'un. They were that small.

What I came to realize that no animal needs to hibernate down here, so they don't have to bulk up for winter. We have little raccoons, little squirrels, little possums. I was used to raccoons the size of mack trucks in Michigan and squirrels that could carry off a stalk of corn. Not to mention the possums that wore size 12 Army boots when they were rampaging through your attic at night.

 

[Sliverfox]

@PerppermintPatty,, you are right .
Here in NW PA , we have grey squirrels & some blacks squirrels.