[Misc] Squirrel-gate

[zefarelly]

I tried everything to get rid of a rat in our garden, it was feeding out of the chicken run, had tunneled here there and everywhere, camped out in my compressor shed. They're smart animals, I like them . . . to a point. To smart for traps so in the end it had to be poison.

****er had even tunneled under the flint wall as part of his rat run up the garden.

I mixed up a load of concrete and back filled . . . . if he was alive he's in a concrete tomb now.

 

[sydney]

Drowning a squirrel, I'm told, takes 30 seconds. I don't think it takes that special a sort of person, either. I wouldn't want to do it myself, I'm too squeamish, but people brought in a manner where dead animals are a way of life (eg. cat owners) will probably be less so.

I really don't think that shooting squirrels that infest a loft is a practical solution, unless of course you catch them and then literally put a gun to their head. But then, of course, it will still be fighting for its life as you hold it down.

How do you feel about rat catching? The approved way to deal with rats and mice is to give them a slow-acting poison specially designed to kill them slowly, so they have plenty of time to (a) feed it to their babies, and (b) go home when they feel ill and die out of sight. I have no problem with that either; but if 30 seconds drowning for a rat with a bushy tail is bad, you can't be happy about the treatment of a rat without a bushy tail.

it might take you 30 seconds to drown it but how long does it take you to catch the ****er .

?

 

[Barrow Boy]

Up date on Squirrel - Gate, the little furry vermin returned to our roof/loft back in October, Put up with all the noise until November when it finally culminated in them knocking out sand and cement from the ridge tiles and gnawing through some wiring causing a circuit to trip. Finally called in Mr Pest Control again, he confirmed they weren't nesting in our loft but using it as a 'run through' from the front to the back of the house and gnawing things for fun. He baited 4 traps, results as follows,

Day 1 - Three trapped and killed (1 pregnant female, a buck and a young female)

Day 2 - Two trapped and killed (young buck and female)

Day 3 - One large buck trapped and killed

Roof has now been repaired and the wiring replaced, so far these little furry sh*t houses have cost me nearly £500!

 

[The red pepper kid]

This reminds me of my mouse adventure of a few years ago.

When laying in bed with the lights out, me and the missus could hear a scraping noise inside the bedroom. Turn the light on and it would stop, but then turn it off and a few minutes later, sure enough, the scraping noise would start up again. Maddening. So I took a good look around inside cupboards, the wardrobe etc and then I found some gnawing marks on the skirting board by the door. Once she saw that, she totally freaked and moved to the spare bedroom, leaving me to sort it. I looked under the bed etc but couldn't see anything, but guessed it was a rodent of some kind, skulking around the room at night.

So next day I bought a glue trap - like a cardboard toilet roll tube, but super-sticky inside. I placed it behind the bed, next to the skirting board where the gnaw marks were but along a bit. That evening I sat on the bed in total silence, lights dimmed, and actually put a jewellery box on the edge of the bedside table, with a vague view of pushing it off the edge directly onto our visitor as he gnawed. And waited. Sure enough, the little critter poked its head out from under the bed, and gingerly edged its way along to its regular gnaw-spot. I slowly reached across and pushed the box off the edge, but before it hit the floor that mouse had scarpered. By CHRIST they are fast, like greased lightning, but it stayed tight to the skirting board, and ran straight into my sticky trap. YES!!

I picked up the 'toilet roll' tube trap, and this mouse stuck inside was going absolutely apeshit, nearly made me drop it. But it presented me with a problem I hadn't really thought of - how to get rid. There was no way of "unsticking" it, at least no way I was willing to do. I could have just chucked it into the long grass across the road, or into an outside bin, but this seemed a cruel, long death for the poor thing. And I was certainly too squeamish to stamp on it.

So in the end I tucked it under the near-side rear wheel of my car, started her up, and reversed over it. Then binned it.

Sorted. Not had any since.

Just how heavy is your jewellery box for gods sake ?

 

[METALMICKY]

Up date on Squirrel - Gate, the little furry vermin returned to our roof/loft back in October, Put up with all the noise until November when it finally culminated in them knocking out sand and cement from the ridge tiles and gnawing through some wiring causing a circuit to trip. Finally called in Mr Pest Control again, he confirmed they weren't nesting in our loft but using it as a 'run through' from the front to the back of the house and gnawing things for fun. He baited 4 traps, results as follows,

Day 1 - Three trapped and killed (1 pregnant female, a buck and a young female)

Day 2 - Two trapped and killed (young buck and female)

Day 3 - One large buck trapped and killed

Roof has now been repaired and the wiring replaced, so far these little furry sh*t houses have cost me nearly £500!

No Tufty club badge for you! But I do hope you have some nice grey mittens and hat for the winter

 

[zeetha]

I know this is from awhile ago but who did you use for pest control and would you recommend them @Barrow Boy ? We've just discovered that squirrels are getting into the roof space under our flat roof. Thought what we heard was them scampering along the top, but actually they were inside!

 

[Barrow Boy]

This is more topical than you think, we've got the little furry f**kers back again as well, I was just about to contact him, here's his website.

Richard Allen Pest Control in Lancing, Brighton & Worthing

For humane, efficient pest removal throughout Lancing, Worthing or Brighton, contact Richard Allen Pest Control on 07762 341 356

www.richardallenpestcontrol.co.uk

 

[Seagull Saz]

I know this is from awhile ago but who did you use for pest control and would you recommend them @Barrow Boy ? We've just discovered that squirrels are getting into the roof space under our flat roof. Thought what we heard was them scampering along the top, but actually they were inside!

We also had this horrid problem last December. Can recommend Cleankill - very good and reasonably priced. Good luck sorting it.

 

[zeetha]

Thanks for the two recommendations! Hope the little devils haven't caused too much damage this time @Barrow Boy and they are soon gone!

 

[Simster]

We need to cull these rat with bushy tail fuckers. Booooooo.

Give us our British red squirrels back. They don't go into lofts and that.

 

[pwlr1966]

I use Cleankill pest control, very speedy response and results, just need to rewire my lighting circuits!

 

[Barrow Boy]

Up date on Squirrel - Gate, the little furry vermin returned to our roof/loft back in October, Put up with all the noise until November when it finally culminated in them knocking out sand and cement from the ridge tiles and gnawing through some wiring causing a circuit to trip. Finally called in Mr Pest Control again, he confirmed they weren't nesting in our loft but using it as a 'run through' from the front to the back of the house and gnawing things for fun. He baited 4 traps, results as follows,

Day 1 - Three trapped and killed (1 pregnant female, a buck and a young female)

Day 2 - Two trapped and killed (young buck and female)

Day 3 - One large buck trapped and killed

Roof has now been repaired and the wiring replaced, so far these little furry sh*t houses have cost me nearly £500!

Update on squirrel-gate part 2.

Traps baited and laid yesterday.

Day 1 - Two killed overnight (large female, young buck), traps re-baited.

 

[Barrow Boy]

Update on squirrel-gate part 2.

Traps baited and laid yesterday.

Day 1 - Two killed overnight (large female, young buck), traps re-baited.

Day 2 - Another two killed overnight (2 youngsters), traps re-baited again.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Day 2 - Another two killed overnight (2 youngsters), traps re-baited again.

Have you every thought about blocking up the entry point where they're getting in? Else you're likely to have to go down the exterminator route on an annual basis. They're inquisitive little shits, and next year's batch will doubtless find your Attic Of Refuge as easily as the Class Of '23 have

 

[Iggle Piggle]

How can the light that burnt so brightly suddenly turn so pale....

 

[Barrow Boy]

Have you every thought about blocking up the entry point where they're getting in? Else you're likely to have to go down the exterminator route on an annual basis. They're inquisitive little shits, and next year's batch will doubtless find your Attic Of Refuge as easily as the Class Of '23 have.

That was my line of thought but the squirrel guy said it's virtually impossible to block every point of entry due to the design of the roof/tiles. They get in via the soffits and can even get between the tiles and the roof lining, I'm just resigned to having them trapped/killed every couple of years.

 

[WATFORD zero]

That was my line of thought but the squirrel guy said it's virtually impossible to block every point of entry due to the design of the roof/tiles. They get in via the soffits and can even get between the tiles and the roof lining, I'm just resigned to having them trapped/killed every couple of years.

Maybe you should keep a fox in your loft. I often see them in my garden carrying an ex-squirrel

 

[Easy 10]

That was my line of thought but the squirrel guy said it's virtually impossible to block every point of entry due to the design of the roof/tiles. They get in via the soffits and can even get between the tiles and the roof lining, I'm just resigned to having them trapped/killed every couple of years.

Maybe hang all the dead squirrels up around the eaves of your roof, to serve as a stark warning to them.

Either that, or put a sign up.

 

[Barrow Boy]

Maybe you should keep a fox in your loft. I often see them in my garden carrying an ex-squirrel

The squirrel guy said his garden backs on to the downs and he chucks the dead squirrels over the fence for the foxes, they love em.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I shouldn't comment should I. This is a Grey area for me. Best of luck. Don't want them anywhere near Scotland.