[Misc] Squirrel-gate

[Taybha]

Get a rechargeable headlamp , fenix - type that has a flashing light function cyclists use .

If you have easy access to the loft put the lamp in the loft before bed time and just leave it on the flash mode , for whatever reason squirrel in particular hate it and quickly leave home for a less flashy loft .

A good lamp will flash for 10 hours before a recharge is required.

No animals were harmed in this post .

This actually works

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

They mate and can become a nuisance.

Said nature about humans or humans about nature?

I'm half joking with all this stuff, i'm not a complete hippy

You're lovely.

You don't mind me sending this reply from your spare room, do you? It is very nice. I think I'll stay

 

[dsr-burnley]

Pest controllers also told me that it was illegal. Once trapped, grey squirrels must be humanely killed. (They'd set up a trap inside the loft of my old workplace).

When the grim reaper returned, he couldn't understand how the Maltesers bait had disappeared, but with no entrapped live squirrel in the cage.

I guess someone must've released Sammy

There was a case ten years ago where an RSPCA inspector said it was illegal to drown a squirrel because it caused unnecessary suffering, and the approved way was to put it in a sack and hit it on the head. Unfortunately the magistrates, instead of laughing like a drain and throwing the case out, took the RSPCA insprector seriously and found him guilty.

It was possibly the second-stupidest "wild animal" prosecution in history, behind the pair of drunks who were found guilty of harassing a dolphin by swimming with it for half an hour early one morning.

 

[Easy 10]

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.

 

[Wellesley]

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.

Such a beautiful story. I'll think I'll read it to my little boy tonight to get him off to sleep.

 

[BN9 BHA]

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.

Never a dull moment reading your posts.

 

[southstandandy]

Get an air rifle - hours of fun!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

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.

But you accept that there was an increased risk of vehicle/mouse collision?

 

[zefarelly]

This actually works

Rodent Rave in Frankies Loft . . .wait until the word gets round!

 

[mikeyjh]

There was a case ten years ago where an RSPCA inspector said it was illegal to drown a squirrel because it caused unnecessary suffering, and the approved way was to put it in a sack and hit it on the head. Unfortunately the magistrates, instead of laughing like a drain and throwing the case out, took the RSPCA insprector seriously and found him guilty.

It was possibly the second-stupidest "wild animal" prosecution in history, behind the pair of drunks who were found guilty of harassing a dolphin by swimming with it for half an hour early one morning.

Can you honestly not see why it might be a problem to drown an animal? Obviously it causes suffering, the animal will be fighting for its life. Beyond that, it takes a special sort of person to stand there and do that - I am comfortable shooting Squirrels and if I think for a second that it's not dead immediately, I'll go and finish it off. People will have their own opinions on what I do but if you let people get away with drowning an animal, you're setting a pretty bad precedent.

 

[Barrow Boy]

Mr Pest Control is due at 10:30 to check the traps, it's been very quiet in the loft so far today.
I wonder!!!!

 

[Easy 10]

But you accept that there was an increased risk of vehicle/mouse collision?

I can't believe that never occurred to me.

 

[Barrow Boy]

Update:

Mr Pest Control has checked the traps and found (drum roll please).....................................................NOTHING!!
None of the bait (peanut butter) has been touched but he added that they can't go near the bait without suffering a sudden and dramatic demise.
He's coming back Saturday morning to have another check, I'm taking no chances and will be up to Halfords later on to buy the squirrel disco lights that someone suggested.

 

[sydney]

How do you know, then?

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

well , it was like the time i went down on your nan....

 

[zefarelly]

Get an air rifle - hours of fun!

Especially when you're left handed and it was set up by a right handed marksman


best mouse trap for me was a little bugger fell in the bucket of chicken feed and couldn't get out.

I put the lid on, let him gorge himself over night then flung him 3 doors down

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Update:

Mr Pest Control has checked the traps and found (drum roll please).....................................................NOTHING!!
None of the bait (peanut butter) has been touched but he added that they can't go near the bait without suffering a sudden and dramatic demise.
He's coming back Saturday morning to have another check, I'm taking no chances and will be up to Halfords later on to buy the squirrel disco lights that someone suggested.

 

[dsr-burnley]

Can you honestly not see why it might be a problem to drown an animal? Obviously it causes suffering, the animal will be fighting for its life. Beyond that, it takes a special sort of person to stand there and do that - I am comfortable shooting Squirrels and if I think for a second that it's not dead immediately, I'll go and finish it off. People will have their own opinions on what I do but if you let people get away with drowning an animal, you're setting a pretty bad precedent.

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.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

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.

We used several of those sticky things in an area at work where we had tell tell signs of a mice problem. In order to free itself, the mice chewed their legs off. On arrival the next day, The floor looked like a minature version of the beach scene in Saving Private Ryan.

 

[Pint of Ale and a Burger]

Has anyone actually considered going up into the loft and asking the squirrels to leave?
Why is peoples first thought about trapping or killing FFS.

 

[mikeyjh]

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.

Hmm, I'm not convinced that most people could drown an animal of any variety, I could be wrong of course. With regard to shooting, slightly off the topic of the loft there, that was more of a general comment.

I agree with you with the poison - I did used to poison mice in my old house but won't do that any more. It is a) inhumane and b) dangerous for other wildlife, it can get in to the food chain which is obviously a bad thing. The RSPCA certainly don't encourage the use of poison but they can only operate within the confines of the law which says that poisoning rats is okay but drowning squirrels isn't. I don't necessarily agree with the former but there you go....