Sodding squirrels

[JessandCharlie]

Have been coming in Lenny's stable every night and making a lovely burrow through his banks, through the wall, into the feed room and last night climbed my hangy-uppy-groomy-thingy and ate a whole packet of....




...Chocolate hobnobs.

I'm ashamed to say I blamed my sister until I found a half eaten hobnob in the burrow in Lenny's bank. My horse is sulking at his lack of biscuits, as am I. He has an ever-increasing amount of gnawed holes in his stable walls, they are chewing everything and I'm sure the poor, jumpy horse jumps into the rafters every night hiding from 'those fluffy things'.

So how do I get rid of them? Tried one of those plug-in things, which did not work, tried poison, which they didn't touch and we are at a loss. They are slowly destroying everything.

ETA: Don't eat me for feeding Len biscuits, he gets a quarter of a hobnob a day when I catch him

 

[tucker]

you need a yard jack russell to chase them away

 

[Kokopelli]

Can you get someone to kill them? Failing that a trap an set them free somewhere they won't be a bother?

 

[Enfys]

Nuisance, BUT...it's winter, they are hungry too.

Make a point of feeding them elsewhere, lock everything edible up in rodent proof containers and leave a cat, or a dog, shut in your feedroom.

It could be worse, just be thankful that it isn't possums or raccoons that you have to deal with, or, that you don't have to consider the fact that squirrels can carry rabies.

 

[kirinsam]

have to disagree.....................never ever feed squirrels they are very nasty little b.....s
we have tried the traps but not caught any only way to get rid of them is a gun and a lot of patience. A squirrel can do a lot of damage and even more if the are cornered.

 

[Enfys]

have to disagree.....................never ever feed squirrels they are very nasty little b.....s
we have tried the traps but not caught any only way to get rid of them is a gun and a lot of patience. A squirrel can do a lot of damage and even more if the are cornered.

I did write "or shoot the blighters" but deleted it as I could imagine what people would say, "Ooooooooh, dangerous in a stable, around horses blah, blah, blah". I'd recommend a dog in the tackroom personally.

ps, I do feed my squirrels, the greys, the blacks and the reds, they come to my bird feeders and I can't be bothered to fuss about the loss of a bit of seed. If they are eating seed then they aren't in the barn, although the 8 cats in there might have something to do with that.

 

[joeanne]

Jess I can come and "get shot" of them if you like

I have no compassion what so ever when it comes to vermin!

 

[JessandCharlie]

Jo, you'd be competing with me, Dad's promised me his air rifle I'm not a bad shot actually

Trap first though. Being the nice person that I am

 

[joeanne]

Jo, you'd be competing with me, Dad's promised me his air rifle I'm not a bad shot actually

OOhhhhhh is that a CHALLENGE I hear??

 

[Heucherella]

Try baiting the traps with peanut butter - it worked for us.

 

[laz]

We are in a programme at work to erradicate the grey squirrel and keep the red ones the grey ones carry squirrel pox the red ones dont but it kills the red. We have mink traps for live catching then we must kill them with a cranial blow to the head or shoot them. We havent caught any yet but we did catch a pine martin the other day which was pretty amazing and we released it. If you are going to live trap please check your traps 1/2 a day in case you have any animals in it. We use bird seed with a powder stuff that attracts them for bait have also been told that peanut butter works. It is actually supposed to be illegal to release a grey squirrel from a trap back out in the open on the laws i was reading at work.

 

[Dreckly]

Be careful about trapping - I may be wrong but I think it is illegal to set free a trapped grey as they are not a native species. You would have to kill them if caught - no bad thing in my opinion - I would love to get rid of a few at home!!

 

[joeanne]

Yes Dreckly you are right. Once captured it is against the law to release elsewhere. They are not a native species, and have almost eradicated our native reds.

 

[D66]

warm snickers bars and peanut butter in the trap (for the squirrel).

 

[JessandCharlie]

OOhhhhhh is that a CHALLENGE I hear??

Thanks all, will try the peanut butter. On having a bit of a shift around in the feed room we found a stash of nuts in a corner.

 

[rossiroo]

Get a greyhound ! mine has managed to despose of 2 squirrels and a pidgeon since we got him in june. Squirrels are horrid little creatures and have a nasty bite, they are not called tree-rats for nothing !

 

[Happy Hunter]

call the local hunt sec and ask if there is a terrier man who could come and help occasionally

 

[jodie3]

For some unknown reason the squirrels chew through the soffit(?) under my roof and then spend the evening breakdancing!! We put a humane trap up there and caught one which I then had to get my neighbour to shoot. One of the worries with them is that as they are rodents they chew things, including electrical wiring.

Never heard of one in a stable though, that would really annoy me - I get cross enough with them on my bird feeders!

 

[JessandCharlie]

Oh we have them in the roof too! But the "Rat-zapper" as I have named it (the thing you plug in to deter them) has worked there for some reason.

 

[qwertyuiop]

As well as a very accurate air rifle (I put several shots through the same hole at 15m tonight), I treated myself to an air pistol recently which would be perfect for dealing with tree-rats. Its CO2 powered, semi-automatic (8 shot magazine) and has a laser aiming dot. Squirrel kebab anyone?

 

[JessandCharlie]

As well as a very accurate air rifle (I put several shots through the same hole at 15m tonight), I treated myself to an air pistol recently which would be perfect for dealing with tree-rats. Its CO2 powered, semi-automatic (8 shot magazine) and has a laser aiming dot. Squirrel kebab anyone?

Jo, looks like we have competition