How far to remove trapped squirrels?

5 years ago

I am overrun with squirrels, thanks to non-gardening neighbors who feed them peanuts. My back yard and garden have so many holes they look like a lunar landscape. I cannot plant anything without finding it uprooted. I had to cage every lily bulb I planted. They have caused hundreds of dollars worth of damage. Every time I dig a hole, I find peanuts in it.

Please don’t tell me to get a cat: I have one, indoors only. After the last gardening buddy got a parasite that burrowed into her brain and caused a stroke, I will never again let a beloved pet go outdoors. The neighbor’s 2 cats patrol locally, but the bushy tailed rats don’t care.

I use repellents constantly, but it’s not enough.

I have bought a trap: how far do I need to take them so they don’t find their way back? Thanks. I thought there was a Pests forum, but cannot find it.

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susanzone5 (NY)

5 years ago

Have you talked about this nicely with the neighbor?

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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
5 years ago
Check whether it is legal to relocate wildlife in your state. In at least one of the New England states it isn’t legal.
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago) thanked NHBabs z4b-5a NH
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In the past 4 years, I've tried a lot of different ideas. Trapping works best, by far. And I don't drive 20 miles to let the squirrels off. I drop them off about 5 miles away on my way into town, so it only adds 5 minutes (or less) to my drive. Putting aviary wire cages over/around my plants has been the only other thing that works. I'm growing many vegetables in 5 gallon containers, and I make a 3ft high cylinder around the container, out of the aviary wire (which is 1/2" chicken wire...squirrels can reach through regular 1" chicken wire) and crimp it at the top. It works really well, but can be a pain to reach inside...especially when you have bugs you want to inspect or pick off. You can spray Safer's soap and rubbing alcohol through the mesh, but if you want to do a thorough job of spraying you need to remove the cylinder. I've tried plastic chicken wire, and plastic hardware cloth(less expensive), but the squirrels can chew right through the plastic if they really want what's inside. For plants in the ground, I've build 36"x36" wood base frames (using 1x1 wood) and made chicken wire domes over them, 2-3ft high at the center. I've also made hardware cloth frames for young seedlings (usually about 12-16" high and 8" wide and as long as I need). For both the domes and the hardware cloth frames, you need to attach end pieces to close them off. With hardware cloth expect to bleed a lot, the wire points are always knicking you in the arm. I'm just now setting up a 4x8' garden box to plant some corn and I'm going to make a chicken wire cage around it with a chicken wire top that I can open up when needed. This is the best solution, something large enough where you can get inside and move around with ease. Fancy cages that look good are expensive to make (hardware cloth is especially costly), but I'm using 1/2" emt metal tubes/pipes (from Home Depot) for posts, and chicken wire for the top and sides. Not pretty, but effective. Everything else I tried was a waste of time. It's not fun to see your tomatoes inside a wire cylinder, but at least they are "my" tomatoes and I'm the one who gets to eat them. On top of all this, I have to deal with gophers (chicken wire floors under the dirt), and the occasional deer. Plus rabbits and a mysterious animal (flying rabbit?) that somehow get's over a 5 foot high deer fence and eats all the young branches from citrus trees without leaving any leftover scraps on the ground. Hope this helps your situation a bit. John
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linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
Original Author
5 years ago
Susan, I have not found out yet who is the provider of peanuts. Judging by the explosion, it is more than one. I did post on a neighborhood forum to ask that people stop feeding them. But since my neighbors don't garden, nor spend much if any time outside, I doubt they realize the problem.
docmom_gw
5 years ago
A quick killing of the squirrels would be more humane than relocating them. They have spent their entire life in their current surroundings, so know where to find shelter, food and water, plus their family. If you relocate them, they will end up starving, or being eaten by predators. Plus they suffer the stress of being in a completely foreign place. That's why relocating wildlife is illegal, unless done by experts in very controlled circumstances.

Martha
Jay 6a Chicago
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Killing squirrels is humane????? Realy. And then you live with that guilty nightmare for the rest of your life. And how many other beautiful creatures will get accidentally killed in the process? Put up some owl houses and pray to God for wisdom. It seems to be lacking around here. A lot of bird food mixes include whole peanuts, so your neighbors intentions might be to feed the birds and not the squirrels. I was trying to kill voles once with peanut butter and mousetraps and accidentally killed a beautiful White Crowned Sparrow. On another occasion I put sticky paper under an upside down broken pot to kill ants, and a beautiful wren crawled under it, got stuck, and suffered a slow, horrible death because of ME. So I have to live with this the rest of my life. I'm done with killing. I didn't give them life, and it's not my right to take it away.
kimmq
5 years ago
Relocating a trapped wild animal is not as humane as many people think and in most states it may be illegal to transport a trapped wild animal without a license. Perhaps this, from the Humane Society, might be enlightening.

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/scrap_the_trap.html
cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
5 years ago
It is illegal here in Virginia.
river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana
5 years ago
Just throwing out an idea - some people on Gardenweb use a motion activated water device to keep stray animals out of their yards & I notice that some of these list squirrels among the animals on the target "keep out" list. You hook it up to your hose, leave the water turned on, & the animal will "motion activate" the jet of water. I'd try to find one w/ a generous return policy in case it doesn't work!

https://www.amazon.com/Activated-Motion-Sensor-Sprinkler-Repellent/dp/B0742MB4MR
river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana
5 years ago
Just throwing out an idea – some people on GardenWeb use an automatic motion activated water jet device to keep stray animals out of their yards that attaches to your garden hose. I notice that squirrels are listed in the target list of animals that these devices are designed to keep out. I’d try to find one w/ a generous return policy in case it didn’t work. I have a friend w/ one of these. They live in the country & want their ducks & geese to stay in the yard, instead of walking down the driveway & out onto the road, where they could get run over. It’s a powerful jet of water & I have to keep my windows up when I come & go or I’d soaked! Check the video at the bottom of the page.

https://www.amazon.com/Activated-Motion-Sensor-Sprinkler-Repellent/dp/B0742MB4MR
river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana
5 years ago
Just throwing out a thought – some people on GardenWeb use an automatic motion activated water jet device to keep stray animals out of their yards that attaches to a garden hose. I notice that squirrels are listed in the target list of animals that these devices are designed to keep out. I’d try to find one w/ a generous return policy in case it didn’t work. I have a friend w/ one of these. They live in the country & want their ducks & geese to stay in the yard, instead of walking down the driveway & out onto the road, where they could get run over. It’s a powerful jet of water & I have to keep my windows up when I come & go or I’d soaked!

water jet devices

How far to remove trapped squirrels?

susanzone5 (NY)

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NHBabs z4b-5a NH

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linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
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docmom_gw

Jay 6a Chicago

kimmq

cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)

river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana

river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana

river_crossroads z8b Central Louisiana

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How far to remove trapped squirrels?

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