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View Full Version : how to catch wild squirrels in house


exp626
04-05-2006, 09:11 AM
Good morning,

For several months we thought we had mice. My husband got a look at one under the bathroom sink and said he thought it looked more like a Hamster.?????He said it was really cute.So, about 2 weeks ago ,I heard a commotion in the wall behind my china cabinet, A BIG COMMOTION!!! I was horrified! So for 2 weeks, every night at about 8pm this commotion would start all over again, I was convinced we were infested with mice, big ones! My husband put a mouse trap in behind the china cabinet with peanut butter, I didnt want him to set it because I (as odd as it may seem) didnt want to hurt them:nono , i just wanted them to leave my house.He ended up leaving the trap in there and not setting it,I know,I dont get it either. Anyways,the commotion was so loud the other night, I thought the wall was going to break open!!!The next morning, while everything was quite, we took the bottom drawer out of the built in china cabinet to get the trap out. IT WAS GONE!!!!!!!!! :ohthedrama The animal had taken it with him through the hole in the wall.
So the next couple of nights are quiet,odd.The other night, At about 8:30 pm my husband went out on the porch to have a cigarette.The next thing I know he flies in the house and grabs a flashlight.He said something glided by his head from the gutter above.I laughed. He spotted the culprit just landing on the tree adjacent to the porch.Then he heard a scratchy noise behind him,shined the flashlight up on the gutter and saw little eyes looking back at him.The animal then kind of jumped and flew/soar over to the tree with his buddy.My husband said, THAT is what was under the bathroom sink.We looked it up online and sure enough, a match.We believe we have southern flying squirrels,very cute,very cool,but not in the walls!We are pretty sure that the flying squirrells are getting into the walls through the roof line.We tried to get info on the web on how to catch them and had no luck so far. We dont want to hurt them,we would like to catch them and put them in the woods.However, I am concerned that they will just come back to my house. What do I do? What if there are babies that we havent seen yet,in the roof ,or walls? What kind of a "trap" do I use?Where do I get one? Do I wait till I catch them all to release them together? Please help, any info greatly apprecited!!!!!!!!

MissDolittle
04-05-2006, 09:34 AM
Wow, that's a good one! I have no idea what I would do, but I'm sure some
members here have good advice for you.

I'm using live traps for the stray cats here, I probably would try to use smaller
live traps for the flyers and re-located them once caught. But wait for some
advice from the ones that know better than me :).

muffinsquirrel
04-05-2006, 09:52 AM
Oh dear! As much as I love the little critters, I can understand not wanting them in all the woodwork! There are all sorts of things you can try, which may or may not work. First of all, it is the season for babies, so you may very well have a litter or two inside the walls. Before you even worry about catching them, put up several nest boxes for them in the trees outside, so they will have a place to go. You can use a 'Hav-A-Hart' live catch trap to catch them. And you will have to close off every tiny hole that they can use to get inside your house....otherwise, they will just come back inside when you release them.Some people put a loud radio in the attic, some use the ultrasonic rodent repellers. If you put up the nest boxes first, with cotton balls (ONLY 100% cotton) , and then start closing off the holes, they may take the hint without having to trap them. Put a feeder up for them near the nest boxes - sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, slices of apple, nuts in the shell, etc. They are fascinating creatures to watch in the evenings, gliding from tree to tree.

If you do trap them, and you catch a momma squirrel that is still nursing, be sure she can still get back into your house to care for her babies. She may very well move them all to one of the nest boxes. Be sure to put up enough nest boxes - momma squirrels will not share a box with anyone when they have pups. Bluebird houses work well, or you can find plans for building them on the internet.

Good luck with your flyers. Please feel free to email or PM me if you need to.

muffinsquirrel
Judy C.