Someone is trapping squirrels close to my squirrel

[squirel]

Hi to everyone , I have a very tame , friendly and wonderful wild squirrel that I feed and that comes to eat on my lap … today I saw that they’re trapping squirrels very close to the place she lives and that they have intention to do it for a long time and I’m very worried and scared for her . If a tame wild squirrel ( who has never been in a cage ) is trapped and released will it learn to avoid traps in the future ? Will it be as friendly as it is now or will it be scared of every human being and so even of me ? Will it recognize the smell of the person who put the trap ? Sorry for having so many questions but it would be so helpful to know the answers to all of them . I thought about speaking to the people who are trapping the squirrels , but unfortunately there’s no way they will change their minds and stop and I'm really worried and sad

[SammysMom]

Why are they trapping and what are they doing with the squirrels?

[Cleo_13]

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I lost Pola, the squirrel I'd hand fed for three years, this past fall to a neighbor's trap. Other people should come on with suggestions, as this has occurred to more than one person on here. If you're sure that the neighbors won't listen to you, I was advised to spray ammonia on the trap. Don't know if you can reach their trap or not. Be careful though- my neighbors moved their trap to a place I couldn't reach after a few days of my waking up early and springing it each morning.

[CritterMom]

Are the traps accessible to you, if you were, say. to wander in that general direction really, really early in the morning for instance? Human urine will do the trick. Spend a day peeing in a jar and a little splash on each trap won't show to the humans but most certainly will to the squirrels.

[bobby taylor]

I would like to help out with the urine and while you are at it put some on their front porch. For the life of me I dont understand why there are others out there just to make life miserable for good caring people. I have the same problem with neighbors on each side of me trapping. They say they are after rats. What is happening is they have a new type of plastic coating on electrical wire that is a by-product of soy beans and the rats get under the hood of his truck and chew the wire. I guess because they smell soy on it so that is his excuse for trapping.

[CrazySquirrelLady]

you can put moth balls under the car to keep rats out of it.

or a bar of camphor in the trunk.


for traps... hmmm... I think pee is best idea. You can use a squirt gun if you want to keep your distance too.

[squirel]

Thank you so much for all your understanding and for all the suggestions . Unfortunately I cannot come close to the traps and it will go on for a very long time . Does anybody know what happens if a squirrel is trapped and then released ? Would she understand

[Anne]

Squirrels are very adaptable and extremely intelligent. Your squirrel knows you but is probable not friendly to all humans. While trapping is horrible, I am more concerned with how and why!

[squirel]

I'm sorry but not all my message got on the board so I complete it now. The squirrel is very friendly to me but she is also friendly to other people . For me it would be very important to undestand what happens to a squirrel when it get's trapped and released . If a tame wild squirrel ( who has never been in a cage ) is trapped and released will it learn to avoid traps in the future ? Will it be as friendly as it is now or will it be scared of every human being and so even of me ? Will it recognize the smell of the person who put the trap ?
If she's released in a place she doesn't know will she stay there or run around and be impossible for me to find ?
If someone knows the answers to this questions it would help me a lot

[Nemehoto]

To answer your questions:

If a tame wild squirrel ( who has never been in a cage ) is trapped and released will it learn to avoid traps in the future ?

It will be wary of traps, It is a traumatic experience being trapped. It terrifies them. IF they are caught they can injure themselves trying to get free. If the little one is released without injury then she should be ok. But yes she is very likely going to be afraid of them and won't come near.

Will it be as friendly as it is now or will it be scared of every human being and so even of me ?

She will likely avoid humans, or she might come running back for "protection" from the evil bad humans.

Will it recognize the smell of the person who put the trap ?

I doubt they will associate that scent with the trap. The scent is there before the trap is sprung so it is likely it is passed off in their brains that it is a "local" scent. I might be totally wrong. I got a hav-a-hart live trap to move a raccoon that was living under my feedshed, just putting an unbaited unset trap out there for a week was enough to drive the raccoon deeper into the woods. So I never had to use it.

[squirel]

Thank you so much for your answers . What do you think , is it more likely she will be afraid of all humans or not ?
And if she is released far away and I find out the release place will I likely find her or will she run somewhere else and be impossible to find ?
I really didn't know they can get hurt in trap and release traps !!!!!! If someone knows something about that please tell me .
I hope so much all this will end good and your help and understanding is great for me .

[CrazySquirrelLady]

Likely squirrel will not find it's way home if released very far away.

Sometimes animals throw themselves at the bars to try to excape and hurt themselves. Bleeding noses, cuts, scrapes.


A water gun can shoot pee in a stream from 100 feet away. Try a water blaster gun full of pee.

[Runestonez]

The Wildlife Conservation Act...live trapping squirrels...in a nutshell (pun intended)

He can live trap animals to protect his property IF they are causing damage.
He cannot trap just because they are on the property.
He is restricted to releasing those animals within 1 kilometer of the site of capture and it must be done within 24 hours.
He cannot trap more animals than is required to protect the immediate property.
He cannot cause undue suffering. (no setting traps and wandering off for the day...they must be checked on a regular basis to ensure the wildlife is not being harassed or under unnecessary stress)

(FYI- the average range of an adult grey squirrel is approximately 1 kilometer).

[squirel]

Thank you very much for this informations Runestonez .
They hired pest control professionals to do the job . If I ask the people who do the job or the firm they work for where they released the squirrels on a given day would they give me the information ?
Does someone have any idea how long they will trap ( there are really a lot of squirrels ) ?
About the range of a grey squirrel does this mean that if a squirrel goes away from a place on it’s own it will probably not go farter away than 1 kilometer ?
I'm sorry about all this questions but I'm really trying to figure it all out and it helps so much to have all of you answering and helping

[sid'smommy]

If they trap and release more than a kilometer away, most of them will die. Its winter in Canada, and they have NO nest! Call the company that is doing this for your neighbor...say you are a representative of the DNR,EPA,Wildlife assoc, PETA, or whatever.... start asking questions! Make sure you are direct and to the point. Know what you are going to say before you call. Say "MmHmm" to all thier answers. (It makes them think you are writing stuff down) Do NOT flip out and get upset. Ask them if they understand the laws in this state regarding trapping. Ask if they are licensed and authorized to do so. Dont forget to ask thier name when you call. ...ask them to spell it. You dont want to sound intimidating, but that is exactly what you will do. You can bet if the law states that there is a mileage limit on releasing, they will be watching over thier shoulder. ... And just to make it fun, get someone that has tinted windows in thier car to follow them once in a while :D

[sid'smommy]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.... Get a HUGE squirrel feeder! A 55 gallon drum if you can. Write on the side of it, "Squirrels Eat Free" ... Fill it up with some really good stuff.... do whatever it takes to keep them out of traps.
Even if your squirrels cant read, it will cost the neighbor more money for having the trappers there longer. squirrels with full tummys dont need to risk the traps :D

[squirel]

Does anybody know how long they normally take to trap , how many days ?
The house and the garden was full of squirrels and of course they don’t trap during the weekends . It would be such a relief to know it has ended …
It’s such a sad situation , this evening I stayed a long time on the forum and it makes me feel better to see people care so much for our little ones , thank you all for understanding and writhing , it helps a lot