Relocating Troublesome Squirrels. Is this a bad time of year?

[JohnW]

I am sorry if this is not the right forum, please point me in the right direction.
For the last few months we have had squirrel(s) damaging my house by chewing on Window ledges, and shingles. We tried using pepper like liquids on the wood, etc. No joy. I have decided to try and relocate the squirrel(s) We have bought a trap and caught a couple squirrels already. I relocated them to a cemetery on a lake with a large number of nut trees. Hickory, walnut, and Pecan.

My concern is that I am moving them away from their stored food, and that they will have nothing to eat in the winter. It hardly snows here at all, and if so, only lasts a few days. Have I done a bad thing? apparently, I have caught another one today.

JohnW

[farrelli]

This is a bad time. This is fall baby season and you might be moving either mothers away from their babies or vice versa.

[JohnW]

Ok, thanks. This will help the one we just caught anyway. I didn't think about babies.

JohnW

[farrelli]

You can usually tell if they're a female by the nipples. If they're really exposed, it probably means that they're nursing. But even if not nursing, fall babies spend the winter with mom so to keep warm, have an established territory, and have ready food stores.

[farrelli]

Hopefully you didn't move a mom. Please be on the lookout for young ones. They will often approach anyone or anything for help if they're old enough to venture out of the nest when hungry. Also listen for their cries. Here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHGwgONYkHk

[JohnW]

We will keep our eyes and ears open.

[JohnW]

So, how can I keep the squirrels from eating my house during the fall and winter, and Spring and...

JohnW

[Charley Chuckles]

:goodpost
Wish you could move them all to my yard :grouphug I am not sure but because they are territorial I don't know how well they will do being moved :dono especially this time of year :sanp3 If they are actually in your house attic/if you hear them at night it is not squirrels, but they do make strobe lights which make it intolerable for them to live in an attic/again you would want to make sure no babies are there...if it is just outside, the only thing I can think of is offer them a feeder of what they like and hope they leave your house alone :thumbsup

[farrelli]

Is your house tasty? What do you think is drawing them to chew on your house? Other than trying to get into attics and such, I don't hear much about them chewing on sills and such unless they've been trained to approach windows for treats.

Btw, keep checking back. Others may have ideas but it can take awhile.

[stepnstone]

Squirrels live within a hierarchy which is a form of social organization in which different members of the group possess different levels of status. You do not accomplish anything by relocating, you are just creating a void which will be soon filled again.

As farrelli suggested, if they have been fed from the house they will associate the house with a food source and try to get to it. A very important reason feeding and feeders should be done and placed away from the home.
Another question would be do you have trees that are leaving "deposits" on your home that the squirrels are feeding on?
If that's a problem, trim the trees.
I too fear the thought that you may have seperated a mother and her babies...

[JohnW]

You can usually tell if they're a female by the nipples. If they're really exposed, it probably means that they're nursing. But even if not nursing, fall babies spend the winter with mom so to keep warm, have an established territory, and have ready food stores.

Well, this one is definitely a male! I have to say though, that I did not check the two earlier captives.

[farrelli]

Is he young? Small equals young, and if the tail isn't fully bushed out, he's VERY young.

[CrazySquirrelLady]

I would tape some dangling tinsel or something on the areas where they are biting. something shiny to scare them away. You could try one of those ultrasonic doohickeys that drive away mice. It might work too. Try a plastic owl with bobbing moving head and put them all over your house.

How would you like it if you worked 3 jobs and saved all your money for a year, and then were robbed? You are moving them from their winter stores of food right before they need it most.

They have worked hard to store up nuts for winter and now they have nothing to eat all winter, and the squirrels where they are moved are gonna whup their butts when they try to establish new territory.

[JohnW]

[I][FONT=georgia][SIZE=3] As farrelli suggested, if they have been fed from the house they will associate the house with a food source and try to get to it. A very important reason feeding and feeders should be done and placed away from the home.
Another question would be do you have trees that are leaving "deposits" on your home that the squirrels are feeding on?
If that's a problem, trim the trees.
I too fear the thought that you may have seperated a mother and her babies...

It just occurred to me that the other two squirrels were caught in August. Is that still baby season?

I don't have a clue why they are eating my house. The house is over 80 years old, so the wood is dry and hard. And the trees do not leave deposits of any kind. The squirrels do work on the trees though they don't eat them. They strip the bark away completely around an upper branch for 3 or 4 inches. I think I read that they like the inner bark somewhat on some trees.

JohnW

[CrazySquirrelLady]

august prime baby season. they have one batch in spring and second batch in july august or september.

[JohnW]

I would tape some dangling tinsel or something on the areas where they are biting. something shiny to scare them away. You could try one of those ultrasonic doohickeys that drive away mice. It might work too. Try a plastic owl with bobbing moving head and put them all over your house.

How would you like it if you worked 3 jobs and saved all your money for a year, and then were robbed? You are moving them from their winter stores of food right before they need it most.

They have worked hard to store up nuts for winter and now they have nothing to eat all winter, and the squirrels where they are moved are gonna whup their butts when they try to establish new territory.

Yeah, something to scare them away. I banged on the window from the inside while one was eating the the sill. It stopped and looked up at me. Then continued, like "What did HE want?!"

And what months have no letter "R"? May through August, last I knew.


JohnW

[Charley Chuckles]

They chew the bark of trees to get nutrition vitamins and such, it is healthy for them. I say place a feeder in your yard by or in a tree, get some nuts, other squirrel food , may solve your house problem but caution the fun of watching these wonderful creatures may become addicting, soon they may be sharing a bowl of popcorn in your favorite recliner watching NFL :grin3

[farrelli]

Any chance your old house has lead paint on it? Lead tastes sweet, which is why kids will eat it.

[sdreamcatcher]

Powdered cayenne may work better on windowsills. Hardware cloth (1/4 inch would be best) to keep them from chewing into the house. Please let the one you caught today go where he was trapped; trapping never works. More just fill in the gaps. A feeder located well away from the house may help. Nest boxes may be needed? Almost sounds to me like they are looking for nesting places to go after a house this time of year? Maybe some nestboxes placed away from the house in surrounding trees would help?

[CritterMom]

Yeah, something to scare them away. I banged on the window from the inside while one was eating the the sill. It stopped and looked up at me. Then continued, like "What did HE want?!"

And what months have no letter "R"? May through August, last I knew.


JohnW

I have cedar shake siding and the squirrels chew it, too. Since I am a squirrel person, however, my eyes do not focus on the damage, so I don't see it.:grin2

I detest it as a product (because trust me, they do not buy them a keg and some pizza; the collection method is NOT GOOD) but it is hard to deny the effectiveness of fox urine. It is available at many sporting places like LL Bean, Cabelas, Bass Pro, etc., and is normally around especially this time of year, since it is used to repel rodents in things that get closed up for the winter. You will want to take care in placing it though - spots where it isn't likely to get washed away that are close enough to the house to work but not so close as to smell it indoors - don't douse the windowsills with it!

Thank you for asking and hopefully altering your methods.:thumbsup

[farrelli]

I would avoid the cayenne as it's cruel. They don't just taste it, they get it on their paws and then clean their face/eyes and it causes a lot of pain.

[sdreamcatcher]

I would avoid the cayenne as it's cruel. They don't just taste it, they get it on their paws and then clean their face/eyes and it causes a lot of pain.

Considering the options these squirrels are facing at being trapped/relocated it is the more humane alternative :thinking. It takes only a tiny sprinkle not a whole container. I used it in years past to keep squirrels off a bird feeder, combined with a squirrel friendly feeder elsewhere it solved my squirrel dilemma. I also used it as a last resort when Rocky and Sammy were trying to tear through my critter room door; it was either that or let them escape a safe room and end up exposed to two cats and two dogs :shakehead. Cayenne pepper isn't toxic and they learn quickly to avoid those areas. Bitter spray could be tried too but my limited use of it made them chew more :dono

[JohnW]

I may try putting out feeders this year. We usually do for the birds, which the squirrels help themselves to. We have trees all around with nests in them already. Should I really need to put out nest boxes?

JohnW

If I'm missing responding to some, I am sorry. It's hard to read all these posts sometimes. Thanks, by the way!

[sdreamcatcher]

I may try putting out feeders this year. We usually do for the birds, which the squirrels help themselves to. We have trees all around with nests in them already. Should I really need to put out nest boxes?

JohnW

If I'm missing responding to some, I am sorry. It's hard to read all these posts sometimes. Thanks, by the way!

I tossed the nest box idea out there thinking that was a reason they were chewing trying to get in your house? If they seem to have plenty of nesting they may be ok. The feeder idea sounds cool :grin. I am glad you took the time to find out other alternatives then trapping and relocating :thumbsup. Before I was sucked in to the world of squirrels I did the same, though I relocated only boys; I was too afraid a girl might be a mommy. I only relocated a couple and only half a block on the other side of a creek, but still I feel bad :shakehead. Hopefully they beat me home, or at least found their way back safely :Love_Icon.

Did you let the most recent boy you trapped back out? They get so stressed in those traps :(....

Squirrels and many birds love platform style feeders. I am guessing you have greys? I know the fox squirrels we have do quite well eating peacefully with the birds; it's pretty cool to see them get along :).

[sid'smommy]

I have a friend in Salisbury.... Crate em up, and put em in his semi... He can bring them to me! :)

Actually, your best bet is to provide some nest boxes with plenty of pillow stuffing and pecans inside to attract them. They are just getting nervous about nesting before it gets cold. Get a feeder box to put nearby the nesting boxes... they will settle in soon and leave your house alone, and you can observe thier antics all winter :grin3

[JohnW]

Well, I let him go. Either that, or he vanished as he left the cage. <g>

Now to put up some squirrel feeders. I had a couple out back a few years ago, but they managed to destroy them.

JohnW