Bitter Apple, or???

[amandaleet1972]

My little guy gets tons of play time and is really good and very well behaved in "his room"..
For some reason there are two spots on my trim he is obsessed with... Is it okay to try some Grannick's bitter apple on them with a squirrel?????

Or anyone have other "home remedies"??? I had made a paste of cayenne but it just attracted him MORE and stains the wood...

Thank you

[Spanky]

Just read a similar issues yesterday:

http://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/showthread.php?50401-our-squirrel-babies-are-eating-our-deck&highlight=coast

CritterMom suggested using "Coast Deodorant Soap" along with some suggestions to make sure the squirrel has wood toys, preferably "knots" from the wood.....

Good Luck!

[CritterMom]

I, personally, would not use the Coast indoors. The smell is just overpowering!

[Bravo]

Distractions- toys, other blocks of wood - just saw wood knots mentioned earlier today.

Can you make these areas physically hard to get at, like furniture or boxes, etc?

Otherwise, I've read about ammonia, vinegar, alcohol being options along with the cayenne pepper you tried. :thinking

[amandaleet1972]

Hmmm.. I never thought of soap.. I will give that a try. He has loads of toys, etc.. It's just these two spots.. He gets free reign when I am home but shooing him away is getting old. I think he finds it funny, lol.
Okay, I'll try those hints. As for the bitter apple, it says safe for rabbits and ferrets but seems to be trial and error when I read the reviews on it, like everything I suppose..

Thanks again

[amandaleet1972]

OMG... Had Zest, not Coast, in the house... Little brat has gone up and taken 3-4 mouthfulls off the wood.. He clearly doesn't find it pleasant, but lol... determination.. I'm watching him wipe his face on the rug and go back for more... On to plan B...

[Bravo]

:huh I can't imagine anyone being excited about Zest, I'm filing that. I think you're right about the humor involved.

Not pretty, but ammonia/vinegar...?

[island rehabber]

"They say" that squirrels do not like the smell or taste of mint, especially spearmint. Try toothpaste? :dono

[amandaleet1972]

Well... update.. I let him out for play again and he did go up and lick on the spots of soap but turned away. Usually I can hear him gnawing full force on this table I just gave up on saving, lol... Soooo.. I am going to take back my first thought and say the soap is WORKING!:dance:dance

He eats my mint plant, so I don't think that will work, and I tried vinegar... he licked that off my finger. I'd like to keep the ammonia as back up, but I would think that might be harmful?? Has anyone tried it?

I say any strong smelling deodorant soap was a great idea and has my thumbs up..Thanks for the help!

[Spanky]

... I tried vinegar... he licked that off my finger.

:laugh2 I use diluted vinegar to clean up cages and one of my babies (Sissy... not so much a baby, getting ready for release!) loves to like the vinegar from the nozzle on the spray bottle after I use it..... :shakehead

[Trooper]

My Trooper hates ammonia. I've tried chili pepepr, cayenne, alcohol, vinegar, two kinds of bitter apple and yuck, moth balls, mint, menthol, thymol and rotten egg/garlick used for deer-off. The only thing he hates is ammonia. In fact the bitter yuck and apple he licked it as if it was yummy!

I think that it is a personal thing, like foodstuff. I hear many NRs that love peas for example and my Trooper never gives them a second look. I would try cologne or other human perfumes, since what smells nice to us could smell rotten to them.

Hope you find a solution soon!

Regards,

Trooper's dad

[Bravo]

:laugh2 I use diluted vinegar to clean up cages and one of my babies (Sissy... not so much a baby, getting ready for release!) loves to like the vinegar from the nozzle on the spray bottle after I use it..... :shakehead

:rolf So much for that one. Probably loves lemons, too. :)


:w00t Hoping the soap does it, A.

[amandaleet1972]

OMG.. I am dying... I tried to get a picture, but.... Anyway, the soap worked SO well until 5 minutes ago when little brat was on top of the forbidden cabinet CHOMPING on a big blue chunk like he was holding a nut! I died laughing. We even had to get into a chase for me to get it away. These guys never fail to amaze/amuse me..
I hope he doesn't get a tummyache.. I'm sure it won't hurt him..He may start blowing bubbles though, lol! Back to the search...lol. (eyeroll)!!