The man with the trap!!!

[Luv4scratty]

Okey, i have this neibor that lives about 3 houses down. I was taking a walk and i spotted a squrriel trap. I talked to the neibor that lives in the middle. She that he dosen't kill them but he does take them elswear. And my little scratty would then be apart from us. I have tried to get him to take it down. But he seems to have something aginst squrriels. The other day i saw Mangy andother one of the squrreils that i am close with in the trap. I went in and let the squrriel out. I can't just let him take my Mangy. So im kinda stuck know because i know that the guy knew it was me. I also am worried that one of these times Scratty will get stuck in there. And then i will never get to see him again. PLEASE HELP ME OUT HERE!!!!

[FLUFFYTAILNUT]

Okey, i have this neibor that lives about 3 houses down. I was taking a walk and i spotted a squrriel trap. I talked to the neibor that lives in the middle. She that he dosen't kill them but he does take them elswear. And my little scratty would then be apart from us. I have tried to get him to take it down. But he seems to have something aginst squrriels. The other day i saw Mangy andother one of the squrreils that i am close with in the trap. I went in and let the squrriel out. I can't just let him take my Mangy. So im kinda stuck know because i know that the guy knew it was me. I also am worried that one of these times Scratty will get stuck in there. And then i will never get to see him again. PLEASE HELP ME OUT HERE!!!!

:::gasping:::..poor you!!!:::::::and your sweet babies!!::::


I d wait till it was..dark..like 3:00 am..and go TAKE that TRAP..any every time he bought a new one..take it as well...
SORRY..any thing..for the squirrels..:dono
Save squirrels..first..get arrested..later...:poke :dono

[Gabe]

Develop a good relationship with this guy. Do not make him hostile. Hostility never works. Empathize with him regarding his squirrel problems. Just like many here don't like hawks, there are just as many that don't like squirrels. We have to admit that they can be a bit of a nuisance when they get in the walls of houses and that can also be dangerous.
Once you are friendly with the guy, let him know that you have a squirrel that you love. Mark the squirrel by cutting a V in the tip of his tail fur. Ask the guy to please release your squirrel if he ever is caught in the trap.
That's the best idea I can come up with.

[4skwerlz]

I like Gabe's idea.

I can sympathize. I have the same exact problem, except my neighbor is mentally unstable and can't be reasoned with. In 4 years, I've never found a solution except to watch the trap, sabotage it whenever possible, and release any trapped fuzzers.

[Lady Squirrelly]

In some areas of the country is not legal to trap and remove. In some places it is. Do you know what the ruling is in your area??

Might be worth looking into.

So sorry you are having this problem.

[Buddy'sMom]

Many people who think they "don't like squirrels" just haven't seen the cuteness. If you think he possibly could be one of them, go over to visit him armed with some of the cutest pictures you have of Scratty and Mangy. (If you don't have any, just print some of the cutest OUTSIDE squirrel pictures you can find on TSB -- he won't know the difference. :D (bringing cookies or brownies might not hurt, either :) )

If he is annoyed that they "rob" his bird feeder, you could offer to supply some squirrel treats for him to put out. (Two of my bird-watching neighbors have actually come around a bit in their thinking about squirrels -- one even admitted to putting food out for the squirrels!)

Good luck! :grouphug

[TexanSquirrel]

:soapbox I hope you get this sorted out!

[Mrs. Jack]

Yes... do try to find out why. If they're "messy" volunteer to clean up after them... lol, I do lots of neighbor's yardwork just to keep the peace ;)

[fotheloveofsquirrels]

Diplomacy! Always a good choice in these situations!

[Apple Corps]

I would check the laws regarding trapping but agree that diplomacy and influence skills are the way to go. All the suggestions here make sense - you have to play it the way that works for you.

I have become very active in confronting threats to our wildlife and using influence where it helps.

The one thing to think through is how his knowing your love of fuzzers might be used against you. I always worry about the sick sob that plays games with others THROUGH these lil critters.

Thoughts mjs mjs mjs

[Snipe]

As others have said diplomacy is probably best but in the mean time I'd search for a garden center that sells coyote or cougar pee and sneak over and give that trap a nice spraying with it, hopefully the clan will will avoid it while you find out what he has against them and can convince him to change his ways.

[Lady Squirrelly]

Snipe,
that sounds like a very good idea. :thumbsup

[Squirrellie]

I had the EXACT same problem with my next door neighbor a few years ago, he was very obsessed about his lawn & garden and left a Havahart trap out YEAR ROUND, even in the sleet and snow. It wasn't just squirrels he hated, it was rabbits, groundhogs, anything cute & furry. It drove me nuts because he told my husband he didn't kill the animals, but moving them can separate a mother from babies, or put them into fatal shock from the stress of being trapped.

My solution, which worked perfectly, was I pretended I didn't notice or mind the traps, and home brewed up a big batch of "squirrel repellant." I went by at night and threw it around the area of the trap. This worked perfectly, no squirrel EVER went in except once after a rainstorm washed away the stuff, and I released the squirrel that was in there.

Here is the recipe:

Fill a big soup pot with 1 gallon of water (I got a plastic gallon jug at the grocery store, you can pour the repellant in after it's finished). Add about 4 tbsp lemon peel (fresh or dried), 4 tablespoons of crushed black pepper, about 20 peppercorns, 8 tbsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp red chili pepper flakes (like you put on pizza), 2 tbsp of ground chili powder, and about 10 dried habanero/poblano/serrano or other dried chili peppers.

Boil it for about an hour on the stove (good idea to put the fan on as it smells nasty) and then let it cool to room temperature. Pour it back into the gallon jug without straining out any of the solids.

When you are ready to use it, pour about 1/2 cup through a cloth (an old sock or heavy paper towel works well) to strain out the solids (so your neighbor won't notice anything) into a smaller cup, and toss as close to the trap as you can. The stuff just gets better (nastier smelling) with age.

Squirrels and other animals will not go NEAR it!! And it is totally non-toxic, will not hurt your neighbor's lawn or flowers. Don't let the liquid touch your skin, because if you rub your eyes, any hot pepper solution can irritate them. I recommend about a half cup a day around the trap and ASAP after rain. Don't let him see you doing it!

If you don't have dried hot peppers (habaneros, etc) available where you live, PM me and I'd be glad to mail you some.

[Sissy]

I had the EXACT same problem with my next door neighbor a few years ago, he was very obsessed about his lawn & garden and left a Havahart trap out YEAR ROUND, even in the sleet and snow. It wasn't just squirrels he hated, it was rabbits, groundhogs, anything cute & furry. It drove me nuts because he told my husband he didn't kill the animals, but moving them can separate a mother from babies, or put them into fatal shock from the stress of being trapped.

My solution, which worked perfectly, was I pretended I didn't notice or mind the traps, and home brewed up a big batch of "squirrel repellant." I went by at night and threw it around the area of the trap. This worked perfectly, no squirrel EVER went in except once after a rainstorm washed away the stuff, and I released the squirrel that was in there.

Here is the recipe:

Fill a big soup pot with 1 gallon of water (I got a plastic gallon jug at the grocery store, you can pour the repellant in after it's finished). Add about 4 tbsp lemon peel (fresh or dried), 4 tablespoons of crushed black pepper, about 20 peppercorns, 8 tbsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp red chili pepper flakes (like you put on pizza), 2 tbsp of ground chili powder, and about 10 dried habanero/poblano/serrano or other dried chili peppers.

Boil it for about an hour on the stove (good idea to put the fan on as it smells nasty) and then let it cool to room temperature. Pour it back into the gallon jug without straining out any of the solids.

When you are ready to use it, pour about 1/2 cup through a cloth (an old sock or heavy paper towel works well) to strain out the solids (so your neighbor won't notice anything) into a smaller cup, and toss as close to the trap as you can. The stuff just gets better (nastier smelling) with age.

Squirrels and other animals will not go NEAR it!! And it is totally non-toxic, will not hurt your neighbor's lawn or flowers. Don't let the liquid touch your skin, because if you rub your eyes, any hot pepper solution can irritate them. I recommend about a half cup a day around the trap and ASAP after rain. Don't let him see you doing it!

If you don't have dried hot peppers (habaneros, etc) available where you live, PM me and I'd be glad to mail you some.

:goodpost

[Mikey]

Gabe's and Squirrellie's ideas are both pretty dern good, I'd of never thought of that. But why is he trying to get rid of them? I mean come on, who dont like squirrels!mjs :bowdown

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

Both the urine and repellant recipe would be good to put in a reference area. I don't see one that currently fits the category, but maybe one should be added as "problem solving."

[PBluejay2]

Guilt/ understanding sometimes works--not overt, however. I have an elderly woman across the street who used to shoot at squirrels with her CO2 powered BB gun because they ate the birdseed she put out every day. Recently (she's not a bad old lady) when she brought over my annual plate of Christmas fudge, I invited her in, took her to the squirrels' room, let her see me interact with them, and told her how much I loved them. I've asked her before not to shoot at them (to no avail), but since her visit I have not heard the "tooph," "tooph" of her pellet/bb gun. It's like anything else: it's easy to hate something you don't really know, and some people just like to have something to focus that hate on. Educate you neighbor. If there's a REAL problem, help him fix it. If there's not a REAL problem, just showing how much you care for the squirrels and educating him on how wonderful they really are will probably make him think twice about his actions.

[Luv4scratty]

Hey i took ur guyz suggestion i went over there and brought him pictures and cookies. I talked with him for like a minute and he slammed the door im his face. I rang the doorbeel agian. Then i said to him don's expect the squrriel trap to be there in the morning, he didn't look mad i went in the backyard and took it. Whe ni looked over at him i wsaw himm loking at me. But here is the think he was laughing. Well anyways the guy just won't give um this time he had put these stakes in it the ground. The it snowed and freezed up. So know i have to go and try 2 unset the trap. Anything for my little buddies. I think this is all a funny game 2 him. MAN IF ANY OF MY SQURRIELS GO MISSING IM GOING 2 PERSONALLY GO OVER AND BREAK EVERY TRAP HE HAS!!!. What a jerk!!:soapbox Anymore suggestions??Im desppreste!!!

[4skwerlz]

Now he knows, so if you take the traps he knows who did it. Don't start a feud, or he'll start killing them with poison. Back off. Don't talk to him again, and don't ever let him see you messing with the traps.

We've been going through this for over 3 years with our crazy neighbor. The thing that works the BEST is for some man to pee all over the traps. (Now don't get the idea that SquirrelCav ever did this.....:D ) The urine really seems to deter them, plus whenever the guy handles his traps from now on.......heeheehee :D Must be repeated every other week or so.

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

Please don't get yourself arrested for trespassing, theft, or anything along those lines. Maybe try sabatoging the trap with scents like what has been recommended.

[TinyPaws]

Too bad they don't make traps big enough to trap BAD neighbors so we can relocate them.....:osnap :rotfl

[fotheloveofsquirrels]

Lets send the ARMY over to scare the pants out of him, just let my hubby at him. He would be a quivering pile of flesh, buy the time he's done. .....................and all he would have to do is look at him....................grrrrrrrrrrr! I hate people like that............

[Squirrellie]

I still think the best thing is "passive resistance," that is avoiding conflict or direct confrontation, but secretly putting repellant (my recipe, coyote pee, etc...) on the trap. Conflict can do more harm than good. The important thing is doing what is necessary to save the SQUIRRELS. Although apparently sometimes talking to the person works, as with PBluejay, more often it does not. You cannot talk sense or make someone sympathetic if they have no heart to begin with.

It's not too late to save your squirrels. You can still put repellant around the trap. It worked well with my neighbor. As I said, only once did a squirrel ever go into his trap, and after about a year he stopped putting out traps at all, because none of the animals ever went in them. He decided, why bother. We're still "friends" & to this day he doesn't know why his traps didn't work. And my squirrels are safe & happy.

[PBluejay2]

Okay, so much for my reasoning/Ghandi-esque suggestion. Give his address. I'll drink so much beer tonight I'll look like a peeing fountain from Rome has landed in his yard (I just pity the grass).

[PBluejay2]

Ooops--Wisconsin? Will it still work if I have to snap the stream off in little frozen sections?

[My Little Trouble]

Too bad they don't make traps big enough to trap BAD neighbors so we can relocate them.....
:thumbsup :yeahthat :thumbsup

[TinyPaws]

Take his picture and post it on the internet saying he traps pets and dumps them away from the neighborhood so they can't come back...It is only slander if it is not true.....but since these squirrels are your pets and you have photos to prove it then it is not slander.....I believe...:thinking

[Luv4scratty]

Hey guyz sorry but i am not peeing on the trap. I got my neibor that is next to him to take the trap away. She is one of my good freinds. GOD BLESS HER.So know i won't have the problem untill he plants his garden. Hey says that they get intop his garden. And i say it's just the bunny's. I put a little coller on Scratty and told him that if he see's one with a coler on it. Don't trap it. Mangy idk what im gonna do with him. Any idea's. He's a wild squrriel so putting a coler on him might be a little difficult. I bought a squrriel feeder for my neaibor and put it on the otehrside of the yard. Hopefully they go 2 the one and not the man's one. i COULD STILL USE SOME HELP THOUGH!!:jump

[TinyPaws]

What about trying some of the suggestions that are being given to the person who is trying to keep a squirrel from building nests under his truck...wouldn't hurt to try a few...:dono

[atlantasquirrelgirl]

A collar is definately a bad idea. It is very dangerous for your squirrel. You'd be better off to paint a stripe on it.

[Tinkerbell]

does he have a wife or kids? Offer to babysit the kids a couple of times for free - that will make him your friend for life. If it's Grandkids then invite them all over to make pumpkin bread & hot chocolate with wip cream! Maybe talking to his wife (someone who has more compassion in the family) would help. You know woman often times are the silent rulers. Does he have any pets - i.e. dogs, cats, etc. Maybe appealing to him on that level will help. If he's a dog lover then I would try to relate to him on whatever level you can so he can see the error of his ways & both of you come to a happy solution. I would put 100 nests out so they leave his stupid garden alone - just my thought - good luck. I truly believe everyone has a soft side - even this jerk - you just have to find that tiny morsal of a soft side in him & pounce on it!