Hello everyone,
I am facing a new kind of a problem. my apartment management is doing a mandatory pest control visit tomorrow, and I have a a two year old fox squirrel (Male) in the apartment! what should I do? will he be harmed????
Please help!!!
Hello everyone,
I am facing a new kind of a problem. my apartment management is doing a mandatory pest control visit tomorrow, and I have a a two year old fox squirrel (Male) in the apartment! what should I do? will he be harmed????
Please help!!!
bump
What kind/size cage he and and where you keep it?
Step-N-Stone
State Licensed
Wildlife Master Rehabilitator
YES, he will be harmed!! That's a very dangerous scenario for the squirrel, he/she needs a cage for his own protection especially when you are not at home.. They can get into more stuff than you can imagine. I had a squirrel climb a children's safety gate and it fell over on top of him when he reached the top of the gate and it killed him instantly. You need to remove and relocate the squirrel for the inspection. You will need a large pet carrier to take him in. Keep a close eye on him because he will immediately begin chewing his way out of it. It's not intended for squirrels and won't last long but That's what you'll need for now. After the inspection you should work on getting a very large cage for him to stay in while you're away. You're lucky he hasn't already been seriously hurt or killed. Also, if the wrong person discovers that you have him he could be confiscated and destroyed because it's illegal to own wildlife in most states. And YES, the Department of Natural Resources (so it's called in my state, your state has it's own name for the same thing) will remove that squirrel from your care and destroy it before they allow you to keep and love it. Amazing set of standards, you can buy a hunting permit for what...$12-$15 to hunt and kill as many as 25 squirrels per DAY (per hunter!), every day from mid August thru mid February, that's over 4000 squirrels per hunter, per year... BUT you cannot buy a permit to own and love JUST ONE!!! How messed up is that?!! So, protect him well.
cava (11-17-2018), Diggie's Friend (07-05-2018), Nancy in New York (07-15-2016), PennyCash (07-15-2016)
My room is very safe guarded for him, it just a bed and closet and his tower, no wirings or sharp objects, very safe as I worry about him as if he was my child
My only concern now is weather its going to be a problem with pest control spraying the apartment! can i confine him in a room for a couple of hours, or is this a situation were he needs to be completely out of the apartment for a few days?
If you can confine him to one room they won't spray (or go into) that would work, but my guess is they will want to spray all rooms?
You would only need to remove him until the vapors are gone and the "spray" has completely dried. Been there, done that, never had a problem.
You really should have a cage. Even if you were to leave the door open for his free roam at least you'd have something to resort to for his safety
for times/things like this. If you had a cage I would have suggested cover it and move it out on your patio or balcony and if asked you could say
it's a nervous parrot or some other bird. Whatever the case, if your not going to be there when they come in to spray, I would have him out of the
apartment.
Step-N-Stone
State Licensed
Wildlife Master Rehabilitator
island rehabber (07-15-2016)
For SO many reasons he should be out of that apartment.
*Fumes, dust, everything about pesticides is intended to kill life forms!
*You will not be there and have no idea what the exterminators will do in your absence. Remember, to them, squirrels are pests and vermin, too.
*He could escape in the process and you'll never know when or where he got out
*Your landlord/HOA. nosy neighbor can turn you in for having an illegal pet squirrel UNLESS you are in Florida or West Virginia
Island Rehabber
NY State Licensed
Wildlife Rehabilitator
"Ancora Imparo" (I am still learning)
Michelangelo
*
If you can't afford the vet,
You can't afford a pet.
NEGLECT IS ABUSE.
"Better one day in the trees, than a lifetime in a cage."
'...and the greatest of these, is Love. '
Diggie's Friend (07-05-2018)
If they are exterminating for rodents, and your pet is a rodent (albeit a delightful one), that's not good. I would say contact management and the pest control company if possible to find out what they will be using and/or ask for an exception. I would pretend that I had a sensitivity to chemicals and many allergies - and need the medical-related accommodation of their skipping my apartment. Meanwhile, can your fox squirrel stay at someone else's house the day of the event, just to make sure that it isn't accidentally exposed?
Nancy in New York (07-15-2016)
You should also consider wiping down everything after.
I would imagine this will leave some sort of residue and with
your squirrel out a lot, we don't want him licking this.
Diggie's Friend (07-05-2018)
If they are walking around spraying under the cabinets and the baseboards, stay with them and when they leave, wipe down every area they sprayed. If "spraying" is actually fogging the area with bug bombs, raise h*ll and don't let them do it. The residue will be EVERYWHERE.
Rocky1 (07-15-2016)
Can you clarify the following: Are they planning to spray the first floor of YOUR apartment, or the first floor of your building (not including your apartment)? I ask because I think you can get them to stay out of YOUR entire apartment as an accommodation to a human's medical condition (or alleged medical condition). I still wished that I knew WHAT they will be spraying, and how the spray mechanism will work (ex. is it a liquid application with minimal vapors, or an aerosol that primarily takes to the air before settling).
If possible, I would remove your pet from the building while this is taking place. Can he stay at a friends house for a few hours that day while you a trusted person monitor the "spraying" of your building?
I told them I just had surgery which is true, they said they will only spray the first floor of the apartment, cuz the second floor is where the two bedrooms are. They told me to confine my pets to one room for an hour or two. they did not say what type of inspection it is, but I assume they will be spraying, they said it is not toxic !!!
When they say, "pets," they are probably referring to cats and dogs. I would still try to find out what substance, or substances, exactly are being sprayed. I would say that I have multiple allergies to mint and other typically non-toxic substances and need to know. If animals are permitted, mentioning that your pet is in order rodenta (aka a rodent) might help. Just don't say it's a squirrel if that's not legal where you are. Pet rats, guinea pigs, etc. may be legal and similar enough to make a point.
there is no way to know what kind of substance they use!!
That's too bad.
(I once had a similar issue to the one described, and I had to go so far as to ask management which company they were using, and then contact the company and ask... I think they initially said that they didn't know, and then asked who in the company would know. Additionally, I mentioned that - in my case it was "non-toxic all natural" so I told them that and asked what options under that category their company provides.... Mentioning in case it's helpful, not to second guess.)
Can you remind me what your plan is at this point? And which questions you have that are still not answered? I'm not sure if "non-toxic" means safe for squirrels. Does anyone who is reading this know? IMO, keeping pets locked in a room that isn't being sprayed is still a wildcard. Has anyone had experience with this? If I had to resort to keeping my pet in a room while exterminators where spraying, I would be in there with them if possible, and have an escape route planned in case the extermination was making it into that room through the vents or floor or something. Fans pulling air in from outside may or may not help depending on whether or not a 1st floor window is open nearby. In my experience, the direction of air flow through buildings is highly variable.
Rocky1 (07-15-2016)
The first step you need to take is to simply let the exterminator know you have a fox squirrel, and what kind they are. If the licensed exterminators are trained, then they will help you to navigate the pest control situations in homes with animals.
Like, a few years back, I was also dealing with similar issue. I told an exterminator in Walnut Creek that I have a small squirrel. As the exterminator said that they will use only pet-safe pest control products which is not harmful for your squirrel.
Hi DonaldWilson, and welcome to The Squirrel Board.
This is a very old thread. Always look at the upper left corner of the last post in a thread and you will see a date. If nobody has posted since -- for example -- 2016, like this one, you probably will never get a response to your own post.
It's confusing, I know. We have a big, active forum which has been around since 2005, and newbies do this all the time.
Island Rehabber
NY State Licensed
Wildlife Rehabilitator
"Ancora Imparo" (I am still learning)
Michelangelo
*
If you can't afford the vet,
You can't afford a pet.
NEGLECT IS ABUSE.
"Better one day in the trees, than a lifetime in a cage."
'...and the greatest of these, is Love. '
cava (07-05-2018)