Rat Poison boxes

[Bigmonspawns]

Have an idea for teaching my friend Marty the squirrel that Rat Poison boxes are scary and am wanting your thoughts/other ideas.

https://www.chewy.com/k-ii-enterpris...xoCXYsQAvD_BwE

A vibration sensitive alarm. When he enters a rat poison box (I have one that is empty), it will sense his motion and alarm will go off. I’m guessing he would only need to experience this a few times before he left the boxes alone. Concerned that neighbors might have them laying about and am just thinking ahead to protect him as much as I can once he is ready to be released. Would put it on top of the box so as not to deafen him.

[McCarthy]

Do you know your neighbors? You could offer to replace their poison boxes with live traps. I can't stand poison. Just trap them and relocate them to the woods, as long as the ground is not frozen.

[CritterMom]

This won't work, though I applaud your thoughts. Squirrels are RULED by their nose. They have good eyesight but they spot predators by movement, not because they see their still silhouettes in the bushes. This might terrify him (and likely traumatize him) in THAT box, where it sits when you do it, but it won't translate to a real box in someone's yard, especially when strong smelling yummy bait is concerned. It isn't how their brains work.

When I had my first squirrel, to entertain him, I got the idea to place an almond in the shell, a big favorite, on the floor of his cage and tip a heavy clear glass custard cup over it. I wondered how long it would take him to tip it over and claim his prize. It would have taken forever. He could clearly see it, he knew what almonds were, but he couldn't smell it because the glass prevented him from doing so. He was as interested in it as he would have been an empty glass cup! It was at that point I understood how much more important their nose was as far as foraging for food was concerned.

The only thing you can really do is keep a sharp eye out - and maybe some binoculars and scan outdoor areas around you in your neighbor's yards for the traps. Coyote or fox urine, which is available for sale, in a super soaker would make it possible to hit the traps with a squirt of the pee. THAT would keep them away. Perhaps striking up conversations with your neighbors - "Say, have you ever seen rats around here?" will give you an idea of what yards to scope out.

[Mel1959]

If you can access the boxes I have read that pouring motor oil in front of the opening or just inside the opening will deter squirrels…and rats, too. Both use their noses to find food.

[Mel1959]

I have been told by several people in the exterminator/pest control business that the black commercial type rat boxes have baffles inside that are to prevent squirrels from gaining access to the poison. It has to do with the height and the way the body has to bend to maneuver the baffles that is supposed to make it impossible for them to gain entry.

From my own experience I can say that I have never seen a squirrel even remotely interested in the black boxes my neighbor has out around his house. I was very concerned when he had his exterminator company set up multiple boxes around his house and I did pour motor oil at the opening of most of the boxes. The boxes have been in place for years and I have a plethora of squirrels I feed daily. I’ve never found a single squirrel dead in my yard. One of the boxes is on the side of his house between our houses and I have watched squirrels run all over that part of my yard but never shown any interest in that box.

[Bigmonspawns]

Thanks so much for that response. I have often wondered why rat poison boxes did not eliminate the squirrel population. As well, at my old house the wild squirrels never showed interest in rat poison boxes. I wondered if this had become part of inherited instinct even - in the same mechanism that prevents wild squirrels from showing interest in digitalis or lily of the valley or other toxic plants. Nevertheless, knowing my crazy a**, I will probably worry and begin carrying around a super soaker full of coyote pee with my binoculars to compromise the neighborhood’s rat poison boxes.

I have been told by several people in the exterminator/pest control business that the black commercial type rat boxes have baffles inside that are to prevent squirrels from gaining access to the poison. It has to do with the height and the way the body has to bend to maneuver the baffles that is supposed to make it impossible for them to gain entry.

From my own experience I can say that I have never seen a squirrel even remotely interested in the black boxes my neighbor has out around his house. I was very concerned when he had his exterminator company set up multiple boxes around his house and I did pour motor oil at the opening of most of the boxes. The boxes have been in place for years and I have a plethora of squirrels I feed daily. I’ve never found a single squirrel dead in my yard. One of the boxes is on the side of his house between our houses and I have watched squirrels run all over that part of my yard but never shown any interest in that box.

[Chirpee]

I will say that we rent for the past 3 years and our homeowners have those black rat poison traps placed in the back and front of our house. I have not ever seen one of the squirrels go anywhere near it and the way ours are made I don't think they could get in there because they'd have to go through two different compartments top and bottom to get in there. I will say that I had a rehab bunny that I let loose and he got scared once and ran up onto the back porch and ran right inside of it but he couldn't get pass the first obstacle so I was able to pull him out so it is prudent to be careful with them and watch. Most of ours we have removed and put in the garage because of the bunny and we are getting ready to release the rehab squirrels I have but they're all over our neighborhood.

[JLM27]

I creep up and spray them with (artificial) coyote urine. Don't get caught.