X#%*&$# Squirrels!

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<span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">I posted that disgusting photo of the squirrel being skinned for shock value. I have come to realize that there are many readers that would have preferred a video of a live squirrel being skinned...with sound.</span>

 

[COLOR=#0000ff; font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'arial black', 'avant garde']The sociopathic personality first develops in early childhood or adolescence and is classified under the diagnosis of “conduct disorder,” which then develops into “anti-social personality disorder.”An individual who is able to engage in cruelty to animals appears to have no conscience and thus no remorse for his or her behavior. The act of cruelty to animals results from an apparent need for power and control, and this need is accompanied by a lack of empathy. Animals are targeted, especially helpless and defenseless ones, because the perpetrator does not recognize or care that they have feelings and can experience not just physical pain but also emotional pain. “It was just an animal, so who cares?” They describe feeling a “rush” after abusing and killing an animal. This rush can also occur in people who inflict cruelty on other humans, so if a person is capable of abusing, torturing, and killing an animal, he or she may decide to go even further and inflict harm on another human being in order to achieve the same rush.[/COLOR]
 
Cruel things happen in nature-the other day watched a video of a polar bear eating a seal ALIVE-peeling off its skin and eating it.The seal was struggling-trying to get away.The bear stompted on it with his paw and kept pulling its skin off.Its NOT just man.Also saw a video of a black bear eating a deer fawn still alive.The bear did not kill the fawn before starting to eat it.And yet another of hyenas eating a hippo while it was alive.Nature and other creatures are to blame too besides man.
 
Great Stuff

Chuck,

No I didn't know there was a special formula for blocking rats etc. I did wonder if a determined rodent would just chew through the hardened foam.

I found another possible entry point in the outer wall of the enclosed patio. So maybe I'll look for the chew resistant version before addressing that spot. Thanks for the info.
 
The trap arrived yesterday.  I'm taking care of a friend who is recovering from a medical procedure this week so may not be able to set up the trap for a couple more days.  I'll report results after the trap has been placed and baited.
 
Chuck,

Thanks for the link.

I'm not sure what makes this Pest Block any better at keeping out mice/rats than the standard stuff. The description is that it doesn't contain any poisons or pesticides. Perhaps it has some hot pepper extract? The website is a bit vague on that.
 
Yeah, I'm sure they don't wanna give away any secrets to their competitors... wait... do they have any? LOL!

 

I would imagine it contains something to negatively stimulate either taste or tactile sense.

 

Chuck
 
Did anyone .....

try the proven method I suggested in reply #27? Just curious ... I don't think I would enjoy having to deal with the aftermath associated with a mechanical trap.
 
OK, one houskeeping item up front:  Reply numbers don't always translate correctly if the viewer has "hidden" a member or members who have posted a reply.   It's best to provide the post number.  I'm guessing that you were inquiring about your post #1089804 regarding rats.

 

I've had no luck using mouse or rat bait for squirrels for about a dozen years or so.  D-Con used to look like oatmeal, and that worked great.  Now D-Con comes in the form of green pellets and squirrels don't care for it.  Years ago I was able to find marble-sized bait for rats that appeared to be made out of the same stuff as pellets, but squirrels did go for that stuff.  If they didn't eat it on the spot, they buried it.  I can't find the marbles anymore, so the mechanical device is my only alternative at this point.  I've tried all the baits out there, including a big tub of stuff for ground squirrels, which we don't have in my 'hood, and the tree squirrels don't eat that either.
 
I prefer traps to poison bait, because I have cats who might consume a poisoned rat or squirrel and suffer the consequences. Not to mention the hawks and other predators out and about.

Once one has seen the damage squirrels can do to a garden or orchard, viewing the "aftermath" of a lethal trap is sobering but not a deal breaker. I recall that Native American hunters used to say a little prayer over any game they'd killed for food. I'm not about to pray over a dead squirrel, but I often take a moment to contemplate the sacrifice. In a sense they sacrificed for my food: avocados.

If there was a way to exclude them from my avocado trees, I'd jump on that in an instant.

PS-The culprits in my garden are Eastern Fox Squirrels, which are not native to California but were introduced many decades ago, to where they have displaced the native western gray tree squirrels in most areas. So there is that.
 
The trap is set.  It came with a complimentary small plastic jar of squirrel butter.  The stuff smells like a mixture of chocolate and coffee.  It's quite aromatic and I imagine it will serve as a good lure.

 

I'll give the current placement a couple of days and see how it goes.  If there's no action, I have a couple of other spots to try.

 

I've copied and pasted the pictures I took with my iPhone because it's the only way to get them to display right-side up.

 

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I saw those traps on the website, Ralph. They probably work well, and the price is reasonable. My only reservation was that being unfinished wood (pine?) they probably won't hold up too long in our rainy winters if exposed to the elements.

However one way around that is to build a little sheet metal tent for one. Or nail a plastic bucket by the bottom to a tree and stick the trap in that.

PS-Since I fixed my Kania 2000, no customers. There has been a squirrel attacking the avocados, but I scared it off, and I don't think it's been back.

But I did find a small possum in a humane trap in the back yard. I don't mind possums; they can be beneficial by eating snails and slugs. Anyway, I opened the trap; a few hours later it was still sleeping in there. Typically they won't leave a trap until it gets dark.
 
I had no takers today and I think it was due to the hot weather.  I also had to take the trap down early because I was leaving around 3:30 PM and knew I'd not be back until after dark.  I didn't want to have to deal with a rat, which as far as I'm concerned, is far more preferable to have around than destructive squirrels.  I'll place the trap in the same location again tomorrow since that's when the cooling trend begins. 

 

I do agree about the durability concerns and don't intend to leave the trap out in the elements.  I have some ideas in mind to help it hold together over the longer term, as it's apparent that when one squirrel is eliminated, another will be along in short order, so this will be an ongoing thing.
 
Well, I know there's at least one squirrel out there now, because I found a new half-eaten avocado on the ground this morning. Right next to a small humane trap and the Kania 2000 attached to the tree trunk.

Sometimes a pellet gun is the only answer...
 
Rattiest Cities

Chicago #1 six years and running!

 

"Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from September 1, 2019 to August 31, 2020. This ranking includes both residential and commercial treatments."

www.orkin.com

Rats! Chicago Tops Orkin’s Rattiest Cities List for Sixth Consecutive Time | Orkin

Orkin released its Top 50 Rattiest Cities List today, and for the sixth consecutive time, the Windy City takes the top spot.
www.orkin.com www.orkin.com
 
Rats

I'm not quite as non-sanguine as Ralph about rats. Perhaps because they also seem to be a problem here. At the back of my property is a 10 foot high chain link fence. On the other side is a condo development. There is English ivy growing on most of the fence. I keep it trimmed close to the metal on my side. But the condo association so far refuses to trim their side. The ivy is rampant on their side. I 've seen it extending out four or more feet at the top middle on their side, as well as growing along the ground and down a retaining wall on their side. There's a homeowner there who likes the ivy and resists efforts to control it. I used a long hedge trimmer and pruner to trim back their side some years ago, from my side while I was atop a ladder, and they complained about that.

In any case, this is probably the source of the small rats (or very large mice) that my cat drags in from time to time. I'm sure the lush ivy on their side provides lots of shelter for the rodents. Right now I have two cats patrolling the back yard: one is tame and sleeps indoors here, but can go in and out and has brought back perhaps a dozen rats over the past year. The other is her daughter (before she was fixed) who I often find i the back yard prowling around. It's never entirely clear to me that gnawed avocados I find on the ground are the work of squirrels or rats. Maybe both.
 
As long as the rats aren't in my house or wreaking havoc outside, I'm fine with them.  I'm not scared or disgusted by them and really don't understand why so many people are.  I'll sometimes see them running along the fence rails or overhead wires before dark.  That's the extent of it.

 

My main concern about rats is that the trap is too large for them and I don't want to deal with the mess if it snaps down onto a rat anywhere below the neck.

 

Squirrels are another story entirely.  Destructive and unrelenting.  Today is Day Three for the trap.  I swear, it's like the squirrels have left town.  I haven't seen a single one since setting the trap.

 

Now I'm wondering how long squirrel butter lasts once its out of its container.  The wad I put on the trigger component has dried up and may have lost its luring capability by now.  I'll change it out tomorrow if there's no action by this evening.  For the rest of today I'm counting on these little buggers being curious enough to poke their heads inside the trap.  It won't take much for it to nail them if that happens.
 

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