X#%*&$# Squirrels!

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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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LOL Joe, but no.   Besides, the scene inside the pearly gates would be a huge bore for me.  He will be getting some of his critters, though.
 
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...
 
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.
 
I baited my Kania 2000 with Squirrel butter. But since it a bit aged, I also used some almonds and pecans in there.

Oh, and the avocado that dropped and got eaten, looks like it was pecked at by a bird, not chewed upon by a squirrel or rat. At least that's my impression today. We do have a lot of crows (or ravens) here. They nest in the Canary Island Pines in the nearby condo development. Or it could have been a jay or other birdie.
 

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