Red squirrel deterrents?

[MNGrouser]

I had a nice home tucked into some pine trees. My (now ex) wife liked to watch the red squirrels at the bird feeder. I ended up taking a job a couple hundred miles away. We divorced and were in the process of trying to sell the house. I got a phone call from the ex (who lived less than 30 minutes away with her new husband). Turns out the realtor had scheduled a showing and walked the prospective buyers into the livingroom and found that a red squirrel had chewed its way through the dryer vent and spent a week or so living in the house and trying to get out through the wood/glass french doors. I was volunteered to drive back, kill the squirrel, clean the mess and repair the damage. I no longer care to even ask about non-lethal options for red squirrels.

I asked the ex, "So, are they going to make an offer?" They did not.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

What's she going to do with them once trapped? They'll just come back if you release them.

They will be dinner if live trapped.

 

[AKSandman]

Live trap with marshmallows or peanuts in the shell seems to be a fail safe if you want to go non lethal. Think like a squirrel when you place the trap. Most of the time homeowners are unsuccessful with traps is due to trap location. Not sure where to put it, jus sit and watch for 20 minutes and the squirrel will practically tell you where to put it… you can “relocate” the live squirrel to your level of preference once you are away from a clients house. As much as I like to conserve wildlife resources, I do not find it any less humane to dispatch a squirrel vs let it go at a new location because of how territorial and aggressive they are to each other.

A wooden box about the size of a live trap with a 3” hole on the front, baited with the above and a 1 or 1.5 long spring foothold works about as well and is pretty pet and kid safe.

22 subsonic shorts or Calibrì supers (if you can find them) in a long bbl bolt action are a quiet, go to for educated squirrels that are trap shy or just clever (a trap shy squirrel is a thing for all you naysayers, it’s rare, but I’ve seen it)

 

[5MilesBack]

They will be dinner if live trapped.

Uhhhh.....that's not a non-lethal deterrent.

I've trapped a bunch of the very wary ones, but I also get quite a few skunks as well.

 

[Breigham]

Motion-activated sprinklers can startle them, while ultrasonic pest repellers emit annoying high-frequency sounds. A diluted cayenne pepper spray applied to the wires (after testing a small area) can also deter them, but reapplication after rain is necessary.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Uhhhh.....that's not a non-lethal deterrent.

I've trapped a bunch of the very wary ones, but I also get quite a few skunks as well.

What she doesn't know...

No need to catch skunks...