Getting rid of squirrels?

[TeamSpatula]

OK, so I live in a 90 year old house, with a lot of trees all around...came home from work yesterday, and found no power upstairs...traced it to where apparently there are squirrels living in the attic, and they chewed through a couple wires...I can't find where they're coming in, either...anybody got any good ideas for getting rid of them? I've heard those traps really don't work well...Of course, I'm going to try to find the point of entry & seal it up, but until then, I need them out...meanwhile I'll be spending the weekend up in the attic running new wiring...grrr...
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[markm]

Put some food on some of those Sticky traps. The squirrel steps on it and cannot get off of it. They work very well.

[meinvw]

It might make a bit of a mess, but if you happen to have an old vacum cleanner that the hose can be moved to the exhaust side, do this and put talc/babypowder in it and shoot it into the attic, then you can follow the footprints back to the entry point. Oh yeah and your attic will smell clean as a babys bottom!

They usually come in through a bad spot on eaves, check there, your exhaust vents, and the vents at the end of the house.
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[meinvw]

Oh and one other note, DO NOT USE POISON!! If they die where you cannot get to it, the smell will drive you out!
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The memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime.
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati !
73 High roof, 91 Carat, 87 Weekender, Mr magoo buggy, 88 LT 28, 98 R32,81 Diesel double door, 73 tin top, 72 HR.

[canbug]

I've have heard of, but haven't tried, useing ceyanne pepper(sp). Sprinkle it around liberaly and it burns there little nosies. They will only do that a couple of times before they decide to find a new home.
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[volks67beetle]

find where the wires are exposed and spread peanut butter on them. Sit down and watch them fry as they try to lick it off.......

You need to find the place they are getting in and put wire mesh over it...usually in the gables of the roof. A cat in the attick would not hurt either....but then it may get too warm up there.

[marklaken]

we had them in the walls/attic of our rental in college...in a drunken rage, we killed one (with a desk) and put it on a crucifix in the attic...that thing got stinky quick...the squirrels never left...we moved....
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[blarneyman]

If you don't have any little critter of your own in the house, invest in a few of those electronic rodent detourant devices. High frequency sound waves are a rodents worst nightmare. Only run them for a couple of weeks then give it a week break, then turn them on again. They can get used to it if you leave them on all the time.
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[LeeE]

Hi
Re: the mention of cayenne pepper above, I tried it and it works. D**m tree rats! I mixed it in water and then painted&splashed it all over everywhere in my attic where I thought they could get in (Spraying would be easier, but it clogged up a cheap pump sprayer; I may not have let it dissolve enough).
Seems to have worked, no problems since. This works for some insects too. I've also read that you put some in bird seed to keep squirrels out of feeders.
Be careful, wear eye protection, don't touch your eyes, wash your hands, cayenne is mild but it still burns.
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[Volkswagenate]

[EvilBus]

[stymie]

Better deal with them quick. I have been in attics and basements w/squirrels and you will also be infested with their fleas post haste.

[Kaferfiend]

[OiOiOi]

Please be a civil HUMANe HUMAN and do not kill the animals. They, just like you, need a home and a place to raise their offspring. They be plentiful and pesky but you do not need to kill them. I actualy have the same problem right now (squirrels in the atack). Get some have a heart traps, bate them, catch the squirrles and get them outside. Then just block off the entrance and be done with it. The squirrles will find a new home and you can both get on with your lives peacefully and happily. You don't need to murder anyone. That land where your house was built belong to the squirrles way before it belonged to you. And can live peacefully together as long as you make it known the house is off limits (block it off). They have no idea the house is your house, to them it's a warm, sheltered comfy place.
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[TeamSpatula]

It's definitely squirrels - I've seen them up there...after poking around a bit more, I can see where they're coming in - problem is that I need about a 30' ladder to get up there to patch it - can't get there from the inside, since it's way down in a corner - actually in 2 different corners...Right now I've got a few traps up there, so I'll see what happens with those...meanwhile, I spent the weekend rewiring the whole upstairs, with shielded cable this time...
thanks for the tips - I'll see how it works out...
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I NEED A CAMPER!!!! (1971 is ideal but will consider other years)
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[OR-Buggy]

Just use a rat trap (the big ones) with peanut butter. When they eat it it will get em good. I caught 3 rats in 2 traps. The mom in one and the 2 babies in the other at the same time. Just check on the traps every day.
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[CF]

Try this, when I had animals under my porch, and wanted to relocate them. I got one of those traps that the animal shelters use. Worth the money, you can use it for future problems with rodents. You put food inside and the door closes behind them. It really worked

[OiOiOi]

Animals like racoons, squirrles, rats and mice are extremely intelligent. They know people have food and warm places to live. When they are relocated they are fine in the woods. We humans are destroying their natural habitat like no tomorrow and they are intelligent enough to adapt to life with humans. We should attempt to adapt to like with them. We are the only animal out there that freaks out when we inhabiting life with a species that isn't our pet. I have two pet rats and they are extremely intelligent little buggers.
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[hambone]

I got a small wood mouse/rat/not sure in my camper in the middle of nowhere. The rodents are out there in the boonies, but have the same color as the surroundings. Plus, they're generally nocturnal, so you don't see em' much.
Also see lots of smallish Douglas squirrels here in NW Oregon forests.
Wholesale slaughter of semi-domesticated critters isn't the solution, it's saving whatever fragmented chunks of surviving ecosystems that are left. Here in Oregon, 50% of the state has already been clearcut....literally.

[TeamSpatula]