Squirels and what to do about them?

[Palladini]

I am growing herbs and Peppers and Tomatoes in small pots, and the folks next door feed the Birds and someone in the community feeds them peanuts. It is not hard to find 50 to 60 Squirrels under those bird feeders every morning.
The Squirrels come into my courtyard and tear up my plants, each and every day.

What can I do to stop these critters from tearing up my pots?

 

[Chuck]

It sounds like you are growing squirrels. A pellet gun in the city works great and there are many delicious reciepies but if you are like most people you are a bit shy at the thought of actually killing an animal. I know a lady in Houston in a similar situation. She buys cayanne pepper and hot pepper flakes in bulk. She then mixes the pepper with blood meal and keeps it on the ground around the plants. It works for her

Something else that also works is to affix chicken wire to your containers and plant through the wire. This works every time when a squirrel is digging but not when they are eating the plants.

 

[Palladini]

The only problem with a pellet gun, this city I live has a $2000 dollar fine for each squirrel you Kill. they are digging, they uproot plants, tip container over, just are general pests. I might just deal the Problem, it almost the end of Growing Season in my part of the Universe. But that Chicken wire is a good Idea. I think next year, I will go to the Dollar Store and buy some chicken wire, cut it so I can wrap it around the rim of the Container, after I plant something in it.
I start growing peppers in Late January, I have heated tray, then once the Peppers have 2 true leaves, I remove them and plant My Tomatoes on that same heated tray. My Herbs, I wait until after May 24th, then plant them by seed in the pots. I can imagine they will have very little trouble growing through the chicken wire.

 

[Chuck]

The only problem with a pellet gun, this city I live has a $2000 dollar fine for each squirrel you Kill. they are digging, they uproot plants, tip container over, just are general pests. I might just deal the Problem, it almost the end of Growing Season in my part of the Universe. But that Chicken wire is a good Idea. I think next year, I will go to the Dollar Store and buy some chicken wire, cut it so I can wrap it around the rim of the Container, after I plant something in it.
I start growing peppers in Late January, I have heated tray, then once the Peppers have 2 true leaves, I remove them and plant My Tomatoes on that same heated tray. My Herbs, I wait until after May 24th, then plant them by seed in the pots. I can imagine they will have very little trouble growing through the chicken wire.

Maybe instead of getting rid of the squirrels you should get rid of the politicians.

 

[Palladini]

Maybe instead of getting rid of the squirrels you should get rid of the politicians.

We do have an Election for local council and such this October!!!!!

 

[DirtMechanic]

Being rodents with an articical food source, you lose. About every 2 years I thin the herd with my pellet gun. This is painful because I buy the feed, which pleases my girl, and they are worth quite a bit of money at that point. Since you have crazies telling you what to do, I suggest rat poison, delivered in their favorite food source.

 

[vette-kid]

$2k for killing a nuisance rodent which is certainly not going to be in the endangered list anytime soon! That is nuts.

If I were you, iI' do a combo of the chicken wire and some hot pepper powder around your plants to discourage them. If they are tipping the pots you could build cradles for them. Furring strips are cheap and would work well. Probably an easier way, but that's all I got right now.

 

[Palladini]

Well, Overnight last night, the little buggers dug up 4 pots, right by my front door. I had herbs growing in them , maybe 2 inches tall, and they destroyed every plant. So I had some Serrano/Habernaro Dust, I was going to make Chili Powder with it, but 3/4 of the bag I had is now spread around all the plants in the pots, I hope it burns their damn feet to point where they cannot walk anymore.

 

[vette-kid]

Also maybe try a fake owl or hawk of some kind.

 

[Chuck]

Well, Overnight last night, the little buggers dug up 4 pots, right by my front door. I had herbs growing in them , maybe 2 inches tall, and they destroyed every plant. So I had some Serrano/Habernaro Dust, I was going to make Chili Powder with it, but 3/4 of the bag I had is now spread around all the plants in the pots, I hope it burns their damn feet to point where they cannot walk anymore.

If it happened at night it isn't squirrels. Squirrels aren't nocturnal. Please describe the scene of the crime. Was there dirt scattered about? Were the pots turned over? Did they eat the seedlings?

 

[Esther Knapicius]

For years, my three top big male cats have kept the squirrel population in check, also the rabbits. They are now in heaven. I have a good neighbor who has taken on the task of ridding the area of them. He has take out 46 of them so far this season. they are gone.

 

[Captain Belly]

So here's an idea that a patient of mine told me about. She has problems with coons in her sweet corn, so she puts a radio on a 'talk station' and puts a bucket over the top of the radio to keep it out of the weather. She also puts the radio on a timer so that it is on at night when the coons come to visit. Animals don't like to go near people taking apparently, because she has not had any issues since she started doing this. I wonder if you could do the same, except during the day and see if that works. Not sure if it works on squirrels......would be a good experiment.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

So here's an idea that a patient of mine told me about. She has problems with coons in her sweet corn, so she puts a radio on a 'talk station' and puts a bucket over the top of the radio to keep it out of the weather. She also puts the radio on a timer so that it is on at night when the coons come to visit. Animals don't like to go near people taking apparently, because she has not had any issues since she started doing this. I wonder if you could do the same, except during the day and see if that works. Not sure if it works on squirrels......would be a good experiment.

did hear about that one, that coons don't like human voices.

 

[Chuck]

did hear about that one, that coons don't like human voices.

It does work. For a short while. They soon realize the noise isn't dangerous and revert back to their coonish ways.

 

[TomatoTango]

I’ve dealt with digger squirrels for about 5 years now. I’ve found no way to stop them other than lowering the population or feeding them and even that’s not guaranteed to work. I’ve caught them in traps at all hours of the day and night.