During the construction of the addition on my house there was a corner of the overhead left open. We saw a squirrel taking nesting material into the soffit.
How do you get these critters out before closing up the hole?
My ideas are some kind of smoke bomb, or maybe hot pepper or garlic.
Any ideas?
(I have a Rat Zapper that I could use, but I’d rather not kill him If I don’t have to)
Thanks!
Join some of the most experienced and recognized building professionals for two days of presentations, panel discussions, networking, and more.
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial NowGet instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
Replies
For a similar problem, I used a bb gun. Did not hit the critters, but scared the pizz out of 'em. One they were out, I sealed their entry hole.
Keep in mind that where they are is their nest and their home. They will try to get back in there the same way you would if you were put out of your home. Seal it up accordingly.
"Let's get crack-a-lackin" --- Adam Carolla
A small fiest dog that has grit . Its a hell of a fight for a bit .
Almost as good as a coon/ dog fight till the death.
I once had a bigg azz tom cat run one down and kill it but he was an extreme killer. I aint kiddin, he was bad to the bone .
Tim
Edited 4/14/2006 10:29 pm by Mooney
reminds me of a saying a buddy of mine coined ...
"like a bag of angry cats" ...
he took it a step farther ... after seeing the city cops on duty at the main intersection on the Univ of Pgh campus ... which is an urban campus ... very urban ...
the cops spend each Fri and Sat nite ..... 4 cops ... each at the 4 corners of that intersection ... each holding the leash of a police dog.
Big John thot "a bag of angry cats" would work better ... do a slow swirl to keep the foot traffic moving ... someone looks like trouble ... shake the bag at them ...
the growls and howls would do the trick ...
and ... when the sh!t hits the fan ...
shake the bag up real good and let them all loose!
a bag of angry cats ... that'd scatter a crowd.
He figured they'd be cheap to find ... no training involved ... low overhead ...
and very effective! would make for very good crowd control.
Just picture a cop swirling a bag of angry cats ...
"just U keep moving along ... I'll open it I tell ya, I'll open it!"
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
forgot to say ...
we decided burlap would be the bag of choice.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Which reminds me of a description of a hot chick in a tight dress strolling down the sidewalk-
"Like a bobcat in a burlap sack" Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
a bag of angry cats ... that'd scatter a crowd.
Better than a can of "whoopa$$"!
Had the same problem with a rent house - chased the little bugger out, fixed the hole in the soffit- I must have had mr. determination because that thing would come back and chew for days until he could get back in. I finally had to feed him something different if you know what I mean!
sling shot and marbles, lots of rattle and bump little damage.
Fold hardware cloth or chicken wire into a funnel with sharp spikes on the narrow end so that it makes a one-way "valve".
We had them up in the attic for longer than I care to remember. They were playing soccer up there and you could hear the ball rolling on the ceiling.
Last summer I discovered the entry and so I borrowed a trap and relocated them as I got them. I lost count probably around 5-6.
Now spring is here and I have to go up to the eaves and seal up the hole.
Get a small live trap, bait it and capture the dude. I got my live trap from the Northern Tools catalog. Works well. Use peanut butter.
Grunge on. http://grungefm.com
Wrong URL.
Anyway, the one I borrowed was meant for coons so I weighted down the step trigger. They love peanut butter. Set the trap in the evening and usually there was one in the trap before I got up.
Ya gotta trap 'em. Then baptize 'em - for a long time. If you just evict them they will try to get back in. Relocating them is against the law. Something about transporting animals that spead infectious diseases.
Often times they have a 2nd entrance somewhere. If you happen to block off the entrance while they're out gathering nuts, they'll keep digging at the blocked hole or just go to their "back door" entrance.
Had a similar problem recently with a house that was getting new T&G pine soffits after several months with the old ones removed. Pigeons had taken up residence in attic space. We did most of the soffits until the day came when there was only a small area left open. I went into the attic through the access hatch and then started moving toward the nest area, sounding off an air horn as I went. The pigeons headed for the one piece of daylight they could still see, and then the guys outside covered the hole with cardboard until they completed the soffit work. We haven't heard any pigeon noises since, and no bad dead smells from the attic so far.
Have you tried moth balls, I know raccoons hate them!
I had squirrels in my addition's attic. They got in before I had the soffits closed in.
I tried the mothballs. Spread 2 boxes around the attic.
Came home the next day, saw all these little white things on the ground.
The little varmints had pushed the all mothballs out of the attic.
After that, no more Mr. Nice guy. I started trapping and disposing of them.
Some guy has come up with a cheap strobe light that you fire up in the attic. Guess it drives the squirrels nuts....
Or creates a disco room for them
mothballs - or for more dfun - paintballs
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!