I’ve got a tile roof (concrete tiles hanging on 1×2 purlins installed over vertical lathe). There are numerous ways for squirrels to get under the tile (at valleys, rakes, soffits, etc.) and once there they chew through the sheathing to access the attic. If I stop them one from entering in one area, they tear something up getting in elsewhere.
Has anyone used the ultrasonic repellants or have any other suggestions? I have a pet quinea pig, which I’m sure might complicate the ultrasonic issue.
gl
Work hard, play hard, sleep hard, wear glasses if you need ’em.
Replies
Grant,
I've fought the squirrel battle for years. I live on 60 acres of mostly timberland and they just keep breeding (5 minute gestation period) and moving down. I shoot black powder in 45-70 and larger so shooting them is impractical.
Seriously, my best solution has been a "Have-a-heart" trap, baited with sunflower seeds. One day last Fall I caught 6 chipmonks and two fox squirrels. Had to stage them in a spare bird cage for later relocation. (relocation for me is about 5 miles away, in the woods, across a river). In the last 2 years, I've caught and moved over a hundred squirrels.
The trap I use for squirrels has a sloped door at each end that locks when the pan is tripped. I leave one door shut and put weight on the other so the door slams quicker than the squirrel can react.
Also, feeding wild birds, dog food and stuff attracts them so I've had to take measures there.
I have been successful, for the most part, in keeping the squirrel population around the house tolerable. But it's like weeding a garden and is never ending.
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with a piece of chalk and cut it with an axe.
Edited 4/23/2002 8:46:43 AM ET by Notchman
Yeah, thanks. I've got two havahearts running full time. I just got rid of two oak trees near the house which might help some.
gl
Work hard, play hard, sleep hard, wear glasses if you need 'em.
Pellet gun
I've got one of those, also.
gl
Work hard, play hard, sleep hard, wear glasses if you need 'em.
your tile sounds like its missing all its stops, all ends and valleys should have eirther prefabricated stops or troweled in cement/motar closure. the other way is mr.clean or any ammonia based solution . works on racoon too.
doc the roofer
Thanks - This tile is very prevalent in this area. I've never seen any plugs for the valley. It sets almost too high from the sheathing to fill with mortar (the pitch on my roof is 24/12). The only custom pieces are the ridge and hip tiles and left and right rake pieces. The eave pieces are regular field tiles set on a flashed oneby. I stopped them from entering at the valleys by installing new valley metal up and over the purlins the tiles hang on and within a couple of days the squirrels had chewed through the croen mould on the rakes and a soffit to gain access. I've tried mothballs in the attic to no ar little avail. What's your suggestion on how to apply the ammonia? Do I set some out in the attic or spray it somewhere?
gl
Work hard, play hard, sleep hard, wear glasses if you need 'em.
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spray once aday or so they don't like it at all. as far closeing the edges of the tile if you think its steep for mortar try vulkem caulk little more expensive but it really sticks did about a hundred feet of ridge and gutter edge today. also the little critters might nursing a litter and may not really want to leave till the youngsters grow up. got it happening at another location now. the critter removal company wants to leave a fan cover I pulled until the mother removes them on herself, screened the hole the other day the mama racoon got into the college boys room while he was sleeping and let him know that she didn't like being locked up
Thanks, Doc - I'll give it a try. Does vulkem come in green?
Archives will have more info.
Just a few thoughts...
Use rags soaked with ammonia....every day.
If you can't mortar the gaps from on the roof, try foaming them closed from the inside of the attic. Hardware cloth, anything.
If you not home during the day, put a boom box up there....full blast.....they seem to dislike rap.
Invite your cat to hang out in the attic
If you trap them live, have a heart, kill 'em. Relocating them is like doing the same thing, only slower. Squirrels are highly territorial. Dumping them elsewhere usually puts them in conflict with the other resident squirrels so they expend all their energy running and getting chased from one tree to the next..........end result.........dead skinny squirrel.
Thanks, Mark. The only relocation I do is to send them to squirrel hell. The attic is just a small triangle area above a two story vault that I have to remove a gable vent and climb into from the top of a forty foot ladder. I might install a boom box on a timer, but due to the design of the house, I'm looking for some sort of line of defence on the outside.
gl
Work hard, play hard, sleep hard, wear glasses if you need 'em.
When the Non-Peta folks (or maybe they are?) dump their kittens in your area (happens here all the time) give them enough food to live on, once you've gotten 5 or 6 wild housecats established (don't let them in the house or cuddle) there will be man fewer squirrels. Had about 20 squirrels in the back, cats wiped 'em out.
When we had squirrels, we put out aluminum pie tins of mothballs in the attic to repel the suburban rats. Worked well enough, but it is my understanding that unless you close the access, you haven't gotten rid of 'em. The catch 22 is that you can't close the access until you get rid of 'em. We patched the roof where they chewed through the sheathing, and evidently patched it while some babies were still inside. Mama squirrel found her way back in real fast. We then used the mothbalsls to push them out, and sealed up their "door".
If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something.