ggrrr squirrells doin me in now...

[actionfinch]

woke up this morning to carry out my normal feed the dog , then the birds bit, when i noticed one feeder with half the seeds gone, ( this was after i put the loose stuff on the tables out ) upon investigation the peg the birds perch on was missing ( the whole thing) causing the seeds to fall out , i found that, then to my horrer a double feeder i have next to it, on the floor broken as well..
I will now stop feeding the little ruscals and i will now have to invest in a pair of squirrell cones .. i cant stop them getting to my tables but the hanging feeders .. it has to stop.. ( the dogs not fast enough for them...)
all this and i was late for work......

[Littlesparrow]

Sending loads of sympathy down the wires.

[Rye]

I know what I would do.

[artdemole]

Have to buy some chicken wire or similar and make a diy frame,

[RobS]

I'm glad you've posted this. I have just filled up feeders and so far so good, although I looked out this afternoon and saw five of the gits in my garden. I have a gun which last year I started using but even though it is a 22 air rifle it didn't seem to do much (or I was a poor shot). In the end I stopped this as my daughter thought it was cruel and in fairness I am trying to stop nature. Plus I didn't want to partially dispatch one of the critters.

However I am sure it is only a matter of time before they started decimating the feeders and my blood pressure goes exponential so the gun might come out. I understand the best way to get rid of them is trapping but once trapped there are difficult legal issues in getting rid of them. Also I did here about someone who started trapping and it was only when he got to 70+ that the problem disappeared!

How have other people got rid of them? It doesn't help that we have two massive oaks in our garden and that this year has been a bumper year for acorns so squirrels and Jays (love them) are abundant.

Thanks

Rob S

[Richard G.]

Originally Posted by RobS

How have other people got rid of them?

I have another approach.
I now have a Squirrel feeder attached to one of the trees, which I fill with peanuts. It's basically just a box with a hinged lid, so the Jackdaws can't get in

I now get more Squirrels to be fair, or at least they hang around my garden more (5 at once on one occassion), but they rarely go to the birdfeeders now, it's just much easier to get to their own feeder. The only issue I have is that now the weather has started to get colder, the Squirrels are stashing the peanuts; it's quite comical watching them bury nuts all over the lawn, they will do this for hours until all the nuts have gone . I'm not sure it'll be so funny next Spring when I there are holes all over the lawn though...

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by RobS

I'm glad you've posted this. I have just filled up feeders and so far so good, although I looked out this afternoon and saw five of the gits in my garden. I have a gun which last year I started using but even though it is a 22 air rifle it didn't seem to do much (or I was a poor shot). In the end I stopped this as my daughter thought it was cruel and in fairness I am trying to stop nature. Plus I didn't want to partially dispatch one of the critters.

However I am sure it is only a matter of time before they started decimating the feeders and my blood pressure goes exponential so the gun might come out. I understand the best way to get rid of them is trapping but once trapped there are difficult legal issues in getting rid of them. Also I did here about someone who started trapping and it was only when he got to 70+ that the problem disappeared!

How have other people got rid of them? It doesn't help that we have two massive oaks in our garden and that this year has been a bumper year for acorns so squirrels and Jays (love them) are abundant.

Thanks

Rob S

cage trap them, then shoot them in the head at close range - problem solved

however you are right that its like trying to empty the mississippi with a tea cup as however many you shoot if they arent controlled arround you they'll just keep moving back in

therefore there may be something to be said for richard Gs approach of feeding them elsewhere so they dont mess with the bird food.

[RobS]

I guess it's like sleeping with the enemy! The thought of their own feeder did occur to me today, I saw a similar thing on the Isle of Wight at the Garlic Farm where they have residents Reds (I wouldn't mind if they were the visitors).

Perhaps I will try that. I thought that once trapped you had to kill them in a particular way? (Perhaps shooting is acceptable?) I know that you cannot release them once trapped.

Thanks for the advice.

Rob S

[The Woodman]

Forget the angst, purchase of a live catching trap, provision of an air rifle and all the problems associated with it, just get a Kania 2000.....Squirrel trap | Spring trap | Mink trap

as long as there are no reds in Hemel Hempstead.

[RobS]

They are 2 miles from my house - tempting!

Rob S