Squirrels in attic

[brokenknee]

Any advice on removing a red squirrel from the attic.

The wife heard something in the attic the other night, I went up to investigate and did see a small red squirrel up there. It is most likely the one that was in the chicken coop earlier this fall.

I do have a live trap set up with peanut butter for bait, but so far no luck (it has been less that 24 hours). I am thinking about buying some rat traps and see if that will work. I think/hope it is only the one squirrel up there.

I did search the net and have seen different ideas, funny thing is one person swears by this, were another says don't waste your time/money trying it. Hoping to hear what others on here have tried that has worked.

 

[Rustyferrious]

I had to catch a squirrel in our attic before. Used a live trap and peanut butter. Took a few days. There's a lot of nuts out there this fall so they are not real hungry. They can cause a lot of damage.

Magic takes care of them now.....

 

[brokenknee]

I had to catch a squirrel in our attic before. Used a live trap and peanut butter. Took a few days. There's a lot of nuts out there this fall so they are not real hungry. They can cause a lot of damage.

Magic takes care of them now.....

View attachment 446629

And Magic is your dog? We just have a little yapper dog, I am sure it would take car of the squirrels, but unfortunately it would also take care of our chickens if left outside not on his leash.

Yes I am concerned out the damage, especially to the electrical wires.

 

[Rustyferrious]

And Magic is your dog? We just have a little yapper dog, I am sure it would take car of the squirrels, but unfortunately it would also take care of our chickens if left outside not on his leash.

Yes I am concerned out the damage, especially to the electrical wires.

Magic is the red-headed tri fluffy on the left. Dragon is the red & white on the right. Magic is the fastest corgi on four little short legs that I have ever seen. Dragon is an excellent chicken herder. He takes that job very seriously. Magic is not the best chicken herder, but he's great at keeping down the squirrel and chipmunk population.

 

[95XL883]

You need to do two things. First get it out. Second seal where it got in. For getting it out, a live trap with peanut butter as bait, moth balls throughout the attic, or "feed" it "Just One Bite" bars. There is a small chance it will die in the attic from the JOB, but I have used a lot of it in the past and only once found a dead one in the yard. Note, the JOB is not an option if you have a cat or dog, especially dogs. The active poison in it will cause a dog too bleed to death internally unless medicated with prescription Vitamin K-1.

I have a lot of squirrels in the yard and if I don't periodically reduce their numbers they will get into the house. the JOB is the most effective solution I have found but it has a risk. in my experience, live traps go through stages where they work well then don't. If you are not willing to kill the squirrel or take it far away, (I used 5 miles as a minimum. Supposedly they find their way back if they aren't taken far away. I wasn't going to take a chance.) be prepared for a long battle. I have only seen mothballs used once but it was very effective.

Okay, story time. #1 I was having a great run of trapping, sometimes catching two or three a day, then disaster struck. A soft hearted neighbor let one squirrel go. It took a year before the trap worked again. The neighbor and I had a few words but they were totally unsympathetic to the damage. It was during this year, that I found the JOB. (I get it through Amazon now as few stores carry it locally and charge a lot more than Amazon.)

#2. Once when releasing a squirrel, it bounded out five feet and turned to "yell" at me. It continued until I yelled at it.

More later.
Good luck.

 

[check]

Those old Victor wooden rat traps are not that sensitive, so tie an unshelled peanut to it with a thread. Works great!

 

[brokenknee]

I am pretty sure I sealed off were it was getting in, I used some old sheet metal I had lying around and screwed it over the hole it chewed to get in. I think I will get another live trap and put it out along with the rat traps. I need to get it out before it does any/anymore damage. Not sure if it has damaged anything yet or not, hope not.

When I sealed off the hole I was hoping it had already left for the day looking for food, but no such luck. I thought about taking off the sheet metal but didn't want him/her bringing any of his buddies in to party.

 

[brokenknee]

You need to do two things. First get it out. Second seal where it got in. For getting it out, a live trap with peanut butter as bait, moth balls throughout the attic, or "feed" it "Just One Bite" bars. There is a small chance it will die in the attic from the JOB, but I have used a lot of it in the past and only once found a dead one in the yard. Note, the JOB is not an option if you have a cat or dog, especially dogs. The active poison in it will cause a dog too bleed to death internally unless medicated with prescription Vitamin K-1.

I have a lot of squirrels in the yard and if I don't periodically reduce their numbers they will get into the house. the JOB is the most effective solution I have found but it has a risk. in my experience, live traps go through stages where they work well then don't. If you are not willing to kill the squirrel or take it far away, (I used 5 miles as a minimum. Supposedly they find their way back if they aren't taken far away. I wasn't going to take a chance.) be prepared for a long battle. I have only seen mothballs used once but it was very effective.

Okay, story time. #1 I was having a great run of trapping, sometimes catching two or three a day, then disaster struck. A soft hearted neighbor let one squirrel go. It took a year before the trap worked again. The neighbor and I had a few words but they were totally unsympathetic to the damage. It was during this year, that I found the JOB. (I get it through Amazon now as few stores carry it locally and charge a lot more than Amazon.)

#2. Once when releasing a squirrel, it bounded out five feet and turned to "yell" at me. It continued until I yelled at it.

More later.
Good luck.

I don't think I would want the thing dying in my attic then stinking up the place. I don't worry about the dog as we keep him tied up when outside. I do think however the chickens would peck at him if they found him. I let my chickens free range.

I have no intention of releasing the squirrel, I plan to give it a "bath" in the pond or possibly a little lead from a 22.

 

[check]

I am pretty sure I sealed off were it was getting in, I used some old sheet metal I had lying around and screwed it over the hole it chewed to get in. I think I will get another live trap and put it out along with the rat traps. I need to get it out before it does any/anymore damage. Not sure if it has damaged anything yet or not, hope not. When I sealed off the hole I was hoping it had already left for the day looking for food, but no such luck. I thought about taking off the sheet metal but didn't want him/her bringing any of his buddies in to party.

I had a whole family in my attic, and I was able to trap the two parents, and then I sealed up the hole where they got in. The little ones immediately began trying to chew their way out, so I let them go at it for a little while, and then I made a little small opening again, and they all immediately escaped. Then, I sealed up the whole again, and have not seen anything since!

 

[Garycw]

The live trap should catch it eventually. Maybe up the anti with some popcorn. They can do lots of damage. When one gets in and has babies, it's a family affair after the babies grow up and come back to raise there families too. Just be glad it's not a raccoon. They will pry themselves out of the tsc live traps easily. I had one spring the trial 6 times and got away quick, before I could run up the stairs

 

[95XL883]

I don't think I would want the thing dying in my attic then stinking up the place. I don't worry about the dog as we keep him tied up when outside. I do think however the chickens would peck at him if they found him. I let my chickens free range.

I have no intention of releasing the squirrel, I plan to give it a "bath" in the pond or possibly a little lead from a 22.

Glad you found the hole. (I had to replace a piece of siding once. They are destructive critters.)

I agree with you that poison isn't an option now. The only dead one I found in the yard did stink bad. (I'm sure you know gunfire isn't an option. I had a neighbor once who was about to. That's a long story and I need a full keyboard to tell it.)

Keep after it with the trap. It will eventually work.

Story #3. The soft-hearted neighbor saw me "feeding" the JOB with peanut butter on them. She thought I was great. Even asked what it was called and where I got it. Off to the store she went all-excited. She didn't speak to me for weeks after that. Her husband just laughed.

Story #4. Got up one morning to check the trap. I couldn't tell at first what was in it. The trap was completely full. The critter couldn't go back, couldn't go forward. There was fur sticking out of both sides. I'm not sure how the doors closed. It was a large possum. If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it possible.

I need to find a full keyboard for the neighbor and gun story.

Reminds me, I have had two squirrels that I thought had succumbed to drowning that cam back to life. First was out for at least five minutes and came to while being carried about by my GSD. That was a sight. They both freaked out. now when I use water for the dispatch, I leave them in for a while after they have stopped moving. By a while, I mean about five minutes. That seems to work.

Good luck.

 

[Clay45]

Was this it?:

 

[brokenknee]

Well the dog alerted me to the squirrel leaving. I went up in the attic to reinspect and found another spot were I think he got out. I guess I'm glad I didn't see it before it left. I patched that hole so hopefully he will not be back. I left the trap up in the attic just in case he finds his way back in. I would have rather caught the thing, that way I know for sure he would not return, (bath time). I was outside most of the day, kept the 22 handy just in case he decided to stop back to visit.

 

[brokenknee]

Glad you found the hole. (I had to replace a piece of siding once. They are destructive critters.)

I agree with you that poison isn't an option now. The only dead one I found in the yard did stink bad. (I'm sure you know gunfire isn't an option. I had a neighbor once who was about to. That's a long story and I need a full keyboard to tell it.)

Keep after it with the trap. It will eventually work.

Story #3. The soft-hearted neighbor saw me "feeding" the JOB with peanut butter on them. She thought I was great. Even asked what it was called and where I got it. Off to the store she went all-excited. She didn't speak to me for weeks after that. Her husband just laughed.

Story #4. Got up one morning to check the trap. I couldn't tell at first what was in it. The trap was completely full. The critter couldn't go back, couldn't go forward. There was fur sticking out of both sides. I'm not sure how the doors closed. It was a large possum. If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it possible.

I need to find a full keyboard for the neighbor and gun story.

Reminds me, I have had two squirrels that I thought had succumbed to drowning that cam back to life. First was out for at least five minutes and came to while being carried about by my GSD. That was a sight. They both freaked out. now when I use water for the dispatch, I leave them in for a while after they have stopped moving. By a while, I mean about five minutes. That seems to work.

Good luck.

I know gunfire is not an option inside the house, outside is another story. ;=)

 

[Wagtail]

I know gunfire is not an option inside the house, outside is another story. ;=)

I disagree brokenknee and recommend a heavy gauge SHOTGUN!

I recall seeing this demonstrated in a Saturday morning (animated) documentary... years ago. I believe that the result was that, although the squirrel survived, there was no attic remaining for it to return to. PROBLEM SOLVED.

 

[brokenknee]

I disagree brokenknee and recommend a heavy gauge SHOTGUN!

I recall seeing this demonstrated in a Saturday morning (animated) documentary... years ago. I believe that the result was that, although the squirrel survived, there was no attic remaining for it to return to. PROBLEM SOLVED.

Shotgun would be better, not as good as shot as I once was.

 

[bcp]

Hard to keep one out if it wants in. Giving your cat access to the attic makes the squirrel no longer want in.

It has been several years now, no squirrels, and the cat still wants to visit the attic when it has the chance.



Bruce

 

[jack707]

Get a 110 conibare put peanut butter on the wires = dead tree rat

 

[Looking4new]

Get a 110 conibare put peanut butter on the wires = dead tree rat

I second that!

I had one shortly after I moved in here 21 years ago. The house stood empty for a year, except for the squirrels. One would sit at the corner of the house and chatter at me for hours at a time. 12 gauge loaded with rock salt in the face did the deed.
5 years ago we weeded out ALL of the tree rats that were hanging around here.....16 cats that hunt took care of them.(I rescue cats).

 

[Garycw]

I was going to pop a raccoon in the attic with a 22 once, but decided I wouldn't be able to retrieve him from the passage hole he was in. As far as getting rid of all the squirrels, I killed 10 in the yard one year. They were eating a strip up the south side of ears of corn in garden. They were gone a few weeks, then I think12 came back to replace them.