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I'm suddenly having another issue being outsmarted by our animal kingdom. Nice change from being outsmarted by my laptop... (Go 'head... laugh it up Arcticthaw & TekFreak! I will not be defeated... Mwuah-ha-ha!)
I've had squirrels all over my 3rd floor wooden deck for years, particularly as the only tree for 2-blocks in all directions is in the yard next door to me, where they like to climb about off & on throughout the day, until various, sometimes nasty-tempered fighter squadrons of birds chase them away. They don't make much noise, like to stretch & sun off & on all day long on my deck, roll around playing & chasing each other, are quite cute & comical to watch from the deck window... up until now... fun, fun, fun.
Suddenly, a new vampire squirrel has moved into the neighborhood who is not only chewing the heck out of the tree branch in the giant "whatever" tree next door (hey, I'm a city girl... I can barely tell the difference between a Christmas tree & a rosebush), like Dracula takes to an ingenue, but he has recently begun gnawing away like a rabid, spider-monkey beaver on one piece of wood on my deck. This is unusual as I've never seen any other squirrels chew like that... I've watched this little lad sometimes for minutes, chewing branches & dropping bark like a maniac into the next door yard. Doesn't look like he's eating anything, just sharpening his giant Osmond-like gnashers.
I've read through some of the posts Re: others who've asked about squirrel problems, but no one ever posted back to say if anything resolved their issue & most tended to revolve around squirrels getting into suburban birdfeeders. Here's the deal... I live in the middle of the city (no trees, save the giant, skyscraper "thing" next door; no birdfeeders; no food/water left outdoors of any kind, for anything, anywhere in the neighborhood (we're a neighborhood without strays & people try to discourage birds/raccoons/rats from coming about, although the latter isn't a problem in my neighborhood), so although I don't mind the squirrel soires, I don't encourage them. I don't want to hurt the little guy, no longer have a car so can't trap the little bucktoothed vampire & drag him out to the woods (where are there the bloody woods near Boston anyway?!) & can't use a PineSol soaked rag as someone suggested (as I won't be able to breathe & I'm sure my neighbors will complain of the scent - yep, they will)...
I noticed he's only chewing on 1 piece of wood (maybe as he's just begun & hasn't worked his way clockwise)... same as the tree... only 1 branch, now whittled down to a stiletto heel. I could cover that piece of wood with "something", but as I'm the top floor with no roof on the deck, material will just get soaked, moldy & nasty & I'm sure he'll outsmart me (not a difficult endeavor) & just move over to the next piece of wood. Chicken wire was suggested in another post, too, but as this will soon be a tenant apartment, I can't take the chance there will be a farm-related injury on the deck & after rain & snow (which it does often here), I don't want to be responsible for tenant tetanus shots from accumulated rust. I also don't think the average Bostonian keeps chickens... although if a chicken will chase the baby monster away, I might keep one on my deck. He's safe... I don't eat poultry. I'm currently searching for squirrel pie souffle on recipe.com, however... No, I'm kidding! Souffles are far too rich.
Aside from staying home with binoculars, face pressed against the window with a supply of Starbucks & Baby Ruth's waiting for a sighting to tranquilizer dart the lad & saw down his bicuspids with my tools from dent-o-rent.com, what can I do besides running outside with a broom shouting "The eagle has landed!" everytime I see him? Hey, it works when I see a parking space. Someone? Anyone?
I must go now. I think he's listening to me reading this post outloud... rambunctious rodent...
Make up a paste of cayenne pepper and the tinyest bit of h2O. It won't permanently hurt him or anything but will burn his mouth for a bit and I doubt he will want to come back for more.
Make up a paste of cayenne pepper and the tinyest bit of h2O. It won't permanently hurt him or anything but will burn his mouth for a bit and I doubt he will want to come back for more.
Hi BC -
This sounds great, but I'm wondering... he'll smell it before eating it, so I'm guessing will just begin to chew another board rather than eat it, no?
The problem with controlling squirrels, as one of my gardening catalogs pointed out, is that as soon as humans invent better squirrel proofing, the squirrels invent a smarter squirrel.
Various means are suggested here. Humane Eviction | Squirrels
I've been trying for several years now to keep them from eating my tulip bulbs I have in pots. The most effective consists of me running after them with a water spray bottle while wildly yelling and waving my arms. It does get them out of the tulips, at least temporarily. It also keeps the neighbors amused. Sort of live action Chip'n'Dale cartoons.
Thank you for the link, Tulip Bulb Chaser, oops... I mean, Knox.
This is very helpful. Geesh, I guess you & BC are right... looks like hots (tobasco, jalapeno, cayenne) will keep the little guy away, at least temporarily. I don't want to hurt him with any chemicals (he'll only bring it home to the little ones in the nest), so this more natural approach may do the trick.
Since he's only chewing on that one board, I'll try covering it first, but I may have to make a thin paste or just use jalapeno juice mixed with cayenne & paint brush it onto the railing surrounding the whole deck... I'm just thinking he'll shift stage right & remain chewing... Hey, you both may have inadvertently found the solution to keeping my lecherous neighbor at bay, as well! If hots don't work... I'll try bopping him off the head with tulip bulbs. My neighbor, not the squirrel... since squirrels appear to think of them as salad.
I'm wondering why in the many years of them rambling about, none have ever chewed on the decks before. Odd. Hey, do you have any pics of your yard rampages with water & broom in hand while you're singing cartoon theme songs? Or, perhaps I should ask... do your neighbors have such pics? Gosh, I'd pay to see those... You sound like me... just further south.
Snow tonight, so he may be detained tomorrow... next non-rainy/snowy day, I shall try my concoction. Thank you Knox & BC. I'll let you know how it goes... VV
I don't know if it will harm the wood, but may stain it a reddish. Of course I would imagine that isn't worse than being chewed to pieces. He may very well try to eat it despite the smell. It won't have a strong smell when put on the wood where it will dry. To not be too graphic we had a dog once that ate its poop after it went. We put some dry cayenne on it and it stopped.
I don't know if it will harm the wood, but may stain it a reddish. Of course I would imagine that isn't worse than being chewed to pieces. He may very well try to eat it despite the smell. It won't have a strong smell when put on the wood where it will dry.
Hi BC -
Thank you very much. I think if I just cover the entire top railing (which is what he's currently snacking on), with my own concoction of pepperincino juice/cayenne perhaps that will work best, as if there is discoloration on the med. honey colored wood, it will be evenly discolored. We have so much rain here, I'd imagine it will eventually wash off & I do waterproof the deck every year anyway. I rather enjoy the little spider monkeys playing on the deck, but, if they allow malcontents to tag along with them, they shall be relocated to another playground.
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To not be too graphic we had a dog once that ate its poop after it went. We put some dry cayenne on it and it stopped.
Good advice & hopefully this has stopped. You may already know that many animals who have this behavior are mineral deprived, normally iron & it manifests with this symptom. In children, eating odd things is a symptom of this, too.
I had horrible anemia until I was 23, but at a very young age, until treated with regular doses of iron, often ate onion skins, ashes, chalk, raw potatoes, flour. Of course, not all little ones are deficient (animals or humans), but it is something to know. Horses eat dirt or chew on wood when deficient (it's normally called pica). I'm sure there's some interesting talk on it over on the CO board, where many horse owners live. Being a city girl & not around horses, it's very interesting to read the ins & outs of horses, I must say. Here is a very interesting article on why dogs do this:
So, perhaps the little vampire just needs a good One-A-Day tablet! This morning I did find another solution to the problem... 4" of snow tends to keep him away.
Thanks very much for your help. I will give this a try.
I noticed yesterday that the spot on the one plank the squirrel was chewing is also being pecked by birds. I mentioned the birds above... don't know what kind they are & in fact, they're new in this area over the past few years. Jet black, pointy black beaks, can see small white spots when closer, smaller (about the size of 4 sparrows) & MEAN. They're not any kind of woodpecker or crow, but birds aren't my thing, so I can't say more than that. The racket from the birds/squirrels when their squadron flies in intensifies & everything runs & hides very quickly. They're very aggressive, have a pack mentality, not being afraid to be inches from squirrels which are larger than them. I tried to find a pic online... but I know nothing about birds, so it's difficult for me to identify it. Gave up after 30-min.
I recently caught one pecking the wood away & chased him off. There's now a chunk missing about the size of 2-fingers, so he's going to do some damage soon enough with that sharp beak. I can't imagine there's any insects in the wood... it's too cold. I haven't tried the "hot" mix yet... snow, sleet, rain here... but will once that ends. Any opinions if this could work on deterring the birds? Since they're pecking the wood, don't think they're eating it so I wasn't sure it could work.
Someone mentioned putting a decoy owl on the deck. Anyone have any success with this?
Try garlic, I used to make a spray mix of garlic and dish soap to deter deer from eating my plants and it was very effective at reducing depredation. You can use garlic powder, chips, crushed cloves or capsules put in a spray bottle. It can be unscented garlic oil too, onions work too, but they actually smell very potent in a spray. The department of fish and game now sells garlic sticks that work like glow sticks and they are hung in roses and fruit trees to keep deer, rabbits and rodents from eating your plants. Garlic will also kill mold and mildew for up to 30 days.
Try garlic, I used to make a spray mix of garlic and dish soap to deter deer from eating my plants and it was very effective at reducing depredation. You can use garlic powder, chips, crushed cloves or capsules put in a spray bottle. It can be unscented garlic oil too, onions work too, but they actually smell very potent in a spray. The department of fish and game now sells garlic sticks that work like glow sticks and they are hung in roses and fruit trees to keep deer, rabbits and rodents from eating your plants. Garlic will also kill mold and mildew for up to 30 days.
Hi Dragon -
Thank you very much. Amazing what you don't know when you don't live in a green environment. I'll try the garlic... wonder if it will draw flies come spring/summer?
I'll tell my CA friends about the Dept of Fish & Game garlic sticks, too. They've long complained about planting gardens that they can't eat as the wildlife seems to quite enjoy it. One of my sisters finally gave up. Roadrunners & gophers took control of her plantlife. Well, at least they're well fed. Maybe I'll need garlic sticks, too. Strong garlic sprayed all over my deck might entice me to remain indoors...
Thank you again... VV
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