Oh Rats, We've Got Squirrels!

Last year we had squirrels nesting in our loft. They found the insulation there to their satisfaction and snuggled in to raise 2 broods. NAH cut away the overhanging branches at the side of the house but that was no problem, they scuttled directly up the wall instead. Now I've just seen one going into the top of our chimney - a slight improvement on last year as they're not waking me up at 4 in the morning, but I've visions of them falling down the chimney and taking a liking to our lounge sofa.

Any tips on what we could do to stop them?

Comments

  1. dND25 February 2008 at 08:50

    you really don't want a squirrel in the lounge either. I can't do links in comments but I think the Daily Mail (OK I know it is the Daily Mail) headline says it all

    £10,000 rampage of squirrel that fell down our chimney

    good luck with stopping him

    Deborah

    ReplyDelete
  2. Silly Goose25 February 2008 at 12:50

    OH dear! We have squirrel too -- in the roof over our front porch. They can't get into the main house unless they figure out a way to get through brick. Hmmm. I wouldn't put it past them!

    I guess you can tell I don't know how to get rid of them, eh?

    ReplyDelete
  3. kate25 February 2008 at 16:02

    My neighbour across the street finally had mesh put over the chimney and also over an attic opening to keep the squirrels out. Now they scamper over her rooftop and have moved on to the next house.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Paul and Melanie25 February 2008 at 17:34

    lol see now my first reaction was 'awwww how sweet...' I'm guessing it's not as cute as it sounds in real life tho... ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mr. McGregor's Daughter25 February 2008 at 18:38

    The mesh is the way to go. Cover all openings on the roof & any in the eaves. But you have to check the mesh periodically, as squirrels have been known to chew through it or bend it up to squeeze inside. And yes, you can call them "bushy-tailed rats."

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous25 February 2008 at 21:47

    Oh dear sounds like one of my worst nightmares come true. So far our rats with tails have had the courtesy not to stray out of the garden. They have however inflicted damage to trees and various bulbs. I believe that if they get into the house they can do serious damage to electrical wiring etc. so I hope you can find a quick and inexpensive solution. Maybe a phone call to the local council pest control department might result in some suggestions.

    ReplyDelete
  7. VP26 February 2008 at 20:47

    Crumbs dnd now you've got me worried!

    Kate & Mr McGregor's daughter - we've been having a think about mesh for the chimney and what to do about the eaves. A lot of people around here have been having theirs redone in the past year. I suspect we'll have to bite the bullet and get ours done too.

    Anna - we called the council last year who said 'we don't do squirrels' and 'we don't recommend anyone who can come and solve the problem for you'. Very helpful - not! I'm glad they're not in the loft this year - as you say, plenty of wire for them to chew through.

    Dirty Knees - perhaps we need to put in another brick wall! Seems to have kept your problem with them under relative control ;)

    Paul & Melanie - I used to think how sweet when they kept to the trees. I'm not so keen now though:(

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mrs Mac27 February 2008 at 08:47

    I adore squirrels, but would hate to have them in the house as they would be termed a 'pest' and I'd be afraid the only peeps I could find to remove them would kill them! Oh no!

    Up till last year [if they're grey] as they are still classed as non-native, they couldn't be re-released into the wild once caught. Even RSPCA and other animal rescue/welfare groups taking in injured ones, then had to put them into enclosures rather than return them to where they were found, or dispatch of them humanely.

    LAst year, though, this law was amended. They can now be re-released if the person catching them has a licence to do so.

    So, what I would do is find a pest-catcher that has such a licence. Maybe the RSPCA would be able o advise of someone in your area. I guess they'd use a cage trap laced with peanuts inside! Then once caught, the mesh idea sounds like the way to go.

    Re argument on whether to hate their little nibbly faces or not, see this website-

    http://www.grey-squirrel.org.uk/

    Yes, I know the argument about the red squirrels, and met some up in Yorkshire last year in a special sanctuary for them (ahhhh...) but I also love to feed the greys in the park, very tame and cute, and always chase away my depression :^)

    ReplyDelete
  9. VP27 February 2008 at 21:47

    Helena - thank you so much for leaving me so much information. I'll certainly check out the website and make sure we get the right kind of person in to deal with the problem.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sharon28 February 2008 at 00:49

    My dog, Rusty (who has his own blog), has been trying to get rid of all the squirrels around here. No luck. I think Helena has a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  11. VP28 February 2008 at 20:45

    Hi Sharon - how about sending Rusty over here?

    ReplyDelete

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