Need advice on how to get rid of all rodents.

I need help finding a solution for these two situations. Please advise. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Situation #1: My father wants to know the best way to keep squirrels out of his garden. Preferable off the fence and out of the trees as well. They seem to eat the veggies he grows and the fruits off the trees. He hates that and wants them gone for good. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/xyxgun.gif

Situation #2: I live in a high-rise apartment building. While I have not seen any rats or mice, I have this funny feeling they are in the walls. I've heard from neighbors several floors down that they actually seen mice. How do I keep them out of my apartment or get them out if they are already inside?

I've prefer to avoid poison because a dead rodent is a stinky rodent. I don't want to touch anything! For situation #1 I've heard something about putting hot pepper around a tree to keep squirrels away (does that work?), but that does nothing for the garden. Basically I'm leaning toward those sonic solutions for both cases, but I know almost nothing about them. Do they actually work? Can they protect a whole garden? Anybody use them before and have an opinion? How about those electomagnetic plugins that suppose to work on the electrical wiring throughout you home? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif Maybe a solution I haven't mentioned? Thanks in advance! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I can't credit the magnetic ones at all. I haven't see anything that adequately explains the mechanism involved that isn't from their marketing department /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The sonic repellers I'm also not real sure about. Any and all "official" research I've read says they don't do anything at all, but I have heard plenty of anecdotal evidence to the contrary. If you're willing to live with the very real possibility that they also will do nothing then it wouldn't hurt to blow a few bucks trying it out.

I think you should look for a unit that has a switch for 2 different frequency ranges. Supposedly the mice will get used to one and it will stop working after a while, but if you cycle between 2 different ones every few weeks or months then it keeps them away better. But don't by boutique or expensive ones! Chances are it's a waste of effort, so don't waste more money than necessary on overly fancy ones /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As far as the garden I have no idea. Around here the deer eat everything that you try to grow and the only way to keep them off is to put an electric fence around it. But thats probably not an option around the garden...

This may not help your situation much, but I believe there is little you can do about squirrels except remove the food they are after or enclose it in a lockable metal container. They are smart and agile beyond belief and they have far more time to defeat your solutions than you have to dream them up and impliment them. You may have to just live with them.

Enclosing a tree is not practical. Enclosing a garden could be achieved with a cage of chicken wire, including a cover over the top. But this would be too unsightly for most people.

There are effective squirrel guards that can keep them from climbing up a pole or tree trunk, but squirrels can usually access the tree canopy from other nearby trees or buildings, etc. unless the tree is separated by at least 10 horizontal feet. You may need more than 10 feet if they can jump off from a greater height. There is no risk they will not take.

As for mice, if you have them you will see their droppings and evidence of what they are chewing on. If you don't see this, don't worry about it. Same solution applies. Remove or enclose their targeted food in a metal container. They may be after pet food or people food, especially seeds or grains. Also set traps if you have mice. Use a standard spring-type mouse trap or use a live-catch trap if you don't want to kill them. You are correct about the poison problem and the adhesive pad traps are a bad idea. Block access holes with steel wool since they can't chew through it. They often enter through the holes where water and drain pipes pass through walls - check under your sinks.

I have dealt with squirrels, mice and most recently, two episodes of possums living in my crawl space. Be thankful you don't have possums. They are truly nasty creatures.

Good luck.

http://www.rodenator.com/

Not the best idea for an apartment dweller but it's pretty cool.

Eric

lead poisoning /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[ QUOTE ]
Eric Maier said:
http://www.rodenator.com/

Not the best idea for an apartment dweller but it's pretty cool.

Eric

[/ QUOTE ]

If Bill Murray had this in Caddyshack.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/xyxgun.gif

That rodent is cute! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

Trevor's solution is the best advice for the squirrels.

Have tried pepper / pepper products on bird feeders and suet, the squirrels don't like it at first, but they soon get to the point where they don't care and eat it anyway. Told my wife I thought a couple of our squirrels actually seemed to like it.

Related picture of a "squirrel-proof" suet feeder :
http://home.triad.rr.com/jhaney/images/squirrel_proof.jpg

high velocity lead enema.
air rifle or .22 with cb rounds.
or a mean old barn cat or in my case several large snakes that eat rodents.

lol the people next to me moved in a few years ago and they had a back yard but it was like the woods so they move in cut down all trees and buses so all animnals there had no place to go one night we caught 8 mice in house. in they drop to a snake cage i had atr time

I've never heard of squirrels eating fruit and veggies. They never bother my garden. You father can also enclose his garden with bird netting: not that hard or expensive.

You can get mice out of your apartment, if you really have them, with a live trap. Just take it outside and let them go. Then make sure there are no holes in your walls, such as where water pipes come in, or spaces under your doors, etc.

We live near a farm and only those sonic devices got rid of the mice. I don't know if they'll work against squirrels.

I have never heard of squirrels eating garden vegetables....maybe these are being eaten by rabbits during the night?

If the problem was squirrels, there is no way to keep them out of a garden. These guys can figure out and either squeeze through or climb over just about any obstacle. But seriously, it's probably not squirrels eating the veggies.

Don't know about the squirrels.

If you're allowed, cats are the answer to the inside problem. Where I live cats DEFINATELY pay their own way. If it's just mice, cats are the answer.

If it's rats it's a little more complicated. The rule of thumb is that if a building has rats, cats will not be able to evict them. Luckily, the inverse is also true: rats cannot establish themselves in a building with cats running around -- like two legged rats, they just hit a place that looks easier down the street.

That rodenator sounds nice! You think they'll let me use it in my walls? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/evilgrin07.gif

Okay pepper is out, chicken wire and bird netting are also probably out. It's not too pretty and would probably be more hassle than my father would want to bother with. BTW, do squirrels NOT eat fruits and veggie? I'm not sure about the veggies, but I know I've seen a squirrel nibbling on some fruit. If he wasn't eating it he was at least burying his face in it for some reason. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif I don't think there are any rabbits out near Long Island. I could be wrong though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif The whole backyard is fenced in so I don't see how a rabbit would get in anyway. I see the squirrels hoping along the fences and jump up and down the trees. That's why they are suspect #1. Hey I think I remember reading a CPF thread awhile ago about someone with a squirrel stuck in their attic or something. How did they drive it out?

As for my apartment, no holes. I did a through check years ago. Only way in is if someone leaves the front door or balcony door open or if they come in via the ventilation shaft. Nothing I can actually do about that one. No droppings or little chewed up papers or anything. I just get the willies when I hear noise in the walls. I guess it could be the pipes, but still.... :shiver: No cats for me; After half an hour my eyes itch and I start to break out in hives. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Greenled, you've used the sonic stuff and can verify they work? I've done some basic research on them and some people say they catch MORE mice when they turn the sonic stuff on. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif I'm really confused. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif Can you tell me which device you bought? Anybody else try the sonic or electromagnetic stuff? Thanks!

I lived in an apartment years ago that had squirrels in the wall. At least I guess it was squirrels, at night you could hear them scratching constantly. It drove us nuts. I think the apartment manager finally put out some poison and closed up any possible entrances.

On a related topic would any of these methods keep possums out of yards? I found this guy pooping and scenting my yard today. I have been finding the poop, but I didn't know who was leaving it until I caught him red handed.

I even got a picture of him today.

Sinjz, I would be surprised if squirrels did not eat fruits and vegs, the squirrels here will eat wild mushrooms in the yard.

Tree, I have used this with success against dogs, cats, and coons, may work for possums. You can buy it at places like Lowes and Home Depot. Link to pic of Grant's spray

Tree, it looks like you photographed your possum friend in daylight. They are normally nocturnal and occasionally but rarely seen in the daytime. An interesting fact about possums is that they are marsupials. They have a pouch like a kangaroo.

If the possum is spending that much time leaving droppings in your yard, it may be living there or in/under your house or other building or object on your property. These animals are prone to carrying various nasty diseases and are capable of inflicting a severe bite if handled or cornered or otherwise harassed. This is a risk to people or pets.

I use a live-catch trap baited with an apple slice, then relocate the buggars. In addition or as an alternative, find the nest and it's access hole and block it. Make sure you are blocking them out and not in. A vacant den may well become occupied by another possum at a later time, so you have to deal with the den. They can squeeze through smaller spaces than you would imagine. Eliminate obvious food sources and make sure your trash is well-contained, since they may be eating it.

If you relocate the possum, I recommend transporting the trap in a pickup bed. These guys stink and can secrete a smelly fluid like a skunk (but not as severe). You don't want that in your car unless well contained in a disposable tarp.

If all that is too much of a hassle, you can hire an animal control contractor to handle it for you. Just make sure they deal with the den and access to it.

for the garden you could always try something like THIS which will also be hilarious when people come to hear your veggies in the middle of the night /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

And if you're liking the sonic solutions they also sell THIS with a stobe light and sound to scare away anything that walks by. Perhaps a combination of the 2 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I know that this may sound crazy but it may be worth a shot for the outdoor pests. I read about it years ago and just remembered it.

Some city zoos sell exotic animal poop to area residents. Some have found that poop from one predator class of animals will often repel a traditional prey class of animal even though the two species are from completely different regions of the world and have never even had contact with each other.

When I lived in MN decades ago I remember people protecting fruit trees from deer by tying little bags of lion poop to the branches. Most people used the zoo poop for fertilizer but some used it as repellent.

If you can find out what the worlds mega-predator of squirrels would be, maybe you could get some of its poop from the local zoo to use to scare them away.

Completely different idea--

I don't know if owls prey on squirrels and possums but you might check. A big owl decoy perched on a post in the center of the garden may scare the hell out of little squirrels. These owl decoys are sold mainly to frighten pigeons but a big one may work for squirrels. I have seen owls kill mice in the wild.