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Do chilli flakes work for squirrels and rats?

Sazz101Sazz101 Posts: 248
in Problem solving
Something has started digging up my tulips. The hole is much bigger than the trouble we had last year with the most gorgeous little vole. This is either a squirrel or a rat I reckon. 

I’ve put chilli flakes down as I heard that rodents dont like the taste. Is there’s anything else I can do? We have a large family of grey squirrels who can destroy most crops in a day once they get the taste for something. 

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Chilli is a cruelly painful product to use against pesky critters.   Better to protect your plants with barriers such as chicken wire.

    Have a read of this and follow the links - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=195
    and this
    https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/solve-problems/how-to-deter-grey-squirrels/ 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • Sazz101Sazz101 Posts: 248
    edited April 2021
    Thank you Obelixx. Good to know I’m not missing anything. 

    No chilli isn’t nice but, in my defence, I do hate these squirrels. They rob fatballs from improperly closed tubs. They unhook and remove seed filled coconut shells. One year they took down and partially ate all my Russian giant sunflowers over a weekend. I have tried fruit cages, solar ultrasonic contraptions, encouraging the local cat to hang out with catnip. I’ve kept said potted tulips under  cages up until last week. Took them out to enjoy them in flower... and boom! Squirrels. 

    Ok, rant over :)
  • DitsyDitsy Posts: 196
    I use extra hot chilli powder on my seeds and peanuts in the feeders. At first it worked, kept the squirrels away a treat. A year on the squirrels have acquired a taste for it and happily munch away. In fact I suspect they find food without it rather bland.  :D

    Last week I bought a new squirrel proof feeder, in less than an hour the lid was open and squirrels eating the chilli coated nuts. I wired the lid closed. 24 hours later they have chewed all the perches off it.

    There is just no beating them.
  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    Gosh, our squirrels are positively demure compared to those in all your tales!

    We have one of those weight-triggered bird feeders. Solid sides and any weight on the perches closes the access to the seed. It’s a very strong plastic and too long for the squirrels to try and hang upside down to get the seed (they have tried 🤣) It was quite pricey but has lasted 4 years so far and still going strong, but I don’t recall seeing our squirrels trying to chew it.

    We put out half coconuts and use a strong piece of wire rather than the string they come on. We push it through the string hole and then loop it over the branch. The wire is stiff so no way the squirrels or magpies can unhook it or eat through it as they did the string. We quite enjoy the squirrels visiting and they don’t strip it clean, the tits, robin and nuthatch (the intended guests) probably get the most.

    Our squirrels don’t seem to do any damage to plants and I haven’t needed to net my bulbs at all (lost the odd one or two but no more). I wonder if it’s about general availability of natural food? We have lots of mature native trees around us and we do lose our hazels and walnuts to the squirrels but no damage otherwise. 
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I used to use hot chilli powder to put off foxes crapping everywhere. But shortly after they seemed to have decided I had decorated their toilet a lovely red colour and they happily carried on using it, pooing right on top of the chilli.

    Chilli powder is also no good with rain.
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