I also love squirrels ,in the Forrest not the garden, and yet i would love to see a red one in my garden, if we could get them back in number with very few grey it would be nice,
Can't remember what but the greys carry some disease to which they are now immune but which affects red squirrels. It's a pity it's not a commercial proposition to reverse engineer some bug that will reduce the greys.
Not a problem we have here in Belgium where there are plentiful red quirrels - but not in my garden unfortunately. I took some scientists on an imemrsion trip to bristol once and they were nechanted by the lack of fear of the greys who posed for photos by Cabot tower. Couldn't believe they are vermin when in the wrong place.
In South Scotland there are controls in place. The virus that the greys carry doesnt affect them, only the red. The greys can reproduce several times a year whereas the red only once.
Controls are working and the reds are reappearing I saw one just a few weeks ago, so cute!
Weeds are flowers, too, once you get to know them.” A A Milne
If you have problems with them digging plants out of pots as I do, I read they dislike slug pellets and avoid pots containing them. I tried it and it worked, but you will need a plentiful supply.
What worked for me is that I bought a squirrel feeder, attached it to the fence and filled it with the cheapest peanuts I can find. The squirrels visit that and leave the bird feeders alone. Mags
Thank you to those who gave various suggestions regarding squirrels and the deterrence thereof. Sliding down feeder covers don't work because squirrels soon learn to approach from above and not to to touch the perches so the covers don't close. iI have used chilli, fresh, oil and raw until the seeds were bright red - it deterred them for about half an hour! I am tempted by the clear domes mentioned, but am unsure as to how I could affix them to the site where the feeder is. Moving it is not an option if I want to see any birds who manage to make it there. I'll examine that idea for the future - thank you.
They certainly do not leave the bird feeder alone if they get fed, they just empty their feeder and then attack the birds one. When I tried that I got through around 4 kilo's of peanuts in a day! I can't keep that up even if I wanted to - and I don't, I'd rather they starved thanI feed them, and it made no difference whatsoever to how much they took from the bird feeders. I am experimenting with prickly foliage around the metal poles, they don't like it much but soon learn to get between the prickles.
Hate them tho' I do, you do have to give them 10/10 for persistence and cleverness!
With you all the way Bookertoo - they have also been making a right mess of my lawn stashing cobnuts, walnuts etc. Would love to have red squirrels though - I would actively feed them - does that make me a squirrel racist?
Ref the suggestion to hang the bird feeders from a clothes line or similar. I watched a programme devoted to seeing just how clever & inventive grey squirrels could be when accessing food (VERY!) & they filmed a squirrel 'climbing' upside down SAS style along a horizontal wire - all to the Mission Impossible theme tune. Made me laugh out loud.
Gotta hate 'em - gotta admire 'em
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Absolutely love the whirligig thing, that would give me hours of entertainment and might even get the furry rats to stop!! Can I get it here? Thanks a million for that.
Not so keen on electric shocks, as I'm not sure unite how green that is - but eventually I might be happy to try that too.
Not shooting anything here, thanks though.
Cayenne does not work here, tried it to the point it almost made me cry when I hung the feeder it was so strong. Tried it dried, powdered and fresh - no go for these terrors.. Birds didn't notice (they can't taste it), the squirrel jumped the first time then just carried on as usual.
Runnybreak - there is a gadget which deals with moles but you can't get it in the UK. I have used it successfully here but not since we got dogs. However I'm going to set the device again soon but inside a protective cage to keep the doggies safe and stop their curious noses setting it off prematurely.
I plan to get the one thats' been taking the micky through my veg patch this week and then the one that's having a laugh in the lawn before they get into gear tunnelling every which way to find mates next spring.
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)."
Actually they probably would not like your sandwich all that much, unless you are eating worm sandwiches?
They can make your grassy areas rather an ankle trap if the burrows are left alone.
Many years ago when I lived in a nice little terrace of houses, all of whose gardens were overrun with moles, we decided to put the hose running down 1 of our our mole hillsl - totally forgot it until the next morning when our next door neighbour by 2, i.e 3 houses away, woke to found their garden flooded! I admit we crept down and turned the water off and did not confess! Mind, the moles didn't go either.
Posts
I also love squirrels ,in the Forrest not the garden, and yet i would love to see a red one in my garden, if we could get them back in number with very few grey it would be nice,
Can't remember what but the greys carry some disease to which they are now immune but which affects red squirrels. It's a pity it's not a commercial proposition to reverse engineer some bug that will reduce the greys.
Not a problem we have here in Belgium where there are plentiful red quirrels - but not in my garden unfortunately. I took some scientists on an imemrsion trip to bristol once and they were nechanted by the lack of fear of the greys who posed for photos by Cabot tower. Couldn't believe they are vermin when in the wrong place.
I don't know where you are Bookertoo but maybe this site and this organisation can help - http://www.rsne.org.uk/grey-squirrel-control
In South Scotland there are controls in place. The virus that the greys carry doesnt affect them, only the red. The greys can reproduce several times a year whereas the red only once.
Controls are working and the reds are reappearing I saw one just a few weeks ago, so cute!
A A Milne
If you have problems with them digging plants out of pots as I do, I read they dislike slug pellets and avoid pots containing them. I tried it and it worked, but you will need a plentiful supply.
What worked for me is that I bought a squirrel feeder, attached it to the fence and filled it with the cheapest peanuts I can find. The squirrels visit that and leave the bird feeders alone. Mags
Thank you to those who gave various suggestions regarding squirrels and the deterrence thereof. Sliding down feeder covers don't work because squirrels soon learn to approach from above and not to to touch the perches so the covers don't close. iI have used chilli, fresh, oil and raw until the seeds were bright red - it deterred them for about half an hour! I am tempted by the clear domes mentioned, but am unsure as to how I could affix them to the site where the feeder is. Moving it is not an option if I want to see any birds who manage to make it there. I'll examine that idea for the future - thank you.
They certainly do not leave the bird feeder alone if they get fed, they just empty their feeder and then attack the birds one. When I tried that I got through around 4 kilo's of peanuts in a day! I can't keep that up even if I wanted to - and I don't, I'd rather they starved thanI feed them, and it made no difference whatsoever to how much they took from the bird feeders. I am experimenting with prickly foliage around the metal poles, they don't like it much but soon learn to get between the prickles.
Hate them tho' I do, you do have to give them 10/10 for persistence and cleverness!
With you all the way Bookertoo - they have also been making a right mess of my lawn stashing cobnuts, walnuts etc. Would love to have red squirrels though - I would actively feed them - does that make me a squirrel racist?
Ref the suggestion to hang the bird feeders from a clothes line or similar. I watched a programme devoted to seeing just how clever & inventive grey squirrels could be when accessing food (VERY!) & they filmed a squirrel 'climbing' upside down SAS style along a horizontal wire - all to the Mission Impossible theme tune. Made me laugh out loud.
Gotta hate 'em - gotta admire 'em
Absolutely love the whirligig thing, that would give me hours of entertainment and might even get the furry rats to stop!! Can I get it here? Thanks a million for that.
Not so keen on electric shocks, as I'm not sure unite how green that is - but eventually I might be happy to try that too.
Not shooting anything here, thanks though.
Cayenne does not work here, tried it to the point it almost made me cry when I hung the feeder it was so strong. Tried it dried, powdered and fresh - no go for these terrors.. Birds didn't notice (they can't taste it), the squirrel jumped the first time then just carried on as usual.
Runnybreak - there is a gadget which deals with moles but you can't get it in the UK. I have used it successfully here but not since we got dogs. However I'm going to set the device again soon but inside a protective cage to keep the doggies safe and stop their curious noses setting it off prematurely.
Watch the wee video - http://www-be.detaupeur.com/
I plan to get the one thats' been taking the micky through my veg patch this week and then the one that's having a laugh in the lawn before they get into gear tunnelling every which way to find mates next spring.
Actually they probably would not like your sandwich all that much, unless you are eating worm sandwiches?
They can make your grassy areas rather an ankle trap if the burrows are left alone.
Many years ago when I lived in a nice little terrace of houses, all of whose gardens were overrun with moles, we decided to put the hose running down 1 of our our mole hillsl - totally forgot it until the next morning when our next door neighbour by 2, i.e 3 houses away, woke to found their garden flooded! I admit we crept down and turned the water off and did not confess! Mind, the moles didn't go either.