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Grey squirrels!


Irene
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Any advice on how to keep grey squirrels out of the garden?

 

I do feed the birds on a daily basis and also realise that the 'vermin' are attracted by the goodies intended for the birds.  But... I do need to discourage the squirrels somehow.

 

Your help would be gratefully received.  :flowers:

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1. Buy a Panthera tigris ?

 

2. Either you, or your beloved stay out in your garden night and day ?

 

3. A 12 bore ?

 

We have 2 x 200 year old oaks in the rear garden - at least 5 squirrels inhabit them.  The neighbourhood moggies (6-ish) regularly attempt to catch them but in vain as far as I am aware.

 

George Monbiot swears by this method (Martes martes)   :- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/30/how-to-eradicate-grey-squirrels-without-firing-a-shot-pine-martens

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Learn to love your squirrels, the little buggers are insanely good at problem solving and nothing short of an expensive weight sensitive feeder with a spring loaded close mechanism is going to stop them.

 

PS option 2 doesn't always work, we have about half a dozen regulars, some will run away when we go outside, but a couple will run up to you to see if you've got anything edible you might be willing to share. 

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We've never had them in the loft space (Mice once or twice ) but no squirrels as to digging in the flower pots too true, generally seems to provide a nice food safe for them and they stash stuff there. This year we found one pot that had been well ripped up and dried compost strewn everywhere. We initially blamed the squirrels but it turned out pheasants were using it as a dust bath.

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We have loads of squirrels around here (and it seems a VERY good year for their breeding) but we don't get them in the garden very much. Someone told me once that they don't like privet and we have privet hedges around three sides. That may be the answer.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...

We have similar problems with squirrels. When we moved into our house 4 years ago the rear lawn was in a terrible condition and I had it dug out, replaced all the topsoil and re-turfed.  The following year it was lovely and a pleasure to see.  That autumn we saw the occasional squirrel buying conkers in the lawn and each week I would inspect the lawn and did them out. The following year the lawn was not quite as nice as before and I had to do a lot of work on it re-seeding thin patches and battling with weeds.

Autumn comes and it is the same squirrel problem - but now the few pests from the previous year had told their mates of a lawn with nice soft grass and topsoil and we had numerous squirrels using it as a food bank.  I couldn't keep up with all the buried stuff and last year the lawn was a sorry mess.

 

Earlier this year I replaced it with good quality artificial grass with a 45mm pile and the problem is solved. Squirrels are now rare visitors to the garden.

 

This may be because artificial grass gets very hot in full sun - hot enough that you wouldn't want to walk on it without shoes. Hence animals can't stand it and I guess the squirrels are now wary of it year round in case its hot. 

 

No buried stuff, no need to weed and feed, scarify or mow. Pure heaven.  

 

mAskAhh.jpg

 

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On 09/05/2017 at 4:32 PM, Irene said:

Any advice on how to keep grey squirrels out of the garden?

 

I do feed the birds on a daily basis and also realise that the 'vermin' are attracted by the goodies intended for the birds.  But... I do need to discourage the squirrels somehow.

 

Your help would be gratefully received.  :flowers:

Easily solved.  See here

https://www.gardenwildlifedirect.co.uk/bird-feeders/squirrel-proof-feeders.html

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1 hour ago, Irene said:

Good link, thanks. 

 

They each look like a little prison though.  Wouldn't the birds feel somewhat trapped?  (I do suffer with claustrophobia :laugh: )

There are many suppliers online, but most places locally supply them.  I never buy less than a 12.5 kilo plastic sack of bird seed.  I won't have the sunflower seeds with black husks they are too messy.  I always buy Johnston and Jeff songbird and robin mix.  It is widely available online from innumerable suppliers. Don't ever buy fat balls in nets they can be lethal trapping the birds feet.  In fact I gave up on fat balls long ago in favour of suet balls.  The birds go crazy over them.  they are in one of those cages, and frequently there can be up to five birds inside the cage at one time, the suet balls are in another cage inside. I had part of a box of 50 left early in the year so bought another box, that didn't last long so I bought a box of 150, we are now using a second box of 150.  They love them so much they will eat you out of house and home.  There are dried meal worms in the Johnston and Jeff food to attract the robins, but I add a few extra.

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Squirrels in the garden ... I love seeing them.

 

Years back a poorly squirrel arrived with half his tail missing, which was also bent .. and he stayed and took up permanent residency in the top of the Christmas tree. I later noticed he only had one eye but he got about okay.

 

I've had mice in my roof but there'd have to be a pretty bit hole to get under the eaves.

Unfortunately, they'll mange to get into any of these cleverly designed bird food feeders as they clever critters. I used to dig loads of little buried fat balls out of my pots every spring. Terrible memories squirrels. All that running about hiding food instead of just having a feast and then they forget where they hid it.

 

 

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Oops, forget to add

 

The only time I got put off putting out bird food was nothing to do with squirrels. It was when I saw a rat. Ugh, now they do concern me for their diseases as much as the damage if they got in the house.

 

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58 minutes ago, morty said:

Oops, forget to add

 

The only time I got put off putting out bird food was nothing to do with squirrels. It was when I saw a rat. Ugh, now they do concern me for their diseases as much as the damage if they got in the house.

 

Keep the door shut.

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