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Do you own a garden but are fed up with squirrels damaging your hard-grown trees? Do you want to know what attracts the squirrel most and wish to eliminate the problem from the root?
Well, if you are as worried as we are, don’t be; we bring you the explored solutions, too.
Suppose you wish to eradicate any possible risk of the squirrel squad invading your territory. In that case, you must begin by knowing what attracts these furry creatures. Then, now that you understand the pinpoints, it is comparatively easy to act and eliminate all the possible attractions to inhibit squirrel invasions.
Read along as we provide you with master keys to these deadly locks.
Know Your Enemy First
If you are living in the States, then most probably there are two common variants of your enemies, and they go by the names of Gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). They look like cute furry animals but are hazardous to your living stature. These critters are trouble themselves and are fast runners too, so when they run from their predators, they land at your dwelling, inviting them too.
The most common predator creatures are Raccoons, Opossums, skunks, mice, rats, and even snakes. When these creatures invade your garden, your problem turns from minor to massive, and clearing them off at this stage is quite troublesome.
There are a few things you must know about these squishy squirrels and, of course, the ways to repel them, too.
Why Do They Want to Live in Your Space?
Squirrels are skittish and are very selective of the spaces they live in. The major reason they opt for living in human dwellings is that they need a secure place, while other minor reasons follow. If you know what they prefer while building their dreys, then you can remove their preferences from your locality to repel them.
Let’s see what they are:
- Availability of food
- Trees and shrubs
- Access to birdhouses and bird feeders
- Security and safety from predators
- Quietness and calmness
- Pleasant soil fragrance and loose soil
Why Do They Prefer Indoors?
Unlike what some might presume, Squirrels can invade your indoors, too. With massive urbanization, they need shelter, and if you are housed near a forest, park, garden, or wooden area, the chances of invasions are quite high. They can enter through cracks and crevices and munch on your food, electric wires, cardboard boxes, laundries, and unattended basement goods.
Why Do They Prefer Outdoors?
Secluded green areas are the first pick for squirrels to build their nests. If your garden provides them enough food and a secure area from predators, they will hub in, and that too for a long time. If you have birdhouses, these squirrels will gobble in the bird feeders and invade the birdhouses. If you have a yard or are housed near a green area, chances of getting these furry invaders are quite likely.
Knowing the Attraction Elements and Measures to Repel These Rodents
Now that we know the thick details of everything, let’s dive into depths and unravel the proven, adapted, and advanced squirrel-repelling techniques.
1. More, More Food
Squirrels are skittish critters craving more and more food. While they eat a few, the rest they save for winter. Therefore, this may not surprise you if you suddenly have bitten berries everywhere or find seeds buried in wholes. And this is not just it.
They will outpace you in acquiring their squirrel favorite food, especially your hard-grown nuts, leaving only the hollow ones behind. These critters are voracious eaters, feasting on soft buds and growing leaves, which damages the growth of your plants significantly. If they find their preferred food in your location easily, they are likely to make your serene space their permanent residence.
Repelling Remedy: Spread out a plastic mesh nut over your fruit and nut trees. This will inhibit the attackers from attacking your newly grown plants and plant bearings.
2. Calm, Quiet, and Super Soil-ey Locations
Know the mechanisms first. Squirrels are no Porcupines to have a strong defense mechanism. All they have is good hearing and good memory. They often choose solace and secluded areas to hear their predators’ coming and run to their burrows. Once a squirrel finds a quiet place like this, many families of Squirrels follow it in, making your yard their very personal playground with hyperactive cutting noises.
Another major attraction is loose soil areas or areas with a pleasant ground smell. These rodents are diggers. They dig in and eat up roots and seeds you have planted recently, damaging their growth. They, too, bury their nuts down the ground at different locations and then, when they are hungry, dig them out, leaving your garden a mess.
Repelling Remedy: Sudden movements and noises can make Squirrels feel like the area is unsafe to live in. If you have a pet, leave it on the ground for some time, or play sounds of possible predators like Dogs, Raccoons, etc., on a loudspeaker. Install pop lights that glow when these Squirrels go near them and water sprinklers that can catch them by surprise.
For Digging issues, you can lay chicken wire and scare them off. Mulch can be your friend, too, as they suppress the smell of newly planted seeds and shrubs and repel rodents greatly. Gravel, too, is a good option since it is so heavy that Squirrels have a hard time moving them, so they gradually leave your place.
3. Birdfeeders and Bird Houses are a Bonus
These furry inhabitants are omnivorous. They start by chewing the doors of birdhouses to fit in, eating up the bird feeders, and then either resting in this pre-made home or using it as a warehouse for their winter nibbles.
They scare off birds that you plant at home, like the native ones or the singing birds, or maybe an owl, etc. They munch on bird feeders and eat up bird eggs, wooing birds away without an option to return; hence, bird houses and bird feeders are a Squirrel’s bonus attraction.
Repelling Remedy: Ensure your birdhouses are placed at least 9 feet away from any plant, tree, shrub, or vegetation. This is because, according to research, Squirrels can jump 4 feet vertically while 8 feet horizontally. Secondly, make sure to get bird boxes that have metal rings outlining the bird box’s doors because this way, Squirrels cannot chew them away and get in at all.
Final Thoughts
Animals are adaptive, just like humans, and while they can find new ways to swoop in, we are always ready to shoo them away with newer tricks and strategies. Yes, they require extra effort, but consider them a minute price to pay amidst nature.
We have summed up the best and most practiced techniques here, and while these are a few of the best ones, others are also awaited in our next blogs.
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