# Ground Squirrels....errr



## SizzlininIN (Mar 21, 2007)

Well my little friend the ground squirrel has reappeared....errr! Oh and I should mention the neighbors big galute for a dog decided he wanted to eat it so he dug a huge hole in my back yard trying to get to it....still ticked about that.

Has anyone dealt with these lil buggers before? How do I get rid of it? Its seriously digging too many holes in my yard. 

I need a TNT remedy please.


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## shannon in KS (Mar 21, 2007)

I can't help but giggle at this visual. I am sorry you are dealing with this! Squirrels freak me out! So high-strung and opportunistic. I have been caught a few times by worried passers by while cursing because I am sure the little psychos will rise-up at any given moment. What does a ground squirrel do to be such a nuisance? We have tree squirrels here. The hyperactive chitter chattering is enough to drive me batty.


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## middie (Mar 21, 2007)

Squirrels don't bother me. I like 'em. I'm sorry I don't have any advice for ya Sizz. I'm sure someone will though.


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## SizzlininIN (Mar 21, 2007)

shannon in KS said:
			
		

> I can't help but giggle at this visual. I am sorry you are dealing with this! Squirrels freak me out! So high-strung and opportunistic. I have been caught a few times by worried passers by while cursing because I am sure the little psychos will rise-up at any given moment. What does a ground squirrel do to be such a nuisance? We have tree squirrels here. The hyperactive chitter chattering is enough to drive me batty.


 
Then you'd of gotten a big kick of lil ole me out there trying to shoo away this dog that has nothing but space between it ears. Oh it drives me crazy when it gets loose. You try to shoo it away and it tilts its head and gives you this stupid look.... I could go on and on about this dog. I'm an animal lover but this one with it constant barking and desire to relieve himself in my yard and now digging holes....causes me to have bad thoughts about it....I'm ashamed to say.....will be so glad to get the fence up. 
Yes the owner has been addressed and the police called but its like talking to thin air.

Ok..... back to the topic.........ground squirrels..........errrr!


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## Alix (Mar 21, 2007)

Put a stick of Juicy Fruit gum by the holes. I have a farmer friend who swears by this method.


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## Barb L. (Mar 21, 2007)

Not quite clear - which one is digging the holes - squirrel or dog ?


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## pacanis (Mar 21, 2007)

My parents had chipmunks at their old house. The little buggers would undermine their driveway and sidewalks. It was nothing to see half a dozen of them anytime I would visit. Scurrying up downspouts, hanging out on the patio.... everywhere.  They tried every poison, trick and concoction known to man and Heloise.  Nothing worked.
I don't recall them having this problem when I was a kid and our neighbors had a cat they would let roam.


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## auntdot (Mar 21, 2007)

Could use a Have-A-Heart trap, they have them in many different sizes.  We have one we have used for recoons in the attic. But they have them squirrel size.

After you trap them (as bait can use peanuts, or peanut butter or all kinds of stuff) take them a good number of miles away and let them go.  The suckers can find their way back if you drop them a block or two away, and I have been told even a mile or more.

For other ideas go to a farmers' coop.  Those folks generally know a whole lot about a bunch of things dealing with critters.

Good luck.


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## pacanis (Mar 21, 2007)

auntdot said:
			
		

> After you trap them (as bait can use peanuts, or peanut butter or all kinds of stuff) take them a good number of miles away and let them go.


 
Ackk   
Is that where all these raccoons have been coming from?  Someone has been making them _my_ problem.  

Seriously, sometimes it's just better to follow "The Three S Rule", shoot, shovel and shutup.  I read an article on rabies not too long ago concerning either Virginia or West VA... (I always get the two mixed up) and how a localized rabies problem became a statewide one. They were blaming relocated wildlife. Sometimes it's not in _everyone's_ best interest to relocate a problem.


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## shpj4 (Mar 21, 2007)

Those little ground squirrels don't bother me - I see them in the trees but I have no idea how to get rid of them.

Good luck.


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## Snoop Puss (Mar 21, 2007)

On a light-hearted note:

A police chief here in Spain was having trouble with moles digging tunnels in his lawn and leaving mounds of earth everywhere. His wife kept telling him to do something about it and in the end he decided he better had to keep the domestic peace.

So he goes into the station and calls his best two officers and tells them to go round to his house and deal with the moles. Top instructions were that he really wanted the moles to suffer like he had from his wife.

He goes home at lunchtime to find the officers hot and sweaty but looking pleased with themselves. He asks them did they find the moles.

"Yes sir, indeed we did sir."

"And did you make them suffer?"

"Yes sir, indeed we did sir."

"So what did you do with them, then?"

"We buried them alive, sir."


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## buckytom (Mar 21, 2007)

Alix said:
			
		

> Put a stick of Juicy Fruit gum by the holes. I have a farmer friend who swears by this method.


 
lol, alix. strangely enough that farmer friend of yours absolutley loves juicy fruit. did he happen to tell you to do it just before dark (and he had a flashlight?)...

ronjohn told his neighbors to do the same for groundhogs, but the rodents in michigan love a good heffeweizen.


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## Alix (Mar 21, 2007)

LOL Buckytom! No, I'm serious here. The deal is that Juicy Fruit is sweet enough to attract the little critters, but when they chew and swallow the stuff it well...gums up the works. (Sorry about that) They love the stuff, but its deadly to them. And its a heck of a lot cheaper than buying commercial rodenticides. They use it on their ranch because the ground squirrel holes are absolutely deadly to the cows. Step in one of those and *snap* goes the leg and you just lost several thousand bucks worth of beef, or more if it was in calf.  

OK, I realize its not a really humane sort of death, but it does work.


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## Renee Attili (Mar 21, 2007)

I have 3 dogs that work as a team to fix my squirrel problem. One chases it up the tree then grabs a branch that hangs down and shakes the whole tree. The other two dogs circle the tree and whichever dog is closer when it falls out gets the prize. A little morbid, but, it's amazing watching those 3 working so well together. So I guess my suggestion is to get your neighbors dog along with 2 more.LOL


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## Buck (Mar 21, 2007)

SizzlininIN said:
			
		

> I need a TNT remedy please.



Sizz, 
You had the answer all the time!!  

Just make sure the fuze on the TNT is long enough so you have time to clear the area before it blows.

You might call the Roadrunner.  He can get you a good deal on Acme TNT.


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## SizzlininIN (Mar 21, 2007)

Buck said:
			
		

> Sizz,
> You had the answer all the time!!
> 
> Just make sure the fuze on the TNT is long enough so you have time to clear the area before it blows.
> ...


 
 .......geesh I have enough holes the way it is I don't need a crater to boot .

Well I'm going to try the juicy fruit idea first.....at 30 cents a pack it sounds the most reasonable  . I'm ready for a resolution cause i'm scared my pup is going to get his leg down in one of those holes and hurt himself.

Thanks everyone!


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## sparrowgrass (Mar 23, 2007)

Aunt Dot and Pacanis--relocating an animal seems kinder than killing it, but in most cases (according to wildlife researchers) relocating an animal is a death sentence.  

In an unfamiliar area, they don't know the safe places to hide, and they don't know where the food is.  It is also often illegal to relocate wild animals.  

Here in Missouri, I can kill a raccoon if it is bothering my chickens, but hauling it off the to the woods is a game violation.


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## mudbug (Mar 23, 2007)

sparrowgrass said:
			
		

> Aunt Dot and Pacanis--relocating an animal seems kinder than killing it, but in most cases (according to wildlife researchers) relocating an animal is a death sentence.
> 
> In an unfamiliar area, they don't know the safe places to hide, and they don't know where the food is. It is also often illegal to relocate wild animals.
> 
> Here in Missouri, I can kill a raccoon if it is bothering my chickens, but hauling it off the to the woods is a game violation.



Interesting, sparrowgrass.  Here in my neighborhood in northern Virginia we had a beaver problem.  The county says it's illegal to kill nuisance animals (beavers, racoons, etc.) and the only thing you can do is take them elsewhere.  We also had feral cats.  The county lent the neighbors traps to catch them, but I don't know what happened to them after that.  We don't have any around here anymore.


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## StirBlue (Mar 27, 2007)

Seasoned Flour
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 diced carrot
1 cup boiling water/stock
1 cup sliced mushrooms
4 large squirrels
Serve with pan gravy & rice
6 servings
(Recipe title: Potted squirrels)


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## Dove (Mar 27, 2007)

*Good idea stirblue...be sure to skin the little critters first.

When we were at Camp Lejeune N.C. Paul hunted for food..really!  we ate many a squirrel, venison and fish. ( all out of necessity )*


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## lyndalou (Mar 27, 2007)

We have squirrels in our back yard all of the time. They haven't done any damage, and eat seeds from the bird feeders that have fallen to the gound. We do have to put squirrel thingys on the feeders, though, or they'd eat all of the food.


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## SizzlininIN (Mar 27, 2007)

These aren't your normal size squirrels....these are those lil guys....ground squirrels chipmuncks whatever their called.  I haven't seen them in awhile so I think the juicy fruit may have done the trick.....fingers crossed.


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## buckytom (Mar 27, 2007)

they're just busy picking bubble gum out of each other's hair, sizz.

they'll be back, and they'll be pissed!!!!!!!!


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## SizzlininIN (Mar 27, 2007)

Great ..... I can just see me bent over in the flowerbed tending to my plants and being jumped from behind by ninja ground squirrels............oh how will I ever live that down


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## Renee Attili (Mar 27, 2007)

Hey those little suckers are observing you now, watching and learning your routine, sycronising their watches and such. They will get you for that Juicy Fruit one way or another.LOL


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## Alix (Mar 27, 2007)

Glad the Juicy Fruit helped. Sounds weird doesn't it? Hope you have solved your issues with the squirrels.


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## buckytom (Mar 27, 2007)

for now alix, for now...

dun dun duuuuhhhhhhh


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## Alix (Mar 27, 2007)

You're just jealous that my weird "Canadian" suggestion worked. Na na na na boo boo!!


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## buckytom (Mar 27, 2007)

isn't that redundant?  

hee hee..


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## Barb L. (Mar 27, 2007)

SizzlininIN said:
			
		

> These aren't your normal size squirrels....these are those lil guys....ground squirrels chipmuncks whatever their called.  I haven't seen them in awhile so I think the juicy fruit may have done the trick.....fingers crossed.



lol, I finally realized what you were talking about - I call them gophers, we have them at the lake where our 5th wheel stays.  They are cute - never bothered us, but I hope you have a handle on it now !


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## Ken (Mar 27, 2007)

Alix said:
			
		

> Put a stick of Juicy Fruit gum by the holes. I have a farmer friend who swears by this method.


 
Somewhere right now, Carl Spackler is kicking himself for not thinking of this!


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## buckytom (Mar 27, 2007)

that's carl _spangler_, mrs. esterhaus!


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## Alix (Mar 27, 2007)

Oh my gosh, you guys are NUTS.


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## buckytom (Mar 27, 2007)

or are we juicy fruits? 

umm, wait, that didn't sound right.


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## Alix (Mar 27, 2007)

Oh - my - gosh! You are too funny.


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## buckytom (Mar 27, 2007)

upon checking imdb, ken is quite correct!

it was carl spackler.

 i bow to your greatness!


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## Ken (Mar 27, 2007)

buckytom said:
			
		

> upon checking imdb, ken is quite correct!
> 
> it was carl spackler.
> 
> i bow to your greatness!


 

"It's no big deal!"


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## SizzlininIN (Mar 27, 2007)

Well I spoke too soon.....or else Bucky is right or a new pioneer just moved in......I just saw one of the lil critters in the back yard having the time of his life apparently ....... errrrrr!  Wonder if I poured bleach down the hole if the smell would shoo them away.


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## buckytom (Mar 27, 2007)

nope.

but their whites will sparkle!


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## SizzlininIN (Mar 27, 2007)

you know what.........give me your addy I'm gonna trap these lil critters and I'm shipping them up to you to play havioc


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## YT2095 (Mar 28, 2007)

a bit of lateral thinking came up with this: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f26/rat-poison-33540.html

it seemed a little better than my 1`st idea of pouring liquid cement down the holes


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## bethzaring (Mar 28, 2007)

I think it is really important to identify the critter in question. Is is a chipmunk or squirrel or what? I have both and neither are guilty of digging holes in my ground. I have moles and voles that dig holes. And sometimes skunks will rototill an area for me . Google for pictures of what you have and then call the extension office for suggestions on dealing with the critter.


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## SizzlininIN (Mar 28, 2007)

this is one of those cute little tiny squirrels....we call them ground squirrels around here.  They have a strip going down the back.  But yes its def. the culprit of digging the holes.  I watched it through the binoculars building a nest last year.  Now last year I didn't have that big a problem with the lil critter because he/she only had 2 holes well this year it must of decided to build on new additions to is home or else their making a sub division in my yard.


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## Barb L. (Mar 28, 2007)

SizzlininIN said:
			
		

> this is one of those cute little tiny squirrels....we call them ground squirrels around here.  They have a strip going down the back.  But yes its def. the culprit of digging the holes.  I watched it through the binoculars building a nest last year.  Now last year I didn't have that big a problem with the lil critter because he/she only had 2 holes well this year it must of decided to build on new additions to is home or else their making a sub division in my yard.



I heard they were planning a family reunion at your place this summer !!


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## SizzlininIN (Mar 28, 2007)

You just pm me your addy too and I'll gladly fedex one of them to you too  .... surely they have some distant cousins in your neck of the woods.


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## Barb L. (Mar 28, 2007)

SizzlininIN said:
			
		

> You just pm me your addy too and I'll gladly fedex one of them to you too  .... surely they have some distant cousins in your neck of the woods.



Sorry, the plans have been set for a year !  Indiana it is  !!  Enjoy !


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## Renee Attili (Mar 28, 2007)

I haven't read the full thread but have you thought about placing one of those plastic owls in an obvious place. They are great at keeping little vermin from making frequent appearances. They are convinced that the owl is there to eat them.


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## buckytom (Mar 28, 2007)

they're so hopped up on juicy fruit, wearing their little white suits that no owl is gonna scare them off...


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## Renee Attili (Mar 28, 2007)

Yeah they probably pretty darn _"chewy"_ by now.


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