That’s as much talking like a pirate as I can do today.
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The Squirrel Wars
As I’ve written about before, I’ve been having an ongoing war with the squirrel who has been raiding my feedroom. I keep apples, garlic, swedes, carrots, etc., on the top of a workspace for the horses, as well as the bags of feed on the floor. This fat little shite has been blatantly stealing food, leaving one to three half-eaten apples on top of the supplements, etc., and generally pissing me off. So I scare him whenever I can.
Yesterday I walk into the feed room with an empty water bucket, and I see him do his usual “oh crap” startled scramble on top of the workspace. So I run in, banging the water bucket on the doorway and yelling at him. Normally, he makes a huge leap off the table, bounces on the floor, and leaps up the ladder into the loft. Until today.
I got a lot of hay in, since I wasn’t going to be able to get any for two weeks. There’s a solid wall of hay from floor to ceiling in front of the ladder. It’s dark, and he evidently didn’t realise it, because when he made his normal leap up the ladder, he did a really great imitation of a cartoon animal running into a wall: he seemed to hang for a second or two, all of his little legs spread out like a squashed starfish, mid-way up the wall of hay, then literally slid down to the floor, and sat stunned for a minute. It was classic.
He then turned and ran through my legs to get outside, while I just laughed and laughed. Sometimes life is good, and sometimes you win. Even against squirrels. :)
(Note: I’ve yet to see metal US-style garbage cans here, only the rubber or plastic ones, which he chews through. Proper metal feed bins are waaay too expensive for my pocketbook. Hence the Squirrel Wars.)
We have seen those bins – they have them at that hardware store where you got your first-ever pair of wellies…
*laugh*
I love the tale, thank you for sharing :)
at least squirrels are more fun to fight with… we had one summer 5-6 years ago that was rat-heaven. that just was not fun. There was no fighting, just trying to kill off a massive population that ate into the grain, chewed on the horses and ATE leather tack.
I’ll take a squirrel any day of the week :D
Not sure if this might help somehow….it’s the only squirrel deterrent I could find info for.
Strong chilli powder or pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco) can be dusted onto birdfood. Birds are not bothered by the chilli, but squirrels cannot put up with the burning sensation, and will leave the food alone.
Maybe you could rub any container with sauce or pepper? Keep him from chewing it?
Worth a try. I haven’t invested in bins yet because it would really piss me off to lose them to the squirrel. Bitter apple works pretty well for ferrets – not sure if it would deter squirrels.
I’ve had mice problems at barns before, but never rat problems. Ick – rats would be VERY destructive.
You may not even need to dust it onto the food for starters–try just sprinkling a decent sized line of the chili powder (oooh, or habanero powder if you can find it!) AROUND the feed bin… or across each entrance-way he uses. It may be that the strong scent will be enough to work. *visions of squirrel sneezing and sneezing with watery little eyes as he staggers away–still sneezing*
A line of cinnamon sprinkled on the ground around a picnic table (at least around each leg) will keep the ants away from the food…. works with tents, too….