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RedTailHawk
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2016 09:08am
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I'm trying to figure out how to keep squirrels from chewing on the side of my 1850s log cabin. I've tried trapping and spraying an awful repellant that had something like coyote urine. But they just keep coming back.
I usually get to my cabin every weekend, and I suspect they have their way with the cabin during the week when I'm away. Anyone have success with things like electronic repellants, motion sensor activated electric fake critters, plastic perched owls, etc?
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2016 09:57am
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Try, painting the effected area, were they are chewing with some hot sauce . works as long as you don't have Mexican squirrels .
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Everett
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2016 10:58am - Edited by: Everett
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RedTailHawk
Great question! My tiny cabin is about half native log and half painted, standard construction. I too have a squirrel chewing on things. It seems to much prefer the painted surfaces and store bought materials. I don't see that it bothers the native logs. Drives me crazy. Since the place is surrounded by trees you would think it could find easier, safer places to satisfy the need to chew. I have tried the stinky pepper spray. I applied it every weekend for about a month. The places it prefers to chew are protected from weather so it shouldn't be washing away. It may be helping, but only a little. I'm in the second week of putting standard mouse traps around. I am hoping the "snap" will scare it away. Not much success there either so far.
I'll be watching for other suggestions.
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naturelover66
Member
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2016 12:46pm
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Lol. Just!!
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AK Seabee
Member
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2016 03:31pm
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I too had squirrels eating the side of my cabin I had assumed they liked the stain.
I eventually used metal siding. Both to thwart the squirrels and to reduce fire danger.
Not an option with a log structure however I am interested in hearing a solution as squirrels and porcupines damage alot of property.
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offgridjunkie
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2016 03:46pm
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Not popular with the wife, but I use a 12 gauge shot gun. Anything inside the fire break gets it.
When I am not there, I use mouse traps, when I arrive the next weekend, they are cleaned out and dispersed around the cabin. Took me a while to figure out what was happening, but a game camera showed that a coyote was coming by and cleaning out the trapped squirrels for me.
Unfortunately I have not found anyway to keep those little bastards out completely. They are tenacious little guys with a lot more time on their hands than me.
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SE Ohio
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2016 04:39pm
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Sometimes... they will chew areas that have been sprayed with urine for the salt content. My neighbor had a problem with this happening down low on (outdoor) wood trim where dogs had done their business. If your chewing is up higher than a Great Dane would deliver, then this may not be the problem 
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Topper
Member
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# Posted: 17 Feb 2016 08:09pm - Edited by: Topper
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Hard to tell just what interests different animals.
The back wall of the in-town cabin has that red cedar plywood exterior. Woodpeckers just love the stuff! being cedar & a natural repellent for anything woodpeckers should like, the only thing that might be attracting them is the plywood's glue?
By the same vein, both black & grizzly bears like petroleum products. ...At least heating oil & gasoline.
One time had a red squirrel population explosion. cleaned them out with the shotgun.
Problem is this created a "population/habitat" void. Squirrels from the surrounding area flooded in to fill this void. With resultant very loud territorial wars, until the squirrels sorted out their pecking order...
If I were to ever have this problem again, I'd leave a few resident squirrels to keep any newcomers in line...
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Littlecooner
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# Posted: 18 Feb 2016 11:01am
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12 Gage shotgun and # 6 shot and any critter within 100 yards of the cabin suddenly turns from one of natures nice additions to the planet into a varmint intent on causing great harm to my property. love the idea to the large rat traps while you are away. They are territorial animals that do migrate with the food source so they may not be present all the time. Laughed out loud at a friend who would not shoot the critters in his yard because the lady liked to watch them. One build a nest in his boat chewed a huge hole in the gas tank and $ 250 dollars and a lot of headache later, he finally converted to the 12 Gage idea that they are the same as having rats around the house, only worse.
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 07:44am
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I've dealt with red squirrels and rats in the past and cotton balls soaked with red fox urine placed where they live is about the only thing I found to work but you have to keep reapplying it often.
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Gary O
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 08:52am
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Quoting: rayyy cotton balls soaked with red fox urine placed where they live is about the only thing I found to work but you have to keep reapplying it often.
I agree with the red fox urine theory, and it works
But getting 'em to pee on the cotton balls the second time,
well, it gets a bit tricky
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turkeyhunter
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 08:58am
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I usually use a 22 short....or a 410 shotgun and sometimes my Remington pellet rifle..... and make a pot of squirrel dumpling 
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Littlecooner
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 09:22am
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turkeyhunter
Yep, was thinking about a pot of squirrel dumplings when I read this post the first time. We all need protein and somehow, after one of these critters has eaten into the electrical wiring or gnawed a hole is the side of the house, those dumpling just taste better. Must be in the DNA as i love watching squirrels play, etc, but love the look of a dead one when its close to the cabin and trying to start an electrical fire or destroy my hard work.
I do think it would be difficult to get that fox to pee on a small cotton ball. They really jump around and those teeth are sharp and it is hard to make them pee as they are always trying to get away. I think a 12 Gage is easier on the nerves that a wild fox.
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old243
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 09:32am
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I have a big grey squirrel , that seems to think our place would be a good place , to live. I think he is about to, have a change of address. Need a good recipe for squirrel dumpling, never tried it. old243
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rayyy
Member
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 12:46pm
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Lol,,,good one Gary ,I should have seen that one coming!
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DaveBell
Moderator
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 01:01pm
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How about instead of trying to repel the squirrels, buy some peanuts and put them out a mile or two away? They might attain a learned behavior that that is were the food shows up and nest over there. Attract them to somewhere else.
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RedTailHawk
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 02:49pm
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I'd think that the squirrels that are near that 'mile away' location would just eat the peanuts before the ones at my cabin even knew I put out any food...
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 20 Feb 2016 08:34pm
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Quoting: old243 Need a good recipe for squirrel dumpling
http://duckcommander.com/recipes/boiled-squirrels-and-dumplings
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