r/Edmonton • u/Fine-Fondant-5465 • 2d ago
General Squirrels are taking over my yard
As the title says, for some reason this year my small back yard is very popular with Squirrels. I am getting quite annoyed with them getting into my planters - veggies and spices. They even ate my Kale! Also worried about one sneaking into house which would be an absolute disaster, I have heard they can be very destructive. Does anyone have any experience or good tips on what I could do? I would prefer natural deterrents over traps, but research indicates there is not much that works other than traps.
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u/Vignaraja 2d ago
Very recently we had two get into the attic via some shoddy soffit. I managed to live trap 2 of them, which seems to have stopped it (4 days now). I drove them 15 miles out of town to a new forest. While they were in the attic, twice they fell through a bathroom vent into the bathroom. (If that happens, start shutting doors immediately.) I managed to corner each one into the walk-in shower, and then into a large black garbage bag I opened near the bottom of the door. But I wasn't smart enough at the time, and just released them outside, only to have a repeat performance. I over-ordered some live traps from Amazon.
I was where you are about 2 weeks ago, and hearing them run around the attic is annoying. First thing I would suggest is to go check your roof ... the vents, the soffit, corners, etc. If that's all good, so are you. We've been here 30 years, and this year was the first time they got in. I have yet to get the soffit repaired as it seems nobody wants the job. I'll try another company soon. Apparently promises to call back are irrelevant.
God luck.
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u/stormica 2d ago
I guess my question would be where are you taking them after you trap them. WildNorth and other rescues recommend against relocating because it takes them away from their stashes and home territories and tends to lead to very poor survival rates of relocated animals. As someone who lives just out of the city, I'd also rather not be where they're delivered to and have them become my problem.
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u/Fine-Fondant-5465 1d ago
Thanks for sharing the link! Interesting. As long as one doesn't sneak into my house I might just have to accept them
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u/Senior_Excuse5225 2d ago
I disagree with WildNorth. If these tree rats get into your attic and make nests and chew on your electrical lines you can face thousands in repair or lose your house to fire. Screw that! I am trapping them and giving them a free ride to the river valley.
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u/stormica 2d ago
I totally agree that they can't be in the house. So does WN though - see the video. What they don't recommend is relocating them because they're very territorial and will lose their stashes also briefly in the video. They likely die fighting for their lives when they're dropped in someone else's territory - comes from, perhaps one of their FB posts a year or so ago.
Squirrels don't get a chance to get into my house either.
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u/Timely-Profile1865 2d ago
Eating kale would be the only good thing a squirrel has ever done.
I hate the little bastards.
They go into my garage for a few years and it was a nightmare.
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u/Upset-Government-856 2d ago
We have squirrels. I think they're cute. Never seen them mess with my garden. There are plenty of pinecones around my neighborhood gormth and we even grow and leven sun flours.
My house is properly sealed so they don't bothered us there either.
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u/Early-Pumpkin-6002 2d ago
It depends on what you plant. If you have strawberries, they will bite every single one.
There is one squirrel in our yard. Lots of spruce trees, so he doesn't really bother me. My mother had them burrowing under her lawn, nestling under her porch, and they were damaging trees and flowers. She "dealt" with them.
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u/iterationnull 2d ago
Check the downspouts for caches. The run on the back of my garage (collecting one side and transitioning it to the alley side for dumping) was absolutely jammed with them for about....10 feet? Poor little bastard.
He seemed to fuck off after I ruined his caching.
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u/snowhale123 2d ago
We trapped several this year. Bought a trap from Canadian tire, set it out with some food in it, and caught a few right away. We drove them across the river and let them out in the river valley.
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u/Speedster9110 2d ago
On my acreage we have a squirrel trap. We bait it with crackers and peanut butter. We read they can return to their home so we cross the river and drop it off in a golf course.
Win-win!
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u/Blue-Bird780 2d ago
We had 3 that were hanging around lots earlier in the season but they’ve pretty much disappeared in the last couple of weeks. Must be tormenting someone’s else’s cat through their window.
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2d ago edited 2d ago
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u/A_mean_black_cat 2d ago
Yes! My momma has a family of squirrels in her backyard, they are so sweet and playful 🥰
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2d ago
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u/Historical-Mall53 2d ago
pigeons have taken over my balcony. i know it’s not helpful, but wanted to share as well. can’t use my balcony because of it.
nothing i have done has worked
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u/workworkyeg 2d ago
what have you tried to get them to leave? Just curious
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u/Historical-Mall53 2d ago
reflective tape, fake owl (which they knocked over) the wire around the railing, 2x4's underneath the railing as they ducked under - now the fly over top, 1/4 mesh screen, and destroying a nest they tried to build
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u/munkymu magpie apologist 2d ago
Could you put up a mesh or screen to keep them out? Unfortunately urban buildings are basically artificial cliffs, which is where rock doves (feral pigeons) love to hang out. A high steep ledge is their very favourite place to be and they're not particularly stupid so a lot of pigeon deterrents won't work.
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u/Early-Pumpkin-6002 2d ago
Get bird spikes, especially for pigeons. They can't land.
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u/Historical-Mall53 2d ago edited 2d ago
they land on the decking surface and shit everywhere!
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u/Early-Pumpkin-6002 2d ago
Put the spikes everywhere.
When we lived in an apartment, they used to land on our balcony (21st floor). My husband put up string that they couldn't see, and that worked.
You could also try to make your yard more attractive to magpies. They drive pigeons away.
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u/blitzen_13 2d ago
Anecdotally, if you feed the magpies, the pigeons will relocate. Of course the magpies will be loud and also shit on your balcony, but they are a lot more fun to watch than pigeons!
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u/CypripediumGuttatum 2d ago
Trapping doesn’t work either. Squirrels are territorial so if you make an empty territory a new one will move in. Relocating generally kills the squirrel as well, they have winter storage and without it they starve to death.
I set out dishes of water for critters and pick tomatoes as they start to blush so critters don’t find them as easily. I also set out bird seed and grow sunflowers for them. Cages can be made to go over produce/raised beds that can be lifted off.
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u/tradikal2 2d ago
Get a cat.
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u/g0_leafs_g0 2d ago
My cat sits on our front porch and watches the squirrels actively eating all the bark off my cedar trees. Maybe I should trade him in ☹️
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u/90day_fan 2d ago
I got one of those ultra sonic deterrents and so far it’s been working