Squirrels in sofits, revisited.

[Ballard Brother]

A year ago someone asked about squirrels in their house. Advice went from noise to trapping to prevention. Much of what was said was about humane treatment and fairness to the animal. I am as liberal as they come, but get over it people. These are usually Eastern Grey squirrels, introduced by accident and responsible for thousands of $’s in damage and health costs every year. They are an ongoing threat to our local squirrel species, having already wiped out our red squirrels and putting our western greys on the endangered list. They are RATS with cute fuzzy tails. Do any of you have a problem with killing rats? Rats rarely bite people, squirrels often do bite children and pets. ERADICATE, REPAIR AND PREVENT is my advice. The Washington State Fish and Wildlife recommends trap them, DROWN them and bury them at least two feet deep because they are not indigenous and are considered rodents. Their urine and feces carry the same diseases rats do and some worse plus they mark the house for future generations. After 10 years of killing and burying I finally resorted to gassing a whole family and leaving the bodies. Their little skeletons are still there and I have not had a problem since. Superstition? Maybe, but I don’t have squirrels. Please don’t do this if the odor of rotting flesh for up to a month is a problem for you. This after watching them chew thru major attempts at repair and closure, ending in them chewing thru 1/4″ aluminum sheeting. They can and will always find a new way in, if they want to bad enough.Professionals are a great possible solution and if you aren’t as well educated in the matter as I am, I strongly advise calling one. It is cheaper, and sometimes permanent, than dealing with them yourself. If you know of anyone in your neighborhood feeding these cute little monsters, please beg them to stop. Go to the park if you want to watch them play, not your backyard. By the way, you will rarely find squirrels and red breasted robins in the same yard. Choice? One last thing. Mosquito’s have been found in our area with Nile virus and many squirrels spread rabid fleas, standing water draws both. Gabeesh?

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[Carson]

So, are you saying I shouldn’t be feeding them and keeping them as pets? Carson just loves to chase them around the yard……

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[Ballard Brother]

Love the sarcasm. Sure you can do what you want, but remember your liability if your neighbor wants to make a fuss or their kids get sick or if your dog/Carson contracts rabies or…

Take your really cute dog to the park to chase the little critters. Is that a bee costume your dog/Carson is wearing?

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[Carson]

I am kidding. Carson loves to chase them, but they (squirrels) are smart enough to avoid the dog park and our yard.

Yes, Carson was a bumble bee for halloween…

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[Lena]

Just FYI, fleas do not carry rabies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabies

Rabies is a disease of warm blooded mammals (not reptiles, not birds, not fleas) and is spread through a bite from a rabid animal (although there are a few very rare transmissions from folks going into bat caves). Squirrels (like all other rodents) are usually not a carrier of rabies period because they are small enough to not usually survive the bite of a rabid animals. And in washington state we do not have a reservoir of rabies except in bats.

And BTW there has only been one case of rabies in a domestic animal in washington state since 1976 (a barn cat in eastern washington).

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[yeah-me]

Wow! That is quite a squirrel problem (and I am not referring to your soffits).

My yard is full of both squirrels and robins .. not quite sure where you got that bit of information. Their nests are in next-to-each-other trees.

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[GenHillOne]

lol, anyone else waiting to read about a specific “professional” that can help us with this horrible problem now that we’ve all been, um, educated?

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[JoB]

ballard brother

are you sure those squirrels are in your soffits?

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