The only way to be sure.

So I blame this on the nerve pain meds, but I just thought about this-I saw this fellow out of my upstairs office window last week. This has to be the guy:



I have a pretty large live trap that I used to catch a raccoon a few years ago. It's definitely larger than needed, but I think the gaps are small enough to keep a squirrel on the inside. I taped a small rock to the trip plate, to reduce the weight needed to trip it. I just put it in the attic with peanut butter.

It got warm today, currently 76*F, so maybe he'd prefer to stay outside. I'll check it in the morning.

If I can't get him with the trap, I think I'll find a shooting lane outside my office window and spend a couple of afternoons watching. Should be easier than trying to get him in the attic.

Abu Ghraib
I hate those destructive rats.

Wrap it in a coat. Hit it with a hammer.

quote:

Originally posted by 400m:
Abu Ghraib
I hate those destructive rats.

Rat with a tail perm
As my dear old Dad used to say.

quote:

Originally posted by jljones:
Wrap it in a coat. Hit it with a hammer.

Clark: Russ, go get the hammer.
Ellen: Clark, what do you need a hammer for?
Clark: I'm gonna catch it in the coat... And smack it with the hammer.

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Get a humane trap. If you release him over five miles away he will not be back. Once he is out find the opening. Peanut butter makes a good bait.

And then find out how he got there and shut that down. We had a red squirrel and had access into our attached garage and then up to second floor attic area.

I'd recommend a little more surveillance before installing the exclusion materials. Need to be certain whether it's just the one the OP saw or if there are more.

Here is a possible outcome if you don't trap them all but install exclusion materials anyway. Two friends of mine were renting a house from a guy who was on an expat assignment in SE Asia (i.e. absentee landlord and only communication is e-mail with 24 hr response time). They e-mail the landlord that they saw a squirrel going in and out of the attic, and the landlord hires a pest control company. Pest control company applies hardware cloth to where they've been entering the attic, and puts a humane trap in attic. He catches Mom Day #1, hauls Mom off, and never is able to catch the babies. Absentee landlord gets sick of paying the guy to come out to look at empty trap, the baby squirrels are trapped in attic and starve to death, and my friends have one area of the home that they can't use for 2 weeks because it smells like decomposing squirrels.

Good points. Block the entrance temporarily until they are all out and then put in a permanent barrier. Killing rodents in an attic is never a good idea,

The traps been in the attic for two days, baited with peanut butter. No action, although I got excited yesterday when my wife said she heard a commotion from that general direction. Trap is t sprung, and I haven’t heard anything since.

There’s no way he got in the trap without it closing. I’m hoping he didn’t kill himself on something in the attic.

Do we think I need to refresh the peanut butter?

This is just a fun story. I had the same problem trapped the culprits and thought I had the problem solved with a specific hole plugged. Took them 2 miles away across two bridges. Anyway infestation reoccured not to long after. Trapped again and thought the culprits looked pretty familiar. So this time I grabbed a spray paint can and sprayed the tails green. Found another entrance and fixed that. Released 3 miles away this time again across two bridges to get to the island I live on. And some time later I see in my yard a squirrel with a green tail!!

You could borrow my WeinerHund Gunther. He will eliminate the trespasser w/ extreme prejudice.

Check with Jane Fonda. She's had squirrels in her attic for years....

Today I heard what sounded like a squirrel in a trap, and there he was. I released him in a park about 7 miles away. I did not paint him, but I doubt he’ll be back.

That’s one well prepared squirrel.

^^

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
That’s one well prepared squirrel.

I thought somebody might notice that. I picked up a few rounds from a local guy and hadn’t taken it out of my vehicle yet. .30/round, including some green tip.

Glad you caught the little bastage before he could chew all the insulation off your wires.

He’ll be back ! Lots of accounts of them returning from 10+ miles away. Here the law forbids taking them away because they are very territorial and they don’t assimilate well in other areas.
They can burn your house down !
I prefer high speed lead poisoning to send them on trips of no return.

7 miles, he'll be back.

"15 miles
How Far Will A Relocated Squirrel Travel?
Squirrels can travel up to 15 miles to return to their original home. They are known for their strong homing instinct, which allows them to navigate back home even when relocated far away. However, it is recommended to relocate them at least 10 miles away to prevent them from returning to their original location. This distance ensures that the squirrels have a better chance of survival in their new home."

https://squirrelenthusiast.com...-release-a-squirrel/

My old neighbor trapped them and took them to Sams. Their lot is filled with hungry squirrels. They did not return from Sams which is two miles away. I guess there was more food in the Sams parking lot.