Intruder problem

pal251

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Well I had an intruder get me the other day. My back porch camera quit working so I pulled the camera, let the cable hang and two of the pins seemed to be shorted out for some reason. Thought it was a connector so I just left it and forgot about due to weather and lack of time for a few days. Went outside and found this on the porch. .....

What you think. Squirrel?
 

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nayr

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rodents love wire insulation.. use EMT conduit, they cant chew through galvanized steel ;)

We were camping in the middle of the redwoods years back, I went to get something out of my car and I heard this chewing noise.. I traced it the rain tray, flicked on my flashlight and caught a fucking field mouse going to town on my wiring harness.. I'd of loved to dine on mouse stew that night but the bastard got away.
 

pal251

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It was in the attic, I hope no rodents are up there
 

nayr

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squirrels are just tree rats :p

check your soffits, vents, pipe boots for any sign
 

tangent

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I had a tree rat get down the chimney of an apartment years ago, it shat on, bled on, and broke many things. Now I trap them and drive them to cherry hills :) continuing my grandpa's mantle. If one ever gets in again I think I'll just toss it some marijuana edible and scoop it into a trash can once if mellows the fuq out.

Squirrels get in attics all the time just search youtube for "squirrel attic"
 
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pal251

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Ok, Long story short

I put a live trap in attic for a day and no squirrel, thats after I saw video of him with my inspection camera on the same hole that the chewed up wire was at.

I sealed up the power vent that is on my roof (doesnt work) so no more rodents can get in. I craweled halfway across house in my attic, got across where teh wire was chewed up at....and a big #%%# squirrel jumped out and started running around, I ran/craweled/scooted in one direction while it went in the other direction.

Live trap is still in attic as of today and no squirrel. Im too big and the roof if too shallow for me to fit in the side of the attic to put the trap. I will probably get my smaller skinnier friend to crawl back in with this massive trap and further into the attic and try to trap him or hopefully not her.

Any other idea for baiting trap besides peanut butter and apples? I see everything from oranges to sunflower seeds on the net.
 

nayr

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bug bomb fogger?

put some network cable in the live trap, he loves that shit ;)

lol @ your story; I just imagined you screaming like a bitch in your attic and waking your head on a beam :p
 

pal251

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I didn't hit my head but I screamed like a bitch and inhaled a bunch of insulation, was coughing all day. The squirrel jumped out of the insulation and it went everywhere, like a fish out of water. I think if I could have fixed the damage I need a gun that is air powered and shoots a spread like a shotgun for the little bugger. It's war now!
 

nayr

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you really should be putting on a dust mask if your crawling around in the attic; that is if you want to live a nice long life :D Wish I had cooled hazmat suit for the job heh.

you can get varmint rounds for a 22LR that are just a bunch of small pellets, tha'd help.. we used them growing up for dispatching rattlesnakes.
CCI Ammunition - Product Detail
 
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Semper Gumby

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Ok, Long story short

I put a live trap in attic for a day and no squirrel, thats after I saw video of him with my inspection camera on the same hole that the chewed up wire was at.

I sealed up the power vent that is on my roof (doesnt work) so no more rodents can get in. I craweled halfway across house in my attic, got across where teh wire was chewed up at....and a big #%%# squirrel jumped out and started running around, I ran/craweled/scooted in one direction while it went in the other direction.

Live trap is still in attic as of today and no squirrel. Im too big and the roof if too shallow for me to fit in the side of the attic to put the trap. I will probably get my smaller skinnier friend to crawl back in with this massive trap and further into the attic and try to trap him or hopefully not her.

Any other idea for baiting trap besides peanut butter and apples? I see everything from oranges to sunflower seeds on the net.
Red Squirrels are the worse they will chew on anything. Try a cob of field corn, the squirrels in my back yard love it.
 

pal251

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I'll pick up a cob of field corn tomorrow. I thought about the varmint shot for the firearm but I'm worried about collateral damage in attic. Turned out another squirrel or same one built a nest in my Honda Element engine compartment. Video will be uploaded tomorrow. Lol


I usually wear a dust mask but figured I'd just be up there for a few minutes...
 

tangent

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I didn't hit my head but I screamed like a bitch and inhaled a bunch of insulation, was coughing all day. The squirrel jumped out of the insulation and it went everywhere, like a fish out of water. I think if I could have fixed the damage I need a gun that is air powered and shoots a spread like a shotgun for the little bugger. It's war now!
I wasn't kidding about the squirrel in my earlier post bleeding on, shitting on, and breaking a bunch of stuff including a bunch of china plates and glasses. It usually works pretty well to attach traps to their point of entry or build an exclusion device (search youtube). You can have multiple squirrels and even litters of baby squirrels in an attic. I saw a video on some tv show years ago where they trapped something like 8 squirrels all in the same attic.

Glad you didn't hit your head on a roofing nail when it jumped out or crash through your drywall ceiling. Just let the trap(s) do their job. It's a better solution than damaging your house accidentally or hurting yourself. You could probably rig a squirrel cam in your attic if you want just pickup a little flexible metal conduit so they can't chew the wires.
 

pal251

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I have an extra dahua camera that I can zip tie to something in the attic. I may put it up there Sunday if I haven't solved this problem yet. I may use part of the non chewed up wire that is left that's already into my closet
 

tangent

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A trick I picked up from my dad, always wear an old baseball cap, high on your head not pulled on as far as normal in the attic or crawlspace. It can protect you from debris that's falling in your face and you hit it before you smack into a joist, truss, or nail. A hard hat offers more protection but less comfort if you prefer.

Also put a heavy trash bag under the trap or maybe a board, you don't need any more squirrel piss/shit up there.
 
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pal251

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That's awesome idea for trash bag . I don't need any more poo, for sure. IMG_20170224_163534.jpg
 

TonyR

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When I was a traffic signal & lighting tech, the squirrels would chew in a perfect circle around the top of the photoelectric cell for the street light, opened 'em up like someone had used an old fashioned can opener leaving the 'lid' sticking up. The rain would come in, mess up the circuity after a time and we'd get a call for the street light dayburning. At least the PEC would fail with the light on. They love polystyrene plastic and thermoplastic wire insulation! Their gopher cousins would burrow into any electrical pull box in the ground that did not have the bottom grouted and gnaw the traffic signal wiring. In 31 years I pulled dozens of their electrocuted carcasses out of pull boxes and repaired the damage, cussin' as I did so! I'm sure they are still carrying on their rodent duty even to this day, 13 years AFTER I retired! ;)
 
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tangent

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When I was a traffic signal & lighting tech 1973-2004, the squirrels would chew in a perfect circle around the top of the photoelectric cell for the street light, opened 'em up like someone had used an old fashioned can opener leaving the 'lid' sticking up. The rain would come in, mess up the circuity after a time and we'd get a call for the street light dayburning. At least the PEC would fail with the light on. They love polystyrene plastic and thermoplastic wire insulation! Their gopher cousins would burrow into any electrical pull box in the ground that did not have the bottom grouted and gnaw the traffic signal wiring. In 31 years I pulled dozens of their electrocuted carcasses out of pull boxes and repaired the damage, cussin' as I did so! I'm sure they are still carrying on their rodent duty even to this day, 13 years AFTER I retired! ;)
BBQ Anyone?

Some plastics sometimes used in wire insulation are made with chemicals from corn and soy and are extra tasty to mice/rats/squirrels.
 
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Kawboy12R

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I'm a little late reading this but if you've got squirrel problems and can't use a shotgun for noise/damage issues, a Drozd Blackbird is the last word in squirrel control-
 

hmjgriffon

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I'm a little late reading this but if you've got squirrel problems and can't use a shotgun for noise/damage issues, a Drozd Blackbird is the last word in squirrel control-
hahaha, he's got an eotech holographic sight on a bb gun.
 
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