Stepping out into your lovely garden or manicured grass and finding a fresh network of tunnels and mounds—the obvious indication of a ground squirrel invasion—is nothing quite as annoying. These hardworking burrowers may ruin landscapes, compromise foundations, and even wipe off crops. Although their activities may first appear charming, the damage they cause can soon cause major problems for gardeners and homeowners both.
You have come to the right site if you are looking for ways to eliminate ground squirrels without using cruel traps or strong poisons. This comprehensive guide will walk you through 10 humane and effective methods designed to deter, exclude, and safely remove these persistent pests from your property. Our purpose is to enable you to recover your outdoor area thereby guaranteeing the welfare of the nearby species. Let’s investigate how best and responsibly to remove squirrels.
Understanding Ground Squirrels: Why They’re a Problem
Understanding a little about ground squirrels can benefit you later on when you start looking for remedies. Ground squirrels—such as Richardson’s ground squirrel or California ground squirrel—spend most of their life in large subterranean tunnel networks unlike those of tree squirrels. Their homes, nurseries, and hiding places from predators are these burrows.
Their main food is seeds, nuts, fruits, roots, and occasionally insects; your garden is therefore a perfect banquet. Constant excavation and foraging produce:
- Extensive tunnel systems: Damage lawns, flowerbeds, and even undermining structural foundations in extensive tunnel systems.
- Crop destruction: Eating vegetables, fruits, and bulbs helps to destroy crops.
- Increased erosion: Burrow-exposed dirt can wash away.
- Risk of injury: Potential for illnesses and tripping hazards from holes create risk of injury.
A tiny ground squirrel issue can rapidly grow if not controlled given their fast rates of reproduction.
The 10 Humane and Effective Methods to Get Rid of Ground Squirrels
Our best ten humane and successful techniques to inspire ground squirrels to migrate on are listed here:
1. Habitat Modification and Exclusion
Making your property less desirable and physically preventing access forms the first line of protection.
Method 1: Eliminate Food Sources & Clutter
Ground squirrels are opportunistic eaters; first, clear clutter and food sources. Eliminating easily obtained food makes your yard less appealing.
- Pros: Simple, reasonably priced, eco-friendly.
- Cons: Demands constant work.
- Tips:
- Immediately clean dropped fruits, nuts, and berries.
- Remove them totally till the issue goes away or use squirrel-proof bird feeders.
- Store birdseed and pet food in tight, safe containers.
- Keep your compost piles covered and under control.
- Clear general yard clutter, rock stacks, and brush piles that can offer cover. This answers “how can I get rid of ground squirrels by making my yard less appealing?”
Method 2: Install Exclusion Fencing (Burying & Netting)
Particularly for the protection of certain areas, physical barriers are quite successful.
- Pros: Long-lasting solution; shields selected plants.
- Cons: Installation calls for some work.
- Tips:
- For garden beds, use mesh or galvanized hardware cloth with apertures no more than half-inch.
- Bury the fence at least 12 to 18 inches deep, then “L” bend the bottom six inches outward. This keeps them from excavating under.
- To stop climbing, the fence should reach at least two feet above ground level and take thought toward bending the top few inches outward.
- Over fruit trees or sensitive plants, cover with netting.
2. Natural Deterrents and Repellents
Using their natural impulses will persuade ground squirrels to go to better grounds.
Method 3: Plant Squirrel-Repelling Plants
There are some plants that ground squirrels find objectionable in scent.
- Pros: Benefits include simple maintenance once grown and beauty enhancement of your yard.
- Cons: Not a given fix on its own; effectiveness varies.
- Tips:
- Advice includes thinking about surrounding sensitive areas with mint, marigolds, daffodils, hyacinths, or alliums.
- Though they are occasionally advised, castor bean plants are quite poisonous to humans and animals thus use with great care or avoid completely.
Method 4: Use Commercial or DIY Repellents
These products create locations unpleasant via taste or smell. This addresses “how do you get rid of squirrels without harming them.”
- Pros: One advantage could be some fleeting relief.
- Cons: Requires regular reapplying; efficacy varies, particularly following rain.
- Tips:
- Capsaicin-based sprays: On non-edible plants, use products such hot pepper extract. Reapply often.
- Predator urine: Fox or coyote urine particles might alert ground squirrels to danger. Make sure you apply per directions and source responsibly.
- Castor oil granules: Since squirrels detest the smell and taste, castor oil grains can be mixed with water and sprayed over ground to discourage burrowing.
Method 5: Introduce Natural Predators (Indirectly)
By encouraging natural predators, one might create an environment in which ground squirrels feel less safe.
- Pros: Natural, sustainable method.
- Cons: Dependency on ecological balance; not a rapid remedy.
- Tips:
- Install tall poles called raptor perches to inspire owls and hawks to come to your property.
- Steer clear of applying rodenticides or other dangerous toxins that can inadvertently poison carnivores.
- Keep a varied terrain that promotes a good ecology.
3. Humane Trapping and Relocation (with caution)
Live trapping is a choice if deterrent is insufficient, but it involves important issues.
Method 6: Live Trapping with Cage Traps
This approach lets ground squirrels be captured injury-free.
- Pros: One advantage is straight removal of individual squirrels.
- Cons: Time-consuming; local laws must be checked; relocation alone may cause the animal great stress or danger.
- Tips:
- Use a strong, single- or multi-catch live trap meant for squirrels or like-sized animals.
- Bait with nut shells, oats, apple pieces, or peanut butter.
- Set traps close to feeding or burrow access points.
- Check traps several times a day to avoid stressing the caught animal by means of dehydration or overheating.
Important: Find out your local animal control or wildlife agency before moving. Without a permission, relocation of wildlife is usually unlawful; releasing animals into new areas might cause territorial conflicts or disease spread to other species. Release them several miles distant in a suitable habitat with access to water and cover, if permitted. When “how do you get rid of ground squirrels when other methods fail?” this is a popular response.
4. Advanced Humane Methods & Professional Help
More specialized or expert methods may be required for ongoing problems.
Method 7: Burrow Smokes/Fumigation (Non-Toxic Options)
Some products are meant to make the burrow uncomfortable, therefore motivating the squirrels to leave.
- Pros: May eradicate burrowing.
- Cons: Needs cautious application; may not be successful in cases of several escape routes.
- Tips:
- Search for non-toxic alternatives producing a repelling smoke instead of a poisonous gas.
- Use exact follow-through with products. Verify the burrow is active and close off all known access save one for use.
- Use always in well-ventilated spaces and away from flammable objects.
Method 8: Water Flooding (Use with Extreme Caution)
If done improperly, even if it seems compassionate, flooding burrows can be deadly and cruel.
- Pros: One advantage is ability to drive squirrels from a hole.
- Cons: High chance of drowning the animal; might compromise foundations; might simply drive squirrels to a new adjacent habitat.
- Tips:
- Use just if you can keep an eye on the squirrel’s escape; just take consideration for small, isolated burrows.
- Usually, this approach is not advised because of its low efficacy and great possibility of damage.
Method 9: Sound/Vibration Devices
These devices send vibrations or ultrasonic sounds meant to annoy ground squirrels.
- Pros: Usually solar-powered, non-invasive installation is simple and uncomplicated.
- Cons: Mixed outcomes; effectiveness is hotly disputed; animals may become habituated to the sound.
- Tips:
- If trying, arrange them deliberately next to active burrows.
- Never rely just on these for a fix.
Method 10: Professional Wildlife Removal Services
Bringing in professionals is the most dependable solution when all else fails—or for major infestations. This frequently provides the solution, “how do I get rid of squirrels permanently?”
- Pros: Expertise in compassionate removal, awareness of local laws, creative long-term solutions, availability of specialist tools.
- Cons: Cost.
- Tips:
- Select a company that stresses compassionate evacuation of animals.
- Search for certificates and glowing reviews.
- They can spot points of access, apply exclusion techniques, and safely and legally control serious infestations.
Long-Term Prevention Strategies for Ground Squirrels
Eliminating ground squirrels is only half the fight; the other half is keeping a yard free of pests by avoiding their comeback. For “how do I get rid of squirrels permanently?” this is absolutely crucial.
- Regular Yard Maintenance: Keep your lawn manicured, cut trees and plants away from buildings, and clear leaf litter. There are less hiding places and food sources in a neat yard.
- Seal Entry Points: Look for any holes or cracks—even little ones—in the foundation, sheds, and outbuildings of your house and seal them with suitable materials like concrete, steel wool, or hardware cloth.
- Educate Neighbors: If neighbors also have ground squirrels, a community-wide project is far more successful than working alone.
- Ongoing Monitoring: Regularly check your property for any excavations or indicators of ground squirrel activity. Early identification lets easy intervention happen faster.
What NOT to Do When Dealing with Ground Squirrels
Knowing what not to do is just as crucial as you are striving to solve your ground squirrel issue.
- Avoid Poisons: Steer clear of poisons; rodenticides are quite deadly. Through secondary poisoning, they can endanger pets, children, and non-target animals such owls, hawks, and foxes. Often inhumane, they cause protracted, agonizing deaths.
- Avoid Firearms: Discharging firearms in residential areas is typically illegal and unsafe.
- Avoid Inhumane Traps: Steer clear of cruel traps including glue traps, snap traps, and other such devices that cause needless agony. Emphasize deterrent or live traps.
- Be Aware of Legal Implications: Many places have laws on relocation and hunting of animals. Before starting any kind of removal, always review local legislation.
Conclusion
Dealing with ground squirrels calls for persistence and patience as well as typically a multi-pronged strategy. Ground squirrel infestations can be reasonably controlled and avoided by combining habitat alteration, natural deterrents, and, if needed, humane trapping or professional aid. Recall that the objective is not only to eradicate squirrels but also to do it sustainably and ethically. These ten compassionate and practical ideas will help you recover your property and enjoy a lovely, squirrel-free outdoor area for many years to come.