njc110381 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 My other half came down from upstairs yesterday and asked me to come up. Not an offer I was going to refuse I put the laptop down and headed up, only to be greeted at the top of the stairs by her staring at the ceiling. She told me to stand and listen and after a minute or two I heard something running across the plasterboard between the rafters. I figured it was proably a Mouse, or maybe even a Rat, but as I can't get to that part of the ceiling there was little I could do. Well I heard it again today running right up to the end of the house, so I stood and peered out of the window just in case whatever it was had an exit/entrance there. It's a ******* Squirrel! Of all the animals it has to be the one that my dad feeds in the garden and has taken to like it's a pet bloody dog or something! I broke the news to him when he got up this morning - he's going to have to buy another cat because that little fella isn't going to see his next birthday! The trouble is now I need to sort him. The bird table he eats from is right by the road so shooting him off of there isn't really an option, but he doesn't stand still for me to plug him with the air rifle on the roof (and after the whole .410 vs chimney affair I'm not using that)! I'm thinking of setting a fen trap on the bird table, or at least in a Squirrel box attached to the side of it. But then my dad will have to see it. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 the obvious answer is to shoot said squirrel with the 338 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustJon Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Relocate the bird table somewhere the shot would be safe and wait till he becomes settled at new location? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dekers Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 (edited) Live trap or Fenn/Magnum/Kania/etc in the roof space, baited with thumbnail size bit of peanut butter (or maybe chocolate). Doesn't have to be in his run, but get it as close as you can, he will find it! Edited August 31, 2011 by Dekers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 my border is brilliant at catching tree rats...try a terrier! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 my border is brilliant at catching tree rats...try a terrier! mans dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bi9johnny Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 live catch trap and peanut butter my friend it's like coke to billy piper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 I don't think I'll bother with the live catch. To be honest I feel it's more humane just to plug him as that's what's going to happen in the end anyway. I actually came back to put an edit in about the .338 but someone beat me to it. The same someone I expected a comment from! I was going to pick a fen trap box up from the place I do the Deer management at but I forgot! I'll get one tomorrow if I get time. Peanut butter sounds good. We found Maple syrup is also very tempting to them at the park (the park I shoot at, not the kids park!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurchers Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 live trap with peanut butter on or a mk4 fenn mate,i work for a big pest control company and deal with these all the time mate.or if it is safe to shoot at the entry hole stand in the garden ready and get somebody to open the loft hatch.it will bolt straight away out and maybe sit on the roof long enough for you to get a shot at.atb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 (edited) I didn't want to shoot it in the hole in case it twitches back in and rots in the roof space. I have no access to it - we live in a bungalow with the roof converted so there is just the small gap btween where the rafters have been boarded and the tiles. I did consider taping a snare of strong fishing line around the hole and sitting in the garden with the rod to snare it and reel it in. It's quite happily poking it's head out of the hole every five minutes like the lord of the ******* manor, looking at me like I'm invading it's space! Edited August 31, 2011 by njc110381 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerdeor Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 (edited) My personal favourite JIm Edited August 31, 2011 by beerdeor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWD Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 I once worked on a house that had a pair of squirrels living in the roof....all the wiring was striped down to the copper...dont know how they did that without getting fried but they did. My advice nail the ****** as soon as, they cause some major damage very quickly . Yep now would be a good time :yp: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Master Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Just air rifle it on the floor surely? FM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted September 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 It doesn't go on the floor. It comes out of the hole in the roof, jumps into the tree and then to the bird table. So it's either on the bird table at the front of the house or moving somewhere on the roof. I had an even bigger and better surprise today. The mrs phoned to say there was a young squirrel in the bedroom! She and my dad caught it in a landing net (that must have been a priceless viewing that I sadly missed) And then put it in the bin... In the bloody bin?! Well it was a job to sort it out in there I can tell you as they threw the whole net in and he was waiting to escape when I lifted the lid! I slid some perspex over the top so I could see what he was up to and shot him with the air pistol in the end. Shooting a baby Squirrel has made me sad! It's not his fault he's a pest and it's one of those times that shooting something really hasn't felt that great to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 should have used the 338 would have felt much better the other option and possibly the sensible one is to wait till said squirrel is outside and block its entry point to the house with some rolled up chicken mesh so it can't be chewed through. That also stops the problem re occuring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twitchynik Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 Don't look here then : http://forums.pigeonwatch.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/164231-drey-busting/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 i was just log in in to tell you there's a squirrel at the top of the stairs....Hmmm could be a song there some where. your misses said she has never seen you use the landing net because your rubbish at fishing, hence why the tags were still on the net. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthegearandnoidea Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 (and after the whole .410 vs chimney affair I'm not using that)! I've not seen this thread, could someone paste a link as I'm sure it will be one that will make me laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mk1 Man Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 MMM Sounds like you've got a nice family group in residence in the loft if you've got litte uns running about the house. I'd want to know how the baby squirrel got from the loft space to the bedroom. May be a hole somewhere else. Are you sure there's only the one Adult squirrel?. I can vouch for the amount of damage they do in a loft, I've seen it 1st hand...All wiring stripped back to bare copper, plastic pipes gnawed down, insulation torn and rolled up to make nests & squizzer poo everywhere. Never mind your Dads feelings on this one....Nail em all, the sooner the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beretta28g Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 My advice id as many Fenn traps as possible, round the clock airgun/.338 vigil and perhaps try baiting in a good safe backstop and remove said bird table? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted September 1, 2011 Report Share Posted September 1, 2011 two plates of metal, about 1.5" gap between. red wire to one plate and black wire to other. peanut butter on one plate. shocking idea. forget i mentioned it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted September 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 This is dragging on a bit now! I thought I had the problem sorted after killing four of them but oh no, I just shot another two! How many little ones do they have? I thought it was generally about three? And does the dad hang around? I was just getting the ladder out of the garage to block the hole and there was one sat watching me. So I got the air rifle and plugged it. Then I went and got the ladder, walked around the corner of the house and there was another one looking out of the hole! I mean come on, I've got to be nearly through them now surely?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arjimlad Posted September 9, 2011 Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 Air-rifle sounds like a good plan. I used a 9mm shotgun to good effect in a loft once. Make sure you plug the holes where they got in with wire ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvid wings Posted September 9, 2011 Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 killing any more is out of the question,i suggest you move home mybe up north, manchester has some cheap little flats, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njc110381 Posted September 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2011 (edited) Well I got home this afternoon and my dad had spotted the ladder... "Don't block that hole up yet" he said, "I spotted another poking it's head out about an hour ago"! What to do? I looked up those Kania traps and although they look good I could buy ten Mk4 Fenns for the price of one of those so I think I know which it will be. And I'm not thinking of saving money - I'm going to buy ten and set them all around the garden in Squirrel boxes! Edited September 9, 2011 by njc110381 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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