Crafty squirrel

[harrycatcat1]

The trap that I have set in the wood is one that I was given so don't know what it's called. Anyway I have had a few squirrels with it but lately they have been squeezing up the side of the trap, eating all the peanuts and not settling the trap off. Yesterday I put some small branches/twigs in the side of the trap. Today they had pulled the twigs out and eaten all the peanuts 🥜 again 😑😐

Today I have put some pieces of wood in the right hand side to see if the crafty beggars pull those out 😳

 

[Walker570]

Try rolling a piece of wire netting up and putting that in....however they have chewed some of my wire peanut hoilders in my live catch cages so I changed to the expanded type which is much stronger.   They are very clever little animals, you have to give it to them.

Edited September 21, 2021 by Walker570

[Eddie B]

It's a Kania 2000. You can just about make it out if you look at the picture you put up. Maybe add a piece of wire to the existing trigger extended out each side. Then if a squirrel pushes or pulls the wire he will set it off.

[harrycatcat1]

1 hour ago, Eddie B said:

It's a Kania 2000. You can just about make it out if you look at the picture you put up. Maybe add a piece of wire to the existing trigger extended out each side. Then if a squirrel pushes or pulls the wire he will set it off.

Good idea 💡👏

1 hour ago, Walker570 said:

Try rolling a piece of wire netting up and putting that in....however they have chewed some of my wire peanut hoilders in my live catch cages so I changed to the expanded type which is much stronger.   They are very clever little animals, you have to give it to them.

They are very clever indeed,  knowing my luck they would take the chicken wire and reinforce their drey with it 😉

[Eddie B]

Just be careful with those pieces of wood. If a squirrel pulls at them it may hinder the kill bar. If the wood gets in the way and stops the bar from coming down properly, the squirrel may escape its fate once again.

[harrycatcat1]

44 minutes ago, Eddie B said:

Just be careful with those pieces of wood. If a squirrel pulls at them it may hinder the kill bar. If the wood gets in the way and stops the bar from coming down properly, the squirrel may escape its fate once again.

I am taking it away tomorrow to fabricate a mesh tunnel but yes I know what you mean.

[harrycatcat1]

20 hours ago, harrycatcat1 said:

The trap that I have set in the wood is one that I was given so don't know what it's called. Anyway I have had a few squirrels with it but lately they have been squeezing up the side of the trap, eating all the peanuts and not settling the trap off. Yesterday I put some small branches/twigs in the side of the trap. Today they had pulled the twigs out and eaten all the peanuts 🥜 again 😑😐

Today I have put some pieces of wood in the right hand side to see if the crafty beggars pull those out 😳

 

Been this morning, all the wood was still in place and all the peanuts gone apart from one. It must be a flippin little clever squirrel 😀🤣

Brought it home now for modifications. 

[harrycatcat1]

[Eddie B]

3 hours ago, harrycatcat1 said:

Been this morning, all the wood was still in place and all the peanuts gone apart from one. It must be a flippin little clever squirrel 😀🤣

Brought it home now for modifications. 

It's probably not a squirrel at all. Small bird or door mouse has found a food stash

[harrycatcat1]

51 minutes ago, Eddie B said:

It's probably not a squirrel at all. Small bird or door mouse has found a food stash

Would a mouse take 30 or 40 peanuts in a 24 hour period?

Just now, harrycatcat1 said:

Would a mouse take 30 or 40 peanuts in a 24 hour period?

Not disagreeing just wondering 🤔

[Eddie B]

They would take  lot. I just can't see  a squirrel getting by that trigger, especially with the blocking you've placed in the trap.

This is when a trail cam would come in handy. You would be able to see how the culprit is getting at the bait. Whether it's a squirrel or something else.

[harrycatcat1]

10 minutes ago, Eddie B said:

They would take  lot. I just can't see  a squirrel getting by that trigger, especially with the blocking you've placed in the trap.

This is when a trail cam would come in handy. You would be able to see how the culprit is getting at the bait. Whether it's a squirrel or something else.

Good idea, I am thinking of investing in one 🤔👍

Just now, harrycatcat1 said:

Good idea, I am thinking of investing in one 🤔👍

It would pay for itself with all the peanuts I'm losing 🤣🤣🤣

[harrycatcat1]

1 hour ago, Eddie B said:

They would take  lot. I just can't see  a squirrel getting by that trigger, especially with the blocking you've placed in the trap.

This is when a trail cam would come in handy. You would be able to see how the culprit is getting at the bait. Whether it's a squirrel or something else.

Trail cam bought and on its way 👍

[Walker570]

I have live catch cages in my wood and they are altered to include a small basket of peanutsbeyond the treddle. I cut a small section out on top and the blue tits, great tits and nuthatches can nip in there and help themselves. To sit and watch for a couple of hours and you ralie just how much they move in that time They do not eat there. They pop in and grab a peanut and out again in a blink.  I also had a flip top which was going down fast and the seed inside was being chewed very small. I put a trail cam on and there was a nightly queue of wood mice which had found that they could lift the tlid. The tree trunk and branch was like the M6 for woodmice all night.  Your trail cam may be very informative.

[harrycatcat1]

2 hours ago, Walker570 said:

I have live catch cages in my wood and they are altered to include a small basket of peanutsbeyond the treddle. I cut a small section out on top and the blue tits, great tits and nuthatches can nip in there and help themselves. To sit and watch for a couple of hours and you ralie just how much they move in that time They do not eat there. They pop in and grab a peanut and out again in a blink.  I also had a flip top which was going down fast and the seed inside was being chewed very small. I put a trail cam on and there was a nightly queue of wood mice which had found that they could lift the tlid. The tree trunk and branch was like the M6 for woodmice all night.  Your trail cam may be very informative.

Yes I hope the trail cam will reveal what is taking the peanuts. It's going to be 14 days coming apparently,  then no doubt it will want an sd card in it or something 🤔

I might just mount it vertical, as suggested previously, in the meantime.

Off chasing geese in the morning so might not have the strength to carry it up into the wood till Friday 🥱🥱

[Eddie B]

2 hours ago, harrycatcat1 said:

Yes I hope the trail cam will reveal what is taking the peanuts. It's going to be 14 days coming apparently,  then no doubt it will want an sd card in it or something 🤔

I might just mount it vertical, as suggested previously, in the meantime.

Off chasing geese in the morning so might not have the strength to carry it up into the wood till Friday 🥱🥱

Yes SD card and 8 AA batteries

[Mice!]

2 hours ago, harrycatcat1 said:

Yes I hope the trail cam will reveal what is taking the peanuts. It's going to be 14 days coming apparently,  then no doubt it will want an sd card in it or something 🤔

I might just mount it vertical, as suggested previously, in the meantime.

Off chasing geese in the morning so might not have the strength to carry it up into the wood till Friday 🥱🥱

14 days?? That's £30 in peanuts 🤣🤣🤣

Camera's are great though to see what's going on. 

[harrycatcat1]

9 hours ago, Mice! said:

14 days?? That's £30 in peanuts 🤣🤣🤣

Camera's are great though to see what's going on. 

🤣🤣

10 hours ago, Eddie B said:

Yes SD card and 8 AA batteries

Thanks👍

[harrycatcat1]

On 22/09/2021 at 13:59, Eddie B said:

It's probably not a squirrel at all. Small bird or door mouse has found a food stash

I put the trap vertical for 3 days and nothing so I repositioned it yesterday and refilled with peanuts. Today most peanuts have gone and trap not gone off. Surely it's got to be mice. I can't wait for the trail cam to come to find out for sure. I might be bankrupt before then keep buying peanuts. 🤔🤣🤣

 

[Eddie B]

Yes most likely mice. Most people set them in the vertical position, but work well either way. If your luck is as bad as mine, it will stop happening after all the effort of putting the trail cam up. 😂 Have you moved tge trap around much, or are you using the same location all the time? You might need to move on to a new location 

[harrycatcat1]

1 hour ago, Eddie B said:

Yes most likely mice. Most people set them in the vertical position, but work well either way. If your luck is as bad as mine, it will stop happening after all the effort of putting the trail cam up. 😂 Have you moved tge trap around much, or are you using the same location all the time? You might need to move on to a new location 

Using it in the same position tbh,  I will move it when the trail cam comes and find out what is nicking the nuts.

Thinking about it I might just move it to the other side of the wood, thanks 👍

[Eddie B]

Yep, that might reach a few more squirrels 👍

[Fisheruk]

Try using whole maize, or a fatball 

[harrycatcat1]

3 hours ago, Fisheruk said:

Try using whole maize, or a fatball 

Good idea 💡👏 thanks, I'm going to try that 👍👍

Might sound daft I was going to string a line between two trees and hang something from it but what? If it was fat balls they would just take off with them 🤔🤔

[30-6]

While trying to catch the squirrels going into my friends outbuildings, fenns and bodygrip, traps not gone off bait gone and mice droppings in the tunnels. Even in woods 6 foot up a tree they'd find it, mice seem to be everywhere. I tried small bird seed by the handful to distract them and keep them busy to no avail. What I found helps is big size bait, currently using apple cut into quarters or carrots, which seems to be working for now.