How to keep squirrels off the house

twopenny

I guessed that Greyteam.

Fortunately for all my problems that's one I haven't had.

neilmcl

Phil4432 said:

britishboy said:

Was out looking up at the outside of the house (top half is pebble dashed, 1930’s build) and noticed a squirrel, clung on for dear life, on the pebble dash just under the guttering looking down at me. Then it carried on around the house, under the gutter and onto next doors house 
aside from a pellet gun (joking), or an Alsatian that climbs walls, what can I do please? Con about them getting into our loft as a guy at work has got rats at the moment and giving him the worlds biggest headache 

thanks everyone in advance 

If they are just moving around looking for nuts, they are not going to damage your house.
Squirrels are not rats. 

I'm afraid that's just totally incorrect. Squirrels will just about gnaw through anything given the chance, particularly if they decide they found a nice nesting place. They love nothing better than to gnaw through electrical cables, pipes etc.

Snowdrops_Bluebells

We had a small hole chewed in the lid of the waste wheelie bin, so we started to pop a brick over the hole, the hole has just got bigger and they moved on to the other waste bin. I checked out some of the neighbours bins and they were the same... I heard some kind of predator catching things and we have less squirrels than we did! *we are surrounded by woodland so wildlife is to be expected, when it ends up inside you just block the suspected access and set a trap unless it is a bat/bird... apart from the toads, they live in the cellar!

Jack_Cork

I would have said air rifle. Back in the 50's the forestry commission used to pay a shilling for every grey squirrel you shot. I wasnt born then but as a kid we used to shoot them when out in the woods. 

Grenage

Jack_Cork said:

I would have said air rifle. Back in the 50's the forestry commission used to pay a shilling for every grey squirrel you shot. I wasnt born then but as a kid we used to shoot them when out in the woods. 

Aye, you can shoot grey squirrels - but definitely less hassle keeping them out with mesh and the like.  I use a rifle on the very occasional rat that appears due to my neighbour's pigeon loft.  It's kinder than the poison he uses.

Mojisola

neilmcl said:

I'm afraid that's just totally incorrect. Squirrels will just about gnaw through anything given the chance, particularly if they decide they found a nice nesting place. They love nothing better than to gnaw through electrical cables, pipes etc.

We had a family of squirrels in our loft - much harder to shift than rats or mice.

After trying all the suggestions - leave a light on, leave a radio playing, disturb the nest, etc - the only thing that shifted them was putting smelly bedding from a friend's ferrets close to the nest.

I have seen suggested that having a squirrel feeder away from the house can help divert them but they can get through a lot of peanuts so that's an on-going expense.