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Old 22-09-2003, 02:14 AM
dstvns
 
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Default defense against squirrels and chipmunks

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 19:27:48 GMT, "seepnezorf1"
wrote:

Aside from a cat and bb gun, is there anything I can put in my garden to
keep the chipmunks and squirrels from digging up my bulbs? I have a mixture
of Narcissus Jack Snipe and crocuses. I stayed away from tulips and lilies
as I read these are their favorites.


A domestic small-breed cat would also kill birds, even when they're
not hungry. A cat's instinct is to kill, which is why they should
always be kept indoors. Four million birds are killed every day by
people letting their cats outdoors. Native North American bobcats
might help with rodents like sq's & chp's but they've been wiped out
of most ecosystems due to being a nuisance to livestock farmers.
Snakes, especially the timber rattlesnake, used to keep populations
down, but in the early 20th century they were all trapped and killed
in this area for their skins. I have no qualms about keeping their
populations in my area low (I frequently work in the backyard moving
many rocks).

I put up a couple big birdhouses with 3-inch holes. This attracts
owls and kestrels to the area, something which squirrels & chipmunks
don't find very amusing. The squirrels will use boxes with 2-2.5 inch
diameter holes, but around here they stay away from the 3-inch ones.
Birdhouses with 2-inch diameters must have a steel-plate around the
hole or else the squirrel will widen it to their own dimensions
(usually pregnancy dimensions, meaning more squirrels). Animals seem
to know that a hole that's too big is a sign something bigger can come
in after them. In fact, I've been working on building a barred owl
nestbox, but that is a biggie (2.5 feet deep and 12"x12" base with a
7" entrance hole). I would just barely have enough wood.

To be honest, the pellet gun is what works best. Usually I get 30-40
a year, and there's always just as many to fill the void. With a
squirrel it's less effective, but a properly sighted scope is very
effective with chipmunks.

Dan