Ground Squirrel and Prairie Dog Solutions

According to the Urban dictionary, squirrelly is defined as bizarre characteristics that cannot be explained;   deliberate, wack spazzy strangeness. While reading that, a friend or loved one probably comes to mind. When I read that, I think of actual squirrels - the rodent critter that exhibits that squirrelly behavior. A squirrelly example this Christmas season is the colorfully lit trees on Boston Common's unusual outages. Who is destroying the festive mood of the beautiful lights? Squirrels! The Boston Globe shed light on this squirrelly darkness. Tree squirrels are nibbling and chewing through the electrical wires of the Christmas lights. For example, on one 47' Christmas tree, specially delivered from Nova Scotia, half of the lights were out. One theory of this strangeness, is that like some thieves, the squirrels love the copper wire.  The city park officials have contracted a professional to tackle the problem by using a deterrent, Critter Gitter, that consists of h...

People like to share with me their "Do It Yourself" Remedies for Ground Squirrels. Here are a few that I've recently heard. I can't guarantee if they work, but they're at least creative! Home Remedies for Ground Squirrels & Prairie Dogs GUM - Not ordinary gum, but Bazooka Bubble Gum. You know, the hard squares of gum that as a kid almost broke your jaw on the first bite?  Once a week, this guy's neighbor puts 1 square of Bazooka gum in every ground squirrel hole on his property. He has almost 100 holes, so I doubt if he takes the time to read the comics wrapping each gum square. The neighbor says it works well at eliminating the young ones because they can't digest the gum. According to an expert, Jim Knight, a Montana State Extension Wildlife Specialist . "Bubble gum might sometimes clog a ground squirrel's intestines or burst its stomach, but no one has conducted scientific studies on its overall effectiveness. It's hardl...

Kids are encouraged to go outside and play! Play soccer, football, softball or even a game of tag! Before running on that field, we need to ask, "Is it safe?" Can you spot the ground squirrel hole? Add caption Ground squirrel or prairie dog holes can  make  running  across a field, a dangerous game. Kids have broken or sprained their ankles,  and even broken their legs in ground squirrel/prairie dog holes. Imagine playing soccer on this field...keep your eye on the ball and watch for holes! Soccer tournaments and other athletic events have been cancelled on school fields because the officials refused to allow the kids to play under such dangerous conditions. The Burrow Blocker is the one-step effective green method that many schools, universities, cities and counties, use to eliminate ground squirrels/prairie dogs and their holes.  Check with your local schools and parks to make sure they are doing their part to p...

Even if they look cute and furry, DO NOT FEED THE SQUIRRELS! From the Grand Canyon - National Park Service  https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/nature/wildlife_alert.htm But the squirrel likes me! It ran right up to me and begged... The squirrel looked hungry... The signs are for other people - not me. It's okay, I know what to feed them. Squirrels know how to read? http://www.thereluctantadventurerblog.com/2011_06_01_archive.html In an attempt to get park visitors to read the warning sign and take it seriously, the above park went to extreme measures - the sign was written to the animals. "Oh the ground squirrel is so cute," is not a good reason to feed it. Some "people" food can be toxic to animals and they can become dependent upon food from humans. This can lead to aggression and attacking people to get food. Do you know what animals is considered the most dangerous animal in Grand Canyon National Park? The rock squirrel....

Are you dealing with ground squirrel or prairie dog problems? Maybe you should consider inviting a coyote and a badger to your place for a hunting trip. Coyote striking a pose while ground squirrel hunting on our ranch. He couldn't find any, so he went to the neighbor's. Coyotes like to hunt and chase down ground squirrels. Badgers like to hunt and dig up ground squirrels hiding in their burrows. Since coyotes are best at the above ground hunt and badgers excel at digging up their prey, the two make excellent hunting partners.  Native American's observed this unlikely pairing of badgers and coyotes and wove it into their folklore. Scientists have studied their association and have found witnessing these hunting buddies is a challenge because they prefer to stay clear of human interaction.  Here's some rare and amazing video footage showing coyotes and badgers hunting together: Here's a video from Animal Planet showing the Badger and Coyote Hunti...

Ground squirrels driving you crazy? What if you want to get rid of them, but really don't want to do anything.  How can you have nature solve your solve your ground squirrel problem? Encourage Predators Rattlesnakes and Gopher snakes eat ground squirrels. The snakes go after the young squirrels because the adults are not easy prey for them to devour. Adult ground squirrels have even been known to fight and bite snakes, including rattlers! I'll share more info on their fights in another blog. Here's an idea...if you see a gopher snake on your road, safely relocate it to the nearest ground squirrel hole. The snake will have a safe place to hide and may discover dinner inside. Coyotes enjoy eating ground squirrels - when they can catch them. Sometimes they'll try to dig for them like this video of Mike's black lab, Pepper. Hopefully, a coyote would be hungrier than Pepper, and catch the destructive rodent. Raptors Raptors like the Red-tailed hawks,...