Ground Squirrel and Prairie Dog Solutions

It's February and the Ground Squirrels Are Not Social Distancing!  In California, the governor has lifted the Stay at Home Order. Too bad ground squirrels considered themselves essential diggers and never took a break from their destructive ways. There are numerous reports of g round squirrels running all over the place, destroying land, devouring crops and gathering in groups. Ground squirrels are out in the winter for different reasons. In higher elevations and colder areas, they are more likely to hibernate. In Northern California, the male ground squirrels, hibernate a month earlier than the females and young. They also wake up a month earlier. When the weather is warm like it has been, they postpone and sometimes even avoid hibernation altogether. The young males are more likely to skip hibernation. So is the excessive digging all to be blamed on the boys? It could be, but the winter has been so dry and warm this year, that in parts of California, the females skipped hibernati...

It can be overwhelming when you discover your property has been overtaken by ground squirrels. The destructive devouring diggers act like your place is their personal buffet and demolition playground. When ground squirrels  are beyond being a simple nuisance - they quickly become a dangerous and costly liability. What do you do if you find your property, business, farm, or school overrun by ground squirrels?  First, do not panic! No need to take out the explosives and act like Carl Spackle in Caddy Shack. Check out these resources to take you on the path of safely controlling ground squirrels.  3 Resources to Help Eliminate Ground Squirrel Problems 1.  Educate Yourself Before you can fight the ground squirrel battle, you need to arm yourself with knowledge so you know what you are up against - and verify they are actually ground squirrels and not another digging rodent. Once you understand their behavior, biology and habitat, you have an advantage in getting rid of t...

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree, is that a Squirrel I See? A ground squirrel as a Christmas gift?  Farmers, ranchers and groundskeepers would be thrilled! Imagine them trapping ground squirrels and selling them at roadside stands. They'd dress them up in little squirrel sweaters, hats and mittens - hoping to make up for all of the losses they've incurred due to the ground squirrels destroying their crops and land.  Don't start knitting those squirrel mittens, quite yet. In California, ground squirrels are a keystone species and an important part of the ecosystem. They are also legally labeled as pests. And it is against the law to feed ground squirrels and keep them as a pet or "emotional support" animal. People battling ground squirrels on their property  may find it difficult to see them as providing  emotional support - especially when these digging rodents make them act like  Bill Murray's Caddyshack character, Carl Spackler. Not familiar...

Coyote on the hunt for ground squirrels. Ground Squirrel and Prairie Dog problems can be frustrating, costly and even dangerous.  Can doing nothing be the answer to my ground squirrel problems?  Relying on Predators for Rodent Control Rattlesnakes  and  Gopher snakes  eat ground squirrels and prairie dogs. 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! Another interesting fact: male California ground squirrels are sometimes immune to rattle snake venom. Here's an idea...if you see a gopher snake on the 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 & Badgers  enjoy eating ground squirrels - when they can catch them. Sometimes they pair up as hunting buddies. The badger digs for the squirrels and the co...

Ever feel like you are raising ground squirrels? Like their mouse relatives, ground squirrels seek out farms and act like they own the place. They take over pastures, barns and even the animal pens. Llamas aren't into sharing their space with rodents. Even the calm and peaceful llama can be pushed over the edge by destructive ground squirrels. When the ground squirrel least expects it, the llama will chase after him and may even stomp him to death.  Llamas aren't known as an effective form of ground squirrel control, but with the proper training, this might be a lucrative business opportunity. LOL Ground squirrels also like farms because they can pick their own fresh food in the fields or steal food from the farm animals. Chicken feed is one of the favorites and they probably think of it as squirrel feed. Pay attention to how much food your chickens eat. They may not be the big eaters you think they are. Try putting up a surveillance camera and you may be s...

Property riddled with holes? Thinking of shoveling a scoop of dirt in each hole is the answer? Think again.  Know what inhabits the hole before attempting to destroy it. Digging away like Pepper in the above video, is what not to do. Start by educating yourself on the endangered and protected animals in your area. Check with your local Agricultural Commissioner's Office and for helpful info, read my blog post: " What Lives in that Hole? " Still Not Sure What's in that Hole?  1 Easy Way to Find Out is to Set Up a Video Camera! Last month, Mike and Daniel provided Burrow Blocker ground squirrel control service at a solar field in the Central Valley of California. They saw a large hole, possibly a den and wanted to verify the inhabitants before filling it with slurry from the Burrow Blocker machine . Mike and Daniel thought it might be a coyote den, so they set up a motion-activated video camera to. Check out the results: Did you see the wil...

Can you spot the ground squirrel hole? Ground squirrel and prairie dog holes can  make walking or  running  across a field, a dangerous game.  Adults and children have sprained and even broken their ankles in  ground squirrel and prairie dog holes. Imagine playing soccer on this field...keep your eye on the ball and watch for holes! Soccer tournaments, baseball games, and other athletic events have been cancelled on school fields because the officials refused to allow their athletes to play under such dangerous conditions. It's much more than a financial  liability, it's an obligation to keep playing fields safe. Burrow Blocker  is the one-step effective green method that safety-minded schools, universities, cities, counties, businesses, and ranchers use to eliminate ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and their holes.  CREATE AN IPM PLAN TO STOP GROUND SQUIRRELS Lisa can help you...

Let's talk about sex...ground squirrel reproduction that is.  The ground squirrel mating style is officially called: polygynandrous. That means they are promiscuous litter critters that mate with up to 4 others.  In California, breeding season runs from December - April. The further south, the sooner the ground squirrels start breeding. After 25-30 days gestation, the female has a litter of 1-15. Yes, you read it right...up to 15 ground squirrels! Fortunately for us and the female, they usually have 7-8 and only one litter per year. Now is the time to prepare for the new wave of destructive diggers. After 6 weeks of growing up in their burrow, the litters are starting to emerge from their nests.  Young Ground Squirrels begin to burrow as early as 8 weeks. The young look like miniature lighter colored versions of the adults. They stay near the nest until about 6 months of age. Then young ground squirrels will move into old...

Getting rid of ground squirrel infestations can be challenging. From researching the best control methods to purchasing and implementing - there's room for error. 1 - Rodent Misidentification For example, if you put up an owl box thinking it will eliminate ground squirrel or prairie dog problems, you will be disappointed.  Ground Squirrels & Prairie Dogs are diurnal - most active during the day. Gophers are nocturnal - most active at night. Owl boxes are a good solution for gophers and mice because they attract owls and owls hunt at night when the gophers and mice are out. Owl Box Used to Control Gophers & Mice Over-populations 2.   Didn't Follow Instructions It's the middle of a hot summer day and you correctly identified the rodent pests as ground squirrels. You activated a gas cartridge and tossed it in one of their holes, covered it with dirt, and walked away assuming the problem is solved.  Checked back a few hours later... The R...

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...

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...