Ground Squirrel and Prairie Dog Solutions

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,...

Ground squirrel holes! They can destroy beautiful landscaping and make athletic fields and pastures hazardous. Ground squirrel holes are much more than an unsightly nuisance, they can cause serious injuries. How do you get rid of ground squirrel holes?  Often people grab a shovel and start pushing the dirt surrounding the hole back in. That's usually not enough dirt on the outside, so they get more dirt and keep shoveling it in until it looks full. Surprise! The next day the hole is back. After trying dirt, rocks are often the next choice. Again, the next day, the hole is often back.  Why doesn't filling in ground squirrel holes using a shovel work? Shoveling in the holes is often unsuccessful, because the ground squirrel is hiding in a lower portion of the tunnel system and they dig their way out. What is the best way to fill ground squirrel holes? The Burrow Blocker machine is a fast, easy, and effective way of filling in ground squirrel holes.The patented ma...

Introducing Burrow Blocker 2200 - "The Red Burrow Blocker" Pepper sitting next to the Red Burrow Blocker Not everyone has hundreds of ground squirrel holes. Some customers requested a smaller Burrow Blocker to use on their property that could be towed by their small truck or ATV. They wanted something easy to operate, affordable and effective. The Burrow Blocker 2200 - The Red Burrow Blocker, is designed to tackle ground squirrel and prairie dog problems at smaller ranches, farms, schools and parks.  Like the original Burrow Blocker, the Burrow Blocker 2200, effectively fills ground squirrel and prairie dog holes with a slurry of sand and water. The water is absorbed into the ground and the sand is left, eliminating the hole and the rodent's food and home. By getting rid of the burrow, re-infestation by another rodent is drastically slowed. Also, no hole is left for a person or horse to step in and be injured. It's all about keeping people and the...

Admit it. Holes can be mysterious. When we see a hole, we wonder what lurks below. Even Alice found the rabbit hole intriguing. Maybe it's because we know that there is more than meets the eye. It may not be Wonderland, but ground squirrel burrows can be 6 feet deep and 35 feet long. They have multiple entrances and have nursery, food and sleep chambers. A kit fox's home often has a key hole shaped entrance. A badger's entrance is often shaped like the letter D and gophers can make a crescent, C-shaped mound. If only all holes could be identified with a letter from the alphabet at their entrance! HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S IN THAT HOLE? Unless you are some nature TV host getting paid the big bucks, it's not such a good idea to just stick your hand in the hole to reach for whatever is inside. 1.    OBSERVATION -   Start by getting a comfy lawn chair, a cool drink and sitting back and relaxing awhile. Observe who g...