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Squirrels in attic
Anyone have any tips for dealing with tree squirrels who have taken up residence in the attic? They are in a very difficult place to get to, either from the inside or outside, due to a complex and steep 12/12 roofline. I suppose I could stand on a ladder and wait for 'em to show then pop 'em with a CB cap or pellet gun but I don't like the idea of shooting a whole in the shingles if I miss 
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Squirrels in attic
Two words: Rat Zapper
Link:
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Squirrels in attic
Either lock the cats in the attic with them or try one of those have a heart traps baited with peanut butter or sunflower seeds. You can always use the giant rat traps with peanut butter too, but the wife and kids will think you shot Bambi if they find out.
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Squirrels in attic
Thanks for the link, Mark. I saved it and may have to use it in secret - my wife is already telling me "Don't kill 'em, don't kill 'em - they're cute!". I told her if they chew through the wiring and the house burns down the insurance won't cover it, but it didn't phase her. "They're SO cute", she says. Argh.
Maybe the live traps will work - I'll pick one up and give it a try.
Chief, obviously you've never met our cat. All she does is eat and sleep. Hunt a filthy rodent? Never. Heck, when an ant walks in front of the cat she just yawns and watches it go by. Where's a mean barn cat when you need one?
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Squirrels in attic
Hey Mark, have you actually used the Rat Zapper on squirrels? I spent some time on their web page and their FAQ says it wasn't actually designed for squirrels but "some customers have reported" that it works on squirrels.
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Squirrels in attic
Rat poison works real well. We live trap 1st, lead poison 2nd and use rat poisin 3rd once there are entrenched.
They do smell for 3 or 4 days but no more problems in the walls.
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Squirrels in attic
The squirrels are next on the hit list. Right now I am killing a pack rat every night on the perimeter of the house and they are the bigger issue.
Pack rats are very hard to trap and very trap wary but the zapper is pulling them in and whacking them. When I get them thinned out I will try the squirrels in the wood piles or maybe the mice in the shed.
Might have to use a different bait for the squirrels.
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Squirrels in attic
I kept squirrels and rats off of my house with an electric fence charger. You just need to run a wire over to where they are getting in. The electric charge is not dangerous to humans or large animals, but it will kill a squirrel.
I would use hardware cloth to cover the holes already made and that same material can be used as a ground mat for the electric fence charger.
Putting cats in the attic is a bad idea. Cat urine may be worse than the squirrel problem. I have a room in my barn that still smells like cat urine from when the previous owner let cats stay in there.
CB caps will work. I have used them for racoons in an attic before. Practice with them a little and don't make a shot until the animal stands still. You need to be able to get the animals out. I used a long fiberglass pole with a thin wire loop on the end. I would loop the wire around some part of the animal and draw it tight with a string and pull the animal out of the narrow part of the attic where I could not crawl.
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Squirrels in attic
Harvey, the three tiered approach sounds good. Live trap first, then poison. What is lead poison?
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Squirrels in attic
I think Harey was referring to the ballistic type lead poisoning.
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Gas Generator Weather Protecti
08-03-2003, 22:15 
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