stonecutter2 Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 Anyone have a problem with squirrels (or other critters) chewing on their extension cords? I've had two now that I've had to repair, both in the exact same little area...interestingly enough. The fact that it's occurring in the same area makes me think it's behavioral...so I need to break the behavior before it becomes a habit.I've read about red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, etc. Just wondered if anyone had some real experiences and advice they could provide.Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 I've got some advice but every time I give it I get flamed by all sorts of weirdos. It involves antifreeze and/or mouse bait and is quite effective on squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubado Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 (edited) I'm with George if you can pull it off w/o getting caught. I had the same problem last year with a rabbit. I'm to visible to shoot them. Mothballs DO NOT work. I saw the damn rabbit laying on them last year and I had boxes of them out and then it's a mess to clean up in the spring. For me, live trapping and relocating them where foxes and hawks hunt works for me. Hey, they gotta eat too! Apples in the trap works well, it will take a few days for them to get trapped. Start now so you twindle down the population. Edited November 24, 2012 by scubado Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james campbell Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 cats work well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozentundra52 Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 My neighbor traps & drowns the squirrels so I have no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecutter2 Posted November 24, 2012 Author Share Posted November 24, 2012 Thanks for the advice I'll have to start considering what I can do. I'm afraid the local population of critters might make this a challenging thing to fight. I'm in a residential neighborhood. Definitely can't put out antifreeze (random dead stray/neighbor cats would look terrible in the front yard), and can't shoot anything. Live trapping might be an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest wbottomley Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 This should help. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Simmons Posted November 24, 2012 Share Posted November 24, 2012 ...I'm afraid the local population of critters might make this a challenging thing to fight. I'm in a residential neighborhood. Hey - where's the can-do attitude? Tip your glass upside down so it's half full.Many would consider being in a target-rich environment as a good thing. Pellet rifles pumped two or three pumps more than the book says they need to be also seem to work pretty well on squirrels and chipmunks. Nothing out of the ordinary to attract attention there - its pretty common to see 'em laying around dead in residential neighborhoods.And if the carcasses get too heavily concentrated within pellet range of your house, you can always go out after the show one night and spread them around for a few blocks. If it ever comes up in normal conversation, you could suggest it must be the increased traffic generated by the lights that's helping nature thin the herd. Remember the 95/5 rule about followers/leaders. 95% of all people will accept that story on face value and the other 5% will think about, it but probably won't be interested in pursuing it because it isn't really important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph D Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 i use a spray called rabbit gone. and it works great. its just a little on the expensive side. I cant shoot them here with everyone around me. and i have a problem with anything that would kill them so i just tried the spray 2 years ago. smell minty.lol but it works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Fischer Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medman2000 Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 LOL!!! That just HAS to be the one who keeps chewing through my DMX cable - always know it happened as the "downline" devices all start blinking/flashing/strobing in the middle of the night once the signal is broken. Too bad I cant make that trigger a big net or something to come down and trap him on the spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozentundra52 Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 So my wife said she seen a big cat in the neighborhood she thought it was a lynx. Well anyways on our way home from looking at lights last night we turn the corner & there's 3 big things starring at us. They took off opposite directions like they had a plan so I went after the easiest one. Had the minivan sliding sideways. (daughter was going yee haw like in Dukes of Hazard. Wife wasn't impressed. Lol!) It stopped in the neighbors yard turned the brights on & holy crap it was a Fisher. I was wondering why the rabbit population was down this winter. I watched a video on YouTube today of a Fisher & a fox going at. It was nuts. So I guess get a fisher to do the dirty work. It's working for me. Lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigsrobotics Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 Easy remedy...it's my magical potion I've worked on for a while to get it right. I got tired of paying $$$ for critter ridder and commercial stuff like that...Here's what I use: 1 gallon spray bottle filled with {ready ready, here it comes}....1) 5 TBS of cayenne pepper... 2) 5 TBS of black pepper... 3) 6 TBS of red pepper flakes... 4) Water ... shake up really good and let stand for 30 minutes. Pump up sprayer and spray away.....works like a charm...spray it around the perimeter of what you want to protect...now, a word of caution!! BE CAREFUL WITH THIS MIXTURE. IT WILL CAUSE EYE, NOSE AND THROAT IRRITATION TO ALL SMALL ANIMALS, AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T INHALE THE MIXTURE OR GET IT IN YOUR EYES!!! Now the downfall, you'll have to reapply after heavy rainfalls. But it's cheap and effective...oh, and it causes boiled crawfish cravings...(hey, I live in Louisiana)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dito Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 i've had a friend wrap his extension cords in aluminim foil, he says it works... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Fischer Posted November 30, 2012 Share Posted November 30, 2012 i've had a friend wrap his extension cords in aluminim foil, he says it works...Your friend must have a LOT of patience (or a very few extension cords) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrickj Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 No problem with cords, but squirrels (I assume) are chewing through my lights. Driving me nuts! I've been able to fix a few of the strings, but I just had to swap out my 5th and 6th irrecoverable string this evening. Going to try Craigs pepper suggestion asap.argh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Messer Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 Trap them and take them many miles down down the road. We got 17 in the off season and 9 in the freezer to eat.Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caniac Posted December 17, 2012 Share Posted December 17, 2012 This should help. Effective yet entertaining!! I like the way you think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azfrankp Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I'm sorry I'm jumping in here too late for this year but hope this will help for next year.I live in Arizona and have a large display on a hill next to my house with over a mile's worth of extension cords. I used to have a big problem with critters chewing through them almost daily. After some research I discovered that the process for making wire involves peanut oil which is especially attractive to rabbits, squirrels or anything in the rodent family. There are several products on the market that emmulate secretions of their natural enemies. They are listed as rabbit repellants, critter repellents, etc. and available in most hardware stores.After setting up my display I spray the cords and wire with this product directly and have had only one instance in the last 3 years I've used it. One application should last a season (about 2 months) but depending how much rain you get may require a second application. Obviously in Phoenix I don't have that kind of problem.Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 I have 3 Jack Russels ! no problems here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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