3 Squirrels in my attic! I need some advice.

[Will Carry]

I have found the nest and where they are getting in at. It's a mother and two younguns. I have called professional Critter Gitters and they want $400-$500 to get the three Squirrels out of my attic. THAT AIN'T HAPPENING! I live in the suburban jungle called Research Triangle Park. I am not suppose to shoot firearms in my neighborhood. My Crossman Pump has missed twice today, I think the barrel is bent. I need a Squirrel Killing BB gun or a way to shoot my 22 quietly. I have been looking at some Benjamin air rifle that delivers at 1500 fps and 24 ft/lbs of energy. What about a 22 short in my rifle with some way of silencing the report?

I am not shooting in my attic, I'm shooting in my back yard.

Edited December 5, 2011 by Will Carry

[mikegideon]

Cat

[Jax970]

I had the same problem, use a live trap with peanut butter and crackers as bait After you catch them, take them out somewhere far way from your house and release them. If you want a more permanent solution, put rat poison on the peanut butter and not use the trap. The problem here is, they may decide to crawl down inside a wall and die. Trust me, that is not good!

Then patch the hole and cut back any branches that can be used by squirrels to get to your house.

[R_Bert]

Live trap (from Walmart, Farmer' Co-op,Tractor Supply, Gander Mtn etc,) & peanut butter mixed with sunflower seed . Even bird seed works.

I bet my dad has caught 50-100 of them out of his garden that way in the last 20 years.

Something like this. http://itzahomething.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=&products_id=265332 I have seen them around town as low as $19.95

Bert

Edited December 5, 2011 by R_Bert

[hipower]

These traps work. I've caught many squirrels while trying to catch a possum.

[3gundave]

A rotisserie always works well.

[Murgatroy]

I was gonna suggest a trap. The other option would be a .22 Short out of a rifle, the long barrel, indoors and I almost promise that someone standing at your front door wouldn't hear it.

[kieefer]

DITTO,

Get a trap and carry them off. That's all Critter Gitters is going to do.

TSC got'em

I had about 8 that I carried off. They keep tearing up my bird feeders.

Oddly, the current generation of squirrels have no interest in the feeders, just the droppings on the ground.

[MikePapa1]

I, too, recommend the live trap method. I used it to get some small possums out of my crawlspace and basement. Unfortunately there was an adult who was too big for the trap who left this earthly pale by means of subsonic .22lr rounds in a Sig Mosquito. It took, however, four to kill it and when another wandered out from the crawlspace to get some cat food put to lure it out, I happened to have my carry gun and shot it once with my Sig 220 with Hornaday Critical Defense 230 grn hollow points. It only took a single shot but left quite a mess. I might recommend an intermediate round. Holes where critters came in all patched now so no further critter issues. By the way, the CD round mushroomed wonderfully and still had enough energy to split the composite decking I have on my back porch. Not really the way I wanted to test it, but I have far more confidence in my carry rounds now.

[NRA]

damn tree rats!

[UncleJak]

If the trap fails...If you put salt on its tail that should do it...

[Will Carry]

Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming. Right now I'm thinking a box of 22 shorts and some rat poison. That darn Crossman Pumpmaster 760 is a POS. It has a telescopic sight but it won't hit the same hole twice. I missed two good shots, now they are getting gun savy. Money is really tight right now, I've been working overtime lately just to pay the bills. I ain't letting no furry tailed tree rat ruin my Christmas but I have to be safe and smarter than the Squirrel.

[Oh Shoot]

Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming. Right now I'm thinking a box of 22 shorts and some rat poison. ...

Majority have told you to trap, and with personal experience too. But you're determined to shoot them. And then poison them?

Next post will probably be, "how can I get smell out of my attic?"

- OS

[hipower]

Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming. Right now I'm thinking a box of 22 shorts and some rat poison. That darn Crossman Pumpmaster 760 is a POS. It has a telescopic sight but it won't hit the same hole twice. I missed two good shots, now they are getting gun savy. Money is really tight right now, I've been working overtime lately just to pay the bills. I ain't letting no furry tailed tree rat ruin my Christmas but I have to be safe and smarter than the Squirrel.

Will if you were closer, you'd be more than welcome to borrow a cage trap or my gammo air rifle. That sucker is rated at 1200 fps velocity and wil take a squirril right out. But I swear it's louder than a 22lr shot.

Good luck. Maybe some close to you could lend a cage trap.

[mikegideon]

I wasn't kidding when I said cat. A friend of mine went thru the same thing. The cat worked. His traps didn't. He only had one though.

Anyway, he'll probably make you a deal on some slightly used traps

[laktrash]

I wasn't kidding when I said cat. A friend of mine went thru the same thing. The cat worked. His traps didn't. He only had one though.

Anyway, he'll probably make you a deal on some slightly used traps

but how do you get rid of the cat ?

[vontar]

but how do you get rid of the cat ?

Trap.

wait. I forgot he doesn't like traps.

[analog_kidd]

If you shoot it with the BB gun, it may kill it, but it will jump and squirm for several minutes, and probably end up in an area of your attic that you won't be able to get to, then you'll have another problem. Same goes for poison. It will find a quiet place die. The trap is the best bet. You can get them inexpensively, or look for online instructions for building your own. If you're bound and determined to put it out of your misery, do it after you trap it.

BTW, I once built a rat trap using a 5 gallon bucket with enough water to drown it, but not enough for it to swim out, then put a towel over the top with pnut butter on it. It'll climb onto the towel, fall in and drown. Of course in your attic it could knock over and make another mess.

[mikegideon]

but how do you get rid of the cat ?

He used is own cat. They'll come out once the food is gone.

[Will Carry]

OK, You guys have convinced me. Trap it is. I'm hard headed but not stupid.

[vaiger]

Flying squirrels are the ones I have struggled with. I caught 2 in live traps and then they got smart on me. Since then, I have shot several in the attic and many more outside chewing on my house in the middle of the night. The tactical light on my 10-22 has come in quite handy.

I shot all of mine with 22lr, but those cci 22 shorts are so quiet. If you are really itchin' to shoot sumpin' , I would go for it. It's a lot more fun than a live trap any day.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[mikegideon]

City folks

[Glenn]

I had about 6 or 8 in my attic. I noticed they were coming out in the morning so I would stand near the hole with a .357 loaded with rat shot. As soon as they stuck their head out I blasted them. Kinda fun really. Get them out as quick as you can because the will chew the insulation off of wires. Bas----s had stripped about 8 feet of wire. I still don't know how they did that without getting electrocuted.

Glenn

[MphsTiger1981]

I had a similar problem in the first little house we lived in. Every few months or so, my land line would go dead. Call Ma Bell and they'd come out and find a wire chewed off at the end of my gable end in the attic. Guy told me it was probably a squirrel. I learned how to strip the wire and repair it myself until I got tired of climbing into the attic in the middle of August in Memphis. Finally went to a lawn and garden center and bought some poison peanuts. Never had a line chewed after that.

[Mike.357]

Poison will work. They will eat it then leave in search of water