Squirrel Nuissance problem!

[stefpix]

you could cut and put some mosquito screen or something around the pot.

or I wonder if you could just fed the squirrrels with peanuts put a container with peanuts a few every day and a pot wit soil no plants - bury some peanuts inside in a different spot .

well squirrels dig my pots as well.

I wonder if cat litter with cat urine sprinkled here and there near teh pots would be a deterrent

[orchidjunky]

Originally Posted by stefpix

I wonder if cat litter with cat urine sprinkled here and there near teh pots would be a deterrent

I thought about this... cause they sell coyote and bobcat urine as a rodent repellant... but i live in an apartment complex that has a lot of dogs.... dogs urinate everywhere as well as leave their feces in the grass around my complex... in fact in front of my apartment patio (where my plants are) there is dog poop (even though our place provides waste bag dispensers for those lazy bums who don't pick it up) and my own dog has been around the plants. So I don't think the squirrels would care if cat litter or what not is around.

I'm trying bamboo skewers first and then if the squirrels still find a way to dig... i'll go with the chicken wire or screen on top of the soil.

[Ross]

I'm a firm believer in the power of my .22 cal air pistol! I've buried 15 this last season. Never again will these 15 dig around my plants or anyone else's either.

[nancy]

As about a 5th resort, I am totally behind Ross and his .22 - I've tried numerous things to 'repel' them, and none works for long.
CD/DVDs - drill a small hole, suspend with monofilament. Flashing is scary. Works for a year or so. Bonus: your neighbors think you are completely insane.
1lb. cayenne mixed with 1 lb. heavy grease - smear it all over the uprights of whatever you hang your orchids from, and the tops. 'Tree rats' lick it off of their feet before attacking orchids. Waste of time and money.
Inflatable owl, snake, etc. - spend that $10 on an orchid. Squirrels don't even notice these.
Dig, dumb dawg - works only when the dawg is outside and awake and feels like chasing a squirrel. Our squirrels pelt the dawgs with acorns and pecans and chatter at them. Bonus: when a squirrel is brought down, the dawgs hork up parts for 2-3 days.
There are a few nice squirrel recipes in the "connoisseur's corner" section of these forums.
Bon appetit - Nancy

[stefpix]

Well there are squirrel recipes on the Joy of Cooking book -
nit the latest edition.
But I like squirrels and I disagree they are like rats.
they are more social and they can interact with humans.
They save their food for the winter and are smart enough to not eat everything at once.
They look before crossing the street and have social play.
They ate some of my mango seeds and i was upset but i would not kill a squirrel for that.

I wonder if you provide them some food in a pot or something far from your plants they may be trained -
or if you provide a little food every day they will get to know you and dig less in your pots.
I mean people spend money to feed birds that are closer to repilians than mammals.
Why not feed the squirrels and try to solve the problem otherwise?

[minimalist]

The only thing that worked for me, with squirrels and S/H orchids outdoor during the summer time, was complete metal enclosure, practically cage.

It could be DIY project, with rolled metal mesh or hardware cloth (is this the name? half-inch squares, welded together) from hardware store, or cat/dog enclosure.

I used the last one, until family voted against caged high security backyard

[fotofashion]

Stefano: The problem with feeding the squirrels is that their normal instinct drives them to bury the food for winter and spring until their natural food is again available. Thus, the problem with their digging in pots already occupied by ornamental plants.
If you are already feeding the birds, squirrels can be a real nuisance. They rob the food meant for the birds. They are very agile climbers and very determined to get at whatever food is offered. Feeding them only encourages their depredations.
The .22 solution is OK for those who live where you are permitted to use it. There are places where you cannot even humanely trap squirrels and relocate them. We can and had to when they were nibbling on DH's not-quite-ripe tomatoes. Relocating three or four seemed to be the solution. Hey, those of you who are having the tree rodent problem, why not get yourself a Hav-a-Hart trap and find those little pests a new home, far, far away from plants in pots.
Beverly A.

[stefpix]

Maybe I can trap some an d fedex them to texas so they can enjoy shorter winters! but they have to learn how to dodge bullets. Anyway they ate some of my tomatos too but not all of them,

well my point was that if tehy have food available maybe their instinct to bury and conserve food will subside.
I am saying if you offer them a more attractive option than your plants maybe they could leave the plants alone.

[nancy]

Stefano, to add to what Beverly and others have said: I can see 11 squirrel nests in the back yard from my desk. There are surely others, and more on the other side of the fence and all along the coulee. That's a lot of squirrels to feed...and I suspect it would be like feeding stray cats or raccoons - every time you look, there are more.
My Mom had a few favorite squirrels; she fed them bits of toast crust with peanut butter. It got so that each morning they would actually scratch at the back door for their treat. What made her stop was finding, after a few days out of town, that her back porch screen door had been ripped to shreds.
It is in their nature both to dig and to chew; rodents must chew to grind down their teeth. No way around it. While I don't think that they particularly "have it in" for orchids, they are pests, and destructive.
Fox, wolf or bear urine, BTW - I tried that to keep possums out of and away from my son's playhouse. The urine was soaked into fabric in a little plastic disc - the possums ate 'em.
Cheers - Nancy

[fotofashion]

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but.... Wouldn't feeding them artificially only lead to a demographic explosion? Squirrels+food=more squirrels=more destruction.
Oh, BTW, I was not necessairly pushing the .22 solution. I don't own any kind of gun.
Beverly A.