Author Topic: The Squirrelinator and other squirrel traps  (Read 2931 times)

zands

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The Squirrelinator and other squirrel traps
« on: August 17, 2021, 03:12:55 AM »
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sqirrelinator&dc&ref=a9_asc_1 with 2700 reviews and 75%  -5 star rating
 Squirrels are my pests here, eating mangoes. Yesterday I saw one happily climbing up a mango tree that was done for this season. He will report back to not waste time with this tree.
Youtube has video of the squirrelinator working, trapping multiple sqirrels work at once

Did the sqirrelinator work for you? Thanks.------ What bait do you use?
Most likely I will buy directly from the sqirrelinator website.
« Last Edit: August 24, 2021, 12:47:41 PM by zands »

Timbogrow

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It works for the dumb ones. You could get a hunting license and solve the problem real quick when it's season for them. Get the largest fruit bags you can get and bag all the fruit you want or they will go testing to find a ripe one. The rats will climb the trees also and ruin the fruit. Those things ruined my back porch screen once already and dug up numerous seedlings I had planted. Good luck!

Oolie

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It works well with modification. The door on top has to be secured with wire.
I bait it upside down for a few days in a location in the shade, then I flip it over to catch them.

You need to continually move locations to keep them from wising up.

spaugh

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the top door has springs that hold it shut.  i have 2 of these traps and never have to modify them or flip it over etc.  i just put the trap right next to their hole in the ground with an avocado and a tomato or some other fruit in it and they always go for it.  it usually takes a few days but they always go for it 100% of the time.
Brad Spaugh

Timbogrow

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The squirrels here may be different type? These here sleep in the thick bush. I couldn't get more than 1 in there at a time. Maybe that buffet you offer them spaugh is enough to do it. Anyone fill it up like the add?

spaugh

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Luckily theres usually only one squirrel here at a time.  I just keep killing them whenever they sho2 up which isnt all that often.  Theres some horse ranches near here where all the squirrels have free food and safety and breed like rats then go exploring surrounding yards. 

You can definitely get multiple squirrels with the trap.  The guy that lives closest to the horse ranch gets 5 or 6 at a time. 
Brad Spaugh

zands

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Spaugh and Oolie --- Thanks for your first hand knowledge at using the squirrelinator. How about getting a pan of water and putting it near the squirrelinator? Varmints are always looking for water, can smell it evaporating.
More dry in California, but we get dry spells too in Florida. Put out a water source + squirrelinator to get them.

As an aside -- Do raccoons eat mangos? I don't mind a few hits by them, but do they really like mangos to where they can be major pests?? I have a Harbor Freight trap (they sell only one size) and caught two racoons this week. I let them go.  I suppose I would have to drive ten miles away to release them, to  where they would not find their way back??
So raccoons, but no squirrels yet in this H-F trap

spaugh

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Racoons ate 2 of my ducks.
Brad Spaugh

roblack

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Had a hawk out here eyeballing my parrot this morning, and saw another one around the corner on the way to farmers market. Hope they stick to squirrels and rats and such.

Squirrelanator works okay for me. Caught a few with it. Never more than one at a time. Haven't put much time or energy into it. It has helped me deal with a few rogue squirrels, but is not the solution. Just part of a squirrel treatment plan. 

One of those everglades pythons could get extra fat in my neighborhood, sticking strictly to squirrels and rats.

Timbogrow

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I got a couple in my cast net on separate throws last year. That was the best I've done yet. Yes the coons will get in there as well.
« Last Edit: August 21, 2021, 04:34:51 PM by Timbogrow »

roblack

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I got a couple in my cast net on separate throws last year. That was the best I've done yet. Yes the coons will get in there as well.

lmao! You used a casting net to catch squirrels!?!? What are you fishing for; sharks?

Timbogrow

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Yes it was fishing net. Lol, it was very enjoyable. Then it was a game of whack a mole.

fliptop

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Brad, were your ducks in cages when the raccoons got them? We just got some ducks. Man, they're messy.

zands, weren't you doing something with Irish Spring for squirrels?

spaugh

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I have a chicken coop that I keep the ducks in but they arent like chickens that just go in on their own.  We try and get them in but sometimes it just doesnt happen.  The last one we lost had layed 15 eggs in a bush and was sitting on the eggs to hatch them when she got attacked. 

We did get 3 eggs to hatch and we still have the dad duck.


Brad Spaugh

fliptop

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Cool that you got 3 eggs to hatch! Too bad you lost the mom. Are they being raised for fun, food, or another purpose? I wanted geese because they're supposedly too big for a lot of predators and they eat grass, but they'd be too noisy where I'm at. The ducks we got are for fun and they eat slugs and snails. (Sorry for the slight thread detour. To keep on topic, no, I'm not using the squirrelinator but may one day . . .)

spaugh

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the ducks are just for fun.  My sons school had ducklings from their ducks and we took 3 of them home.

they do lay eggs that taste pretty much like chicken eggs.  they also eat bugs and weeds.  i got a scrap bathtub for a pond and have it rigged to be able to run the spent water into a hose to water plants with. 
Brad Spaugh

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Losing the ducks is a bummer. If you need an incubator for the eggs I have a couple you can borrow.

Galatians522

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Spaugh and Oolie --- Thanks for your first hand knowledge at using the squirrelinator. How about getting a pan of water and putting it near the squirrelinator? Varmints are always looking for water, can smell it evaporating.
More dry in California, but we get dry spells too in Florida. Put out a water source + squirrelinator to get them.

As an aside -- Do raccoons eat mangos? I don't mind a few hits by them, but do they really like mangos to where they can be major pests?? I have a Harbor Freight trap (they sell only one size) and caught two racoons this week. I let them go.  I suppose I would have to drive ten miles away to release them, to  where they would not find their way back??
So raccoons, but no squirrels yet in this H-F trap

Racoons absolutely destroy mangos once they get the taste. I lost over 30 pineapples this year to Racoons (they were even eating them solid green). It is also very difficult to re-locate them legally in Florida. The laws are very strict.

Galatians522

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Cool that you got 3 eggs to hatch! Too bad you lost the mom. Are they being raised for fun, food, or another purpose? I wanted geese because they're supposedly too big for a lot of predators and they eat grass, but they'd be too noisy where I'm at. The ducks we got are for fun and they eat slugs and snails. (Sorry for the slight thread detour. To keep on topic, no, I'm not using the squirrelinator but may one day . . .)

We had geese when I was a boy. Two bob cats ate one of them right through the cage. I would not assume that they are predator proof.

zands

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Squirrelinator unboxing and review. Use of it too and he catches some>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw9lGnto_7g

This guy has a very good system for catching multiple rats. This can be modded for squirrels by putting a plywood roof over it to keep rain out. Also he uses the rat traps with the yellow pedal. The old design with copper hook works better...because the ultimate rat bait (squirrel too?) is to hook a slim Jim sausage with the copper hook then smear peanut butter over it   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrgiTI3pC7M  -- The slim Jim cannot be removed by the rat/squirrel so he will trip the trap. I saw this on youtube but cannot find right now.

Squirrel modification of your standard rat trap. Squirrels have a thicker hide and thicker fur than rats, that allows them to escape out of a standard rat trap.  Simple. Drill some drywall screws into the end part of the trap where the hammer comes down. Screws are drilled in from the bottom. (some narrow gauge nails can also be used) The screws will go into the squirrel's neck and throat. Of course, YouTube has a few videos on this if you want to see this clearly

Small nails used instead of drywall screws
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gO0m7vz7UU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOUxX5d7GPs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYqHN3PjXDc

"Tootsie Rolls. Best bait."
"Lightly salted and shelled sunflower seeds" -best bait


Pipe rat trap-- Prolly need larger diameter for squirrel https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Pipe+rat+trap  Pipe needs to be longer than for rats. The squirrel's long tail can keep the pipe trap from closing properly. Closing so that the animal cannot get out. I have seen this closing problem in the small double door HavaHart traps. Never buy HavaHart double door traps. They have newer model single door ones.

Matter of fact I see lots of single door rat traps on Amazon that will work for squirrels. I must read the reviews. Amazon is great for reviews, but then buy it where you like. Ebay what have you. I have already read some Amazon reviews.... And a trap that looks good to me will be panned in the reviews as too flimsy, the trapped animal trashed the flimsy tripping pedal, and so on...

« Last Edit: August 22, 2021, 12:09:11 PM by zands »

Timbogrow

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You could get the poison bait stations. They worked really good for me. I just put some by the garage in the bushes and back by the trees when they have fruit.

bovine421

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Zands my bait robbing blue jay is back so I'm in on this experiment.

Can someone please tell me what identifying feature differences there are between a squirrel and a rat. Other then a bushy tail.

« Last Edit: August 22, 2021, 10:18:01 AM by bovine421 »
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Timbogrow

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Rats have a skin like tail and need a smaller mesh size. The squirrel cage is too lage of mesh.

Galatians522

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Zands my bait robbing blue jay is back so I'm in on this experiment.

Can someone please tell me what identifying feature differences there are between a squirrel and a rat. Other then a bushy tail.


Squirrels taste better.

zands

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I think I have a good design for a squirrel trap. Will show photos when I make it. It is based on homemade PVC pipe rat and squirrel traps. But PVC pipe is not used. My tripping pedal or wire is unique.
« Last Edit: August 24, 2021, 01:48:44 AM by zands »