Ground squirrels ex-closure

[Kapidolo Farms]

How deep should a ground squirrel barrier go into the ground to more or less stop them. I imagine if they were super motivated, there is not a reasonable depth (what I'd be willing to dig). But, on average, whatever that could mean in this context, would a foot deep be discouraging, two feet, how deep?

What barrier do you think would be good? I was thinking of hardy backer, that cement board used to line showers before the tile goes up.

 

[Markw84]

How big an area, Will? Ground squirrels can get at just about anything - over or under!

Rather than trying to make a barrier, seal the bottom. You could make a raised planter and put a bottom of wire mesh (hardware cloth) across the whole bottom before you fill with your soil. You could even then raise the sides a bit higher and make a top for it.

 

[Yvonne G]

Put gopher traps down their hole.

They usually stay away from areas of human activity.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

How big an area, Will? Ground squirrels can get at just about anything - over or under!

Rather than trying to make a barrier, seal the bottom. You could make a raised planter and put a bottom of wire mesh (hardware cloth) across the whole bottom before you fill with your soil. You could even then raise the sides a bit higher and make a top for it.

I have done that before, but found even galvanized wire fabric rusts out in less than five years. I'm planning on a total walk in caged enclosure, rats too are an issue. I priced out SS wire fabric once, pretty expensive. I also wonder about them just making tunnels underneath and causing 'sink holes'. What about planting small trees and shrubs. I think i'd need at least 18 inches of soil on top of a wire fabric bottom. So 625 square feet 18 inches deep is alot of soil to move, twice.

The first area of concern is 25 x 25 foot. I'll subdivide once a full enclosure is sorted out. I have another area that is 9 x 25, which will also be a full walk in enclosure. With all the palm and fruit trees in my area, the rats come in an endless supply.

I prepared the 25 x 25 area Friday, seeded it, and by Monday morning it was completely tilled and disrupted by ground squirrels.

All edible plants within bunny reach are denuded. This has made me make chicken wire cages for all the smaller hibiscuses, mulberry, even protea.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Put gopher traps down their hole.

They usually stay away from areas of human activity.

not these guys. they are fat and happy from years of stealing tortoise and bird food, dog food from neighbors' yards, palm and tree fruit.

 

[wellington]

Lay 1/4 or 1/2 in square hardware cloth down in the enclosure and up the sides a bit. Then lay dirt or sod on top of that.

 

[Tom]

I have done that before, but found even galvanized wire fabric rusts out in less than five years. I'm planning on a total walk in caged enclosure, rats too are an issue. I priced out SS wire fabric once, pretty expensive. I also wonder about them just making tunnels underneath and causing 'sink holes'. What about planting small trees and shrubs. I think i'd need at least 18 inches of soil on top of a wire fabric bottom. So 625 square feet 18 inches deep is alot of soil to move, twice.

The first area of concern is 25 x 25 foot. I'll subdivide once a full enclosure is sorted out. I have another area that is 9 x 25, which will also be a full walk in enclosure. With all the palm and fruit trees in my area, the rats come in an endless supply.

I prepared the 25 x 25 area Friday, seeded it, and by Monday morning it was completely tilled and disrupted by ground squirrels.

All edible plants within bunny reach are denuded. This has made me make chicken wire cages for all the smaller hibiscuses, mulberry, even protea.

I have the same issues out here. Its a non stop battle and I can never take a day off.

I have found no practical way to exclude ground squirrels. They go right under 24" concrete foundations like its nothing. If you made the foundation 10 feet deep, I suspect they would still find a way under, or just go over or around. My solution is to trap the hell out of them all over the entire ranch and keep the numbers down. More keep coming all the time and they end up in my freezer too. I use Have-a-Heart traps and the Squirrelinator traps baited with chicken lay pellets. I used to shoot them, but that is difficult and time consuming for little reward. Killing every one I see and being constantly vigilant is the only solution I've found to keep them from destroying the whole world. Due to all my extra Covid time this year, I got after them early and often, and they haven't been as bad compared to previous years.

Gophers have always been the bigger problem for me with regard to the tortoises and trying to grow their food. 18 inch barriers don't even slow them down. This year has been exceptionally bad. I normally get and trap about 10 in a given year. This year I'm at 45 and no sign of slowing down. The onslaught just will not stop and they are penetrating into areas of the ranch that they've never ventured into before. I've lost eight 10 year old mature cactus stands this year so far, and the damage to all my other crops is immeasurable. I have four "Black Box" traps, made by Victor, that are in constant circulation at various spots around the ranch. On the bright side, my hawks and snakes have eaten very well this year. Great big gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts... as the song goes. The gophers found their way into my star enclosures and destroyed my raised garden beds. I killed them for it, but the damage was done, and new ones keep following the newly blazed trail right in. I planted "gopher repellent" plants near the cactus stands, and the gophers promptly dug right up under them and ate the roots. The roots of the gopher repellent plants... I think they are running to new places above ground this year. I've NEVER seen one of our gophers above ground, I mean up and mobile out of their hole. This year I've seen four like that in the day time. Stomped two of them. Also dug up their holes in one of my destroyed raised beds and found a litter of babies. Never seen that before either. I've not found a way to simply repel them, and poisons are not an acceptable option.

I'm open to all suggestions and reading your thread with interest.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Phuck, what a depressing - frank response. I guess it's six sides of hardwire cloth. At least I can use standard galvanized above ground. Wife and mother-in-law won't tolerate their piece meal execution, even when I've SAC'ed rats I get blowback from them. Cockroaches I can kill without a care, ants and mosquitoes are okay, but furry, no tolerance.

Tom I recall your well designed an constructed walk in cage type tortoise pens. I'll model off of them. Thanks for the POV.

I have the same issues out here. Its a non stop battle and I can never take a day off.

I have found no practical way to exclude ground squirrels. They go right under 24" concrete foundations like its nothing. If you made the foundation 10 feet deep, I suspect they would still find a way under, or just go over or around. My solution is to trap the hell out of them all over the entire ranch and keep the numbers down. More keep coming all the time and they end up in my freezer too. I use Have-a-Heart traps and the Squirrelinator traps baited with chicken lay pellets. I used to shoot them, but that is difficult and time consuming for little reward. Killing every one I see and being constantly vigilant is the only solution I've found to keep them from destroying the whole world. Due to all my extra Covid time this year, I got after them early and often, and they haven't been as bad compared to previous years.

Gophers have always been the bigger problem for me with regard to the tortoises and trying to grow their food. 18 inch barriers don't even slow them down. This year has been exceptionally bad. I normally get and trap about 10 in a given year. This year I'm at 45 and no sign of slowing down. The onslaught just will not stop and they are penetrating into areas of the ranch that they've never ventured into before. I've lost eight 10 year old mature cactus stands this year so far, and the damage to all my other crops is immeasurable. I have four "Black Box" traps, made by Victor, that are in constant circulation at various spots around the ranch. On the bright side, my hawks and snakes have eaten very well this year. Great big gobs of greasy grimy gopher guts... as the song goes. The gophers found their way into my star enclosures and destroyed my raised garden beds. I killed them for it, but the damage was done, and new ones keep following the newly blazed trail right in. I planted "gopher repellent" plants near the cactus stands, and the gophers promptly dug right up under them and ate the roots. The roots of the gopher repellent plants... I think they are running to new places above ground this year. I've NEVER seen one of our gophers above ground, I mean up and mobile out of their hole. This year I've seen four like that in the day time. Stomped two of them. Also dug up their holes in one of my destroyed raised beds and found a litter of babies. Never seen that before either. I've not found a way to simply repel them, and poisons are not an acceptable option.

I'm open to all suggestions and reading your thread with interest.

 

[Tom]

Wife and mother-in-law won't tolerate their piece meal execution...

I have the same problem with the wife at home. That is... right up until the squirrels started decimating her prized potted rose bushes and completely denuding them of all their new growth. After she caught them in the act a few times it was all serious face with a plain and frank: "Kill 'em. Kill 'em all." Yes ma'am. I aim to please.

I still have to tell her to stay in the house while the "deed" is being done. She wants it done, but "doesn't want to know about it". Luckily the daughter doesn't mind helping out. She's not squeamish about it at all.

Sorry to bring the doom and gloom. Its been a frustrating year for me with the critters. More time than ever to fight them off, yet they've done more damage than ever this year. I wish you best of luck my friend.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Your daughter is a star, no doubt.

I have the same problem with the wife at home. That is... right up until the squirrels started decimating her prized potted rose bushes and completely denuding them of all their new growth. After she caught them in the act a few times it was all serious face with a plain and frank: "Kill 'em. Kill 'em all." Yes ma'am. I aim to please.

I still have to tell her to stay in the house while the "deed" is being done. She wants it done, but "doesn't want to know about it". Luckily the daughter doesn't mind helping out. She's not squeamish about it at all.

Sorry to bring the doom and gloom. Its been a frustrating year for me with the critters. More time than ever to fight them off, yet they've done more damage than ever this year. I wish you best of luck my friend.

 

[mark1]

i heard there are two things that will never lose their usefulness , wheels and walls , i think a third is dogs ..........

 

[Yvonne G]

i heard there are two things that will never lose their usefulness , wheels and walls , i think a third is dogs ..........

Years ago I had an obsessive, compulsive doberman. She would tear down the firewood pile to get at the mice/squirrels/whatever lived under that wood pile. By the time she died of old age, her teeth were worn down to nubs from tearing down the woodpile. I'm sure if she were still alive, and lived at William's house, there would be no more rabbits, squirrels or rodents of any kind living there.

 

[mark1]

ears ago I had an obsessive, compulsive doberman

that is exactly the type dog i was thinking of ..... the more the better

 

[Blackdog1714]

Years ago my wife had a little furry cat that hated me but I loved her! Moles and voles but never a bird! Awful damn depressing this thread it! I think nature has it in for us! BTW the rats will tunnel under the wire under the enclosure. I put a piece of plywood over the wire and under my feeder to help discourage them ?

 

[enchilada]

Those are the kind of dogs you need ?

 

[Tom]

i heard there are two things that will never lose their usefulness , wheels and walls , i think a third is dogs ..........

Amen brother.

 

[Tom]

Those are the kind of dogs you need ?

There is nothing like a terrier when it comes to rodent control.

 

[mark1]

i've known quite a few folks hunted their dogs , ... one of them got some jagdterriers from some working dog folks in germany ........ them jagdterrier dogs were killing machines , the word evil comes to my mind , raccoons , foxes , badgers , anything , any size , they'd catch a 300lb hog , too little to do much but hang on , but they do hang on , and never quit .... a lot milder drive dog works just fine ...... a perimeter fence with dogs inside gets to be humane , in that the animals in the area , they're not stupid , they know dogs live there ...... for the most part they learn to stay out ......

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Not sure a dog is in my near future. I thinks it's a shovel and wire fabric. That makes it a much bigger project, so maybe when the fall cool season comes.

 

[Pistachio's Pamperer]

Minkenry.. on youtube. The guys use "mink" to hunt rats. Pretty cool.

-Meg