Getting rid of Thirteen-lined ground squirrels?

[mommyoffive]

Has anyone ever had these in their yard and gotten rid of them?  Looking for any tips.  We have them all over the place and I am done with all their holes.   Help.

[Farrar]

Well, this proves I've never lived in the center of the country. I had to look up what that even is. I don't know if I've ever even seen one, much less had an infestation. I hope you're able to eliminate them though.

[mommyoffive]

3 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Well, this proves I've never lived in the center of the country. I had to look up what that even is. I don't know if I've ever even seen one, much less had an infestation. I hope you're able to eliminate them though.

 

We are the last street before all the farms start.   We have had them forever and tried so many things.  Never been successful.  I think they are super cute, if they weren't digging holes all over the yard and trying to get in our siding. 

 

[klmama]

Have you tried smoke bombs and blocking their holes? 

[Katy]

I can tell you how to kill them but the last time I shared this people got upset because it seems cruel.   You need a 5 gallon bucket, sunflower seeds (birdseed, in the shell), and a board.  Fill the bucket 2/3 full with water near wherever they live.  Dump enough sunflower seeds on the top to cover the surface of the water with floating seeds.  Lean a board up to the edge of the bucket and trail some seeds down the board.  They'll crawl up, jump in the bucket for the seeds, and drown.

[mommyoffive]

10 minutes ago, Katy said:

I can tell you how to kill them but the last time I shared this people got upset because it seems cruel.   You need a 5 gallon bucket, sunflower seeds (birdseed, in the shell), and a board.  Fill the bucket 2/3 full with water near wherever they live.  Dump enough sunflower seeds on the top to cover the surface of the water with floating seeds.  Lean a board up to the edge of the bucket and trail some seeds down the board.  They'll crawl up, jump in the bucket for the seeds, and drown.

 

I am pretty sure I asked this question before and you answered it with this.  I am not opposed to killing them.  Anyway we did that and never got one.  We may try that again. 

[mommyoffive]

23 minutes ago, klmama said:

Have you tried smoke bombs and blocking their holes? 

 

Haven't tried the smoke bombs.  We have tried blocking their holes and they just make new ones. 

[alisoncooks]

3 hours ago, Farrar said:

Well, this proves I've never lived in the center of the country. I had to look up what that even is. I don't know if I've ever even seen one, much less had an infestation. I hope you're able to eliminate them though.

I had to look them up, and I was born and raised on rural NC farmland. Looks like they're a Midwest thing? (not in the east.)

They're super cute, lol. No help, OP, but I wish you luck! Rodents in the siding sounds like a pain. 

[klmama]

Throw in smoke bomb, cover hole with rock.  Repeat with each hole.   This has the benefit of not posing an injury or poisoning threat to kids, pets, or other animals. 

[mommyoffive]

Ok Smoke bomb, is this the firework or is this something specific for rodents? 

[Melissa in Australia]

Would someone with  ferret be able to get them? 

[MercyA]

Please don't torture the squirrels to death. Death by drowning is torture. (And the American Veterinary Medication Association agrees.)  Death by smoke bomb is terrifying. Can you imagine being unable to escape as you suffocate on toxic smoke? 

Please also consider that this is the season in which ground squirrels have litters of babies. If you kill the parents, the babies will starve to death in their dens. 

When we lived in the country, we loved watching the ground squirrels who lived around our house. They are cheeky, curious little things. However, we needed a driveway repair and the workmen were going to pour tar (or sealant, or whatever it was) into a space in which I knew the squirrels had holes. I was worried they would get trapped. I bought some live traps and set them out several days in a row. They worked beautifully. I took the ground squirrels I caught and released them in a state park several miles away from us. 

I encourage you live and let live. So they dig holes. There are worse crimes. 🙂 Try to find a way to live at peace with them.

[klmama]

I totally understand the desire to live and let live.  They really are cute.  Sometimes their digging is just an inconvenience, but that's not always the case.  Sometimes people are injured by twisting their ankles in the holes or by falling when ground collapses because of holes underneath.  When ground collapses under driveways or foundations it can mean thousands of dollars worth of damage.  Our neighbor whose foundation was damaged that way still isn't willing to kill them; she saves several thousand dollars every year so she'll have enough to cover repairs when it happens again.  Most people aren't willing to go that far, no matter how soft-hearted they start out.  After hearing about the expenses in fixing the foundation, another neighbor went from feeding them to putting out rat traps (larger snap traps), which has been very effective.  They don't have kids or pets, though.  Live traps are popular and are legal to use on your own property, but in many places you are legally required to have permission from the land owner or manager to release trapped animals on any other property; that includes out in the country and in state, county, or city parks.  Releasing without permission may bring a hefty fine.

OP, I think the smoke bombs are just the firework type, but I'm not sure.   

 

[mommyoffive]

6 hours ago, klmama said:

I totally understand the desire to live and let live.  They really are cute.  Sometimes their digging is just an inconvenience, but that's not always the case.  Sometimes people are injured by twisting their ankles in the holes or by falling when ground collapses because of holes underneath.  When ground collapses under driveways or foundations it can mean thousands of dollars worth of damage.  Our neighbor whose foundation was damaged that way still isn't willing to kill them; she saves several thousand dollars every year so she'll have enough to cover repairs when it happens again.  Most people aren't willing to go that far, no matter how soft-hearted they start out.  After hearing about the expenses in fixing the foundation, another neighbor went from feeding them to putting out rat traps (larger snap traps), which has been very effective.  They don't have kids or pets, though.  Live traps are popular and are legal to use on your own property, but in many places you are legally required to have permission from the land owner or manager to release trapped animals on any other property; that includes out in the country and in state, county, or city parks.  Releasing without permission may bring a hefty fine.

OP, I think the smoke bombs are just the firework type, but I'm not sure.   

 

 

Thank you for that.  Of course I don't want to kill them, I think they are adorable.  But yes we have big holes all over our yard, which any of my kids could trip and break their ankles.  They are under our steps, patio, and drivewway.  They climb up our rain spouts and into our siding.  When they are safety and home damage issues, then I draw the line.   Good point about fines if you just release them.  Plus if you trap the mom then the babies would just die. 

 

[Guest]

Are you in an area where venomous snakes are common? If not, I'd suggest setting up a wood pile or maybe some cover objects and trying to encourage rat snakes, milk snakes, etc. They will do a good job of reducing the population of ground squirrels, and they don't dig. I don't know if there is anything you can do to encourage birds of prey, but same benefit.

If you have a friend who has a terrier, they're usually pretty good at catching rodents, and could be brought over occasionally to discourage them.

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, dmmetler said:

Are you in an area where venomous snakes are common? If not, I'd suggest setting up a wood pile or maybe some cover objects and trying to encourage rat snakes, milk snakes, etc. They will do a good job of reducing the population of ground squirrels, and they don't dig. I don't know if there is anything you can do to encourage birds of prey, but same benefit.

If you have a friend who has a terrier, they're usually pretty good at catching rodents, and could be brought over occasionally to discourage them.

 

I haven't seen snakes in our neighborhood.  I think if I did I would die.   

We have a dog, but she hasn't caught any even though she tries.  

[mommyoffive]

13 minutes ago, WendyAndMilo said:

Can you put chicken wire over the downspouts and other holes?  Maybe even lay chicken wire over parts of your yard so they can't get out of their holes and then maybe find somewhere else?  Maybe I'm giving them too much credit in the brain department, I dunno. 😉

 

Good call on the downspouts.  I will get that done.  I am not sure about doing that to their holes or the yard.  Every time we have covered a hole they just dig another one some place else.  

[TravelingChris]

26 minutes ago, dmmetler said:

Are you in an area where venomous snakes are common? If not, I'd suggest setting up a wood pile or maybe some cover objects and trying to encourage rat snakes, milk snakes, etc. They will do a good job of reducing the population of ground squirrels, and they don't dig. I don't know if there is anything you can do to encourage birds of prey, but same benefit.

If you have a friend who has a terrier, they're usually pretty good at catching rodents, and could be brought over occasionally to discourage them.

People are incredulous that we allow copperheads to live on our property-  no reason we shouldn't (and we have other snakes too,  We have no small children and we don't wander around without looking where we are going precisely because we have chipmunks, and other animals making holes.  I like the snakes and hawks that eat the chipmunks.

[klmama]

OP, if you put wire over the downspouts, you may want to get some with smaller openings than chicken wire.  Maybe rabbit wire?

Edited April 14, 2020 by klmama
autocorrect errors

[katilac]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

I haven't seen snakes in our neighborhood.  I think if I did I would die.   

There are fake snakes you can buy that are meant to be put in the yard/garden. Hawks are their other main predator - I've never seen a fake hawk, but I have seen owls. Might be worth investing in a few of each to see if it discourages them? 

[klmama]

OP, a correction.  I asked dh about the smoke bombs, and he said they are specifically for rodent control.  Maybe your hardware store has them.  

[Guest]

On 4/14/2020 at 12:07 PM, katilac said:

There are fake snakes you can buy that are meant to be put in the yard/garden. Hawks are their other main predator - I've never seen a fake hawk, but I have seen owls. Might be worth investing in a few of each to see if it discourages them? 

And if you know anyone who has snakes, you can also scqtrwr some loose used bedding or even pieces of shed skin around to encourage the idea that "eek, predator!". We use DD's used snake bedding around the edge of the garden, and if does seem to discourage critters. 

[Lady Marmalade]

On 4/13/2020 at 8:45 PM, Katy said:

I can tell you how to kill them but the last time I shared this people got upset because it seems cruel.   You need a 5 gallon bucket, sunflower seeds (birdseed, in the shell), and a board.  Fill the bucket 2/3 full with water near wherever they live.  Dump enough sunflower seeds on the top to cover the surface of the water with floating seeds.  Lean a board up to the edge of the bucket and trail some seeds down the board.  They'll crawl up, jump in the bucket for the seeds, and drown.

This!   It works incredibly well and fast.   It's also not for the faint of heart, because you have to empty the bucket frequently.  And if you have Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrels there are at least two of them, but likely more than that.   

[DawnM]

I will be no help, I rescue moles out of our pool and let them loose again.  My husband hates it.  If he sees them swimming in the pool, he puts them in the field behind our house or maybe even kills them (he won't admit that to me, but.....)

They are really cute though, I have never even heard of one, but just looked them up.

Can you eat them?  Some people eat Squirrel (my uncle calls them bushy tailed tree chickens! 🤣)

[katilac]

Dang, people all over the mild-mannered mid-West out there slaughtering Chip and Dale 😄

[Katy]

40 minutes ago, katilac said:

Dang, people all over the mild-mannered mid-West out there slaughtering Chip and Dale 😄

 

Yeah, the cartoon version is as cute as can be.  The real ones (and you can get hundreds if your neighborhood is filled with bird feeders) create all kinds of havoc.  Not to mention if you have a dog you will never get a moment without barking until they are out of your yard.

[klmama]

Depends on the dog.  Our just chases and never catches, and she doesn't bark at them.  Our neighbor's dog, however, is a hunter and has different barks for treed squirrels vs. treed ground squirrels (they still climb trees, but they don't live there).   You can hear it for blocks.  

[mommyoffive]

3 hours ago, Katy said:

 

Yeah, the cartoon version is as cute as can be.  The real ones (and you can get hundreds if your neighborhood is filled with bird feeders) create all kinds of havoc.  Not to mention if you have a dog you will never get a moment without barking until they are out of your yard.

 

Yes, our dog goes insane when she sees them.  

[katilac]

5 hours ago, txk said:

 ETA:  Oh, and we had another Manx cat who would regularly catch and kill grown gray squirrels.  A male.

We have a tiny little female cat, under 5 pounds, who likes to catch, kill, and decapitate gray squirrels 😲

It's horrifying, but understandable as she was a starving street kitty until we took her and her kittens in. We are really hoping we don't get any of those presents this year. 

So, yes, cats would probably be a good deterrent for the miniature cartoon squirrels in question here 😄