After dropping Thomas off at nursery yesterday I was walking home (it is only across the road) and a squirrel was jumping around one of the trees, I thought it was strange because we have lived here for over two years and never seen them before, then in the afternoon I was sat in the living room and I heard a noise in the kitchen went to check it out, and I saw a squirrels tail disapearing out of the cat flap. I have just now gone in the kitchen to make a cuppa and there was one sat on my kitchen side, it didn't scarper and of course the cat was just led on the kitchen floor watching it, now don't get me wrong I like squirrels, but, I don't want them in my house!!!

I have had a look at some repellant sprays you can buy, they are not harmfull, they just don't smell nice to a squirrel, but most of them either attract birds (which isn't good with all of the cat's about) or are not good for cats or dogs or kids!

Do squirrels carry any deceases that can effect cats/dogs/humans? What about fleas/lice/mites etc? Anyone know of a repellant that is safe for everything else? Would feeding them something away from the house help to keep them out, as I am guessing they have come in for food.

We only put the cat flap in at the weekend, already we have had loads of different cats in, a couple of frogs and now squirrels what next?

Thanks Nat :D

Little kiddies after sweets!!!! (or Tracey feeling a bit peckish!)

Well at least I can tell Thomas that is where Father Christmas will come in this year, I had to leave a key out side last year because he couldn't understand how Father Christmas could come down the chimney when the fire was there!!! :D :D

LOL do they do the washing up like in the advert? If so I want one!

Seriously give the cat a kick up the arse and tell it to earn its keep. If that dosent work I would suggest somethign really smelly, although that may put the cat off of using the cat flap as well. Perhaps you could rig a bell or similar to ring when the flap opens? 

No, the little mite had just finished off the cats lunch I think!

Well if nothing else at least it shouldn't be long till they go into hibernation. :)

My neighbour has a couple of bird feeders hanging up (even though she has two cats :rolleyes: ) I was just speaking to her, and she said she had filled them both up at the weekend and now they are empty, so she was wondering what had happened, well now she knows!!! :D

Oh we have 3 bird feeders and 3 cats - we look at it as evening the odds a little. Till the squiggle ate through them to get at the seed. We have metal ones now, which appears to have slowed him down a little :D 

>we look at it as evening the odds a little

LOL :D

We've just got red squirells over here and they sit on our chimneys eating their nuts (the ones off the trees !) and when they have finished we can hear the remnants being dropped down the chimney onto the grate - little darlings, think they have invented a new game as they can spend hours during the day doing this :)

So I take it they are not a health threat to cats/dogs then?

They are lovely to watch, just not so keen on the close ups!!!

OOh now they are SO much nicer than the grey rats with tails :)

not to sure about squirrels but what if you leave food outside for them ....wil it stop them coming inside??????

LOL, we call them Bushy Tailed Tree Rats :D But the Reds don't get called names, they are just beautiful, wish we had them round here.

HERE is some interesting info on squirrels :)

We call the greys Tree Rats too - in fact there used to be a bounty on them, which was a useful way of supplementing your pocket money! Interesting information.

Thanks for the info, looks like we will just have to keep an eye out for them trying to nest anywhere in the house.

I still don't know where they have suddenly come from, the only thing I can think of is that someone over the back of us has cut down a load of old trees from their garden, so maybe that has disturbed them, but there are loads of other trees, why do they have to choose my kitchen? LOL

They are lovely - cute little tufts on their ears, very sweet to watch *but* very noisy in the morning when they run across the loft :)  We don't get grey squirrels over here, just the reds so it's actually a novelty to see the greys when we visit the mainland but they are no-where near as beautiful :)

this year seems to be abumper year for tree rats for some reason. they tend to be on the ground & braver at this time of year as they are now collecting/hoarding their winter larder ready for hibernation. The biggest worry is the severe damage they can do to a dog. my friends springer once cornered one & lost an eye, they are very feisty. I would try to arrange to get it shot, thats what we do here. (trapping & releasing them being ilegal in uk) :)

Oh I dont want it shot :( Just don't want them in my house!

I am sure once they have enough food, that we won't see them again, I think with the neighbours cutting their 'jungle' down, it must have forced them towards us and our trees.

We only have reds up here. Lovely little things :D

Re the cat flap. Can you not get one of the ones that only let your own cat in? They cost a bit more, but at least no more 'extras' ;)

grey squirrels dont hibernate according to this :)

Hrm.

Id have thought they would pose a similar sort of risk as rats or mice would really. Wouldnt be wanting them in my house, and id get my mother round to trap/shoot them asap, as ime, once they get bold enough to come in the house, they dont stop!

Em

I think we are going to have change the cat flap for one of the ones that only let our cat in, we ony put this one in at the weekend :rolleyes:

Grey squirrels are actually classed as vermin, if you call the council out they will put poison down to kill it.  We have loads of them running round our garden, we only complained once and the council were here like a shot with their tubs of poisoned food :-(  Which I promptly disposed of once they had gone, as I didn't want the poison in my garden with my dogs!

I just make sure I don't put food out for the birds, because the squirrels always get there first!

I don't think they have been in for the last couple of days - thankfully! Fingers crossed they have found somewhere else to get food :D

Just bewarned. Last time i heard of a grey squirrel in a house it got down the chimney of my boss while they were away on holiday for a week and wrecked their living room :( :( :( :(
Lea.

They might be able to get down the chimney, but they wouldn't be able to get out of it into the house! It is completely blocked off in the bedroom so we could get our bed in there, and down stairs is blocked off with a gas fire in front of it! Besides, we haven't got any holidays planned ;) :P

Bad council pest control!!!

Ours put live traps, then shoot them at close range. No risk to your pets that way!

Em

I had to slam my brakes on today (thank god there wasn't anyone behind me ) as a kamikazi red squirrel decided to run out in front of me :) The grey ones are nice, so long as they are in a zoo or, preferrably, back in the USA where they belong ;)

We have shot a huge number so far, they are in MASSIVE numbers this year, the more that are got rid of the better, they are NOT a native British species and have all but decimated our native "Red Squirrel" as far as I am concerned every Grey in the country should be shot!
Dawn.

Yes and they are endangered so need encouraging.

I have a hazel bush which I was too slow getting the nuts from so now have the tree rats eating the ones that ahve fallen and any high up they can still find on the bush/tree.

They seem to ahve a very strange relationship with our resident Magpies,a dn fortunatey my lovley lot know not to bark at either of them on pain of death (well getting thoroughly drenched by me :D).

About a week ago there was a cat looking up a tree in our front yard, then we noticed 2 red squirrels chasing eachother. I usually see them in the park, at my inlaws or the odd one dead on the road but this is the first time in our front yard... My daughter scared the cat away, but I do hope to see more they are very pretty.... I love all animals as long as its not a spider just can't stand em

I didn't know you had red squirrels your side of The Pond, dollface! Just shows you're never to old to learn something new!

lol :D
We also have black and grey ones, I seen a crow chasing one once it almost looked like they were playing because when the crow landed the squirrel ran up to it...

Aha! A bit of googling tells me that your 'red squirrel' (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is a different species to our 'red squirrel' (Sciurus vulgaris).

The second one there looks very bushy compared to ours lol :D Yuppers I think ur right they are different....  i want some of em bushier ones here they are very cute :)

Unfortunately the US grey, which was stupidly introduced to zoos here then escaped, is incompatible with our native species, and has almost caused its extinction in this country. :(

Now that is like the Magpie (crow family) playing with the squirrel on my Garden fence.  Wonder if the species have an affininty or curiosity for each other.  Don't think they share an interest in the same food?

the grey squirrel isnt responsible for the red squirrel's demise if you read this:  http://www.squirrels.info/problems.htm.
cant do links but its already linked few posts up.

I live in the country with windows and doors open all the time. Obviously we have loads of squirrels around. Strangely, none come into our row of houses.

The loss of habitat has certainly been a problem to the red squirrel but many areas still have what they require but the encroachment of the grey certainly has caused problems not just by their "strong-arm" tactics in competition for territory, rather than food itself, but because they carry Parapox, harmless to them but deadly to the Red.  In Keswick I used to spot Reds regularly but since the appearance of a couple of greys on our usual walk, that seem to have been shot out now, not enough I'm sure to push the reds out by numbers but I have not seen a red for about 18months/2 years :(
Don't see why our's had to be called the Vulgar one, JG :)

Well, we haven't had any in since I started this thread - or certainly not that we know of, I think it must have been the trees being cut down, they must have lost some food or something, maybe they wanted a bit of cat food ;) :P

The only problem we have now is another cat coming in, I wouldn't be too bothered, but I don't think their owner would like it! Hopefully when we get the dog, he will keep it out :)

At the dog parks its funny to watch 30-40 dogs chasing 2 stray squirrels trying to get some nuts. I'm not sure if they carry and diseases but there's a whippet that always flips the squirrels over!

There are also atleast 3-4 new stray cats that find it cozy at our house everyweek , i seem to be buying more kibble then normal.

We have a real tourist attraction here, in the town of Exeter, Ontario, where there are white squirrels.  They are not albinos, but an unusual colour phase of black. 

We have got lots of squirrels in our road. They are nesting in my neighbours roof, but the thing is they have been reported for attacking dogs in our area.
kirsty

I reduced the numbers by 2 here yesterday, have got 1lb seed on the floor and 2 more broken peanut feeders!
Dawn.