Squirrels…

[bargeman]

Squirrels…

So DW and I are homesteading as I have a permanent stay in place job and she has a full-time student at the local college…

We take our MH on an adventure every month or two sometimes two or three times in a month sometimes for a week or more other times only for a few days…

The longest we have Steve put was about three months…

With the warmer weather the squirrels seem to be coming out and playing more and have begun taking our residence for granted… Running across the roof running from tree to tree underneath, jumping from tree limbs onto the patio awning etc...

Noticed that yesterday and thought it was kind of cute but then I started thinking this could be a problem.

Could not find anywhere on the roof where they could build a nest but started wondering about underneath...


What precautions can I take to deter nest building in my chassis?

What else should I be looking at and concerned about?

[Melmoses]

I live in the country and squirrels are a problem for me now also. Since my dog/child passed away last fall, I have seen a whole lot more of them around the yard. I have barn cats who are great mousers but they don't seem to be interested in the squirrels. We leave next week on a trip after 5 months of the coach sitting there while we worked. I am concerned about cranking her up and having everything work right although I haven't seen any evidence of a problem. Look for chewed wiring carefully. They don't nest in a coach (that is mice), they just chew up the wires.

For the first time in my life I am dogless and it is time I get another one or two. They are the only thing I know besides a loud clap of noise that will keep squirrels away.

[asuperheat]

Tree rats. I don't know how to tell you to keep them away but some, not all are very destructive. Had some that would chew everything, power cords, hoses, trailer wiring even the side of the house. Left a battery outside and they ate the lead post off of it. Guess they poisoned them self, problem stopped after that.

[Honwing]

Squirrels will nest in an RV our 6 month old Vista had two squirrels build two nests under the dash using the insulation from the heat and air ducts. Dash was full of acorns. This happened while spending three weeks at a Ford authorized repair shop with doghouse removed while waiting on parts. Cost me over $3,000 for repairs to ducting, camera cables, and radio wiring. Still have acorns falling out on every trip.

[Cliffy]

What precautions? 12 gauge with a box of shells and a frying pan. MMMM, yummy!

[xrated]

Always fun to use some "Squirrel Be Gone".....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV4Bo7I6Ztk

[Winemaker2]

Priceless!!!

[Lovin2Camp]

That's Awesome! [emoji106]

[woodworker414]

On my previous rig. The Gulf Stream. Some kind of critter ate a bunch of holes in the rubber gas line from the gas tank to the genset. Probably 15 holes, some of them were about 3/4".Yup, critters can play havoc on your equipment.

[IC2]

Take your pick of rodents - squirrels or chipmunks. They will both do many dollars of damage. We have an overabundance of both with dense oak grove woods behind us. Chipmunks have caused way more damage currently. On a now gone TT one family 'ate' through the reefer roof vent screen and set up homesteading in the vent while destroying a Dometic reefer and eating through an interior wall plus left chippy bodies and poo everywhere just because they could - $1500 bucks. Then there is that $100 cord and wiring and $50 heat control valve plus $20/gallon antifreeze (3X) on my truck, etc, etc, etc. They have also undermined our driveway. Squirrels made a nest in the hitch of our last 5er and started chewing the pigtail but since one neighbor who fed them, moved, there are at least fewer now (I counted 22 and probably there were more, in her yard, eating, one morning)

Neither are 'cute' but destructive rodents. They belong in the woods, not in/on our RV or vehicles or under the driveway.

My cure - Zapper traps* and a Crosman pellet rifle** work well on both

*https://www.amazon.com/Rat-Zapper-Cl...01N0LRKR5?th=1

**Crosman Optimus Breakbarrel Air Rifle Combo. Air rifles

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by xrated

Always fun to use some "Squirrel Be Gone".....

Love it!

[JohnBoyToo]

Sorry for the hijeck but this is FUN-NY !!!!
Do Squirrels throw up ?!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mr4...4#t=163.013104

[Bob_C]

Love it!....

[Mrb1ll]

There is something in the insulation of wire that rodents (mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, etc) seem to love. Worked at the Nevada Test Site for a few years and we had a never ending problem with rodents getting into the wire bundles and causing pure havoc. Ran all cabling in sealed trays, plugged any and all entry points with steel wool, used chemicals that were "suppose" to deter entry/residence, with little true success. Never seemed to fail that we would do an equipment test and everything was fine. Very next day something had gotten into wiring and we had a major issue. Learned you never scheduled a test of any kind without someone doing a visual inspection, and power up, IMMEDIATELY before the test. Saw millions of dollars damage by a cute little furry critter who fried himself in the process. Mice were the worst IMO. Those guys can get inside anything. Best deterrent is a predator. Some of those can have their own problems though. Can't win for losing some days.

If you have bird problems a simple, but effective solution, is a "bubble gum machine" (the rotating beacon type light on emergency vehicles). These thing seem to interfere with the birds sense of navigation and they move to a friendlier location. Don't get the flashing type, needs to be the rotating, constantly on, light. Yellow/amber seems best but we tried all colors with success.

Never figured I would run the security side of a $1B test program and one of the biggest issues would be tiny little four leg critters or small birds.