More Squirrel Nonsense

[nekosensei]

Today was made of EPIC FAIL. I tried to order a repair kit for the spigot that doomsey was fixing in back only to find out that they're going to have to get it from a factory in New Hampshire and it's going to take 90 days. I ordered it anyway because, while the spigot out back is very drippy, at least it still works in the meantime.

Then, I called Terminix back again and told them that we figured out that the rodent in our attic was a squirrel and that it was getting in through a vent. I also reminded them that the person they send out needs to have a tall ladder because our attic was hard to access. (We had someone come out last year for a wasps' nest and they didn't bother to bring one). And then, the person on the other end of the line informed me that, while the plan says they cover rodents, they only do mice and rats. They don't cover squirrels. FUCK! When I originally called them to set up an appointment for Tuesday morning, I told them that it might be a squirrel (I wasn't sure at the time), and the person on the other end of the line said not one goddamn thing about Terminix not handling squirrels.

Then, as I was pulling out of my garage to go grocery shopping, a Terminix truck pulled into the driveway and blocked me in. The driver had been told to come over and investigate my critter in the attic problem today while the person on the other end of the phone had told me that they weren't able to come out until Tuesday morning. Seriously. These people don't communicate with one another at all! This isn't the first time they pulled shit like this. The last time I had to make an appointment, I was told that they would come out on a particular day at a particular time. I waited...and waited...and waited some more. Finally, I called them to try to find out what was going on, and the person who answered the phone said that the national office had scheduled the appointment and hadn't bothered to tell the local branch about it. They didn't have anyone scheduled to come out and look at the wasps' nest that day. And she didn't even apologize! She made it sound like it was somehow my fault for calling the national office and not the local one because national doesn't communicate well! Hello! How was I supposed to know this?? I called the number that you printed on my goddamn receipt! Sheesh. So...I ended up pitching a fit and getting someone out there that day to take care of the wasp problem. Only...they showed up without a ladder as I mentioned above and had to make an appointment for another day. So...that was two days wasted because of their fuck-up.

After finding out that Tereminix wasn't going to get rid of my squirrel problem, I called the county animal control. Their recording said that they did not trap wildlife. Then, I called the number for the Wildlife Foundation that Terminix had given me. They, in turn, gave me the phone number for the wrong pest control company who, fortunately, was able to get me the phone number to the right one (they both shared the same name) that serviced my area. They told me that the person who trapped squirrels was booked solid, and they wouldn't be able to come out until some time next week. In the meantime, the fucking varmint upstairs is chewing on our wood and insulation!

judygs gave me the number of another pest control company, and I'm going to call it tomorrow. These guys will not only trap the critters, but they'll also clean up the mess they leave behind and seal off the attic so they don't come back again. They also have a guarantee where, if they do come back, they'll come out again free of charge. doomsey seems to think that this might be a good idea because, once squirrels find their way into a place, they or another squirrel usually come back. It sounds like they could be expensive though. doomsey seems to think that this could run anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to a thousand. Yep...between my hospital bills, doomsey's test, and $250 I had to shell out for my deductible because some jackass rear-ended me, this is turning out to be a very expensive year for us. And it's not anywhere near over yet!

If the company I'm calling tomorrow is not able to come out anytime soon, I might end up giving up and trapping the goddamn varmint myself. I borrowed a better step ladder from judygs and doomsey said that someone at his office is going to loan us a Havahart trap. If this is what I decide to do, I'm going to buy a pair of welder's gloves because I'm afraid of being bitten. I have reason to believe that my INR is on the high side (I moved up the appointment for my blood draw to Wednesday), and I really really really do not need to get bit by a frightened critter. So...does anybody out there want to help me trap a critter this week?

Gah!

Comments

[nick-101.livejournal.com]

Sure, I'll sneak in and set a few traps. I think you should get animal control. I hope those pesky squirrels stay out of your home soon.

Fixing a hole where the squirrels get in to stop your mind from wandering.

[forestdruid.livejournal.com]

Fix the problem yourself. Locate the hole where they enter. Throw some mothballs up there on the side away from the hole. Roughly 24-48 hours after you put in the mothballs, cover the hole with a new piece of wood. Screw the wood into the house. Have a mojito (in that order).

You may need to vacuum up the mothballs if they do not sublime fast enough for you.

[childsplay.livejournal.com]

go to your local sporting goods store and get a pellet gun and kill the fucker.

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

Yes...I never thought I'd find myself wishing this, but this weekend, I really wanted to have a BB gun so I could take some pop shops at the little bastard(s). Don't call the ASPCA on me, but if I trap it, I'm going to drown it in a bucket of water cage and all. I'm told that releasing it really isn't that good of an option. If you release it elsewhere, it will starve because it will be pushed out by other squirrels. They're very territorial. They could also return. If it does manage to survive, it will find someone else's house to invade. So...I'd be foisting the problem off on some other poor schmuck.

[childsplay.livejournal.com]

its not illegal to kill squirrels or pidgins

[childsplay.livejournal.com]

Just remember if you kill it in your attic you will have to dispose of it. Otherwise summer is closing in and it will get stinky!

[fuzzyscribble.livejournal.com]

The mothball idea works actually. The Zen Community had squirrels in the attic...and a combination of smoke bombs and mothballs got them to vacate. Also...place a small radio turned to an all talk station up there. Cheapo clock radio will work well. I hear they're particularly un-fond of Rush Limbaugh. ;-)

Squirrels are usually out eating mid-morning...so that's when you should focus on closing up the hole. If you think you have baby squirrels up there...they will have been born in Mid-April and will have completely vacated the area in 12 weeks. You may want to wait until they're older.

Once their nest is built...they won't continue to "destroy" your attic. And they won't poop up there...squirrels don't mess their nest. They're just darn noisy and will use your attic as a place to hoard food.

Before you seal up the hole...spray Ropel around the area where the hole is, which you can get at your garden center/Home Despot.