I've been tasked to take care of two Squirrels....

[Chuck]

Oy Dougan - they're out to get you again... :lol: :lol:

[Chapuis]

Bloody horrible tree rats. The moron that introduced these from the U.S. should have been hung drawn and quartered.

Apparently they were introduced into England for decorative purposes in the gardens of stately homes and posh estates.

Blu

Yes by the same sort of cretin that introduced muntjac and who thought that coypu would be the answer in the fens. Such a shame that I had to go to France to see my first red squirrel in the wild.

[oaken]

Baiting can be good for getting them used to your presence, bait with loose nuts that they can run off with for a few days then wean them unto peanut butter or Nutella which they have to eat on the spot.
Get on quick before the hazel nuts ripen, these will trump anything you offer them, meaning you will have to shoot them in the treetops, they definitely like walnuts.
You will probably get one and never see the other again as the cute little tree rats have pretty good sight and long memories. They are also incredibly tough for their size so with 12ftlb, place your shots well and be ready to follow up with more shots quickly. Fac air is ideal for tree rats. I had 14 in one day out of 1 walnut tree when it's nuts where just ripe. :goodjob:
Good luck
Rup

[Blu]

Bloody horrible tree rats. The moron that introduced these from the U.S. should have been hung drawn and quartered.

Apparently they were introduced into England for decorative purposes in the gardens of stately homes and posh estates.

Blu

Yes by the same sort of cretin that introduced muntjac and who thought that coypu would be the answer in the fens. Such a shame that I had to go to France to see my first red squirrel in the wild.

You should have gone up to Scotland, grey squirrels are not so numerous up there and so haven't impacted the reds all that much.

Blu

[Chapuis]

I've been to Scotland a few times Blu but never saw one when up there. I've also looked on Anglsey many times but never seen one.

[Sandgroper]

I've been to Scotland a few times Blu but never saw one when up there. I've also looked on Anglsey many times but never seen one.

Grampian and Highlands - plenty up here!

[Chapuis]

Spent a week in the highlands stalking was out and about every day and still didn't see one. Saw most other things but not a red squirrel. I've seen them in zoos but like I said the first one that I saw in the wild was in Normandy. They are so much cuter than the dreaded greys aren't they.

[DW58]

It depends very much on where in Scotland you are as many areas have been taken over by invading Greys. There are some areas such as Deeside where there are both, but luckily the North East and North are Grey-free owing to their inability to cross the Grampian/Cairngorm mountains. If a Grey does show up here, it'll be through human (illegal) intervention.







The above were taken from my kitchen window. Not as sharp as I'd like, but I didn't have time to grab my DSLR and telephoto lens, these were taken with a compact camera through glass.

[Dougan]

Not take care of as in the sense of looking after a cat, but as in a Mafia film.

I'll be using a 12ft/lb air rifle as I havent got a shotty yet and I dont think the neighbours would be best pleased.

I have the right bait ( bag of mixed nuts and raisins. )

But, is it just a case of placing it on the ground, retreating to around 20-30 yards and waiting?

Is there a right time of day?
Is there a best place to put the bait? ( next to a walnut tree? )

Mark


Not posted with Treerattalk.

May I ask why you need to get rid of them?

Are they causing devastating damage to someones property?...

...or are you hoping to eliminate all the tens of thousands of greys in Cambridgeshire, in the hope that the reds will once again flurrish?...

...seen as we (humans) have had so little impact on the environment around us, then it obviously makes perfect sense that killing grey squirrels in England will lead to a full recovery of red squirrels...

[Dougan]

Peanuts in the shell/husk will do the trick at any time of the day and will bring them in, they also like peanut butter believe it or not. If there is a tree nearby that they use spread the nuts around there. I only know they like peanuts because my wife feeds them to the squirrels out front of the house.

Alternatively have you thought about live trapping them as opposed to killing and releasing them somewhere else? Just a thought.

Blu

In the case of greys that would be illegal in the U.K. They must be destroyed.

No one is going to prosecute anyone for capturing and releasing greys, unless it's in an area (of which there are not many left) were reds have a population - But it is a useful law to quote by folk who just want them dead.

As it happens, I'm actually against releasing them for various reasons...many don't adapt to their new environment and most die anyway...it's also bad for the balance of the wildlife in the area they are released, including other greys...

...and you have to remember that it's a bit pointless too; as greys are very territorial, so you will only usually get a small family in one area (several gardens), and it's unlikely anyone will be 'over-run' by them...but if you remove them, then another group will eventually move in again...