I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time. The
vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto a
large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.) still
on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the vines
until the vines are clearly unable to supply further nutrients/fluids to
the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed that one of the larger
pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split. I decided I'd cook it
sooner than later, because the split suggested it would be among the
first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got to it first. A big hole
was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it was eaten. I speculated
that it was a possum, which are not commonly seen here, but I have seen
them. There are raccoons around here, too, but no more common than
possums. Several days later I spotted a fairly large possum in the yard
during the day, and it darted off. Not having seen a possum in my yard
for some years, I figured that this confirmed my suspicion that a possum
(this possum) had fed on my pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house for
a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked and
almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half eaten. A
couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating that some
creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly clipped off
every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
TIA!!

Dan

Dan Musicant wrote:
I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time.
The vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto
a large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.)
still on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the
vines until the vines are clearly unable to supply further
nutrients/fluids to the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed
that one of the larger pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split.
I decided I'd cook it sooner than later, because the split suggested
it would be among the first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got
to it first. A big hole was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it
was eaten. I speculated that it was a possum, which are not commonly
seen here, but I have seen them. There are raccoons around here, too,
but no more common than possums. Several days later I spotted a
fairly large possum in the yard during the day, and it darted off.
Not having seen a possum in my yard for some years, I figured that
this confirmed my suspicion that a possum (this possum) had fed on my
pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house
for a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked
and almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half
eaten. A couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating
that some creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly
clipped off every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the
air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made
me think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was
left by another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked
longingly at one of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb
the trellis system, which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for
it to attempt to climb. This makes me further suspect that the
squirrels may have been the original attackers. There are a LOT of
squirrels around here (Berkeley, CA). I wonder if squirrels could
have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins, though. Two pounds or more of
pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.
Suggestions? TIA!!


Opossums are the gypsies of the animal world. Irrespective of the food
supply, they'll hang around for up to a week, then the wanderlust overcomes
them. They move on. They will, however, return in about three months - your
location is on their "Opossum Circuit."

wrote:

I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time. The
vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto a
large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.) still
on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the vines
until the vines are clearly unable to supply further nutrients/fluids to
the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed that one of the larger
pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split. I decided I'd cook it
sooner than later, because the split suggested it would be among the
first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got to it first. A big hole
was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it was eaten. I speculated
that it was a possum, which are not commonly seen here, but I have seen
them. There are raccoons around here, too, but no more common than
possums. Several days later I spotted a fairly large possum in the yard
during the day, and it darted off. Not having seen a possum in my yard
for some years, I figured that this confirmed my suspicion that a possum
(this possum) had fed on my pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house for
a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked and
almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half eaten. A
couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating that some
creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly clipped off
every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
TIA!!

Dan
Possum stew.

wrote:
I grow pumpkins every year, lately kabocha (Japanese pumpkins), also
known as tetsukabuta. They over-winter well, are delicious, similar to
acorn squash, I think.

I had a bumper crop this year due to ample composting at plant time. The
vines extend well beyond the ~10 x 6 foot patch of earth and onto a
large concrete patio and up trellises I built with bamboo.

I've never had a problem with animals messing with my pumpkins but
suddenly have a big problem. My crop this year was about 70, and a few
days ago there were about 20 (mostly of the largest, up to 3+ lb.) still
on the dieing vines (I've generally tried to leave them on the vines
until the vines are clearly unable to supply further nutrients/fluids to
the pumpkins). Around a 6 weeks ago I noticed that one of the larger
pumpkins on the concrete had a vertical split. I decided I'd cook it
sooner than later, because the split suggested it would be among the
first to rot otherwise. However, an animal got to it first. A big hole
was carved out of it one day, maybe 1/3 of it was eaten. I speculated
that it was a possum, which are not commonly seen here, but I have seen
them. There are raccoons around here, too, but no more common than
possums. Several days later I spotted a fairly large possum in the yard
during the day, and it darted off. Not having seen a possum in my yard
for some years, I figured that this confirmed my suspicion that a possum
(this possum) had fed on my pumpkin.

Nothing further happened and I concluded that whatever attacked that
cracked pumpkin wasn't inclined to feed on undamaged pumpkins and I
wasn't too concerned. Two days ago, two smaller pumpkins on the ground
in the planting patch were attacked and half eaten. I left the house for
a few hours during the day and returning in late afternoon I was
dismayed to find that two of the largest pumpkins had been attacked and
almost half eaten! Two other smaller pumpkins were also half eaten. A
couple of other pumpkins had very minor damage indicating that some
creature had tried to penetrate the exterior. I quickly clipped off
every remaining pumpkin that was not suspended in the air, leaving only
4. I assumed that it was a possum or maybe a possum family doing this.

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
TIA!!

Dan
I never would have thought possum would be in California, but, I did
know Berkley was full of squirrels.

Texas Bob

On 20 Oct 2008 16:39:29 GMT, StefpheanKing
wrote:

:Story too long, getting sleepyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Oh, I'm sorry. I knew it was long, but please understand, I wrote it,
edited it, reedited it, spell checked it and reedited it again. I tried
hard to make it a cogent story, to tell the whole story without being
long winded.

Dan

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:39:07 -0500, Texas Bob
wrote:

:I never would have thought possum would be in California, but, I did
:know Berkley was full of squirrels.
:
:Texas Bob

One night about 2:00 AM in this same house around 12-15 years ago I came
face to face with a possum in the kitchen! I looked at it, and it looked
at me. We froze. I instinctively walked away, allowing the animal to
react as I knew it would and retreat from the house, which it did. I
took measures to seal off the entrance.

I've only seen possums a few times here. I did see several racoons early
one morning at dawn almost a year ago in the middle of the street two
blocks from my house.

Squirrels are extremely common here. One day this summer when I was in
front of my house I saw maybe 1/2 a dozen or more in just a few minutes.
They were having a convention.

Dan

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:05:13 -0700, Dan Musicant )
wrote:

:On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:30:07 -0500, phorbin wrote:
:
::In article ,
says...
::
:: Possums are nocturnal, and squirrels are very diligent eaters. My money's on
:: the squirrels - or it could be both.
::
::Piggybacking because the earlier postings are lost to me.
::
::I've seen squirrels so deeply inside pumpkins that you can just see the
::tip of a tail. The tree rats are after the seeds.
::
::
:: My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
:: enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
:: TIA!!
::
::I've diligently practiced my slingshot technique on squirrels. They get
::to the point where they stay away and don't set foot on the property.
::--They have to be reeducated each year.
::
::My guess is that you need to trap and remove, shoot, poison, or
:therwise deter the possum(s).
::
::With most critters, "If you do nothing the problem will recur."
::
::The reason isn't necessarily that they remember what they ate so much as
::that they recognize food when they see it and pumpkins are food.
:
Thanks, good info. What I don't understand is that I've been growing
pumpkins and/or kabochas (I was wrong when I said tetsukabuta, they are
actually kabochas this year) for I'm guessing 7-8 years straight and I
don't recall EVER losing a single squash to critters. Now, I'm once
burned twice shy and will be nervous and watching.

I really like the slingshot idea. I tossed a rock at one and it wound up
hitting the hood of my station wagon! Ouch!

Shooting? I have no kind of gun right now. I guess a pellet gun might be
in order, at least when it's growing season next year, and/or the
slingshot. This is war!

Also, I have to confess I have been thinking about poison, at least if
it's a possum that's at the root of this. The other options seem very
iffy. I'm unlikely to encounter the possum in the act. I have a bottle
of ethylene glycol I've had for believe it or not since about 1963! A
pint bottle. I could maybe figure out a way to poison the critter with
it. Here's what I figu Take a medium size squash, rupture the skin so
that the flesh is smelled by whatever animal is doing this, and inject
ethylene glycol into the interior. The animal would likely ingest it (I
hear they like the sweet taste), and that would be the end of it. If
this year is any indication, a squash whose rind is broken is the most
likely to fall to an attack.

Dan

wrote:
On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:05:13 -0700, Dan Musicant )
wrote:

:On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:30:07 -0500, phorbin wrote:
:
::In article ,
says...
::
:: Possums are nocturnal, and squirrels are very diligent eaters. My money's on
:: the squirrels - or it could be both.
::
::Piggybacking because the earlier postings are lost to me.
::
::I've seen squirrels so deeply inside pumpkins that you can just see the
::tip of a tail. The tree rats are after the seeds.
::
::
:: My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
:: enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest. Suggestions?
:: TIA!!
::
::I've diligently practiced my slingshot technique on squirrels. They get
::to the point where they stay away and don't set foot on the property.
::--They have to be reeducated each year.
::
::My guess is that you need to trap and remove, shoot, poison, or
:therwise deter the possum(s).
::
::With most critters, "If you do nothing the problem will recur."
::
::The reason isn't necessarily that they remember what they ate so much as
::that they recognize food when they see it and pumpkins are food.
:
Thanks, good info. What I don't understand is that I've been growing
pumpkins and/or kabochas (I was wrong when I said tetsukabuta, they are
actually kabochas this year) for I'm guessing 7-8 years straight and I
don't recall EVER losing a single squash to critters. Now, I'm once
burned twice shy and will be nervous and watching.

I really like the slingshot idea. I tossed a rock at one and it wound up
hitting the hood of my station wagon! Ouch!

Shooting? I have no kind of gun right now. I guess a pellet gun might be
in order, at least when it's growing season next year, and/or the
slingshot. This is war!

Also, I have to confess I have been thinking about poison, at least if
it's a possum that's at the root of this. The other options seem very
iffy. I'm unlikely to encounter the possum in the act. I have a bottle
of ethylene glycol I've had for believe it or not since about 1963! A
pint bottle. I could maybe figure out a way to poison the critter with
it. Here's what I figu Take a medium size squash, rupture the skin so
that the flesh is smelled by whatever animal is doing this, and inject
ethylene glycol into the interior. The animal would likely ingest it (I
hear they like the sweet taste), and that would be the end of it. If
this year is any indication, a squash whose rind is broken is the most
likely to fall to an attack.

Dan

Drivable T-section fence posts and a couple of rolls of chicken wire?
Have to stake the bottom edge, so they can't slide under. It won't even
slow the squirrels down, but the larger animals won't feel safe climbing
it. I saw once, many years ago, a pumpkin patch where they must have had
bad problems, because they built a whole chicken wire aviary, including
roof, to separate the pumpkins from the moochers. I think they had a row
of tomatoes and cukes in there as well, earlier in the summer.

My backyard animals must be dumb. I put the non-carved pumpkins out back
at the tree line, after Halloween the last 2 years, and they were
undisturbed till I split them with a shovel. At that point, they were
neatly cleaned out within 24 hours.

--
aem sends...

wrote:

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:39:07 -0500, Texas Bob
wrote:

:I never would have thought possum would be in California, but, I did
:know Berkley was full of squirrels.
:
:Texas Bob

One night about 2:00 AM in this same house around 12-15 years ago I came
face to face with a possum in the kitchen! I looked at it, and it looked
at me. We froze. I instinctively walked away, allowing the animal to
react as I knew it would and retreat from the house, which it did. I
took measures to seal off the entrance.

I've only seen possums a few times here. I did see several racoons early
one morning at dawn almost a year ago in the middle of the street two
blocks from my house.

Squirrels are extremely common here. One day this summer when I was in
front of my house I saw maybe 1/2 a dozen or more in just a few minutes.
They were having a convention.

Dan


What about groundhogs? They are more local. Big teeth?

said:

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the
pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.

Pumpkin eaters I have known:

Squirrels (especially to go after the seeds in the fall): small gnaw marks

Groundhogs (will eat them at any stage): large gnaw marks

Mice (rarely, and without much damage): tiny, tiny gnaw marks

Deer will go after pumpkins, but are likely to break them apart with
their hooves as they are mainly after the seeds and soft pulp.

I'd probably finger the squirrels for this one, especially considering
the day-time damage.

You may be at the peak of a population cycle. Live trapping squirrels
isn't too hard.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

After enlightenment, the laundry.

In article ,
Dan Musicant ) wrote:

On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:05:13 -0700, Dan Musicant )
wrote:

:On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:30:07 -0500, phorbin wrote:
:
::In article ,
says...
::
:: Possums are nocturnal, and squirrels are very diligent eaters. My money's
:: on
:: the squirrels - or it could be both.
::
::Piggybacking because the earlier postings are lost to me.
::
::I've seen squirrels so deeply inside pumpkins that you can just see the
::tip of a tail. The tree rats are after the seeds.
::
::
:: My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
:: enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.
:: Suggestions?
:: TIA!!
::
::I've diligently practiced my slingshot technique on squirrels. They get
::to the point where they stay away and don't set foot on the property.
::--They have to be reeducated each year.
::
::My guess is that you need to trap and remove, shoot, poison, or
:therwise deter the possum(s).
::
::With most critters, "If you do nothing the problem will recur."
::
::The reason isn't necessarily that they remember what they ate so much as
::that they recognize food when they see it and pumpkins are food.
:
Thanks, good info. What I don't understand is that I've been growing
pumpkins and/or kabochas (I was wrong when I said tetsukabuta, they are
actually kabochas this year) for I'm guessing 7-8 years straight and I
don't recall EVER losing a single squash to critters. Now, I'm once
burned twice shy and will be nervous and watching.

I really like the slingshot idea. I tossed a rock at one and it wound up
hitting the hood of my station wagon! Ouch!

Shooting? I have no kind of gun right now. I guess a pellet gun might be
in order, at least when it's growing season next year, and/or the
slingshot. This is war!

Also, I have to confess I have been thinking about poison, at least if
it's a possum that's at the root of this. The other options seem very
iffy. I'm unlikely to encounter the possum in the act. I have a bottle
of ethylene glycol I've had for believe it or not since about 1963! A
pint bottle. I could maybe figure out a way to poison the critter with
it. Here's what I figu Take a medium size squash, rupture the skin so
that the flesh is smelled by whatever animal is doing this, and inject
ethylene glycol into the interior. The animal would likely ingest it (I
hear they like the sweet taste), and that would be the end of it. If
this year is any indication, a squash whose rind is broken is the most
likely to fall to an attack.

Dan

Friend with a vegetable garden worried about pest losses for the first
few years, then she realized that the animals were taking about 40% of
the potential harvest. 60% was plenty for her and her two kids, so she
stopped fretting.

Meat cleaver is your friend.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Dan Musicant" wrote in message
...

One night about 2:00 AM in this same house around 12-15 years ago I came
face to face with a possum in the kitchen! I looked at it, and it looked

With some pest control, she could have meat, and almost double the output of
her garden.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
Friend with a vegetable garden worried about pest losses for the first
few years, then she realized that the animals were taking about 40% of
the potential harvest. 60% was plenty for her and her two kids, so she
stopped fretting.

I found Hav-A-Hart traps possum (and squirrels) well. Most animals
(and humans) will remember an electric fence.

On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:12:26 -0400, Norminn
wrote:

wrote:
:
:On Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:39:07 -0500, Texas Bob
:wrote:
:
::I never would have thought possum would be in California, but, I did
::know Berkley was full of squirrels.
::
::Texas Bob
:
:One night about 2:00 AM in this same house around 12-15 years ago I came
:face to face with a possum in the kitchen! I looked at it, and it looked
:at me. We froze. I instinctively walked away, allowing the animal to
:react as I knew it would and retreat from the house, which it did. I
:took measures to seal off the entrance.
:
:I've only seen possums a few times here. I did see several racoons early
:one morning at dawn almost a year ago in the middle of the street two
:blocks from my house.
:
:Squirrels are extremely common here. One day this summer when I was in
:front of my house I saw maybe 1/2 a dozen or more in just a few minutes.
:They were having a convention.
:
:Dan
:
:
:What about groundhogs? They are more local. Big teeth?

I'm unaware of groundhogs in the area. Never heard of it.

Dan

On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:31:22 -0400, Pat Kiewicz
wrote:

said:
:
:However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on the
:remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins. This made me
:think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on what was left by
:another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly looked longingly at one
:of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try to climb the trellis system,
:which is pretty flimsy, evidently too flimsy for it to attempt to climb.
:This makes me further suspect that the squirrels may have been the
:original attackers. There are a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley,
:CA). I wonder if squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the
umpkins,
:though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.
:
:My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are smart
:enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.
:
:Pumpkin eaters I have known:
:
:Squirrels (especially to go after the seeds in the fall): small gnaw marks
:
:Groundhogs (will eat them at any stage): large gnaw marks
:
:Mice (rarely, and without much damage): tiny, tiny gnaw marks
:
eer will go after pumpkins, but are likely to break them apart with
:their hooves as they are mainly after the seeds and soft pulp.
:
:I'd probably finger the squirrels for this one, especially considering
:the day-time damage.
:
:You may be at the peak of a population cycle. Live trapping squirrels
:isn't too hard.

Thanks, Pat!

OK, so your take is that the brazen eating of maybe a third of two 2-lb
kabochas in mid-day (it was probably between noon and 3 PM) suggests
squirrels rather than opposum! There were also one or two small ones
attacked at the same time. It's hard to believe that one possum would do
all that. Do they go in packs or are they always solitary?

I guess I'm going to have to try squirrel repellent strategies.
Possibilities seem to be:

Live Trapping (I'd need traps and a decision what to do with them)
Tinsel scarecrows
mouse traps (to scare them away)
sling shot

There are a LOT of squirrels around here!

I even thought of throwing a wire cube (with one side open) over each
squash. That would require a lot of handiwork.

Dan

How do you kill them after capture? Gun, exhaust, drowning, or what?

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Phisherman" wrote in message
...
I found Hav-A-Hart traps possum (and squirrels) well. Most animals
(and humans) will remember an electric fence.

In article ,
"Stormin Mormon" wrote:

With some pest control, she could have meat, and almost double the output of
her garden.

The trouble with so-called pests is there's a healthy supply of them.
Eat one and another one will be along shortly. I've got skunks, coons,
opossums, rabbits, foxes, and coyotes hanging around, and they don't
bother me. Isn't the war on nature getting a bit long in the tooth by
now?

In article , DanMusicant says...

OK, so your take is that the brazen eating of maybe a third of two 2-lb
kabochas in mid-day (it was probably between noon and 3 PM) suggests
squirrels rather than opposum! There were also one or two small ones
attacked at the same time. It's hard to believe that one possum would do
all that. Do they go in packs or are they always solitary?

Possums are definitely nocturnal and (other than mothers with babies)
they are pretty much solitary.

On the other hand, I've seen as many as two dozen squirrels in my yard
at one time (not the current house, thankfully!). This was the end of
a population boom; there was an epidemic of what looked like mange and
the population crashed rather quickly. Mangey squirrels: not a pretty
sight.

I guess I'm going to have to try squirrel repellent strategies.
Possibilities seem to be:

Live Trapping (I'd need traps and a decision what to do with them)
Tinsel scarecrows
mouse traps (to scare them away)
sling shot

There are a LOT of squirrels around here!

Hot pepper spray as a repellent might help.

I even thought of throwing a wire cube (with one side open) over each
squash. That would require a lot of handiwork.

Circles are easier. 8^)

Dan

Pat in Plymouth MI (testing out a new news server)

Dan Musicant wrote:
On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:31:22 -0400, Pat Kiewicz
wrote:

said:

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on
the remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins.
This
made me think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on
what was left by another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly
looked longingly at one of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try
to
climb the trellis system, which is pretty flimsy, evidently too
flimsy for it to attempt to climb. This makes me further suspect
that the squirrels may have been the original attackers. There are
a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley, CA). I wonder if
squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the
pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are
smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.

Pumpkin eaters I have known:

Squirrels (especially to go after the seeds in the fall): small
gnaw
marks

Groundhogs (will eat them at any stage): large gnaw marks

Mice (rarely, and without much damage): tiny, tiny gnaw marks

Deer will go after pumpkins, but are likely to break them apart
with
their hooves as they are mainly after the seeds and soft pulp.

I'd probably finger the squirrels for this one, especially
considering the day-time damage.

You may be at the peak of a population cycle. Live trapping
squirrels isn't too hard.

Thanks, Pat!

OK, so your take is that the brazen eating of maybe a third of two
2-lb kabochas in mid-day (it was probably between noon and 3 PM)
suggests squirrels rather than opposum! There were also one or two
small ones attacked at the same time. It's hard to believe that one
possum would do all that. Do they go in packs or are they always
solitary?

I guess I'm going to have to try squirrel repellent strategies.
Possibilities seem to be:

Live Trapping (I'd need traps and a decision what to do with them)
Tinsel scarecrows
mouse traps (to scare them away)
sling shot

There are a LOT of squirrels around here!

I even thought of throwing a wire cube (with one side open) over
each
squash. That would require a lot of handiwork.

The proper choice of cat will do the job just fine. There used to be
a semi-feral black cat that hung around my parents' house that loved
squirrel. If we'd been away for a while we'd often find a half a
dozen squirrel tails lined up in a neat row on the front porch.

The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough the
first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the effort.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

J. Clarke wrote:
Dan Musicant wrote:

On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:31:22 -0400, Pat Kiewicz
wrote:


said:


However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on
the remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins.
This
made me think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on
what was left by another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly
looked longingly at one of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try
to
climb the trellis system, which is pretty flimsy, evidently too
flimsy for it to attempt to climb. This makes me further suspect
that the squirrels may have been the original attackers. There are
a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley, CA). I wonder if
squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the

pumpkins,

though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are
smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.

Pumpkin eaters I have known:

Squirrels (especially to go after the seeds in the fall): small
gnaw
marks

Groundhogs (will eat them at any stage): large gnaw marks

Mice (rarely, and without much damage): tiny, tiny gnaw marks

Deer will go after pumpkins, but are likely to break them apart
with
their hooves as they are mainly after the seeds and soft pulp.

I'd probably finger the squirrels for this one, especially
considering the day-time damage.

You may be at the peak of a population cycle. Live trapping
squirrels isn't too hard.

Thanks, Pat!

OK, so your take is that the brazen eating of maybe a third of two
2-lb kabochas in mid-day (it was probably between noon and 3 PM)
suggests squirrels rather than opposum! There were also one or two
small ones attacked at the same time. It's hard to believe that one
possum would do all that. Do they go in packs or are they always
solitary?

I guess I'm going to have to try squirrel repellent strategies.
Possibilities seem to be:

Live Trapping (I'd need traps and a decision what to do with them)
Tinsel scarecrows
mouse traps (to scare them away)
sling shot

There are a LOT of squirrels around here!

I even thought of throwing a wire cube (with one side open) over
each
squash. That would require a lot of handiwork.


The proper choice of cat will do the job just fine. There used to be
a semi-feral black cat that hung around my parents' house that loved
squirrel. If we'd been away for a while we'd often find a half a
dozen squirrel tails lined up in a neat row on the front porch.

The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough the
first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the effort.

Mine brings in squirrels frequently. A couple weeds ago he brought in a
full sized seagull, quite a step up from finches and starlings.

Boden wrote:
J. Clarke wrote:
Dan Musicant wrote:

On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:31:22 -0400, Pat Kiewicz
wrote:


said:


However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding
on
the remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins.
This
made me think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on
what was left by another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly
looked longingly at one of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try
to
climb the trellis system, which is pretty flimsy, evidently too
flimsy for it to attempt to climb. This makes me further suspect
that the squirrels may have been the original attackers. There
are
a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley, CA). I wonder if
squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the

pumpkins,

though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are
smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.

Pumpkin eaters I have known:

Squirrels (especially to go after the seeds in the fall): small
gnaw
marks

Groundhogs (will eat them at any stage): large gnaw marks

Mice (rarely, and without much damage): tiny, tiny gnaw marks

Deer will go after pumpkins, but are likely to break them apart
with
their hooves as they are mainly after the seeds and soft pulp.

I'd probably finger the squirrels for this one, especially
considering the day-time damage.

You may be at the peak of a population cycle. Live trapping
squirrels isn't too hard.

Thanks, Pat!

OK, so your take is that the brazen eating of maybe a third of two
2-lb kabochas in mid-day (it was probably between noon and 3 PM)
suggests squirrels rather than opposum! There were also one or two
small ones attacked at the same time. It's hard to believe that
one
possum would do all that. Do they go in packs or are they always
solitary?

I guess I'm going to have to try squirrel repellent strategies.
Possibilities seem to be:

Live Trapping (I'd need traps and a decision what to do with them)
Tinsel scarecrows
mouse traps (to scare them away)
sling shot

There are a LOT of squirrels around here!

I even thought of throwing a wire cube (with one side open) over
each
squash. That would require a lot of handiwork.


The proper choice of cat will do the job just fine. There used to
be
a semi-feral black cat that hung around my parents' house that
loved
squirrel. If we'd been away for a while we'd often find a half a
dozen squirrel tails lined up in a neat row on the front porch.

The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough the
first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the effort.

Mine brings in squirrels frequently. A couple weeds ago he brought
in a full sized seagull, quite a step up from finches and starlings.

Geez, that's a tough cat.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:59:28 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

an Musicant wrote:
: On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:31:22 -0400, Pat Kiewicz
: wrote:
:
: said:
:
: However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding on
: the remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins.
: This
: made me think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on
: what was left by another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly
: looked longingly at one of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try
: to
: climb the trellis system, which is pretty flimsy, evidently too
: flimsy for it to attempt to climb. This makes me further suspect
: that the squirrels may have been the original attackers. There are
: a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley, CA). I wonder if
: squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the
: pumpkins,
: though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.
:
: My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are
: smart
: enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.
:
: Pumpkin eaters I have known:
:
: Squirrels (especially to go after the seeds in the fall): small
: gnaw
: marks
:
: Groundhogs (will eat them at any stage): large gnaw marks
:
: Mice (rarely, and without much damage): tiny, tiny gnaw marks
:
: Deer will go after pumpkins, but are likely to break them apart
: with
: their hooves as they are mainly after the seeds and soft pulp.
:
: I'd probably finger the squirrels for this one, especially
: considering the day-time damage.
:
: You may be at the peak of a population cycle. Live trapping
: squirrels isn't too hard.
:
: Thanks, Pat!
:
: OK, so your take is that the brazen eating of maybe a third of two
: 2-lb kabochas in mid-day (it was probably between noon and 3 PM)
: suggests squirrels rather than opposum! There were also one or two
: small ones attacked at the same time. It's hard to believe that one
: possum would do all that. Do they go in packs or are they always
: solitary?
:
: I guess I'm going to have to try squirrel repellent strategies.
: Possibilities seem to be:
:
: Live Trapping (I'd need traps and a decision what to do with them)
: Tinsel scarecrows
: mouse traps (to scare them away)
: sling shot
:
: There are a LOT of squirrels around here!
:
: I even thought of throwing a wire cube (with one side open) over
: each
: squash. That would require a lot of handiwork.
:
:The proper choice of cat will do the job just fine. There used to be
:a semi-feral black cat that hung around my parents' house that loved
:squirrel. If we'd been away for a while we'd often find a half a
:dozen squirrel tails lined up in a neat row on the front porch.

That is awesome! Davey Crockett the semi-feral house-cat! I do love
cats.
:
:The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
:catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough the
:first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the effort.

Training a cat would be darn near impossible, I guess.

Dan

Dan Musicant wrote:
On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:59:28 -0400, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

Dan Musicant wrote:
On Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:31:22 -0400, Pat Kiewicz
wrote:

said:

However, yesterday I went outside and found 3 squirrels feeding
on
the remains of what I had left there of the attacked pumpkins.
This
made me think: Was it squirrels or were they just scavenging on
what was left by another animal? One of the squirrels repeatedly
looked longingly at one of the suspended pumpkins but didn't try
to
climb the trellis system, which is pretty flimsy, evidently too
flimsy for it to attempt to climb. This makes me further suspect
that the squirrels may have been the original attackers. There
are
a LOT of squirrels around here (Berkeley, CA). I wonder if
squirrels could have eaten THAT much of the
pumpkins,
though. Two pounds or more of pumpkin were evidently consumed.

My concern is for next year. I don't know if these animals are
smart
enough to "remember" and come back for next year's harvest.

Pumpkin eaters I have known:

Squirrels (especially to go after the seeds in the fall): small
gnaw
marks

Groundhogs (will eat them at any stage): large gnaw marks

Mice (rarely, and without much damage): tiny, tiny gnaw marks

Deer will go after pumpkins, but are likely to break them apart
with
their hooves as they are mainly after the seeds and soft pulp.

I'd probably finger the squirrels for this one, especially
considering the day-time damage.

You may be at the peak of a population cycle. Live trapping
squirrels isn't too hard.

Thanks, Pat!

OK, so your take is that the brazen eating of maybe a third of two
2-lb kabochas in mid-day (it was probably between noon and 3 PM)
suggests squirrels rather than opposum! There were also one or two
small ones attacked at the same time. It's hard to believe that
one
possum would do all that. Do they go in packs or are they always
solitary?

I guess I'm going to have to try squirrel repellent strategies.
Possibilities seem to be:

Live Trapping (I'd need traps and a decision what to do with them)
Tinsel scarecrows
mouse traps (to scare them away)
sling shot

There are a LOT of squirrels around here!

I even thought of throwing a wire cube (with one side open) over
each
squash. That would require a lot of handiwork.

The proper choice of cat will do the job just fine. There used to
be
a semi-feral black cat that hung around my parents' house that
loved
squirrel. If we'd been away for a while we'd often find a half a
dozen squirrel tails lined up in a neat row on the front porch.

That is awesome! Davey Crockett the semi-feral house-cat! I do love
cats.

The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough the
first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the effort.

Training a cat would be darn near impossible, I guess.

First you'd have to be able to catch a squirrel with your teeth :-)


--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

:The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
:catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough
:the first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the
:effort.

Training a cat would be darn near impossible, I guess.
Dan

Yes, but I had a cat once who learned about rabbits up close and
personal, when a daughter kept pet rabbits in the house and yard. The
cat learned that rabbits are 1) awful (one was in love with her and
kept jumping her with passion), and 2) easy to beat up (though she
never harmed a pet rabbit).
After a while the cat started showing up with battered dead wild
rabbits she had caught, and it was easier to keep a garden after that.

On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:32:00 -0500, Bert Byfield
wrote:

::The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
::catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough
::the first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the
::effort.
:
: Training a cat would be darn near impossible, I guess.
: Dan
:
: Yes, but I had a cat once who learned about rabbits up close and
ersonal, when a daughter kept pet rabbits in the house and yard. The
:cat learned that rabbits are 1) awful (one was in love with her and
:kept jumping her with passion), and 2) easy to beat up (though she
:never harmed a pet rabbit).
: After a while the cat started showing up with battered dead wild
:rabbits she had caught, and it was easier to keep a garden after that.

Well, I could get a cat and deliver it dead squirrels, which are easy to
find on the local streets. Maybe it would get the idea? I suppose a tom
cat would be better, because they're bigger.

Dan

: Yes, but I had a cat once who learned about rabbits up close
: and
ersonal, when a daughter kept pet rabbits in the house and yard.
:The cat learned that rabbits are 1) awful (one was in love with
:her and kept jumping her with passion), and 2) easy to beat up
though she never harmed a pet rabbit).
:After a while the cat started showing up with battered dead wild
:rabbits she had caught, and it was easier to keep a garden after
:that.

Well, I could get a cat and deliver it dead squirrels, which are
easy to find on the local streets. Maybe it would get the idea? I
suppose a tom cat would be better, because they're bigger. Dan

Dead squirrels might give an idea to a cat. Unfixed male cats are the
most butch. The only cat I ever had (I am 65) that killed a rat was an
unfixed male. I woke up to find a trophy of half a rat.

On Oct 22, 11:43*pm, Dan Musicant ) wrote:
On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:32:00 -0500, Bert Byfield

wrote:

::The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
::catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough
::the first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the
::effort.
:
: Training a cat would be darn near impossible, I guess.
: Dan
:
: * Yes, but I had a cat once who learned about rabbits up close and
ersonal, when a daughter kept pet rabbits in the house and yard. The
:cat learned that rabbits are 1) awful (one was in love with her and
:kept jumping her with passion), and 2) easy to beat up (though she
:never harmed a pet rabbit).
: * After a while the cat started showing up with battered dead wild
:rabbits she had caught, and it was easier to keep a garden after that.

Well, I could get a cat and deliver it dead squirrels, which are easy to
find on the local streets. Maybe it would get the idea? I suppose a tom
cat would be better, because they're bigger.

Dan

Use a pump up pellet rifle to shoot one in your yard.
That way it is warm, and maybe even still wiggling when the cat gets
it.
Tie a string to it if it is not moving on it's own power.

A moma cat with kittens will tend to be less picky about what it eats,
and the kittens will chase anything that moves when they are hungry.
A tom cat is going to be bigger, and a good one will hunt the
neighborhood dogs as well.

Try going out into the country during kitten season and ask a farmer
for a kitten that it up and running on it's own.

BTW
Squirrel tastes like chicken if cooked like chicken.
;-)

BTW again
If you put small block of wood on the mouse trap so it will not close
all the way it will just snap and swat but not get packed off by
something to big for it, and a rat trap will take a squirrel.
You can tie it to a stake if you want so that nothing can drag it off.

You can also tape a wire or something like that to the swatter of the
trap and it will swing around better, making it freak them out more.

Wire cones sounds like a pretty good idea if you are in a town that
loves squirrels but hates cats.

What does an electric fence charger cost around there?
That would be fun watching a squirrel hit that.
;-)

On Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:01:47 -0500, Bert Byfield
wrote:

:: Yes, but I had a cat once who learned about rabbits up close
:: and
:ersonal, when a daughter kept pet rabbits in the house and yard.
::The cat learned that rabbits are 1) awful (one was in love with
::her and kept jumping her with passion), and 2) easy to beat up
:though she never harmed a pet rabbit).
::After a while the cat started showing up with battered dead wild
::rabbits she had caught, and it was easier to keep a garden after
::that.
:
: Well, I could get a cat and deliver it dead squirrels, which are
: easy to find on the local streets. Maybe it would get the idea? I
: suppose a tom cat would be better, because they're bigger. Dan
:
ead squirrels might give an idea to a cat. Unfixed male cats are the
:most butch. The only cat I ever had (I am 65) that killed a rat was an
:unfixed male. I woke up to find a trophy of half a rat.

I am also 65! Betcha you're at least a little confused about Medicare. I
spent a lot of time trying to figure out all the complexities and still
figure I barely have the lay of the land, and I'm probably wrong about a
lot of ideas I have about it.

I'm not sure they'll let me have an unfixed male cat in Berkeley, at
least one that gets out. Of course, maybe I'll be the only person who
knows it's unfixed.

My last girlfriend's male cat used to bring in dead or dieing birds. She
was pretty upset when that happened. Mice too, I think. My sister's cat
brought in a dead mouse a few days ago and freaked her out at 1:30 AM.

I seem to be on top of the rat problem here. I keep traps in the attic,
where I must have caught around 25 of them, but none in the last 2-3
years, I think. I used to hear them scurrying around in the attic, and
after I had my roof replaced, I cleaned out the attic good and proper,
including every dropping. Since then, a small flood in the attic (broken
vent pipe), brought up the urine smell from the wood up there and it's
still a problem in hot weather. I'm going to have to do something about
that.

Dan

On Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:56:27 -0700 (PDT), CanopyCo
wrote:

:On Oct 22, 11:43*pm, Dan Musicant ) wrote:
: On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:32:00 -0500, Bert Byfield
:
: wrote:
:
: ::The trouble is finding the right cat--most can't figure out how to
: ::catch squirrels and the ones who can usually get beat up enough
: ::the first time that they decide that squirrels aren't worth the
: ::effort.
: :
: : Training a cat would be darn near impossible, I guess.
: : Dan
: :
: : * Yes, but I had a cat once who learned about rabbits up close and
: ersonal, when a daughter kept pet rabbits in the house and yard. The
: :cat learned that rabbits are 1) awful (one was in love with her and
: :kept jumping her with passion), and 2) easy to beat up (though she
: :never harmed a pet rabbit).
: : * After a while the cat started showing up with battered dead wild
: :rabbits she had caught, and it was easier to keep a garden after that.
:
: Well, I could get a cat and deliver it dead squirrels, which are easy to
: find on the local streets. Maybe it would get the idea? I suppose a tom
: cat would be better, because they're bigger.
:
: Dan
:
:Use a pump up pellet rifle to shoot one in your yard.
:That way it is warm, and maybe even still wiggling when the cat gets
:it.
:Tie a string to it if it is not moving on it's own power.

Good idea!
:
:A moma cat with kittens will tend to be less picky about what it eats,
:and the kittens will chase anything that moves when they are hungry.
:A tom cat is going to be bigger, and a good one will hunt the
:neighborhood dogs as well.

Not too many unleashed dogs around here. I think it might be a law. I
haven't seen one in a while.
:
:Try going out into the country during kitten season and ask a farmer
:for a kitten that it up and running on it's own.

That may be the only way I can get an unfixed male. If I get it at the
local animal shelter, they may insist on fixing it before they give it
to me!
:
:BTW
:Squirrel tastes like chicken if cooked like chicken.
:;-)

Mmm, squirrel fricasee, sweet & sour squirrel,... yum!!
:
:BTW again
:If you put small block of wood on the mouse trap so it will not close
:all the way it will just snap and swat but not get packed off by
:something to big for it, and a rat trap will take a squirrel.

I have a couple mouse traps, and 6-8 rat traps.

:You can tie it to a stake if you want so that nothing can drag it off.

Great idea!
:
:You can also tape a wire or something like that to the swatter of the
:trap and it will swing around better, making it freak them out more.
:
:Wire cones sounds like a pretty good idea if you are in a town that
:loves squirrels but hates cats.

Cones! Yeah, that's better than cubes, way easier.
:
:What does an electric fence charger cost around there?
:That would be fun watching a squirrel hit that.
:;-)

That might be a real good idea. If squirrels get shocked in my yard they
might stay out. I could even set up blind shocking fences and move them
around until they just stay out. I have no idea where to get one or how
much it would cost. I imagine I could maybe make them myself. House
current would be too intense, and probably not safe. I guess the idea is
a transformer to step down the voltage to shock but not kill or have
danger of fire.

Dan

On Oct 23, 3:15 pm, Dan Musicant ) wrote:
On Thu, 23 Oct 2008 10:56:27 -0700 (PDT), CanopyCo
wrote:

:On Oct 22, 11:43 pm, Dan Musicant ) wrote:
: On Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:32:00 -0500, Bert Byfield
:: wrote:

:
:
:What does an electric fence charger cost around there?
:That would be fun watching a squirrel hit that.
:;-)

That might be a real good idea. If squirrels get shocked in my yard they
might stay out. I could even set up blind shocking fences and move them
around until they just stay out. I have no idea where to get one or how
much it would cost. I imagine I could maybe make them myself. House
current would be too intense, and probably not safe. I guess the idea is
a transformer to step down the voltage to shock but not kill or have
danger of fire.

Dan

Look in the farm stores.
Atwoods here has them, but I have no idea if they exist there.
You can make them your self, but don't.
Way to much legal threat for that.
Besides, if you fry them that way, they don't taste as good.
;-)

I see Ace Hardware has some, and I think they are everywhere.
http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com...31.html?ref=42
is one for about $30 that is 110 V and aimed at small pests and pets.

Here is a solar one that is a real farm one, but is much more
expensive at about $175
http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=1277273

I notice that pet stores also show them, but I bet they are more
expensive.
Here is the search I used.
http://www.google.com/products?q=sol...l=en&show =dd

In article ,
Dan Musicant ) wrote:


That may be the only way I can get an unfixed male. If I get it at the
local animal shelter, they may insist on fixing it before they give it
to me!

My neutered male cat kills almost daily. Rats, mice, gophers, and birds.
I don't think neutering is related to hunting. Some cats hunt, some
don't.

Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
Dan Musicant ) wrote:


That may be the only way I can get an unfixed male. If I get it at
the local animal shelter, they may insist on fixing it before they
give it to me!

My neutered male cat kills almost daily. Rats, mice, gophers, and
birds. I don't think neutering is related to hunting. Some cats
hunt,
some don't.

Our squirrelslayer was fixed. My dad suspected that the neighbor had
done it with a pair of pliers--that cat did _not_ like the neighbor.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Oct 24, 6:43*am, "J. Clarke" wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
*Dan Musicant ) wrote:

That may be the only way I can get an unfixed male. If I get it at
the local animal shelter, they may insist on fixing it before they
give it to me!

My neutered male cat kills almost daily. Rats, mice, gophers, and
birds. I don't think neutering is related to hunting. Some cats
hunt,
some don't.

Our squirrelslayer was fixed. *My dad suspected that the neighbor had
done it with a pair of pliers--that cat did _not_ like the neighbor.


Ya, that would tend me to be some what unfavorable to him if he did
that to me.
:-D