How Do I Stop Squirrels Invading My Garage? | US Culture Shock

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In today's video, let's talk about the squirrel infestation in my American garage.
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[@scoobysnacks]

It might help if you replaced the rubber gasket on the bottom of the garage door. Over time they get brittle and crack and I noticed a lot of daylight under your garage door when it's closed. There is also a piece of rubber that you can glue down to the floor under the garage door (when the temp are hotter) so the door sits on it when it's closed. That can help close up that gap as well. Like most rodents, squirrels do not need a large hole to gain access. They can squeeze through a hole as small as 3/4 of an inch in diameter. It's also a good idea to prune any tree branches so they are not hanging over the roof of the house or the garage so that you're not providing them an exit ramp to your roof from their tree highways. Once on the roof they can access any holes that you may have in your soffits or roof vents. That's how the little buggers got access to my attic a few years ago. There are also chemicals you can spray to deter squirrels, but you have to apply them often, so the best course of action is to plug up anywhere that daylight is coming in where there's not supposed to be any daylight.

[@elultimo102]

I would advise a metal strip along the bottom of the door. The vermin just eat their way through rubber or plastic stripping. (Speaking from experience).

[@kimlindseyOH]

Marc, you said the exact same things I was going to say - thanks! I live in a neighborhood with lots of oak trees and, hence, a lot of squirrels as well as other wildlife and birds. It made me sad, but this winter I had to not feed the birds because of the squirrels: apparently they found it much easier to raid my bird feeders than to dig up all the acorns they should have buried. Using the bird food with the hot pepper juice did keep the squirrels off the feeders, but they still hung around the yard. Since I totally stopped with the bird food, far less squirrels hang around. So this is one more thing to try if rodent issues persist. Good luck Lawrence!

[@queenofdramatech]

We use plumbing wrapping that is for insulation. If you want to get fancy, use a cheap pool noodle.

[@larrydlam]

Agree. Like all rodents if they can get their head in where they want to go the rest can follow.

[@kylesummers1565]

The door is obvious. Peace, Love!!

[@Mythilt]

When we were teenagers, my siblings and I told our father that we had squirrels in the attic, and he went up one time, checked the attic and told us nope, no squirrels and basically ignored us telling him until one morning when a squirrel accidently broke through the ceiling of my parents bedroom.

[@EXROBOWIDOW]

Haha! The varmint edition of Dad ignoring Mom telling him the car is making funny noises...

[@happylaundry]

😂

[@Lord_LindaThePhilosopher]

They kinda deserved that 😂😂

[@Gamer3427]

I've had similar experience where I currently live. I kept hearing sounds in the ceiling, and knew from experience that they were squirrels. But since they tend to not stick around when people are near, any time we've tried to get someone to take a look and find a way to get rid of them, (friend of our landlord situation, not a professional exterminator), the people who come to check just say that there aren't any and leave without doing anything.

[@molly1949]

😂

[@colinmacaoidh9583]

Here in California, we have Western Gray squirrels. One thing you might consider is taking the puppy into the garage, maybe play with a ball or other toy for a spell every day or suchlike. If the garage smells like a predator, they'll be more inclined to stay clear

[@elultimo102]

In San Diego County, we had these mangy-looking gray ground squirrels, not to mention other rodents and rattlers.

[@projectartichoke]

In northeast Ohio we have melanistic gray squirrels that are black.

[@XSemperIdem5]

@@elultimo102 not so fun fact: squirrels in California can be carriers of the plague. Yes, the famous one from all the history books.

[@colinmacaoidh9583]

@@projectartichoke We have 'em here in Cali too, in fact the majority of the locals show that trait. Up until fairly recently, when the non native trees they used for nesting were removed, we had a fairly large owl population, and since they've gone, I've noticed our local ecology shifting. Including more of the actual gray, gray squirrels returning, and a LOT more raptors from the local foothills. I suspect the black ones were better at hiding during the twilight, thus the preponderance of what should be a recessive trait.

[@tinydancer7426]

@@XSemperIdem5 It's not the squirrels, rather the fleas that hitch a ride on them and feast on them.

[@briansmith2163]

In Michigan, in high school, we hosted an Australian exchange student. Our house was surrounded by massive oak trees. One day I saw her at the window, fascinated "look !" She said, "a squirrel !". She came from a land of kangaroos koalas and who knows what. I laughed and never forgot her wonder.

[@moxievision]

My partner is Australian, and was pretty much the same when she first came to Canada. Meanwhile, I go to Australia for the first time and encounter quokkas, tiger snakes and death adders, which apparently is no big deal.

[@AlphanumericCharacters]

I’m from the desert southwest. I visited somewhere back East in my teens and was fascinated by all the squirrels. We do have ground squirrels out here but no tree squirrels.

[@johnstevenson9956]

I've grown up around squirrels all my life and still, if I look out the window, "Squirrel!"

[@recoil53]

People are like that about snow too, when they grow up in warm/hot places.

[@theresabradley4716]

We were like that when we saw them in the UK and the USA.

[@susanstandard8727]

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all the negativity in the world. Your observations put a smile on my face! Thank you for that! Best wishes to you and your wife on home ownership!

[@HypatiaK]

I had a squirrel in my study, behind the books for a couple of days, where he left quite a mess. 8:10 We caught him with a hav-a-heart trap & released him in a park. They’re cute outside, but nasty in the house. Sending them to Britain is payback for the starlings over here. (Love your videos!)

[@philbrooks8147]

I think your squirrel issue is that the gap is too large below your garage door. Adjust the travel of the opener, or add a gasket to the bottom of the door, and I bet that solves it. Trapping them all will solve it until the next explorer finds his way in, and then once the scent is in the garage, you’ll be back at square one.

[@CeliaG9999]

Just like rats 🤷‍♀️

[@pm_davidjones]

You may even consider storing some used cat litter in the garage starting in the fall. That's how we warded off a skunk that liked to shelter in a drain pipe outside my girlfriend's old apartment, which was of course directly below the bedroom window. Waited for him to leave, tossed a few scoops of used litter in the end of the pipe, and sure enough he stopped hanging out in there.

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

For real, this works. Cat litter.

[@marshmower]

Used...... with flavor packed-in I presume.

[@robine916]

My son had come out of the bathroom and said "Mom, I think we have mice or squirrels in the walls! I kept hearing funny noises!" When I went over to the bathroom, I noticed the door to the hall closet was opened a bit, with noises coming from inside. I opened it up to be greeted by my Pomeranian, seated in the middle of the recycling bin with a tuna can in his mouth! Mystery solved!💕

[@LindaC616]

😄

[@stevethepocket]

I have an even weirder story. I used to hear scratching sounds coming from somewhere at night, and worried that it was some kind of animal in the wall. I finally figured out that it was my PC speakers; apparently there's some part that can wear out and cause it to intermittently make noises that sound exactly like something scratching on a wall and scurrying up and down it. I had been leaving them on overnight so my computer's Event Timer could wake me up in the morning by playing music. (I didn't have an MP3 player with an alarm feature, and was sick of waking up to commercial radio.)

[@robine916]

@@stevethepocket 🤣🤣🤣

[@beelunder8433]

lmao

[@odysseusrex5908]

My grandmother made friends with a squirrel that lived in one of her trees. She would leave nuts out on the kitchen windowsill and the squirrel would come up and take them. Gradually, she got to the point where the squirrel would take nuts directly out of her hand. Gradually, over time, one mother squirrel after another would teach her children about the nice lady who gave them food. Most of the squirrels would go off on their own, but there was always at least one who would stay to pass the tradition on to the next generation.

[@Knight-of-Sarcasm]

My university had a small family that lived in the grove of woods besides the Brothers' dormitory that students would travel by from class to class. When time permitted the students would feed these squirrels from the origination of the (then called college) to 2009 and beyond--my graduation year. These squirrels were so tame and bold they'd come right up to you and look you in the eye. You WILL give me food.

[@Ammut6]

Sounds like when I lived with my grandparents. They loved to cater towards the wildlife. They once rescued a baby squirrel that had fallen from a tree during a hurricane. The squirrel was in bad shape. They housed, fed it until it was back to good health and released it. It would always comr back for months afterwards.

[@alm5693]

I've got a 50 year old scar on one of my knuckles which reminds me never to feed squirrels up close again.

[@Jones4Leather]

Moth balls in the rafters... Ask your neighbors to put up a bird feeder to attract them next door OR take the feeder down if they already have one the squirrels can get into. Also, with your sense of humor, you'll enjoy the book Outwitting Squirrels by Bill Adler Jr. I once worked in a large non-profit organization with tons of passive aggressive conflict, and by boss and I found it helpful in for a few strategies for dealing with departmental politics. And you MUST listen to This American Life podcast episode "Squirrel Cop." (While you are at it, the whole "Fiasco" episode is worth a listen.) Enjoy!

[@alm5693]

Grey squirrels are our payback for Starlings and English Sparrows. Shakespeare's birds my bottom. If you want to relocate the captured grey squirrels yourself, just know that you will have to drive them to the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, preferably north of Muskegon, or they will find their way back to your garage. One of the nice things about the Mississippi running through the Twin Cities is that we can all dump our captured squirrels on the other side of the river. It's a tradition.

[@RandomDudeOne]

Squirrels don't know how to use a bridge?

[@LindaC616]

😂

[@LindaC616]

​@@RandomDudeOneit's the tolls. They hate tolls

[@Youvegotredonyou-BeckyChase]

Exactly, which side of the Mississippi are you dumping them on?? East or west side? If you say the wrong answer I will bring them back lol!

[@thecryptofishist9565]

So, all the squirrels from Ramsey County end up in Hennepin, and vice versa?

[@TomWDW1]

I'm from New England and I've never called them "Eastern Grey Squirrels." Don't worry, Laurance, you're fine. :-)

[@phoenixredux4262]

It's more of an Albany expression.

[@CptJistuce]

I'm down in East Texas, and we just call them "squirrels". Even though we DO have multiple species and might SHOULD differentiate. At least, an evening's reserach tells me we have two major populations in my area. As it turns out, most of the ones I've seen are technically fox squirrels, though I'm pretty sure I've seen some eastern grays too.

[@christinadanielle2776]

I had them in my attic. They are totally evil. There was a lady who owned a yoga studio a few blocks from my home. The lady had an infestation and she ended up cutting a hole in the wall. She dropped a few smoke bombs in. It didn't end well. Her yoga studio was on fire. She took it to next level.😅

[@CptJistuce]

Hey, I bet that fire made the squirrels leave fast!

[@TheGuyWhoIsSitting]

Bad news is the yoga studio caught fire. The good news is, no more squirrels!

[@michelleh5240]

“The Beaver People” - That one gets me lol - my parents had a squirrel problem in their log cabin for quite awhile - eventually they used some sort of sound emitting device that humans can’t hear but apparently squirrels can and they don’t like it. Your impression of the noise they make scratching is spot on 😂

[@ineedanap1085]

This reminded me of Mark Rober's video "Backyard Squirrel Maze 1.0" 😂 Squirrels are very smart and determined.

[@thattinawoman5119]

I feel your pain...I moved into a brand new home in Texas back in June, and the third day in a cardinal was pecking at every single window every single day in my house - not flying into them, sitting on the ledge, jumping up and pecking them relentlessly. I tried everything - bird spikes, covering up the windows (I had thought he was seeing his reflecting and thinking it was a rival cardinal invading his territory), these fake eye things you can hang from trees - I even had three small trees cut down in my back yard since he was using those to launch at the windows without ledges, but nothing worked. That cardinal was just a big damn jerk. Two things finally drove him away - 1) I got a fake owl I put on the back roof, and 2) this being Texas, I started taking shots at him from the back porch with my BB gun (I live in a rural area, nothing but woods around my house). He's lucky I'm not a great shot, but I did send some bb's his way every time I saw him from my porch. My house is finally insane-bird free!

[@scallopohare9431]

Psycho cardinal. Who knew it could exist?

[@marshmower]

I love them but they be dumb. At 3 am one sits on my window and makes laser blast sounds.

[@gslam8571]

You got to take care of that gap between your door and the floor those little bastards will get in any space and move in !!welcome to north america !!

[@Heydoesanybodywannalaugh]

I remember my grandfather capturing and “rehoming” grey squirrels from his yard in Minneapolis 30 years ago. He had his own humane traps. This was novel, coming from a lifelong hunter(bird hunter) and fisherman!!

[@Ammut6]

My grandfather rehomed a squirrel that was injured from a hurricane in thr back yard. I still have pictures of him holding him.

[@Rick-Rarick]

Have-A-Heart traps are great for squirrels. Catch and release a few miles down the road!

[@leslijenkins3661]

LOL, when my husband and I bought our first house, I thought we had a squirrel in our attic. Called pest control and the night before they were supposed to come out, woke up to a bat circling my bedroom ceiling fan. We literally had a whole colony of bats in our attic, the guy actually used the term "hundreds". Not sure which is worse, although bat guano is toxic so that might tip the scale. Glad you got them taken care of.

[@kazwozie4623]

I, also, had a bat infestation in my attic. I didn't know there was an issue, until they were squeezing through the attic door, and entering the main floors of my house. It's illegal to kill brown bats (I didn't want them dead, just out of my house), and very expensive to rid your house of them.

[@myinnermagpie]

Btw, we went to Turkey while on an European trip where we ate Turkish delight (a fig confection). I like figs, so we planted a fig tree, whose fruits the raccoons soon discovered. Eventually we found that our roof gutters were filled with “Turkish Delight”.

[@janetpendlebury6808]

Turkish delight is not made with figs - it is basically sugar and a starch.

[@markholm7050]

It looks like your garage door is sagging a bit in the middle. It may be possible to tighten up those two diagonal bracing rods in order to lift the middle of the door, making the bottom edge straighter. Look for nuts that can be turned to tighten. May need some WD-40 to lubricate the threads a bit.

[@j.m.7056]

And check the concrete for level.

[@cloo6984]

We have neighbors highly lacking in the upkeep of their home over the past several years. They now have several families of racoons and many squirrels living in their attic and siding! They've made huge holes in the roof, torn off the gutters and shingles too! We watch the wildlife running in and out all day and night! I just cannot imagine! Btw..absolutely love your videos! Edit: For those taking my comment out of context, these are 4 grown, healthy, family business owners. They are not impoverished, ivalid/disabled or elderly.

[@LindaC616]

Keep laughing! When I saw Neighbors have a guy remove a squirrel's nest from their roof, the mama squirrel quickly took each baby along the length of their roof hopped over to the roof of the house next door, and hide her babies in there. They remained there until the woman, who was a recluse, got sick and had to go to the hospital.

[@cloo6984]

@@LindaC616 what are you going on about? Who's laughing? Our neighbors are fine, they just don't keep their home in shape. That's on them. They are grown men and a woman. We all know the varmint hazards in our neighborhood and have our homes proofed accordingly. Edit: whoever did that squirrel removal didn't know what they were doing.

[@LindaC616]

@@cloo6984 meaning that they often have an alternate Nest. Very close by.

[@cloo6984]

@@LindaC616 yes, they do. The wooded area nearby. We see their activity, where they come from and where they go. We have varmint proofed our home from the get go and its well upkept as are our other neighbors. We also have indoor/outdoor dogs and a cat. Why am I even explaining this to you? What is your point? Edit: I get you assumed I was laughing about that. I clarified, I was not.

[@LindaC616]

@@cloo6984 you guessed wrong

[@SuLokify]

Gray Squirrels are quite sensitive to chili peppers (in particular, capsaicin). If you want to keep them from chewing on something you may find it helpful to cover it with an extract

[@MakeItWithCalvin]

I used to rehab squirrels and good luck with getting them out. In my experience, greys are the meaner ones! They are incredibly intelligent and persistent animals. I wish you the best on this, they are cute but evil 😂.

[@gl15col]

@@dayeti6794 Ugh, they always look kind of scabby and scruffy. But people eat coons too, and coons eat so much garbage...

[@acustomer7216]

Yeah they are mean. We trapped one in the attic & thought he was so cute, lets feed him before we drive him to the woods! Put a slice of apple in the trap & he charged over & hurled it at us. Jerk.

[@MakeItWithCalvin]

@@acustomer7216 yup sounds bout right! Not all of them are that aggressive but we had one who was a legitimate psycho. He got out of the cage and began running around the room screaming the whole time! Finally caught him and he proceeded to claw my hand up putting him back. Thankfully squirrels die very rapidly from rabies so that was not an issue and I cleaned up my hand and it healed fine. He never wanted anything to do with me after that thankfully.

[@grovermartin6874]

@@dayeti6794 And northern! Delicious.

[@MadJack1]

I heard they are a pretty good meal if you cook it right though

[@lorimiller623]

You need a splash block at the bottom of the gutter! Also--when I had squirrels in my attic, someone put a one-way door in the hole where they were getting in. When the squirrels were all out, he sealed the hole. In your case, you need a garage door seal.

[@gl15col]

My sister had bats in her attic, and they did the same thing. One way exit, and when all were confirmed left to hunt for the evening hole was sealed. It's illegal to kill them, so a clever and fast way to solve the problem

[@XSemperIdem5]

@@gl15col assuming it was microbats (very likely) they save us from so many mosquitoes and the diseases mosquitoes carry. So good thing they found a humane way to relocate them. Some people on larger properties add bat houses so the bats will help control the mosquito population and will have a nice home andnbot be tempted to use the actual house.

[@miafarrago4941]

@@gl15col One house we lived in when I was a kid had bats. I have hated them ever since. My poor dad never was able to get rid of them. The whole "they kill mosquitos" thing is pr for bats. If they snag one moth, they don't bother with mosquitos. Ironically, my BIL has worked for years for a prominent bat organization so we get inundated with romanticized pr for bats. I still hate them. And guess what pro-bat people choose to ignore--zoonosis (think pandemic).

[@amymadden4631]

Can so relate to this! For a while, I lived in a top floor apartment that had a small attic above it. It was an old house, and had some gaps here and there under the roof. Squirrels were chewing at the rafters night and day, at one point, then they had babies and I could hear the babies squeaking! I was sure they were going to chew all the way through to my apartment. The Critter Detectives were called, traps were set and eventually they were gone and I could sleep again. But now I occasionally hear one run across the roof of my house and I feel this familiar anxiety 😅

[@Suehuskins]

Get a garage door gasket or rubber seal that goes on the bottom of the garage door. Some have rubber and metal to stop rodents. I see light under your door. They come inside in September is what pest control guy told me.

[@kimcarriveau8266]

You are hilarious!! "BEAVER PEOPLE???", your a riot!! love your channel. NOW I'm addicted! See what you've gone and done!! Guess I'll have to keep watching. Oh by the way, I love the way you say SQUIRREL!!!

[@elizabethw.6154]

Here is Ohio we've had more issues with birds than squirrels getting inside (especially terrifying when they come down the chimney into the fireplace and into the house!)... One thing I noticed is you don't have a good gasket on the bottom of your garage door. Just letting massive amounts of light and air through AKA places that animals or other things could come though into your garage. That would be a good thing to get as well.

[@maybeebuzzy2265]

Squirrel Infestation! I had that same problem recently. Bought a live trap, which was fairly expensive ($80) and set out hunting😉 Within 8 months I caught and dispatched 23 nasty-azz "tree rats". It was well worth the $$ and effort. Six months later and still rodent-free (fingers crossed).

[@ACCER]

Oh, honey..... We found a groundhog living under our shed. We named him Phil. The following spring Phil had to be renamed to Philippa......wanna guess why? If you guessed that she had had 5 babies then you win a cookie. I believe we are now on the 5th generation of groundhogs living under our shed. Since the second generation they haven't run from us when they see up coming. In fact, I'd swear I seem them nod in greeting to me when I leave in the morning. We always let them know when we are going to mow or something like that......they watch from under the shed. I once got a photo of my husband sitting on the edge of the shed and two of the babies were peeking out between his legs. Welcome to the wonderful world of home-ownership!

[@mtnmagic1998]

Had alot in the attic space of my parents house years ago and I ended up having to throw most of my shoes out because they were not only chewing on them they were also nesting in some and storing nuts in others. Finally found a pest control that was able to track down the hole they were coming in through and repaired it and no more inside squirrels! Seeing as their house was on a mountain side in the middle of a large wooded area we kind of expected it to happen at some point.

[@amandadeforest7635]

I cannot pronounce the world "squirrel" any other way then exactly how Laurence says it now 😂

[@Mrhalligan39]

I heard once that "squirrel" is the longest one-syllable word in English.

[@felixd7818]

Where’s the moose?

[@johnhaller5851]

It's the pronunciation of garage that gets me

[@faithrussert3753]

😅

[@CptJistuce]

@pisswobble Because skwerl is easier to say than squirrel. The nature of the abbreviation makes me think it probably originated in the south. We've dropped so many sounds from so many words to make the language comfy and easy to wear.

[@kennethcook9406]

I don't know about squirrel-proofing your garage (I've never had one, a garage that is.) But a 50/50 blend of finely ground black pepper and finely ground cayenne pepper, sprinkled on the dirt of a raised garden bed, works wonders. It's actually what I used for a couple of years to keep squirrels from digging up my peppers, tomatoes, carrots, turnips/swiss chard, beets, and anything else in my planters that were still seedlings. It's very effective, most mammals hate Piperine (Black Pepper) and Capsaicin (Hot Pepper) when the plants are mature. So just spread a mix of the 2 mature powders while the plants are still young. So long as it's reapplied after each watering/rain. Both spices are cheap, and can be bought in bulk. In fact, the combination will keep almost any 4-legged mammal away; especially the smaller ones who have to step/walk in it to get to the food.

[@forevertoons9022]

Oooh, Laurence! We had squirrels in a cubby-hole in the attic. Actually, it was just one squirrel. Painters painting a room on the top floor, had left the windows open and during a break, one of these buggers decided to pop in and climb the stairs to the attic. A quick visit to Home Depot, a squirrel cage and a can of salmon had Mr. Squirrel caught, put in the car trunk and on a short trip to a forested area a few miles away where I let him go.

[@jamesboswell760]

I didn’t know that squirrels 🐿️ like seafood.

[@alechorn1109]

Where he was immediately eaten.

[@nickstav08]

​@Ken Fullman grey squirrels are omnivores; though most herbivores will take a nibble of meat from time to time for a boost of protein.

[@virginiamoss7045]

It will be back unless your short trip was at least 6 miles away with lots of obstacles like rivers or busy roads between.

[@johnhaller5851]

In my state, it's illegal to release "fur bearing animals" on someone else's property without permission. On top of that, they are likely to be killed trying to cross roads back to their territory, or killed by the squirrels controlling the territory they are moved to.

[@sgfx]

We had a squirrel that would eat through the wood patchwork and keep getting in. I even nailed an old license plate over the entry point, but they would just chew around it. I tried spray foam, but they would eat through it. Though it seemed to slow them down, in a moment of inspiration, I filled the hole once more with spray foam, but this time I sprinkled cayenne pepper onto the foam while it was still wet. This worked; I saw a few bite marks, but it kept them out for at least the three years before I moved away.

[@laurabustos6560]

They prob were using the ladder!! Squirrelly little nuggets!! 😂 Kudos to you for using have a heart traps and not poison. Whenever possible it's best to 🚫 kill things... I'm sure the pest ppl told you, but make sure to seal all the little gaps in doors and vents.

[@rosiereal]

We trapped some raccoons who kept getting into our yard to eat plums from our trees. If you trap them you have to make sure to let them out far enough away that they won't find their way back. Here in Washington state we also have ground squirrels & moles who were helping themselves to the carrots & potatoes we were trying to grow. Putting dog doo-doo into their holes got rid of them. So having Arthur play in the garage might help.

[@BabsisHere]

Oooo, Lawrence!!!!! Years ago we had a squirrel who apparently fell down our chimney on a rainy day….my mother was watching my daughter and all of a sudden she heard my daughter screaming upstairs along with our miniature schnauzer barking like crazy!!!! My mother ran up the stairs to check on her only to find a creature passing her heading downstairs followed closely by our dog!!!!! You could tell everywhere the dog came close to the “catch” by the scat that was left behind!!! Yes, my dog scared the **** out of that rodent!!!!! I got home shortly after and managed to run to the back door and open it just in time for that little varmint to make his escape! In searching for how he got in, I realized that the glass doors on my fireplace had ashen footprints on the INSIDE from the squirrel making his escape into our house!!!!! I must say that was both the creepiest and funniest afternoons in my home!!!!!!

[@CarterKey6]

I live in the southern US and we have pecan trees and lots of giant(grey) squirrels and they have a really good arm. When we try to collect our pecans or just enjoy a morning in the rose garden they bombard us with pecans and it is painful. They are definitely throwing them at us I see them laughing.

[@dottieburton5501]

I live in the USA and yes grey squirrels can be a pest for sure but if they are not getting into your stuff set back and watch them they are so funny one time my mom had a peach tree in the back yard she waited days waiting on them peaches to get ripe well a grey squirrel came along and stole them all made my mom mad the next year she picked the peaches a little way from being ripe oh man was that squirrel mad at her he got on our garage and just kept on squeaking at her lol it was so funny they will chase each other and it's just fun to watch them especially when they are young they are so funny when they are not being a pest lol

[@BookishDark]

Lmao yes!! They’re so sassy and funny and way more dynamic than they seem at a glance - they seem homogenous but they’re (of course) all individuals with differing personalities

[@dottieburton5501]

@@BookishDark yes they are lol

[@victoriasanders3811]

Cut up bars of Irish Spring soap and place them in the rafters around the garage. Squirrels (& other pests) HATE the smell and will avoid those areas. 🐿️ 🕷️ 🐝 🐜 🦌 🦝

[@Amagi870]

Try a plug in ultrasonic repellent. It plays a high frequency sound humans can't hear that drives rodents out. Good luck with these relentless invaders.

[@sharonsmith583]

Welcome to home ownership! I had squirrels in my attic (better than bats in my belfry). I had the traps done, then they repaired the tiny hole they were getting in through, then put a metal strip all around my roof. I pay a squirrel bond every year ($100) and they guarantee to get rid of them if they come back (they haven't).

[@adoxartist1258]

Correction: WOLF urine, not coyote. 😁 We use WOLF urine around areas we don't want squirrels: specifically trees that afford access to the roof. So far, so good! We've been using it for more than a year. It needs to be reapplied from time to time but it seems the squirrels learn where it smells like predators and avoid us much longer than the WOLF urine lasts. 👍

[@Captain_Bad_Bill]

Peppermint oil will work as well.

[@judykniffin9932]

OK...where do you get coyote urine???

[@spacehonky6315]

A coyote 😋

[@CAMacKenzie]

I had mice in the attic, and at the time I had a cat, so I put a couple of bowls of used cat litter up there, periodically replacing it, and they left and didn't come back. Since he went to that great catbox in the sky, I've taken to putting household ammonia on the now old litter, and that works, too.

[@LindaC616]

​@@crobnsonand cats

[@Youvegotredonyou-BeckyChase]

Squirrels are not a problem for us here...we have them, just not a problem. We have more issues with groundhogs, raccoons, opossums, chipmunks and mice! I am just north of you in the state of 🧀 (Wisconsin)

[@Testing-123]

yes, we had a squirrel (of the grey persuasion) living in our attic. I waited until midday, when I knew it would be out foraging, and blocked all entrance and egress points, especially by trimming back the tree branches that hung over the house. Seems these tree-rats don't like falling more than a few feet. So, I trimmed the trees back by 10 feet. Never had an issue after that.

[@j.m.7056]

Tree-rats, I like that! I call pigeons and mourning doves sky-rats.

[@amandabecker642]

I never had a squirrel issue, but voles were destroying my entire yard. Then I got an outside cat….and the vole problem mysteriously disappeared! (Even though the cat is limited by an invisible fence collar, I don’t think the voles know that)

[@klauer4139]

My sister’s granddaughter collected black walnuts from a tree in her yard and put them in her garage! The garage is attached to the house and you can enter the house from the garage right into the kitchen. Needless to say the squirrel not only got in the garage but in the house. It took them a few days to get it out of the house. They laugh about it now . But it was quite an ordeal.

[@janderson6257]

My mother also collected black walnuts and stored them for the winter in a smoke house on our farm. By Spring they would have dried out and it would be easier to extract the nuts. Spring came and all of the nuts had been extracted by squirrels. Major disappointment thanks to the little Eastern Gray beasts,

[@joanneaurica3189]

Dearest Laurence. . . yours truly, this tree hugger and orphan animal carer has this story for you from Pennsylvania, where I have grey squirrels and black squirrels. A Momma squirrel trusted my property for shelter and peanuts to feed her and her babies. My cat accidentally killed one of her baby squirrels. With remorse, I vowed to her that I would take care of her babies. So she stayed and brought up her little clan in the shelter of my soffit and the largesse of daily peanuts. She knew if she looked into my window and held up her little paws in supplication, I would run to her with food. One fine spring day she discovered she could come into the house by doing the limbo beneath my security door, squeezing herself into a space a bit smaller than the size of yours under your garage door. She chewed the rattan in the cupboard at my entryway where I kept the peanuts and helped herself. She taught her babies how to help themselves to the buffet if I wasn't around. When I am nearby but not fast enough, one of them limbos beneath the door, sits on the entry rug, and begs. Now, this is very bad, of course, but since they are polite in my presence and avoid running amok through the house, well-behaved enough to let me know they are waiting for me, I tolerate this behavior. I did get a new soffit that is squirrel-proofed and I've been weaning them from hand-fed peanuts so they look elsewhere for their food, but our interactions were polite and civil and I owed them the duty of making up for my cat murdering their little sibling. They are all doing quite well now, stopping by once in a while when they hear my voice. Good luck with distracting your brood to a new location 🙄🥜🥜🥜🥜🥜

[@SarahRenz59]

I live in a subdivision that was built around 2000 on what was once farmland/open field. For the first 10 years, there were zero squirrels because the trees were too young and small. But they're here now. So far, it appears that they're keeping their nests in the trees, but I do get concerned when I hear them scampering across my roof. I know how much damage they can do, so I try to stay vigilant for signs of incursion.

[@OvGraphics]

Get ready. When the population hits a certain point you will get a fur critter in your attic. 6 squirrels are cute. 36 is a guaranteed incursion invitation invasion. There is a solution...keep the pop down.

[@YourWaywardDestiny]

My neighbor has several friendly barn cats that range through my property. The squirrel vs adorable small-animal killing machines match up goes about as you would expect it to and I do not have a problem with animals trying to break into my house, just a problem with overly generous cats. And by generous, I mean they leave me presents. And by presents, I mean bodies with no heads.

[@notmyworld44]

I'm glad you are back on this subject, because I get a hoot out of hearing you say "garidge". Don't quit saying it that way, because if you do it will sound like you are getting Americanized, and that terrifies me!

[@Katie_O]

I run a nuisance wildlife removal company. The company you hired needs to install a metal garage door seal. It’s a common problem and should cost about $400 for the customer. We have an 8ft metal brake that lets us bend metal any way we want, it’s a wonderful tool for this kind of work. If the company you hired is having this hard a time solving the problem after 3+ weeks you may need to hire someone else. Wildlife removal is an industry that unfortunately has a lot of disreputable companies and it can be hard to find a quality one. It also seems likely the squirrels have another way in. I can see a tiny amount of light coming from the corner of your soffit in the first shot you show us your rafters. I suggest have another company come out and inspect. Whoever you hire should be proposing trail cam monitoring, trapping, and exclusion repairs. No quality company uses cardboard as an activity level monitor.

[@scottmantooth8785]

*don't think of it as an infestation but rather as a momentary acceptance of the squirrels preferred residency and better Wi-Fi options that would otherwise be found in the local woodland areas which are notorious for being spotty and suffer from lag times which is very frustrating during online game play...especially for squirrels with very short attention spans*

[@AspasiaB]

I was going to say something very similar. As well as the fact that Laurence just has new roommates now.

[@scottmantooth8785]

@@AspasiaB *great minds separated by great distances thinking alike ... must be a geek thing*

[@carolyngilbert5121]

🤣

[@jillkoop5682]

Oh yes...squirrels in your house would be MUCH worse than in your garage! I didn't see little Arthur out in the garage helping you catch squirrels. How is that sweet baby? I hope he is giving you lots of snuggles. Does he get along OK with the cat? That takes a while to bring harmony! ❤

[@artao5]

Feed and love them and they will form into your own personal squirrel army that is at your command.

[@helenluvs2laugh]

I had them back in 2018, 2019, and installed some drip edge around my old roof and when I got a new roof I have drip edge around it as well. It's harder for them to chew through. Also, they often will come in to have their babies, which is in the spring and fall. Good luck! Their teeth continue to grow so they need something to chew through and if they chew through items in the attic, including furnaces, home insurance won't cover them because it is rodent related.

[@tonyatippetts2316]

I hate to do this but I just watched Squirrel maze V2.0. The first and third are available. He is available for hire. Phat Gus needs some competition.

[@LynnB-io2uc]

I am loving all your new home videos!!! 😊. You made me laugh so during this one. 😂

[@kristicullen6380]

Squirrel’s 🐿️ don’t like cayenne pepper, black pepper, peppermint ( You can get essential oil I fill a spay bottle wit mostly water & some peppermint spray in areas they are coming in at or grow some peppermint ) or anything with pepper in it. 🐭 & bugs 🐜 , 🕷️ don’t like peppermint as well

[@peteg475]

I had flying squirrels in my attic. That was fun.

[@LathanM]

We had the problem until we put in bird feeders. The feeders attracted the birds and squirrels and all were fun to watch. They also attracted hawks. Now the squirrels come to eat but run off. Every winter we see squirrel footprint that end with 2 very large wing prints.

[@marciareagan2718]

My mom had flying squirrel infestation in her attic. It was quite something to get them removed.

[@bobtremblay9172]

Good video. I appreciate you talking specifically about Eastern Grey Squirrels. To be as precise as possible, the stock video you have at the 6.19 mark is a Red Squirrel. Red Squirrels are smaller, they tend to live in forests and not in suburban areas, they eat pine cones (as the one in the video is doing) and not acorns and larger hard nuts as Grey Squirrels do.

[@alm5693]

I had to trap grey squirrels in my house basement last summer, which was really disconcerting because I could not find where they were coming in but the basement was warm and muggy as heck. I caught three of them over the summer (two in one week). I had to check the trap often to see if the mice had eaten the food for the squirrels (they often had). I am SO GOSH-DARNED GLAD to not live in that house any more.

[@getoffthemilk6872]

We had the pleasure of raccoons! I am very definitely being sarcastic. They got into our attic. They had ripped a whole in the roof. They were having a fine old time playing with the toys up there. I found my husband sitting up there one night with the gun waiting for the one that got stuck after he fixed the roof AGAIN. I finally talked him down as he realized in our older house that there were too many nails and he would probably hit one and it would probably ricochet and hit him instead. Don't misunderstand, I had no sympathy for the raccoon. I just didn't want my husband, who is an expert shot by the way, hurting himself. He was just a little slap happy from all the missed sleep. I hate raccoons. It finally broke and jumped out the window in the attaic to escape and we finally got some sleep.

[@heathermichael3987]

I noticed someone wrote in about raccoons, heads up , if you have squirrels, keep eyes out for raccoons. The raccoons won’t be far behind. The squirrels were probably there for years and be mindful. My neighbor once got into a battle with yard bunnies. The bunnies won.

[@johns3508]

dont forget to blindfold them on the ride so they wont find their way back.

[@Blondie42]

I hope they weren't of the Monty Python variety: they're killers. :P

[@LindaC616]

By the size of the hole in my backyard, I suspect I have yard bunnies. My only beef with them so far is that they don't eat the wild chives that are in the front flower bed, which are hard to remove and pull up, and that one of my neighbors reported seeing a coyote coming out of my yard a week or so ago

[@kaboom4679]

Still no match for the average Cougar . Bars here are infested with em .

[@LindaC616]

@kaboom4679 hahaha have you seen Ozzyman's cougar video? It's one of his past!

[@johnw8578]

Um... Not to worry you, but have you looked in your attic? I am scared to look into mine -- my neighbor has bats and it costs a heap-load of cash to "bat-proof" your house. Welcome to home ownership!

[@SmedleyDouwright]

No raccoons yet?

[@George-ux6zz]

I used to have a problem with Grey squirrels myself. I built 6 little squirrel houses complete with their own deck. I nailed them into trees and put some nuts on the deck. (Not mine) They ate the nuts and started using the little houses I built. You could do the same. That way when more turn up, hopefully they use the houses. Take care young man. 😅😅

[@wayIess]

My apartment has a back patio with a small garden and the gray squirrels are a huge nuisance. I bought a fake a owl last summer and have it moved every few days which seems to really help.

[@BipolarAyatollah]

I had a couple of squirrels chew into my attic. I observed the time that they returned in the evening (they were very punctual), and I ambushed them. Problem solved.

[@gaildilbeck339]

I used to hear them running across my seamed metal roof , but I haven't in a while . They rob our bird feeders all the time . We used to camp a lot and there were flying squirrels up in the trees . It was like watching a circus . We would leave our food in plastic bins and those squirrels would chew through those bins !

[@wm-nu1yf]

Put some cayenne pepper on the birdseed. It doesn't affect the birds and the squirrels will avoid it.

[@kevinbaker6168]

Perhaps you could ask one of Tara's cousins to visit. Since they are from Indiana they probably have experience with eliminating unwanted rodents. They will tell you the best way of dealing with them is to move Oliver out to the garage for a few nights. I know, he is still a baby, but he is a canine, and being such he will or should have an intense interest in harassing squirrels. The squirrels will decide there is much better places to habituate, most likely the attic of your house.

[@ellensippel8413]

Yes I have had squirrels get in our house through a hole they chewed in our eaves. We hired someone who repaired the hole, set traps and got rid of them. One funny story is the guy was on our roof looking for where they got in and one was following him unbeknownst to hum! Final thought, squirrels also seek food. Make sure you do not store your dog's food in the garage and in the house store in a container with a lid.

[@lilsuzq32]

... eaves ...

[@ellensippel8413]

@@lilsuzq32 thank you!

[@lindagray6727]

I have no advice...but I love how Brits pronounce "squirrel." 🙂 I hope you are able to solve the problem.

[@valoriegibbons378]

Love squirrels. My brother's raised one when I was in grade/elementary school that fell out of its nest. (That sentence is crap but I'm leaving it) Tony was so cool. Had the run of the house. Luckily I've never had to deal with an unwanted invasion. On a side note, I just realized your glasses and "eyes" are a part of your logo. Well done

[@sharons5714]

I had several tame squirrels. When they ran out of the nuts I put out for them, they would start looking in the windows until they found one of us. They’re one of my favorite animals.

[@davidedgar2818]

When I first saw your title, I immediately thought of the Eastern gray squirrel that was introduced into England. They have displaced the more docile red squirrel and are much more destructive. Please make sure that your chimney and furnace roof vents have proper animal proof covers, this is a very common access point.

[@billstorm5889]

I have a life-long hatred for squirrels or at least since I was 25 years old, many a moon ago. As a city boy, living in Manhattan I don't worry about squirrels getting in. However, I was a teacher in the South Bronx for decades. One day in the middle of winter in the mid '90s I had to open my window because I was literally boiling. Unbelievable, my school still had a coal furnace. It was absolutely impossible to regulate the temperature in the room. I froze or boiled. Well back to my horror. About an hour into the school day suddenly I heard my fourth graders screaming. There was a gray squirrel in the room that absolutely refused to leave. He loved being toasty during a bad winter. Let's just say the squirrel took objections to my eviction attempts. Crawled up my leg onto the top of my head. I started running around the room just like some demented cartoon you might see on television. When I got the little fellow off, he repeated the process with several of the kids. Naturally, everybody made for the door. So many kids were at the door that nobody could get out of the room. Trapped with an insane squirrel. An absolute nightmare. To this day whenever I see one of these little buggers on the sidewalk, I turn around and quickly leave the area. Unfortunately, my apartment has greenery around the buildings. These little creeps are everywhere. Couldn't I just have to deal with muggers instead , like most Manhattan residents. Now if you develop a rat problem, please do not make a video of it. There's just so much my poor little body can endure.

[@freethebirds3578]

I'm now thinking of the Mississippi Squirrel Revival Hallelujah!

[@LindaC616]

Move to Queens. They hate Queens. Seriously, though, your story is hilarious! Take me back to some Mouse stories in my own family

[@help8help]

Remember that squirrels are just rats with fluffy tails. Your dog could entertain himself himself chasing them all day. If you ever get really fed up with the squirrels get a pet cat with a known history of hunting.

[@nofrackingzone7479]

The squirrels are coming in under the crack in the garage door. Lawrence needs to have the door adjusted and a gasket installed under the door. Edit: When I lived in Ohio there was the Canadian black squirrel had colonized a large part Kent Ohio thanks to a couple of professors what brought them down from Canada. If you want the critters to leave buy coyote urine and spray a very small amount around your garage in the rafters.

[@ElCid48]

Also, used cat litter placed in strategic places in the garage could help keeping the rodents away. It's not only the squirrels entering , it could also be mice and rats.

[@MadJack1]

I mean, he as a dog too, so maybe he can get it to run off the squirrels

[@jonahhust5321]

Laurence, now that you are a Midwesterner, you should be eating those things. I'd say they taste like chicken, but they don't. Very good taste though. Not fishy at all ;)

[@georgemartin1436]

A SHOTGUN would be sufficient to eliminate such things. And then a CONTRACTOR to fix things damaged with the shotgun.

[@commissarlugh1040]

Over kill strong bb gun or 22

[@jjohn4874]

@@commissarlugh1040 No, killing!!

[@ryanfriscia1132]

When the IC Title Ladder Match got a shout out, I felt insane whiplash from two unrelated parts of my entertainment history combining.

[@davidnull5590]

On a more serious note, block the hidden space where the rafters meet the top plate - the little unseen area entered between the roof and the walls (eaves) The material to use there is **hardware cloth** 16 gauge wire, spacing either 1 inch by 1 inch or 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. You'll need to buy a pair of **tin snips** they come in three varieties, I'll let you figure that out. Buy a pair of heavy leather work gloves for this task. To fasten the hardware cloth that you've cut and bent into the ideal size and shape for squirrel-blocking - roofing nails (wide head) or hardware-cloth staples. Squirrels can't chew through 16 gauge hardware cloth ... well, not easily. There's a rustic debate on the internet about the best method of attaching hardware-cloth that I'll avoid entering. Installing that blocking will keep squirrels and all sorts of critters from hiding in your garage.

[@another_jt]

Wildlife infestations never turn out like in Snow White where you can just whistle a bit and have them do your chores for you. I helped my father with an invasion of birds who took to nesting in a vent (I think it was the exhaust of a gas fireplace). Seemed much of the neighborhood had the problem, either the vents were poorly chosen by the contractor or installed incorrectly. A fair amount of wrangling wire mesh into place eventually made his vent less attractive than the neighbors.

[@herbwitch5681]

I was touring a house some years back with my daughter, niece and grandnephew. The realtor pulled down the attic door, which happened to be in the kitchen ceiling. It also happened to hold a squirrel’s nest. One fell out and bounced off my niece’s head, then ran out the open door. We all shrieked and then had a good laugh.

[@snowbirdlady8496]

🤣

[@EXROBOWIDOW]

I presume you did not buy that house! While I was house shopping, we were shown one house where the lady of the house offered us glasses of water. Although I was thirsty, I declined when I saw the ants floating in the water.

[@herbwitch5681]

@@EXROBOWIDOW Actually I put in an offer, but the owners rejected it. It seems there were four heirs who all wanted a specific amount from the sale, and their counteroffer was unreasonable for the time and place, considering the condition of the property.

[@ironwolf5802]

There isn't much to stop them when they really want to get in. They would chew up the plastic and metal gutters to run in the attic. They also do have a nasty habit of chewing wires like electric junkies. Hear, good eating but I haven't tried.

[@poppyneese1811]

My wife and I second place was a house we rented, between the ceiling and the attic floor above our bed room lived 50-1,500 squirrels, my estimate and these were partying squirrels at about 10:30 PM it sounded like they were holding an Olympics and spent the night sprinting from one corner to the other, spring came and they moved outside and we moved before fall returned.

[@angiebee2225]

I had an apartment like that. If you've never tried to sleep while critters are scampering about gleefully above your head, you are blessed.

[@MadJack1]

I mean, I do believe I've seen squirrels run as if they were racing or playing tag in the woods before, so they probably just about were holding the Squirrel Olympics

[@poppyneese1811]

@@angiebee2225 I’ll admit I’m a little funny about noises anyway.

[@poppyneese1811]

@@MadJack1 I think it was a bunch of teenage squirrels their the worst, but the squirrels around my house now are very territorial to each other, hard to tell if their having a good time or wanting to hurt each other.

[@AndrewBlacker-wr2ve]

Get a cat. Keep it indoors with you so it bonds with you and wants to protect you. Also, only feed it raw meat. Then banish it to the garage AND don't feed it

[@SCBJQ]

I had squirrels in my garage years ago. So cute! It was winter and they were storing a pile of acorns in there. I didn't go in the garage often, so I didn't mind. There were a lot of empty acorn shells laying on the floor by the time spring came. Other than that, they didn't do any damage. It hasn't happened since. We keep them well fed in our yard now.

[@eastlynburkholder3559]

So lucky, no damage.

[@krisweinschenker598]

I used to have a squirrel problem too. One year I opened up my portable vegetable stand (converted from a old hay wagon) and found it filled with walnuts

[@dannyjoe3343]

Alot of animals mark their territory by urinating on bushes or trees to keep other critters away. So here's my suggestion...mark yer territory. That's right, i still do it on occasion to keep critters away from my garbage cans. Humans are animals too.

[@thetinpin]

Your often obtuse and dead pan sense of humor is _priceless_ and really makes your videos! I'm very glad that you crossed "the pond" to join us here!

[@themarlboromandalorian]

Put out corn for them. And bird feeders to loot. Plant a walnut tree. Make the interior of the garage easy access for them. It'll be fine.

[@craigsavarese4554]

I have no idea if it is an issue up north, but in the south after winter comes a long period of wasps/hornets making nests above your front door, in the garage, … come to think about it - every freakin’ where. And they get down right mean and aggressive in the summer heat.

[@markbanash921]

Welcome to home ownership in America. The American builder William Levitt once said :"A man who owns his own home has no time to be a Communist." He meant that there are simply too many things to deal with to set aside time to read "Das Kapital."

[@andrewdodd4424]

Just to add an extra defence, you might try dabbing some tea tree oil by the windows and doors, and especially on that flat rim of the walls around the garage. They do not like that, and it's a much better smell than coyote urine.