If you are thinking of using rat poison to kill squirrels, consider that in most cases squirrels will not die for eating rat poison, even if it is in high quantities. Squirrels can be annoying vermin, and they can be destructive in your yard to your plants. Not only do you want to get rid of squirrels, but you want to make sure they do not come back again. While a good pest control company can do this for you that can be expensive. Fortunately, there are a lot of ways you can get rid of squirrels.
As far as rat poison goes, it can be hard to get the squirrels to eat the rat poison, and they usually do not eat quantities large enough to kill them. There are better ways to humanely remove squirrels than to use rat poison. In fact, the most humane options for squirrel removal involve letting the squirrel live.
The best option for getting rid of squirrels might be to use a catch and release trap or a spray repellant. Not only will this help you eradicate a squirrel, but it will also be safe for any plants or pets you have in the area where you are trying to eliminate squirrels. Rat poison is usually not a great option, but using traps or sprays should allow you to safely eliminate squirrels while also ensuring pets and plants are not harmed.
How do you Humanely Kill a Squirrel?
If you have a squirrel problem, there are several approaches you can take. The most humane solution is not killing the squirrel, but instead, you should consider catching and releasing the squirrel in the woods far away from your home.
If you are looking to kill the squirrel, instead of catching and releasing into the wild, there is one option that is better than the rest as far as doing it humanely.
The most humane method, if you are dead set on killing the squirrel to solve your squirrel problem, is to consider asphyxiation by carbon monoxide. To do this, you will want to set up bait stations. Consider using peanut butter in the bait stations to encourage the squirrels to get trapped. Once trapped, killing squirrels can be easy and humane. However, you can also consider releasing the squirrel after he is trapped in the bait station. If you release him far enough away from your home, he will not return.
To humanely kill the squirrels, you will mix baking soda with white vinegar, which can create the carbon monoxide gas to successfully, and humanely, kill squirrels. No poison is involved, as squirrels’ poison does not really exist.
Another Humane Option to Kill the Squirrel
If you can stomach it, one way to kill squirrels that is a more humane option than squirrel poisons is blunt force trauma. Hitting the squirrel over the head with a hammer should kill him instantly, which means the squirrel will not experience much pain.
You might be better off considering an option that does not actually kill the squirrel. Repellants will deter them from eating your yard and garden without actually killing the squirrels.
In reality, repellents or using a trap to catch and release the squirrel is easier and more humane than killing the animal. While there might be some methods of death and killing more humane than others, that does not mean any method is truly humane. Consider saving the life of the squirrel and just getting him out of your hair by getting him off of your property.
Try Using Repellants
You can also try spraying repellants on the ground to keep squirrels away. Even after one spell of a special animal repellent, a squirrel will turn around and never come back to the location of the spray. Spray repellents do not harm squirrels, so by just spraying something that is unappealing to the squirrel, you can successfully prevent the squirrel from eating anything you do not want him to, but also allow him to live.
Consider if you are actually trying to kill the squirrels, or if just keeping them away from your property is all you need. We understand that one squirrel can do a lot of damage in your garden, but that squirrel could be captured and released away from your home, while still being permitted to live.
The nice thing about repellents is they will not harm the squirrel or any other animal that comes across them. They just smell bad, turning the squirrel away from wanting to eat anything you do not want him eating.
Can you get Rid of Squirrels for Good without Killing them?
If you want to avoid killing squirrels, you can try using peanut butter and bait stations instead of squirrel poisons to trap the squirrels, and then you can release them away from your property. Sometimes you do not need to kill a squirrel to eliminate it from bothering your property. You can take care of squirrels with bait stations and catching and releasing them.
If you release a squirrel far enough away from your property, you do not have to worry about the squirrel coming back. A squirrel does not have a good sense of direction and is not going to traverse back to your home from miles away from where he was released.
Will Rat Poison Kill Flying Squirrels?
Not really, no. Squirrels tend to stay away from rat poison, and they do not willingly eat it. This goes for both flying squirrels and ground squirrels. If they do eat it, it is usually in small doses of quantities not large enough to kill flying squirrels.
There is no good squirrel poison on the market. Whether ground squirrels or flying squirrels, you should consider other means of getting rid of them besides killing squirrels. It is more humane, and quite frankly easier than trying to kill them.
Don’t forget that rat poison, and other poisons can also do more harm than good. If you have plants and pets that you care about, poison could harm them while not even harming the squirrel. It is risky to use poisons, and generally, it is not worth the risk.
Will Squirrels Eat Rat Poison?
It is certainly not their favorite treat. Most squirrels will not eat rat poison, and you should consider other methods if you are looking to kill or get rid of squirrels from your yard. Even if you get a squirrel to eat poisons, squirrel poisons are usually not effective at killing the squirrel.
Not only will squirrel poisons usually prove to be ineffective, if the squirrels do die, they usually have time to crawl away first. This means they could actually crawl into your attic or walls and die where you can’t find them. This will lead to your house having some really bad odors, and chances are you will not easily be able to find the source.
Even if poison works to kill squirrels, there are plenty of other options instead. You should focus on what squirrels do like to eat, nuts and seeds, and use that to trap and lure them. Then, you can worry less about why they will not eat the poison you are trying to use to kill them.
How about other Poisons?
Even if you think a squirrel will eat poison, you might be surprised. Squirrels use their noses to determine what to eat, and they can usually sniff out something that does not smell fit to be consumed. One bite of most poisons is not enough to kill most squirrels.
Again, whether it is rat poison or some other poison, chances are the squirrel might not eat it at all, might live through it, or might die somewhere you don’t want his carcass to end up. Choose a more humane option to kill squirrels.
Key Takeaway about Poisons
There are no poisons that squirrels are attracted to. For the most part, poisons do more harm than good, and you should consider other options for eradicating squirrels than trying to use any type of poison. Poisons will not attract squirrels, which means they will not kill squirrels. But, you run the risk that the poison will harm your pets or plants. This is a lose-lose risk that is just not worth taking when there are plenty of other options for you to get rid of your squirrel problem.
Use Traps Instead to Capture Squirrels
Try another humane option by setting a trap with peanut butter, catching and releasing any squirrels that come onto your property. Not only does the catch and release save the life of the rodents, but it also could protect your pets and gardens from pesticides.
Don’t use poison baits when you are setting traps. They are best caught by trapping them with human foods you have in your pantry like peanuts. Rodenticide is not necessary if you are just trying to capture and then release the squirrel. Try to avoid using poison if at all possible.
To catch squirrels, there are a lot of different things you can use to lure them into the trap. Most of these items you probably already have in your pantry.
What can you use as Bait?
If you are out of peanuts and peanut butter what else can you use to lure and trap squirrels so you can release them off your property? Anything that tastes like peanut butter would work, so you could use a substitute like almond butter.
You can really try any seed. Squirrels live off of nuts and seeds, so it would only make sense that they will chase those nuts and seeds into a trap. If you do not have peanuts, try walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, etc. For maximum effect, it is usually best if you remove the shell. You can leave the shell in the trap in case they smell that, but it is best to make it as easy for the squirrel to get the food as possible. Then, once he is in the trap, you can easily catch him.
You can also try putting bread in the trap. If you have ever tried to sit on a bench and throw bread to ducks, you probably have noticed that a few squirrels joined the party. Put some bread into the trap, and that should work almost as well as peanut butter or nuts.
Poison and Pets
Poison and pets do not mix. If your pet consumes the poison he could die. If your squirrel is going to eat poison and die, what makes you think your pet would not eat it and meet a similar fate? Most spray repellants are safe for pets since the company making the spray probably tested it on animals. Sprays are not really designed to kill, just to deter. So, they should be safe. However, if you have pets that roam your yard in the same place as a squirrel does, do not use any type of poison, as your pet could be harmed.
Just remember – that annoying squirrel is not at all worth risking injury, illness, or death to your beloved pet. Stay away from poisons and look at other options for eradicating your squirrel problem.
Poison and Gardens
One of the reasons you plant a vegetable garden is so you can avoid buying vegetables that are full of pesticides. If you put down poison or spray a repellant on your garden, you are then contaminating your vegetables. While this isn’t a deal-breaker, you can wash it off, it does sort of defeat the purpose of planting and maintaining a healthy vegetable garden. If you are concerned with squirrels in your garden, consider using catch and release as your method of removing them. Just one bad vegetable in your garden from repellant could make you sick. It is better to get rid of your squirrel in another way.
The same with keeping your pets safe, keep your plants safe. There is no reason to kill off perfectly good and healthy plants and vegetables. Poisons have no place in your home or garden, especially when there are so many better options available to eliminate squirrels from your property.
What is the Overall Safest Way to Remove Squirrels from your property?
This is the bottom line, right? How can you safely and humanely get rid of annoying pests? The safest way for you, your pets, and the squirrel is to lure the squirrel with peanut butter or other natural food ingredients, trap him, and release him far away. Nobody gets harmed with this method, your plants and garden are preserved, and you are being perfectly humane. If your number one goal is being humane, then you should not kill the squirrel at all, you should release him instead.
Click here if you are looking for humane ways to kill or remove squirrels from your property! While rat poison will not work for you, there are plenty of other ways to remove a squirrel or two from your property like with a catch and release trap or with a spray repellent