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A few weeks ago, I came face to face with the thing all homeowners don’t want to encounter. I saw a squirrel climbing though a gap in my siding.  I managed to scare him off, but I was worried.  It was a combination of horror at the damage and worry about how much money it was going to cost me.

I investigated and noticed that the critter had pulled my siding away from the house to make a home for winter. I dealt with it quickly and secured the siding, and reduced the gap.

Well, not long after that, I noticed that the little bastard had chewed through the wooden upper part of the window to gain access to his little hole again.

I am sure I screamed loud enough for the entire neighbourhood to hear.

Now the battle was on. Obviously the little bastard was not going to give up his home without a fight.

I solicited help at work and got a myriad of stories from chilli peppers to other noxious substances. I was given a mild lecture on predators and the food chain.  I was even told interesting stories of people who ate squirrels.  I was informed that poisoning was not condoned, but that trapping and releasing would require a substantial drive.  I was also told to take care of the problem as soon as possible.

Round one had been a failure. Round two involved wire mesh across the entire window frame.  I will probably look less ugly when I have a chance to paint it.  It also involved filling the gap with expanding foam.  So far, the squirrel has made repeated attempts to get in, but has failed.  My window screen has taken quite a bit of abuse and the foam that escaped from the holes across the wire mesh has been completely shredded, but he has not gotten in.

Of course, I forgot to wear gloves for this procedure and still have some of the foam stuck to my hands. Not pleasant, but that’s what I get for not reading the instructions.***

When the weather warms up, I am going to have to find a better solution, but hopefully the squirrel will find somewhere else to hibernate for winter.  Obviously, this is not a Perfect Moment, but dealing with a house and all the problems that arise rarely is.

Have you had any determined animal problems?  How did you solve them?

***I was watching Seth’s Mountain Bike Hacks on YouTube and he recommended using sea salt as an abrasive.  It worked quite well and my hands, while not completely free of the gunk that’s on them, are much better.