Are 13 striped ground squirrels destructive?

One of the most destructive critters we see in West Michigan lawns are Thirteen-lined ground squirrels. These squirrels can cause structural damage due to tunnels under patios, stairs, and foundations. However, their burrows are the most common type of lawn damage caused by Thirteen-lined ground squirrels.

How do I get rid of ground squirrels permanently?

Install tall fencing or netting around gardens or bushes you don’t want these animals getting into. Make sure the fencing goes at least a foot underground. Use motion sensor water sprinklers to scare squirrels away with water. Plant mint plants around your home to repel the ground squirrels.

How long do 13 lined ground squirrels live?

Life span: Thirteen-lined ground squirrels have many predators (coyotes, hawks, owls, snakes and cats to name a few) so mortality is high. Five years is probably the maximum life span. Habitat: Thirteen-lined ground squirrels prefer flat, open grasslands or other dry, open fields wherever cover is short.

Are 13 lined ground squirrels bad for your yard?

Thirteen-lined ground squirrels can cause problems, however, when they create burrows in lawns, golf courses, cemeteries, parks, and earthen dikes; dig up newly planted seeds; consume sprouting seeds, and damage garden vegetables (Figures 2 and 3).

What home remedy kills squirrels?

Baking soda helps kill off squirrels when mixed with other substances, and a baking-soda solution helps eliminate problem squirrels without causing damage to other animals or plants in the area.

What home remedy keeps squirrels away?

Use Strong Odors. Scents like white pepper, black pepper, and garlic are naturally unpleasant to a squirrel. The same goes for sweet smells such as peppermint. Try spraying your plants and flowers with water and then sprinkling on pepper or peppermint oil to deter squirrels.

What animal eats 13 lined squirrels?

A wide variety of grassland animals would eat a thirteen-lined ground squirrel caught out in the open. These predators include snakes (such as bull snakes and rattlesnakes) swift foxes, coyotes, weasels, badgers, and many kinds of raptors (such as red-tailed hawks, and Cooper’s hawks).

What kind of squirrel is a thirteen lined squirrel?

Although often called “striped gophers,” thirteen-lined ground squirrels actually belong to the squirrel family, which includes chipmunks, ground squirrels, tree squirrels, prairie dogs, and woodchucks.

What kind of squirrel rests on dried leaves?

Thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) resting on some dried leaves and grass. The Thirteen Lined ground squirrel is probably the most mis-identified ground squirrel often mistaken for chipmunk and gophers.

What can I do to keep ground squirrels out of my yard?

The author will now list methods and products that can be used to repel ground squirrels from your yard to prevent local infestations. If you already have activity, there will be control options listed including poisoning, live trapping and kill trapping.

Is it illegal to trap and release ground squirrels?

In most states it is illegal; however, it doesn’t stop those, who are not able to control the population and infestation of ground squirrels. At times there is really no sense in trapping and releasing these animals elsewhere simply because they can cause problems everywhere. Warning!