chipmunks/ground squirrels

[Ariel301]

Hello everyone, I am new here, and have a question.

We started a vegetable garden last spring. It's not my first one, I grew up gardening, but haven't lived anywhere I could have one in a few years. Well, we got a late start, and so we didn't get to grow too much, but we had a serious problem with the few things that did grow.

Chipmunks and ground squirrels.

We live in the desert of nortwest Arizona, where there is little natural food and water for the wild critters. So of course the garden attracts them. We built a strong, three foot high rabbit proof chicken wire fence, buried a foot deep with stones buried in a ditch all around so they can't dig under. But the squirrels go through or over. There is no smaller mesh fencing available at any store around here, and it would have to be six foot tall and have a sealed roof over it to keep these guys from climbing in but allow us to get in!

Every seed I planted, they dug up and ate unless I put a plastic water bottle around it. Every sprouted plant, they dug up, ate the root off of, and threw the plant aside. Every plant that actually made it to production, they nibbled every single vegetable--a few bites and then move on to the next one, ruining every one but not eating the whole of anything.

We have tried traps, both live and rat-killing type, but they just multiply faster than we can trap them. My husband tried shooting them. He shot a dozen a day or more, still didn't help. We tried various homemade repellants, mostly based on hot peppers, and they ate that just fine. We tied scary metallic balloons all around the fence....worked for a week or so. We tried fake snakes moved all over the garden...again they figured it out after a week. We got an outdoor cat. He helps some, but I don't know if he will be enough, and we can't afford any more cats. The squirrels/chipmunks and rabbits and even quail are swarming our property in the hundreds because we are now a good food source with water, garden, and livestock feeds. It probably does not help either that our neighbor puts out food and water for the chipmunks on purpose.

Help! Does anyone have any ideas on keeping the chipmunks in control?

 

[digitS']

Ariel, that's a sad situation for someone who wants, enjoys, and could make good use of a garden.

Many gardeners have some idea of what you are going thru altho', you seem to have a huge problem. I quit using 1 garden after 6 years (borrowed land, free water) because it bordered parkland where marmots lived in complete protection. Marmots are 10 to 20 pound ground squirrels that live up here.

I've dealt with other ground squirrels fairly effectively by driving rocks into their tunnels with a block of wood and a sledgehammer. People have pointed out to me that ground squirrels around here live 6 months out of the year in the ground and could dig another exit. But, it worked - they may have just felt harassed and moved away.

One thing I learned moving stacks of hay and coming on mice by the million: A female cat will grab 1 mouse and leave. A male cat will kill them until he is tired.

Still, I think your situation is one for which terriers were "made" for. I can see a Cairn or a Jack Russell terrier having a grand time around your home.

Steve

 

[Ariel301]

I've lived around marmots before up in Colorado, and they were definitely hard on the flower beds, even though we did not have vegetables.

Our kitty is a male, (un-neutered) and he does seem to do a good job, just not sure he's enough to handle it on his own! I wish we could get a dog, but we've got all the animals we can handle right now on our budget (nearly a year unemployed now for both myself and my husband), plus we have an old doe goat who would kill a dog given the chance, she's really grouchy and hates dogs. Plus I'd worry that having a dog around would scare the cat away (he's outdoor only and not tame).

I've been told guinea fowl might help, but I don't want them because they are too noisy. I do have some free-range chickens that were given to me recently, do you think those will be any help against the squirrels? I know they certainly keep the bugs and lizards down.

From now on, I will start all seeds indoors to eliminate the seeds being eaten, dug up, and even moved around (we ended up with cantaloupe growing in our lettuce row because the squirrels moved and reburied the seeds!) I just wonder how to protect bigger plants and vegetables? I'd rather not use any chemicals in my garden, trying to keep it organic as much as possible.