Squirrel resistent Screen

[sidwelle]

I have a sliding glass door the opens to a patio w/sliding screen door.

Problem: Screen is tore up from squirrels climbing the screen. No idea why they want to climb it. Suspicion is that the previous owners of the home fed the squirrels ?

Replacement: (4 options)

1.) Aluminum Screen 2.) Standard Fiberglass screen, 3.) Extra Strength Fiberglass screen. 4.) Extra-Heavy 'Pet Friendly' Fiberglass screen.

Anyone have experience w/'Pet Friendly' fiberglass screen (Found it at Home Depot) ?

Anyone have any ideas how to detour the squirrels ?

Anyone ever had this problem before ?

Thank you.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Fortunately never had the problem, they never came close to the screen. There are commercial repellents as well as home made recipes with cayenne pepper and garlic. I'd see how a repellent works and then replace the screen.

A couple found on Google: White pepper and cayenne smells frequently discourage squirrels, for example. If you sprinkle your plants with flakes of cayenne pepper, it might keep unwelcome pests out of your garden. Squirrels also dislike garlic and black pepper smells. Raccoons share this aversion to the smell of pepper.

Apple cider vinegar can be used as an effective squirrel repellent because the creatures can't stand the strong, pungent smell and unpleasant taste of the vinegar. You can safely spray undiluted apple cider vinegar on hard surfaces such as plant pots, decking, and fencing.

At a minimum, I'd spray the screen itself with the cider vinegar and put something a few feet out from it.

[TimR]

Aluminum screen on door.

Short section of aluminum screening on floor outside door.

220 V line, one wire to each piece.

Careful. Neighbor of mine killed his best coonhound this way. Well, it was a garbage can rather than a screen, but same principle.

If you didn't want to kill them, maybe a fence charger would train them not to touch it.

[gfretwell]

Squirrels are on my screen cage all the time and they haven't caused any damage I can see but it does make the dog nuts. Usually by the time the screen material gets that brittle a hurricane will come through and blow them out.

[Rod Speed]

Shot gun.

Nope, no one has.

[Jim Joyce]

Be careful with any squirrel talk here in AHR. There are people here who might say when food comes right up to your door, the last thing you do is try to chase it away. Door to dinner plate is a short trip for some.

Me, not so much.

[gfretwell]

I am fattening up my squirrels for the apocalypse. I have a gopher turtle farm going back there and the Chokoloskee chickens are grazing in my front yard. I usually have a few manatee around here too

A country boy will survive.

[Clare Snyder]

Yes - not real nice to install, but VERY strong.

Get a Jack Russel terrier

[Clare Snyder]

I keep the beggars out of my shed with an altrasonic repeller.

[Jim Joyce]

Don't let the gators and snakes get your food.

[Hawk]

I've been using Pet Friendly screen for over a decade with no problems. I actually bought it for pets who always scratched at the screen doors. To this day, this isn't any indication of them doing do.

[Frank]

I put hot pepper flakes in the birdseed in the bird feeder but it would not deter the squirrels.

I suspect the OP's problem is with one squirrel as that does not appear to be normal behavior.

I would put out my Hav-a-hart trap and take him to the park where he would be welcome.

[gfretwell]

All squirrels do to Jacks is make them crazy. My neighbor had one and I am not sure he ever caught a squirrel but he certainly kept them from coming down the tree ... or the screen cage. The problem was the dog was trying to climb the cage. The guy had to run an 18" kick plate of coil all the way around his cage. It stopped the dog but the squirrels could jump over it and run up the cage.

[gfretwell]

Gator tail is good eating too.

[Clare Snyder]

I know some Jacks that have thinned the squirrel population considerably. Good on rats too.

[TimR]

My neighbor's Chihuahua got a squirrel this past week. It was almost as big as he was - he was SO proud!

Yes, killed it.

If a Chihuahua can do it a Jack should be able to - but catching them is the problem.

[gfretwell]

Squirrels are pretty good about not being caught on the ground. If they are used to people and pets that don't threaten them they can get pretty bold but as soon as the predators start hurting the core population, they will stay in the trees ... or up on your screen cage. The ones here will run around on top of the screen cage and make my dog nuts. The Jack across the street had the same issue. It seems like they know they are making the dog crazy and they enjoy it.

[Clare Snyder]

Didn't seem to be too much of a problem for my brother's dog 'till he got old. The short legs didn't slow him down and he cornered like he was on rails.

[micky]

How do you know when a Chihuahua is proud?

He brags to his girlfriends.