Should I ever poison a squirrel?

You can see scratches on the bark of your tree and part of your attic. You can hear noises during daytime. Your garden is a mess. Mounds of soil and holes are everywhere. The precious apples from your tree and the flowers in the pots have been munched by a seemingly plant-lover creature. Yes, these were all the works of an uninvited visitor, the squirrel.

The warfare has started. Traps were setup. Natural repellents have been sprayed and sprinkled to the fence, plants and the soil. Yet, everyday is a mess when you look outside the window. You have done everything but they seem to continue invading your home. Aha, I can just poison them!

The idea of poisoning squirrels can be your last resort when everything else fails. However, poisoning squirrels can be tricky. It can cause more harm to us and to other animals of the urban wildlife.

Commercial rat poison
There are so many forms of poison out in the market for pest control. On the other hand, there is no poison targeting squirrels. Here are some of the most frequently used poisons for our furry guest:

• Strychnine is a deadly toxin found in pesticides for rats. Given its potency, it can affect humans through inhalation or exposure of a person’s membrane to its powdered crystal form.
• Rat poisons widely available in the market are also used for squirrel elimination. In most cases rat poisons do not work because of the squirrel’s resistance to these substances.
• Anticoagulants are considered the most economical among the choices. Efficacy of anticoagulants depend is it is a slow-acting kind or a faster-acting one. Acceptance of our fuzzy visitors to different kinds of anticoagulants is less. When there are lapses in the feeding of the bait, the kill mission is jeopardized.

Only for professionals
Administering any kind of poison to your home may affect you or your household. Poisons as such can lead to lethal side effects or even death to humans. Are you willing to take the risk just to exterminate the uninvited visitor?

Unappealing poisons
Squirrels eat seeds, nuts, and even vegetation. The smell of poison is unappealing to them due to the chemical odor it emits. It can lead them to think the attractively colored cereal is a bait and will be more cautious to the surroundings.

Poisoning is an illegal activity

It is hard to cover your tracks when you have dead squirrels around. Once uncovered, you can be sanctioned by the law. That’s bringing you more harm than good.

Some ways for squirrel control are definitely more time consuming. However, you need to consider that squirrels should also be treated humanely while controlling their population or eliminating them.