Garden Pests and Diseases: Chipmunks invading my vegetable garden., 2 by DonnaMack

DonnaMack wrote:
Milorganite does not work on squirrels, but I have a good one you. The thing that works beautifully on squirrels is freshly ground black pepper. But it works really well. Note that the pepper has to be freshly ground. Squirrels are such morons. They dig into freshly turned earth (the kind you have when you plant) to see what \"the other guy\" buried. They often leave bulbs above ground, so they can dry out and die.

This is the deal. Get a cheap pepper grinder from a thrift store. Put pepper corns in and every time you plant anything stand over the plant or bulb and give the grinder a few turns. You need to do it for the next two days, but if you do, it works 100%.

Ground pepper does not work. Neither does cayenne pepper, although I don\'t know why. Years ago I was growing lilies in pots and the little guys kept eating them. So I BURIED a lily in cayenne. The next morning I heard a weird noise. I looked out, and a squirrel was sitting in the pot eating the lily and sneezing - but he ate it anyway.

Wish I\'d had a camera. Also, cayenne forms a disgusting crust. And it\'s orange!

I have two rescues. One is a seal point Siamese that obviously ran out the door and got lost. The little darling sought the protection of a larger cat. I think she was rescued almost immediately.

The other is a painted Siamese that was taken to college by a student who got bored and released it. The cat ran around a college campus for four months. Happily, it had such a winning personality that I suspect students fed it regularly. Then a professor, at the beginning of December, wondered to who the cat belonged. When he didn\'t get an answer, he took it to Feral Fixers and they took it to a wonderful no kill shelter.

The shelter refused three other people who wanted to adopt it. One wanted to declaw the baby and the other wanted it let it out. (There was a four page questionaire.) This cat was so adorable that it got the attention four people in less than a month. When I showed them that my cat was vaccinated, and let them know how I would care for it, the honey became mine. I open windows for them so that they can see the world, but I would NEVER let them out, for their own sakes (cars? pit bulls? rabid wild animals? cruel people? other aggressive cats?) But it was easier for me because they were both really indoor cats.

I love them to bits!!! And after a few strained weeks (the little seal point kept hissing at the MUCH larger and more muscular new rescue, and actually gave him a scratch on the nose, who never was aggressive in return), they love each other too!