Is it a tiny rose you could cage?

I have over 30 roses, so a cages for all those would be difficut and expensive. I am going to try animal urine. Hope it doesn't stink too bad since the roses are close to the deck.

Check out the squirrel repellents on Amazon. That's where I get the deer repellent I like. Animal urine never worked on the deer, and I doubt it will work with squirrels. Another option would be to sprinkle cayenne pepper on rose leaves. Is the squirrel picking on certain roses? Just sprinkle the pepper on those particular plants. But spray repellent is probably the best option. Diane

I used chicken wire fencing. I literally built the cages and it stopped both rabbits and squirrels from stripping the rose bare. It will physically stop them from getting to the leaves which is the only guaranteed way to stop them. A bit time consuming to cut the wire, stake them with some branches but you will not need to do anything else till the weather warms up and they move on to something else.

If the bushes are very large you only need to worry about the bottom leaves, unless there is a tree or some other object the squirrel can latch onto. Just create a larger perimeter of fencing if need be.

My sister's gardner recommended a squirrelinator. You can buy it on Amazon. But then you have to kill the squirrels -- I'm a bit too squeamish to do that. It is illegal in CA to live catch squirrels and then take them somewhere else and release them, as they are considered pests.

I just learned that owls are dying because they're eating rats that have been poisoned -- seems you might accidentally kill whatever then eats the squirrel? My neighbor lost a cat this way, too.

Poison them with bromethalin rat bait blocks. Take all necessary precautions. I assume they are ground squirrels? Always handle wit disposable plastic gloves. There is no antidote for bromethalin.

A thin layer of peanut butter on each block will do to draw them. Make sure no pets or children have access to to the bait. Dispose of dead squirrels immediately. They are poisonous if pets ingest their dead bodies.

Many millions of dollars in damage are done in California alone to our food crops by squirrels. It's to the tune of 30-50 million dollars, and this was in 2015! 123 squirrels, in one study, removed 1,800 lbs. (almost one ton!), of crop per acre in just 44 days*!

Moses.

*Uni. of Mass. Amherst NE CASC article, Sat., Jan. 24, "Ground Squirrels Could...." 2015.

They make cayenne pepper based sprays that are more likely to stick to the leaves than the pepper alone. Also Liquid Fence is an organic spray with things like garlic and rotten eggs that most mammals don't like. It smells when you first apply it but after a day I can't smell it, but the mammals still can. Once the leaves come in fully and there are plenty of other more tender things around to eat, the varmints will stop choosing your roses as high priority. A little nibble on lower leaves won't hurt as long as they mostly move to the clover and other things available.

Sympathies on the tree rats - there are strategies to deter them though you'll never unfortunately be rid of them. We found with foxes in the yards nearby that they would routinely eat our resident squirrels. We would find squirrel tails with nothing attached periodically in spring (go foxes!!). Apparently squirrels are territorial but once the resident squirrel moves out (or dies) there seems to be an endless supply of other squirrels moving in. My preference is to do the deterrent route as they are going to be a presence one way or another. You'll choose what works for you. It's worth trying the mammal repellents first to see if it's effective.

Cynthia

I've tried Liquid Fence and other deer repellents. All are food based sprays, but Deer Off works best for me, and when I last checked, had the best reviews. Almost all deer repellents are rotten egg based. Deer Off also has oil of peppermint (covers the stench a bit, a very little bit), and oil of white pepper. Anything cayenne can be a little tricky for humans. I grow all those peppers and you don't want pepper spray near your face or on your hands. Diane

Harvesting my Habanero crop. You do this outside, believe me.

This is the one Diane recommends - and it works (for me) as well or better than Liquid Fence, but doesn’t smell as bad to me.

I meant Deer Out, and thanks, Deborah for showing this. I am constantly mixing up out with off. I've tried the off and don't like it. Gads, this is too much for old people. Diane

I've got your back, Diane!

I am guessing you can’t have a cat or don’t want one. However, just in case that’s not true, cats are amazing for this! I live among probably hundreds of squirrels in a woods full of oak trees. Jenkins the cat prowls in the garden and the squirrels stay away. :)

I love the name Jenkins for a cat. We don't have a squirrel problem at all and a very few non problematic rabbits. They are mostly dwarf pygmy rabbits and do little harm anyway. But my kitty Finn is hell on voles and I love it. He's mostly indoors and well supervised, but enjoys his time outside voling. Out here in the desert hills, the hawks and kestrals are in abundance. They have been really hanging around lately, and I don't like it. They are after the little birdies that live in my giant snowball and eat at the feeders. Oh, well. The circle of life and all that. Diane

Believe me, that heavy duty, hand made jail bird feeder is squirrel proof. The second feeder is for thistle eaters.

In a friend's back yard. Not here!

i like tree squirrels - its the ground squirrels that wreak havoc. I read that a lot of people used to keep squirrels as pets... I like your little birdies, Diane. We had a big red shouldered hawk dive and eat something today -- not sure what. I hope it was a gopher. Or a ground squirrel. Hope it wasn't a bird. Or a lizard. I like our lizards. And did you know that having a healthy population of lizards can help keep lyme disease in check?

I didn't know that about lyme disease, though we really don't have that here. There are occasional infections of West Nile Virus in this area, just a few. Mosquitoes that do the carrying of that virus. We also don't have ground squirrels, but something much smaller, sometimes called whistle pigs. Little desert dwellers. The hawks do kill birdies and a few quail. The kestral are out hovering over the gully fairly often. What eyesight they have! Diane

Its true about the cats! We have gobs of squirrels but NONE come up around the barn or the house. They stay out in the woods or around the ponds that have trees. Too bad I cant say that about raccoons or possums lol.

I planted new parsley, violas, chives, mums yesterday. I looked out the window a bit ago & big fat squirrel was going to town. I snuck up on it w BB gun. But bad angle as I didn’t want to shoot my window! Don’t know if I hit the dang thing. So I was coming closer to take a look, and it zipped past me and ran across the street. The squirrelinator is out now, with apple core & peanuts…

Deborah, are you talking about a ground squirrel or tree squirrel? I remembered when rereading this thread that garlic powder sprinkled on vulnerable plants and leaves repels rabbits. I wonder if it might work on specific plants targeted by squirrels. Good luck triumphing against all these varmints. Diane

If you have a dog, when you see a squirrel, tell your dogs to go get that squirrel. It works for me. They take off after the squirrel (who only stays on the fence), and it takes off running. No squirrel damage ever.

I hope you find a way that works. :)

Sadly, no more doggie. But even before - given where we live & no fences, he didn’t have free runof the yard. Ground squirrels. Nothing deters them. I’ve been putting Red Hot Chili Peppers, garlic & dog poop in the burrow going under my house. A week or 10 days later they’ve re-opened the burrow for use.

Deborah, and I am so sorry about your special doggie. And how awful that those squirrels are under your home. I'm going to send you a suggestion or two. Diane

Oh, Deborah, I feel like a buffoon talking about you having or not having a dog. I wrote that in early morning, and I wasn't thinking. So sorry. :(

Oh goodness, Carol. No worries! You can't be expected to remember everyone's life story! I know you always have the best of intentions and only the kindest words for all on these forums.

Thanks, Deborah. :) :) I wish I new how to send hearts back to you. :) :)