What Can I Do To Keep Squirrels Away From My Pumpkin? — 4 Easy Ways To Keep Squirrels Out Of Your Yard

There are many ways to keep the squirrels away from your pumpkin garden. These are creating fear or scare tricks, making an unattractive texture, and repelling their taste receptors and smell. For more details about these tips, read more in this article.

Why Should You Not Let Squirrels In?

People have argued for a long time about whether or not it’s okay to feed wild squirrels. I’m guessing that you don’t want to bring squirrels to your yard if you keep them away. Let’s look at why you shouldn’t make it easy for squirrels to eat your Halloween pumpkins.

Pumpkins May Be Dangerous

Depending on how you decorate it, a squirrel might not be able to eat it.

Squirrels can get sick or hurt if they eat things like paint, glue, and glitter used as decorations. A squirrel shouldn’t eat the burned and scorched parts of a pumpkin.

If you decide to use some of the things in this guide to keep them away, don’t then try to give the pumpkin to the local wildlife. You’ll defeat the whole point of trying to keep the squirrels away.

Squirrels Carry Disease

Squirrels can carry diseases, just like any other wild animal. Even though there aren’t many that can spread to people, they can still make you sick. If you have pets, squirrels can also give those pets diseases.

If you have a big, tasty pumpkin in your yard, squirrels will come to your porch and might even poop and pee there. When you clean up squirrel poop, you are most likely to get sick from a nasty virus or bacteria they carry.

Squirrels Can Be Vicious

Even though squirrels are often portrayed as cute and funny, they can also be very mean.

It can be harmful if you try to get squirrels to stop being afraid of people. If they become too close to people, they will start to depend on them for food. Then they can attack if they don’t get the food they want. Squirrels can easily bite and scratch, which can do a lot of harm. They will attack both adults and kids, as well as your pets.

Squirrels Are Destructive

You shouldn’t let squirrels live on your property because they can do a lot of damage to your property.

Squirrels can quickly get into your home and chew on the insulation or wires, which can damage your home. Not only will your property be damaged, but so will your landscaping. Squirrels will eat your plants, herbs, and crops and even clean out your bird feeders.

Most of the time, having squirrels in your yard will cost you money.

The best way to stop this is to make them stop thinking that your home is a good place to find food.

4 Easy Ways To Keep Squirrels Out Of Your Yard

Make Unattractive Texture

In addition to flavor, you can give your pumpkin a texture that squirrels dislike. Here are some strategies:

• Lacquer Spray- can be found in the craft supply closet. Coat your pumpkin with the spray and allow it to dry until it is dry and brittle. Ensure that the pumpkin is completely covered. Many squirrels find the texture unappealing, but some hungry animals may be willing to persevere.
• Hairspray- Use aerosol hairspray to give your pumpkin a sticky texture. Coat your pumpkin thoroughly, both inside and out, and repeat the process every few days. Hairspray has the disadvantage of quickly coming off and requiring frequent reapplication.
• Petroleum Jelly or Vapor Rub- should be liberally applied to the pumpkin. This will consume a great deal of Vaseline, but fortunately, it typically lasts the entire season, even if it rains. Concentrate on areas of exposed flesh when carving pumpkins.

Create Fear in Them

Utilize the animal instincts of your squirrels and make them aware of nearby predators. How to do it:

• Hair from a Dog or Cat- You could put your pumpkins on a blanket your pet has used to sleep and cuddle. Squirrels will be scared of the hair and dander, which signifies that a possible enemy may be nearby. Squirrels may also run away when they see or hear a cat. But you should never use pet waste to keep pests away. The trash from your pet is bad for your health and needs to be thrown away properly. Still, some commercial repellents try to trick squirrels into taking a powder by making it smell like animal urine.
• Owl Figure-Not only is owl statues cute fall decorations, but they can also keep squirrels away. Put them all around the outside of your yard.
• Sprinkler- Place sprinklers on your place and leave them running all night. Presuming that the squirrels do not steal the water, they will get too hot to stay outside and keep you safe from their mischief.

Repel Their Taste Receptors

Squirrels are drawn to your yard because the seeds and acorns that fall out of trees may be their favorite foods. Therefore, when you plant edible items in your yard (such as berries, cherries, or potatoes), they have a big temptation to feed on those fruits. Squirrels are vegetarians who cannot consume spicy foods. Therefore, here are a few methods for keeping them off your pumpkins:

• Animal Repellent- Get animal repellent from your local home improvement or garden store. These sprays contain unpleasant-smelling ingredients such as peppermint, garlic, and eggs.
• Vinegar- serves a dual purpose, as it also repels ants and insects. Its potent odor can overwhelm the sensitive noses of squirrels. Spraying your pumpkin with vinegar is the most effective way to use it. Vinegar applied directly to your Jack can also cause damage and reduce its lifespan.
• Blood Meal- This blood-based fertilizer is available at your local garden center. Since squirrels are vegetarians, they will not enjoy this odor. Sprinkle a small amount around your pumpkins.
• Hot Sauce- You can use a large spray bottle to mix hot sauce with water and soap. Red pepper flakes can be added for an extra kick of heat. Coat both the inside and outside of the pumpkin. Because squirrels can’t handle spicy foods, your flaming-hot gourd will quickly deter them from eating it.
• Windex and Pledge- Spray your pumpkin with Windex before applying the pledge. You will not enjoy the odor, but neither will the squirrels.

Repel With Smell

• Peppermint – Scatter peppermint all over your pumpkin. The squirrels may not be able to tolerate the strong odor, and they won’t even try their favorite snacks on this one!
• Coffee- coffee grounds can be sprinkled all over your pumpkin, and in some cases, the squirrels do not touch this. Coffee beans should be made into a paste with water (be sure to dilute it). This is also toxic for rats, chipmunks, and squirrels.
• Garlic- Sprinkle garlic all over the pumpkin. This would repel rodents, but humans may want to include this in a recipe! Garlic is quite effective when sprinkled on eggplants, too.
• Dill- works great as it is quite powerful. The scent of dill may be hard to remove if infused into your fresh pumpkin, so you’ll need to reserve this for its final stages. It’s still rather effective, especially when spread around the pumpkin before applying a peanut butter or jelly coating.
• Citronella Oil- is an inexpensive and effective way to repel squirrels. Its strong smell can be found near the citrus plants in your yard. However, you will want to ensure they are not using these as a spot for play since it may leave the remaining bits of the peel on surfaces or furniture.
• Bay Leaves- will ward off squirrels from eating the pumpkin. It could even take away their desire to eat it by making your home smell like that of bay leaves, which may be unpleasant for them in some cases.

Do Squirrels Eat the Whole Pumpkin?

There is a lot of lore surrounding what squirrels eat, and unsurprisingly, it varies from place to place. In some instances, they are said to primarily feast on acorns, while in other regions, they are known for raiding gardens for ripe fruits. Squirrels may be sneaky, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like to eat food. Squirrels are known for their exceptional ability to crack open hard-shelled fruit, like pumpkins. This is because they have a specially adapted skull and teeth that easily allow them to do so.

Squirrels also enjoy eating seeds and nuts, which makes pumpkin a natural choice since it is rich in both of these foods. However, don’t leave any provisions for the little critters if you want your pumpkin pie or biscuit recipe to come out ideally!