Although playful and adorable, squirrels can be major unwanted animals. Loud noises like laughter and yelling can keep squirrels far away from your house.
But those are not the only sounds that scare squirrels away. Below, we consider other options to repel squirrels from your building:
Squirrels have a good sense of hearing that helps them identify predators. While some sounds make them barely uncomfortable, others outrightly scare them off.
Some of these sounds that scare them off include:
- Barking sounds, an ultrasonic noise, and human activities.
- Loud music, birdsong, laughter, and chattering.
Below, we consider sounds that repel squirrels and how to use them to drive these animals away from your home.
Sounds That Repel Squirrels
If you want to deter squirrels from your home with sounds, here are six effective options you can try out:
1. Barking Sounds
Dogs are some of the domestic animals squirrels are afraid of. If you have a pet dog, you are at an advantage in keeping squirrels at bay.
Dogs will typically chase squirrels, discouraging them from returning. They are natural predators of squirrels which will hide once they hear the sound of a dog barking.
2. Ultrasonic Noise
Ultrasonic noise refers to the sounds that come from an ultrasonic machine. The sound that these machines emit is irritating to squirrel hearing.
It can also cause disorientation and confusion and prevent them from communicating with one another. As squirrels scare easily, they will escape from the areas with ultrasonic noises.
Ultrasonic squirrel repellers are humane, convenient to use, and non-toxic. Most of them are solar-powered, so you don’t have to worry about powering them.
Unlike spray repellers, these do not need reapplication. All you have to do is set it up once and go. An ultrasonic squirrel repeller releases high-frequency ultrasounds humans can not hear, but squirrels can.
So, it is definitely safe for you to set it up and go about your day.
3. Human Presence
Squirrels tend to run away when humans come around. But, this is not always the case, as they can get used to human presence.
At that point, they must have triggered we are not much of a threat. So, even if they run away, they won’t be too far off.
Squirrels that are often around humans have less of a fight instinct. Human noises can only repel squirrels that are not used to being around humans.
In public parks where humans often come around, squirrels move freely. But in less busy parks, they tend to stay away. The reason is that as they do not usually interact with humans, they see us as more of a threat.
4. Loud Music
Like most of us, squirrels are not much of a fan of loud headbangers. In fact, loud music coming from outdoor speakers will keep squirrels at a far-off distance.
A recent study shows that loud music made squirrels run at least 22 feet away from the sound. It showed an increase of over nine feet from the squirrel group that didn’t have music playing around them.
Playing loud music is not a permanent solution to a squirrel infestation problem. For one, your neighbor may be forced to cut the power connection.
Instead, you can play music at a decent volume through your speakers during the day. This can, to some extent, help to keep these pests away.
5. Birdsong
As it turns out, humans are not the only ones who like to listen to birds’ songs. Squirrels also love to listen to what is going on around them in any location, including the forest.
Bird chatter helps them to identify if an area is safe or if there is a need to worry. Generally, when squirrels hear familiar music patterns, they tend to relax and feel some level of safety.
However, a research article published in PLOS ONE discovered this is not always the case. In that study, researchers played the sounds of a red-tailed hawk.
The result was that the squirrels became rather wary and more vigilant of their surroundings.
What we can draw from this; is that squirrels pay attention to what kind of birds are around. They tend to be more cautious when they hear the sounds of predator birds.
So, you can use the sounds of any large predatory bird to scare them away. There are motion-activated sound recordings you purchase at the stores.
6. Laughter and Chattering
Although squirrels can adapt to human presence, they often run away at the sound of loud conversations and laughter. So, when you laugh or argue with friends, squirrels may feel intimidated and run away.
Takeaway
Squirrels have a good sense of hearing. While some sounds make them barely uncomfortable, others outrightly scare them off.
You can take advantage of the six sounds above to keep these unwanted visitors away from your home.
If you can’t repel squirrels after following these tips, the time may be ripe to hire professional animal removal experts.
Most people tend to skip DIY tips and head straight to calling animal removers, and for good reasons. Experts know how to safely capture and remove squirrels and other rodents from your compound.
They can also get to the root of the infestation, so you are not constantly dealing with the situation. The important thing is that they provide a permanent solution to the problem and not just temporary fixes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Do Squirrels Hate To Feel?
People often underrate the effect of touch in repelling squirrels, but it is often very effective. For one, squirrels hate to feel wet, even though they are not afraid of water.
So, installing a motion-activated sprinkler is an effective technique for scaring them away.
Squirrels have dexterous paws that help them to scale trees and land safely on the ground. The feel of anything sticky or slippery on their paws will mess with their climbing game.
So, you can coat your surroundings with petroleum jelly, pumpkins, and other things they love to eat.
What Smells Chase Squirrels Away?
Squirrels have an extra-strong sense of smell, and anything that smells bad to humans may smell worse to them. Generally, they hate the scents of peppermint, predator urine, and even blood.
These repugnant smells can discourage squirrels from coming from around your home. So, you can use their strong sense of smell against them.
However, if the squirrels have already gone into your house, it is hard to drive them away with smells. The reason is that your building is typically warmer than the cold and wet outdoors.
So they can cope with any minor discomfort.
