If youre in need of an exterminator or wildlife professional, you can learn more about our nationwide network of pest control professionals. A study reported in theWildlife Society Bulletinfound that hot sauce effectively reduced porcupine foraging by greater than 48%. The smell eases stress and relaxes the mind. (Porcupines love salt!) Dimex EasyFlex Plastic Tree Trunk Protectorscomes with six protectors that can be combined or used separately so you can protect a tree trunk of any size. 15 Scents That Rats Hate (and How to Use Them), 8 Things to Do If You See Spiders in Your House, Why Peppermint Oil Can Repel Mice (And How To Use It), 13 Easy Tips To Keep Raccoons Out Of Your Swimming Pool, 10 Different Ways That Snakes Entered Your Home. Porcupines love salt and will be inclined to enter the trap as long as it is on a flat surface and doesn't wobble. The porcupine practices a unique form of gun control. Step 2 Encourage trees to grow leafy closed canopies by cutting back on tree trimming and by watering and fertilizing the trees in your yard. Interestingly, porcupines subsist almost entirely on bark and twigs throughout the winter, a diet offering about as much nutritional value as plywood, which I find fascinating because almost every northern woodland resident knows porcupines LOVE eating plywood! Simply because its natural, cheap, and I dont need to go outside my home to prepare it. Spray it on the area that is the most prone to chewing and gnawing. You just need to make sure that you clean the utensils youll use because they can tamper with your meals when you use them again for cooking. How do I stop my toilet flapper from closing too fast? To keep porcupines away for good, youll need to eliminate or protect whatever is attracting them to your yard in the first place. It also revealed the . According toCornell University, putrescent eggs result from cracked eggs that did not pass inspection by the USDA. ft. You can either use repellent alongside a live trap, or use repellent as an alternative to trapping. Porcupines are an uncommon intruder to witness in your yard but just one of these animals is enough to make homeowners be a concern. And stay safe, by wearing personal protective equipment. If you have a pesky porcupine that you cant seem to get rid of, consider reaching out to a wildlife professional near you using ournationwide pest control finder. (They should probably lay off the salt.). No guarantee is made that information (or lack of information) associated with a species or control technique is completely accurate or current. (2005, October). If unable to chew, the animals teeth would grow too long to be able to consume food and the porcupine would eventually starve to death. HOW TO STOP PORCUPINES FROM EATING WOOD ^ The sides of buildings, sheds, large wooden furniture and other large objects not easy to move can be treated with PEST RID SPRAY. Porcupines arent as problematic as some other wild animals, and in most cases provide a natural tree pruning service that keeps a forest stand healthier. It is my goal to educate the public about porcupines and other wildlife, and Luckily, there are plenty of ways to deter them! In the spring and summer, porcupines shift to eating berries, seeds, grasses, leaves, roots and stems. Their appearance can also attract predators like mountain lions and bears. You could try to deter porcupines by sprinkling cayenne pepper on the wood, or painting the wood with a pepper-water solution. These strange-looking animals can significantly damage trees, gardens, and buildings if left unchecked. These will attract porcupines. if you need to deal with a porcupine problem. Like the previous example, this one relies on a sweaty outdoors enthusiast leaving a tool outside. Complete Guide, How To Whiten Acrylic Bathtub? This material is sprayed or painted on the plants sub-ject to damage. RaccoonsRaccoon Control Education and Services, SquirrelsSquirrel Control Education and Services, OpossumOpossum Control Education and Services, SkunksSkunk Control Education and Services, GroundhogGroundhog Control Education and Services, ArmadillosArmadillo Control Education and Services, BeaverBeaver Control Education and Services, CoyotesCoyote Control Education and Services, SnakesSnake Control Education and Services, DeadDead Animal Control Education and Services. That being said, just be aware that if you dont currently have a porcupine problem, placing a salt block out willdefinitelyattract them! Do porcupines eat metal? Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Porcupines. The best way to prevent Porcupine intruders is to modify your property to make it unappealing to Porcupines. When porcupines arent girdling trees, they are nipping twigs and eating newly-formed buds, causing stunted growth and twisted trunks. Ah, lovely lavender. Why does hot sauce deter porcupines? cases of porcupine removal, please go to the home page and click the USA map, where I have wildlife removal experts Car tires and hoses may also be chewed on for their mineral content or road salt coating. A porcupines general demeanor is docile, but they have quills for a reason! Facts You Need To Know, Do You Put Detergent In Before Or After Clothes? Make sure you wash the trap with soap before you set it and wear latex gloves so you dont leave your scent on it. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. How do I keep porcupines from eating wood? Multiple trees or an entire area can be enclosed in a single fence. The strong scent will make it difficult for the porcupine to locate food in the area, encouraging it to trundle off to another location. Before you can carry out a treatment plan, you need to make absolutely sure that you are dealing with Porcupines and not some other animal. You can also use cayenne pepperpowderand sprinkle it around problem areas. Siding is usually attacked because of the bonding glue in plywood. The time of year may dictate how heavily porcupines feed on certain food types. Porcupines are the third-largest member of the rodent family. Best Methods! Typically two by three-inch fencing, galvanized or plastic-coated for resistance to the weather, will exclude woodchucks, raccoons and opossums, but not small rodents. Step 4: Prepare the trap. If they happen to catch their reflection in a jar of water, it may be enough to scare them off because they will think another porcupine is around. Trees that have been girdled by chewing will die, often ruining thousands of dollars worth of landscaping. Bonide Repels-All Animal Repellentuses putrescent whole egg solids as its main ingredient. Rats are one of the least-welcomed guests in domestic homes. Porcupines love chewing on wood. It turns its back, displays the black line running down the middle of its tail, edged with white quills visible in the dark. You cant place candles all over the yard, so what can be done? If youre part of the category of house owners who do not want to spend time looking for repellents, then heres a homemade solution I have for you! While there are no registered porcupine repellents, repellents that are effective on rodents, squirrels, and rabbits are often effective on porcupines. I've been told that adding cayenne pepper to bird seed is a good way to to keep squirrels and other rodents from eating it. Make sure to apply 2 times per week for 2 weeks. read more about how to get rid of porcupines. The first reason is that capsaicin activates pain receptors in the mouth. Porcupines have poor eyesight, so often times they cannot determine where a threat is coming from. Beavers on the other hand, cannot climb, and must bring the tree to the ground to access twigs and branches for both food and building material. # Posted: 2 Apr 2012 06:12. Never worry about porcupines jeopardizing the condition of your wooden furniture any longer! However, during winter, you will find them eating the inner bark of trees. Youre looking for Porcupine activity. Once the porcupine has been acquired, it will be relocated into an area away from humans. Right: The upper and lower jaws of a porcupine. Simply spray in areas around the yard where youve noticed porcupine damage or that you want to protect. Since homes are made of wood, these can also be susceptible to wood damage. The Best Solutions, How To Restore Composite Decking? Information about how to kill a porcupine - with poison or other methods. Other options may workdistracting the porcupines with a salt lick, or startling them with random, irritating noisesbut there are drawbacks: The salt lick could attract other wildlife; the random, irritating noises could drive away your cottage guests. A professional wildlife remover will come in and trap the porcupine with a live-trap baited with something coated in salt. Method #1: Apply Porcupine Repellent Sprays on Your Wooden Structures The first method is to drench your wooden furniture and structures with porcupine repellent. The oil can be used to relieve headaches and help with colds. Letti & Co is user supported. . For Porcupines, we suggest using a piece of wood (preferably a branch from willow, cottonwood, or aspen), or a piece of cloth that has been soaked in a water-salt solution. Another option is to buy a pre-made solution. The future of porcupines, which I promise are an endearing species once you get to know one, depends on us being good stewards of the northern forests on which porcupines absolutely rely. Important predators include mountain lions and fishers. Multiple trees or an entire area can be enclosed in a single fence. Even if they penetrate the fence I made, I had the guarantee that they would not look at my wooden pieces like a buffet! Create a cayenne pepper spray. This liquid repellent has very little odor to people but to animals, its repulsive. Essential oils have exploded in popularity over the years. Fencing is a great way to protect vulnerable trees and gardens. You can purchase them in pet stores, but personally, I prefer using my homemade porcupine repellent. 1 KStreetFighter2 11 yr. ago Evolutionary just means pertaining to evolution. Even if youve never seen a porcupine, you can paint a vivid picture in your mind of these large, trundling rodents armed with sharp quills. LOOKING TO HIRE AN EXTERMINATORCLICK HERE?. Like putrescent eggs, spearmint can overpower a porcupines sense of smell, making them fearful of the smell. Porcupines are strictly herbivores, preferring a diet of fruits, foliage, leaves, and twigs. Damage prevention Porcupine damage can be reduced or prevented by several methods: removal, repellents or exclusion. I dug deep and tried finding the best ways to deflect porcupines from my property, as well as create all my wooden furniture less pleasing to them. It comes in a ready-to-use spray bottle that can be sprayed in areas you want to protect. Think of it similar to your pup barking at themselves in the window. Porcupines are great climbers so extra precautions are necessary. Alaska Wildlife News is an online magazine published by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Just steer clear. Electric Fences. I know it. Wagner, K. K., & Nolte, D. L. (2000, Spring). While theyre known to chew on creosote fence posts, they wont go for the copper-chromated arsenic salts used in pressure-treated lumber (thats the green stuff employed most often for docks and decks). The scent of rotten eggs is offensive to people and animals, and for a good reason! Using gloves, lightly sprinkle granules directly from the container or using a spreader at a rate of 1 lb. Sachets can be used as both a passive deterrent and an active deterrent. As a homeowner, I wanted my space to be secure Ill never know when porcupines might hit and enter my house. Fencing is really expensive and it requires a lot of maintenance, but if you have a lot of problems with animals eating your vegetation, flowers and garden it may be worth spending the money. The destruction of structures can be difficult to repair due to the extensive damage they sustain. Porcupines are a large rodent that can be dangerous to encounter due to their painful and often disease-causing quills on their body. High poultry wire that is at least 60 cm high is used to enclose the area. Mix cayenne pepper and petroleum jelly. Trapping a porcupine can be done by a homeowner, but some safety precautions should be remembered. Who doesnt? Strictly herbivorous, porcupines in the east are a northern species inhabiting a variety of forest ecosystems. Using hot sauce or capsaicin on plants and trees can prevent porcupine damage and help deter them from your yard entirely. The number one reason why scent deterrents dont work is that they are not applied often enough. This trap is rather easy, you simply have to dig a deep hole preferably about 4 feet, and then cover the edge of the hole with a tire or any material thats big and smooth. Porcupines are excellent climbers, but an overhang will discourage them. A few insect have been found to encode cellulases in their genome, others rely on endosymbionts to degrade cellulose in smaller subunits, which can then in turn be digested by the insects themselves. Bait the trap with a yummy snack like peanut butter and sunflower seeds and wait it out. Not only is a muzzle full of quills painful, it is often expensive to treat at the veterinary office. Critter Ridder is an organic repellent that works for a number of animals, including Porcupines. Cayenne pepper gives hot sauce that extra tingly spicy feeling in our mouths. Porcupines from surrounding areas will usually From there, itll be almost impossible for them to climb back up. They found that feeding damage by porcupines along the north coast of British Columbia was so significant that it changed the dominant species of a forest. Unlike beaver or rabbits, porcupines can ascend tree trunks and nibble on branches. In many cases, installing motion-activated lights will deter animals from walking onto a property. Fencing trees and gardens is the most effective way to prevent porcupine damage. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I'm Zack DeAngelis, the creator of Pest Pointers. Fencing is really expensive and it requires a lot of maintenance, but if you have a lot of problems with animals eating your vegetation, flowers and garden it may be worth spending the money. Pulling the quills often traumatizes the flesh more than the initial stab. Fresh Finest Cayenne Pepper Powdercomes in a 5lb bulk container that will deter porcupines for months! Porcupine eats. Like beavers, porcupines prefer to eat the nutritious inner tree bark or phloem. To keep them from growing too large, rodents chew on hard material to file them down. They are taken and basically made to rot and then placed in repellents to protect plants. Start by building a fence around trees, gardens, and where damage has been most prevalent. Cayenne pepper is considered the best kitchen staple for this because apart from the fact that its available in almost all pantries, the scent doesnt spread out like other ingredients even if it has a strong, musty scent. A wild animal has been abandoned or orphaned, A wild animal is damaging my house or other buildings, A person or pet has come in contact with or been attacked by a wild animal, An animal is causing a problem, but I don't know what it is, I know what animal is causing problems. This ensures that the porcupine will need to step on the trigger plate in order to reach the food. It has paint on it, im wondering if there is anything else i can put on the stand to chase this guy away. Another way is to use rubber or . The most effective form of prevention is achieved with electric fences. It can repel porcupines as well! These pests, also known as "woodchucks," are large rodents (about 20 inches long and weighing 13 pounds) that must eat great quantities of food to sustain such an impressive frame. 2 Wear gloves when handling the trap, to keep your scent off it. However, theyre not foolproof. Deer are especially fond of tender new growth, so first-year canes of summer-bearing raspberries are more vulnerable than fruiting canes. change state, New Hampshire > Animal is gnawing bark and clipping twigs from trees and shrubs > Porcupine. The fence should be at least 1 to 1.5 feet deep underground to discourage digging, and about 2 feet high. The rumor that porcupines can shoot or throw their quills at aggressors is only a legend, but theres no need to test that out for yourself. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. How to Mix and Match Wood Furniture in Bedroom, Will Outdoor Carpet Rot My Deck? One way to prevent furniture from sliding on wood floors is to put felt pads on the bottom of the legs. Because they are rodents, porcupines have a need to chew. This is not the cheapest route to take however. Place a bait near the repellent and turn it on. Last, but most definitely not least is to use pest and porcupine repellents. Its unreasonable to cut down all your trees, remove gardens, and put a fence around your entire house just for the sake of these trundling rodents. If this doesn't work, live trap them or install some Yard Gards. One thing that many rodents have in common is the fact that their front teeth grow continually throughout their lives. Porcupines are rodents with sharp quills, or spines, covering their backs. Animals don't like this product and will stay away from where its been applied. Search in your yard, near your beneficial trees, gardens, crops, fields, and in your lawn. Register to be listed on this site. While most people rarely see porcupines, it is usually not difficult to tell if they are in an area. Weve all heard about the amazing mosquito repellent called citronella. Contact your local city or county government to inquire further. Sadly, the eastern hemlock that is important to the survival of porcupines through winter faces an uncertain future caused by the spread of invasive woolly adelgid beetles which can wipe out entire stands of the tree. Porcupines love to chew wood! Preventing Porcupine Reinvasion To prevent Porcupine invasions, habitat modifications will need to be done, like building fences, or installing electrical fences. Scent deterrents need to be reapplied often and are not a foolproof plan to keep porcupines away. Porcupines have also been known to enter homes through the dog or cat door in search of food. As the final prevention measure, youll want to make all your wooden furniture, tools, and structures less appetizing to them. How To Put Up Led Lights Without Ruining The Paint? If possible, do not handle the animal at all. Any gardens or vegetation are at risk of being destroyed as well. It can be applied to lawns, garden paths, and flowerbeds. Porcupines are known to eat a lot, so they can scavenge all of the crops in the area. I could see the same idea here with porcupines. The following day, stir it again, then use a funnel to decant it . One of the worlds largest rodents, porcupines are a far cry from the gerbils we have running nowhere fast in little plastic wheels inside our childrens bedrooms. Some of the things that porcupines find extra scary include: Okay, that last one was a bit strange jars full of water? Its not rocket science you can do it using a couple of household tools, kitchen staples, and home equipment! Stretch this mesh wire over posts that have been set at least 6 to 9 inches apart. Rabbits, rodents, and other animals can cause a lot of damage to your vehicle's wiring if left unchecked, especially in a vehicle in storage. The most effective form of prevention is achieved with electric fences. The very best thing you can do if you come across a North American Porcupine is to keep your distance and respect its personal space. Complete Guide. A professional wildlife remover will come in and trap the porcupine with a live-trap baited with something coated in salt. Porcupine Damage and Repellent Research In The Interior Pacific Northwest. Lavender is a perennial herb that gives off a strong scent. Transfer it into a spray bottle and spray it on your wooden furniture and structures at least once per day. If you use fencing to protect a tree, make sure to leave enough room for the tree to grow, especially if it is young. Scare tactics are a great way to repel porcupines and make them think twice about setting a foot (or paw!) Your email address will not be published. The percentage of menthol is higher in spearmint than in peppermint. - Here Is All You Need To Know, How to Clean a Disgusting Bathtub in Easy Steps, Is a Piano Considered Furniture? Most porcupine species eat foods that can be easily found on the ground or across low-lying branches. Even at a concentration of just 0.06% hot sauce, porcupines were deterred. Once threatened, porcupines will chatter their teeth and produce a chemical odor to warn off predators.