Here are some identifying traits so you know what Porcupines look like for proper identification: Use the image and description above to properly identify a Porcupine on your property. Once you have confirmed Porcupine activity, it is time to begin treatment. Heres How To Fix, wood as the answer to the nutrition and diet, How To Identify Vintage Wicker Furniture? 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. If you have encountered a porcupine on your property, this DIY guide can help. Commonly used to repel snakes and lizards, Pest Rid uses nothing but all natural ingredients to repel nuisance animals and insects. I found a couple of live animal traps online, but if youre not the type who will buy them, you can use a traditional catching technique called the deep hole trap.. It can be applied to lawns, garden paths, and flowerbeds. Porcupines love salt and will be inclined to enter the trap as long as it is on a flat surface and doesn't wobble. Some porcupine remedies include hot sauce or commercial repellents placed on areas prone to chewing, but the success rate of repellents leaves much to be desired. Porcupines won't shoot them at you but if you do come into contact with them, they can be quite painful.". Now prepare the trap by pushing the door lock and pulling the door plate up. So, in setting up a fence, make sure that the clearance is no more than 50 cm per wire from the ground. Probably the easiest and simplest way to deter porcupines from visiting your estate is to establish a fence around it. This site provides many porcupine control articles and strategies, if Right Way to Wash! It must be renewed occasionally to remain effective. 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! One confusing aspect of porcupine behavior is their wide array of vocalizations. Using gloves, lightly sprinkle granules directly from the container or using a spreader at a rate of 1 lb. 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. Spray around the yard in areas where you want to repel porcupines. Step 3: Properly dispose of garbage. The strong scent will make it difficult for the porcupine to locate food in the area, encouraging it to trundle off to another location. When Im not out roaming around 50+ acres of pastures, woods, and a freshwater bass pond, Im at my computer writing on Pest Pointers. To use peppermint to repel porcupines, you can use the essential oil combined with water to create a spray. 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. Make sure you wash the trap with soap before you set it and wear latex gloves so you dont leave your scent on it. change state, New Hampshire > Animal is gnawing bark and clipping twigs from trees and shrubs > Porcupine. It is my goal to educate the public about porcupines and other wildlife, and Porcupines have poor eyesight, so often times they cannot determine where a threat is coming from. These materials attract rodents like rats, skunks, and even squirrels. Peppermint oil and Pine-Sol provide strong scents that deter rodents from entering your car, won't make your vehicle smell bad, don't taste good, and won't damage any wires. Kuhns, M. R., Dettenmaier, M., & Tegt, J. The foods that attract porcupines include apples, salt, evergreen needles, tree bark, nuts, berries, flowering herbs, grasses, and roots. Complete Guide, How To Whiten Acrylic Bathtub? Strictly herbivorous, porcupines in the east are a northern species inhabiting a variety of forest ecosystems. I grew up in an area of Upstate, NY where dealing with wildlife pests is a common occurrence. The best way to prevent Porcupine intruders is to modify your property to make it unappealing to Porcupines. This includes areas around trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, walkways, docks, roof tiles, pool decks, or any place where control is desired. Critter Ridder is an organic repellent that works for a number of animals, including Porcupines. Hot peppers! Porcupines are great climbers so extra precautions are necessary. 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! Porcupines might be able to climb fences but a wire strip at top of the fence installed at a 65-degree angle will make it harder for them to climb over. Scent deterrents need to be reapplied often and are not a foolproof plan to keep porcupines away. Bio Explorer explores the insight into the different porcupine species' diets, how porcupines hunt if they do, when they eat, how often they eat, what they eat porcupines and their role in the . Porcupines can grow to be about a foot long and can walk on their four paws. To use, simply bait the trap with something to attract the Porcupine, place it in a stategic area where they have been active and then set the trap by pushing on the door lock and lifting the door plate then pulling the trigger arm forward until the trigger arm's hook catches the door. Install a fence on your property. To deter porcupines from entering your property, use different scents that will confuse them. Even at a concentration of just 0.06% hot sauce, porcupines were deterred. Scent deterrents may not be as effective as physical fencing or traps, but it is a natural and organic approach that can be just as effective when used correctly. How To Get Residue Off Laminate Floors - Complete Guide! Avoid wooden fences, as porcupines like to gnaw on wood. Porcupines are known to eat a lot, so they can scavenge all of the crops in the area. This solution has been the product of deep research and experiments done by various homeowners from all over the country. Closed canopies discourage porcupines from entering the area. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Evaluation of Hot Sauce as a Repellent for Forest Mammals. Fig. We also provide professional service in over 600 locations. This means looking for twigs that have been eaten, their tracks (especially during the winter when they are active), and barkless trees that have been stripped by their gnawing. Register to be listed on this site. Don't feed or interact with the raccoons. Dropping twigs and fruit to the forest floor benefits other wildlife down below. Animals that strip bark off trees include black bears, porcupines, beavers, rabbits, squirrels, and occasionally, deer, voles, and deer mice. Can You Dry Colors And Darks Together? Porcupines need their sense of smell to find food, so anything too powerful will deter them. A single animal can quickly expose the root system on a tree, leaving it open to insects or disease. 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. I mean, what is there to love about wood? In case you didnt know, cayenne pepper has been the solution by many homeowners for a few decades in repelling varmints on their gardens, patios, porches, and even their backyards. Is there a substitute for septic systems? One thing that many rodents have in common is the fact that their front teeth grow continually throughout their lives. So, I usually go with the comprehensive method of keeping them away. Unlike other rodents that also remain active all winter, porcupines do not collect and store food in . Get rid of food sources. The first is to spray PEST RID over the area where you see the marks. Make sure that your trash is picked up regularly. Its body shivers. Chances are that these pests may knock over the trap to reach the food inside. Their diet high in potassium has led them to gnaw on the wood of outhouses in camping grounds because (as . Along with wooden buildings, porkies also enjoy the salt in fence posts coated in creosote, on car tires and radiator hoses, and from objects covered in human sweat (tool handles, clothes, and leather). Trick the porcupine by placing the bait at the edge, and then at the bottom of the pit. Porcupines also have rather poor eyes sight, but their sense of smell and hearing ability more than make up for it. They are actually very docile animals that will not attack passersby, but rather lumber away slowly to a comfortable distance then resume whatever it was they were doing. Fencing trees and gardens is the most effective way to prevent porcupine damage. Pulling the quills often traumatizes the flesh more than the initial stab. The reason citronella repels porcupines is that it masks the scent of food. How do you stop porcupines from eating plywood buildings?Craig Loucao. Drop by drop, the damage can accumulate over weeks into a problem that can cost thousands of dollars to fix. You should become familiar with federal, state and local laws before beginning any wildlife control activities. Canadian Journal of Forest Research,33(10), 1983-1989. Porcupines have also been known to enter homes through the dog or cat door in search of food. Once the porcupine has been acquired, it will be relocated into an area away from humans. Complete Guide. As excellent climbers, porcupines can access branches and twigs without taking the tree down. Porcupine hunting is something I do every year. However, few predators have figured out how to get around their quills to attack this weak spot. . ft. cases of porcupine removal, please go to the home page and click the USA map, where I have wildlife removal experts As much as Id love to believe arboreal beavers inhabit woodlands around my house in central Vermont, it was highly unlikely. Copyright 2020 by Wildlife Animal Control. Dogs are notorious for tangling with porcupines, and most dogs are often repeat offenders. Previous How can we keep Canada geese away from our pond? Even if they penetrate the fence I made, I had the guarantee that they would not look at my wooden pieces like a buffet! . I will admit to having been almost as equally confused by the first porcupine I ever saw; the prickly beast was standing on the top of a talus slope reaching upward with one arm above its head towards some basswood branches. Porcupines love salt and fruit, so apples with salt on them will be a perfect porcupine attractant. It has paint on it, im wondering if there is anything else i can put on the stand to chase this guy away. Porcupines are solitary animals, so they typically dont rank high on anyones list of pest animals. An animal that takes up residence under or near a home poses a threat to all of the occupants in the dwelling, be they human or animal. Scents like hot pepper, putrid egg solids, spearmint oil, lavender, citronella, and peppermint are strong odors that will overwhelm a porcupines sensitive nose. Indeed, many people who have never seen a live porcupine are accustomed to seeing their carcasses along roads. Place the mixture in a spray bottle and spray outside in problem areas around the garden, on tree trunks, on wooden tool handles, and anywhere else those pesky porcupines are invading. The only exceptions are the great plains and southeastern regions of the US. Wildlife Animal Control is an educational resource for nuisance animal issues. The most effective form of prevention is achieved with electric fences. 3. 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. Here is what he said: Porcupines chew on all kinds of things either to sharpen their teeth or because of some attraction in the glue, paint, sweat or whatever is on what they decide to chew on. Theyve become household items for their many different uses and scents. 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. Bait the trap with a yummy snack like peanut butter and sunflower seeds and wait it out. Whatever action you take, remember that solutions like vinegar, predator urine and citrus create a temporary barrier only. It can repel porcupines as well! Porcupines are solitary animals that travel alone. Other than this, you can also use vegetable scraps like turnips, carrots, pumpkins, and tomatoes. Letti & Co is user supported. Porcupines crave salt due to how their bodies process sodium from tree bark and other plant materials. 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