Electric Fences. In terms of their diet, porcupines are exclusivelyherbivores. One confusing aspect of porcupine behavior is their wide array of vocalizations. Another option is to buy a pre-made solution. Both spearmint and peppermint are part of the mint family. Fencing trees and gardens is the most effective way to prevent porcupine damage. Scent deterrents must be reapplied to the problem area weekly and anytime after heavy rainfall. A number of larger predators like coyotes, great horned owls and bobcats will take an occasional porcupine, but these predators have little impact on porcupine numbers. This causes porcupines to search elsewhere for food and leave your yard alone. Once the animal is caught, if you want to relocate it, it must be at least 40km away from your home. The have no reason to gnaw into the wood. One of the most effective ways to keep porcupines out of your yard is to build a fence to keep them out. Porcupines are solitary animals, so they typically dont rank high on anyones list of pest animals. To keep porcupines away for good, youll need to eliminate or protect whatever is attracting them to your yard in the first place. Electric fences can also be an effective solution when put up properly. Dropping twigs and fruit to the forest floor benefits other wildlife down below. Their favorite food item is corn on the cob. Please consult a pest control professional before applying any tactics from pestpointers.com. Porcupines need their sense of smell to find food, so anything too powerful will deter them. Porcupines love salt and fruit, so apples with salt on them will be a perfect porcupine attractant. 2. Spray it on the area that is the most prone to chewing and gnawing. Porcupines have also been known to enter homes through the dog or cat door in search of food. If you leave porcupines alone, they will continue on their way and leave you alone. The porcupines role and value in the ecosystem is less than obvious, but they are an important part of the food web as an herbivore and a prey species, and their foraging behavior transports food and nutrients from tree canopies to the forest floor by way of dropped branches and large volumes of scat. 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. There are plenty of repellents on the market for deer, squirrels, insects, and mice, but what about porcupines? Nests of porcupines eat tree bark and are drawn to wood structures in general. Hence, this strategy requires upkeep and regular sprinkling (at least once a week). Ultimate Guide, Oil Smell in House but No Oil? That's my buddy, Vito. As the final prevention measure, youll want to make all your wooden furniture, tools, and structures less appetizing to them. Can You Die From Sleeping In A Freshly Painted Room? Once threatened, porcupines will chatter their teeth and produce a chemical odor to warn off predators. Porcupines are rodents that need to sharpen their teeth, so they may chew on wood in your backyard. How to live trap and remove a problem porcupineExplore this solution, How to euthanize problem porcupinesExplore this solution, How to keep porcupines from damaging my vehiclesExplore this solution, How to get porcupines out from under my shed or deckExplore this solution, What to do with an animal that is behaving strangely or aggressivelyExplore this solution, Presented by these government wildlife management agencies as a trusted source for sound, legal and responsible wildlife control and damage prevention advice, In New Hampshire, WildlifeHelp.org is supported by the Wildlife Management Institute, the New Hampshire Fish and Game, the Northeast Wildlife Damage Management Cooperative, and the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 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. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. in your yard. This ensures that the porcupine will need to step on the trigger plate in order to reach the food. However, theyre not foolproof. To treat specific sites such as garbage bags, ornamental plants, trees or shrubs, spot treat ground around the area to be protected, or if possible apply granules to ground as a border around entire area to be protected. Start by building a fence around trees, gardens, and where damage has been most prevalent. If the Porcupine becomes caught, relocate the animal at least 25 miles away from your property or call animal control. Affiliate Disclosure. The six scents that porcupines hate include: Some of these scents work by beingtaste repellents, such as hot sauce, while others are so fragrant that they mask the scent of potential food, encouraging porcupines to look for food elsewhere. Porcupines love chewing on wood. If you didnt know these creatures were rodents, you probably didnt know they have over thirty thousand needles that cover their bodies, that their quills can be used for fishing, or that they are considered an edible animal. (Porcupines love salt!) Install a fence on your property. Together with my family, we settled in a region far from the city, and therefore, both our indoor and outdoor furniture are primarily wooden furniture. Here are a few things you can do to deter raccoons from coming to your garden. Email us at info@wildlifeanimalcontrol.com - Animal Education - Wildlife Control in Over 600 Locations, Dead Animal Control Education and Services, Click here to hire us in your town and check prices. Since I learned these, I never had problems with porcupines again. 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. Right: The upper and lower jaws of a porcupine. Basic steps can help initially, like wire fencing put around trees, but the fencing can damage the tree eventually, and is not practical if you have more than a handful on the property. Specifically, it is the ingredientcapsaicin. How to protect my trees and shrubs from porcupines. Kuhns, M. R., Dettenmaier, M., & Tegt, J. Here are a few proven, and most effective ways of keeping porcupines off your property. - Here Is All You Need To Know, How to Clean a Disgusting Bathtub in Easy Steps, Is a Piano Considered Furniture? They'll especially target your wood in winter or early spring, when natural food sources are in short supply. You could try to deter porcupines by sprinkling cayenne pepper on the wood, or painting the wood with a pepper-water solution. Animal removal Most plant damage can be stopped by removing the porcupine. 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. If youre in need of an exterminator or wildlife professional, you can learn more about our nationwide network of pest control professionals. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. If your plan of keeping them off your lawn isnt successful, what do you do? Rats are one of the least-welcomed guests in domestic homes. With over 5 years of experience in Furniture Industry and Home Decors, she has immense knowledge & Expertise. Because they are rodents, porcupines have a need to chew. Ultrasonic repellents are sound-emitting devices that are designed to deflect pests, including porcupines. You can also use an ultrasonic emitter to keep them away, but again this is not 100% certain to work. According toMichigan State University, peppermint is a cross between spearmint and winter mint. Register to be listed on this site. You may withdraw your consent at any time. And there's always the more direct approach of eliminating the offending animal. Mysteries of the Porcupine. This website primarily references personal learning experiences. Mix cayenne pepper and petroleum jelly. Your email address will not be published. Spearmint and peppermint whats the difference? If you are from another state, please indicate your interest by signing up for notification when your state is added. Email us at info@wildlifeanimalcontrol.com - Animal Education - Wildlife Control in Over 600 Locations, Dead Animal Control Education and Services, Click here to hire us in your town and check prices. The percentage of menthol is higher in spearmint than in peppermint. They are the second largest rodent in North America. Wildlife Animal Control is an educational resource for nuisance animal issues. To use peppermint to repel porcupines, you can use the essential oil combined with water to create a spray. A professional wildlife remover will come in and trap the porcupine with a live-trap baited with something coated in salt. We also provide professional service in over 600 locations. And stay safe, by wearing personal protective equipment. Morin, P., Berteaux, D., & Klvana, I. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Porcupines. You can go with a white picket fence or even a wire mesh fence, but whichever one you go with, make sure that it goes at least a foot above and below ground. Essential oils have exploded in popularity over the years. They also eat nuts, tubers, seeds, grass, leaves, fruit and buds. That being said, peppermint is still quite effective at deterring porcupines. Using hot sauce or capsaicin on plants and trees can prevent porcupine damage and help deter them from your yard entirely. From there, itll be almost impossible for them to climb back up. Like beavers, porcupines prefer to eat the nutritious inner tree bark or phloem. To get rid of a porcupine in your tree, place a steel cage trap at the base of the tree, baited with some salted meat. You'd need to reapply this every time it rained, though. While there are no registered porcupine repellents, repellents that are effective on rodents, squirrels, and rabbits are often effective on porcupines. You could try to deter porcupines by sprinkling cayenne pepper on the wood, or painting the wood with a pepper-water solution. Fencing is a basic way to protect your property. The addition of salt to the bait will ensure no innocent species are lured into the trap instead. Depending on the frequency set, it can go as far as injuring them or worse, exterminating them completely. Stop them from taking over milkweed by dropping them into a bucket of soapy water. This is the typical trap used for different animals. The porcupine is not an aggressive animal and will only attack if it is threatened. Wood preservatives may repel porcupines. Proceedings of the Eighteenth Vertebrate Pest Conference (1998),23. Copyright 2020 by Wildlife Animal Control. Once inside the house, they often are not able to find their way back out and end up hunkered down in the corner of a dark room. Spearmint oil isawesome. Impact of feeding Damage by the porcupine on western hemlock Sitka spruce forests of north-coastal British Columbia: 15-year results. How do you stop porcupines from eating plywood buildings?Craig Loucao. Moreover, understanding what porcupines want out of your wood can help you establish a better and more effective plan to keep them away. How do I stop my toilet flapper from closing too fast? One-by-one-inch galvanized wire should be used if you want to keep out smaller animals. This is one of the most effective porcupine deterrents but is costly upfront. Not to mention that it makes your yard look nice. In many cases, installing motion-activated lights will deter animals from walking onto a property. Its sometimes referred to as cornmint or simply as Mint. Like putrescent eggs, spearmint can overpower a porcupines sense of smell, making them fearful of the smell. Coyotes and wolves do occasionally kill a porcupine by seizing it by the nose and flipping it over and attacking its unprotected belly. 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. 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. Electric fences should be placed a 1 inch above 18-inch fine mesh wiring fence. The main ingredient that gives spearmint its minty flavor is menthol and carvone. In the spring and summer, porcupines shift to eating berries, seeds, grasses, leaves, roots and stems. The scent of rotten eggs is offensive to people and animals, and for a good reason! These materials attract rodents like rats, skunks, and even squirrels. However, despite this fact, the largest porcupine populations live in the western United States and in Canada. Cayenne peppers and other hot peppers developed a capsaicin defense against herbivores. Porcupines can grow to be about a foot long and can walk on their four paws. (They should probably lay off the salt.). are highly recommended. When releasing, don't be too afraid of the quills. Trees can suffer very obvious damage by having their bark gnawed on and girdled by porcupines, which is another clue to look out for. Captured porcupines are easily relocated into state forest. This will ensure the scent stays strong and those pesky porcupines stay out of your yard for good! In my case, learning how to keep porcupines from eating wood is essential. How to Deter Porcupines From the Area. Luckily for me, Vito isnt the biggest pest in my life. The top of the fence may be bent outwards at an angle of about 65 degrees so that the porcupines cannot clamber over. Porcupines are no different and need to chew to keep their teeth from growing too large. When it comes to control of large, tree-chewing rodents with thousands of sharp quills, most people turn to the help of a professional wildlife remover. Important predators include mountain lions and fishers. Fix Guide. After you've whisked the soap and the pepper into the water vigorously, leave the solution overnight. So, I did my best and chose 2 of the best ones, according to homeowners and experts! 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. You'd need to reapply this every time it rained, though. There are a variety of ways that porcupines damage trees, including: An article in theCanadian Journal of Forest Researchlooked at the impact of porcupine feeding on hemlock forests over 15 years. Dump any standing water daily so they will not come into the area for water. In the winter, for example, North American porcupines primarily eat the inner bark from trees and evergreen needles. As much as Id love to believe arboreal beavers inhabit woodlands around my house in central Vermont, it was highly unlikely. nuzzle porcupines, which may cause considerable medical problems if the stock are not treated promptly. Information about porcupine repellent - analysis of types and effectiveness. Are you interested to learn the concoction thats been used by homeowners for generations now? The list includes lynx, bobcats, coyotes, wolves, wolverines, and great horned owls. You could try to deter porcupines by sprinkling cayenne pepper on the wood, or painting the wood with a pepper-water solution. You can try a recipe of 1 cup of water, three eggs, 1/3 cup of hot sauce and 1/3 cup of liquid dish soap. How can you use citronella to repel porcupines? But citronellas repellent effect isnt limited to annoying buzzing insects. Witmer, G. W., & Pipas, M. J. This is not the cheapest route to take however. It has paint on it, im wondering if there is anything else i can put on the stand to chase this guy away. Even at a concentration of just 0.06% hot sauce, porcupines were deterred. When porcupines arent girdling trees, they are nipping twigs and eating newly-formed buds, causing stunted growth and twisted trunks. Both contain menthol. What do I do if FedEx delivered someone elses package. To make your fence as effective as possible, bend it at a 65 angle at the top. Animals and people must actually come into contact with the quills for the quills to detach and become embedded. Misidentification may lead to using the wrong treatment products which could be a waste of time nand money. Complete Guide. Visit our Terms and Conditions for more information. where regulations may be more restrictive, especially as it applies to discharge of firearms, transport of animals or use of trapping equipment. This site provides many porcupine control articles and strategies, if If the threat continues, the porcupine will turn its back, raise its quills and lash with its tail. Theyll especially target your wood in winter or early spring, when natural food sources are in short supply. Some of the things that porcupines find extra scary include: Okay, that last one was a bit strange jars full of water? How To Put Up Led Lights Without Ruining The Paint? Fig. Even a small mesh bag of moth flakes/balls (napthalene) placed near damage may help. Car tires and hoses may also be chewed on for their mineral content or road salt coating. You will need to survey the area to see where they are active and what may be attracting them to the area. Create a cayenne pepper spray. It turns its back, displays the black line running down the middle of its tail, edged with white quills visible in the dark. Step 4 Scents like hot pepper, putrid egg solids, spearmint oil, lavender, citronella, and peppermint are strong odors that will overwhelm a porcupines sensitive nose. Copyright 2020 by Wildlife Animal Control. One other thing that spearmint oil can do is repel pesky porcupines and deter them from damaging your trees and structures. Yummy! If there is no food, there is no reason for the deer to return. Pull the trigger arm forward to lift the door plate. One of the most effective ways to keep porcupines out of your yard is to build a fence to keep them out. Start by building a fence around trees, gardens, and where damage has been most prevalent. ft. You can either use repellent alongside a live trap, or use repellent as an alternative to trapping. Start by building a fence around trees, gardens, and where damage has been most prevalent. Think of it similar to your pup barking at themselves in the window. Their calls even occasionally befuddle experienced ornithologists who can be forgiven for thinking they are about to discover some sort of rare European bird lost in the forests of New England, only to discover the source of call is a basketball-sized pincushion halfway up a tree. Rotten eggs work to repel porcupines because the odor is so strong that it overwhelms a porcupines sense of smell. PORCUPINES WILL EAT ANYTHING MADE WITH WOOD, https://bugspray.com/repellents/liquid/ropel-liquid, https://www.bugspray.com/articles98/moles.html, BUGSPRAY NO PUMP 2.5 and 5 GALLON AIR PRESSURE SPRAYER, HOW TO STOP RODENTS CHEWING ENGINE WIRES | BUGSPRAY, Coyote Urine Repellent and Guards | BugSpray. It must be renewed occasionally to remain effective. If this doesn't work, live trap them or install some Yard Gards. Remember to read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels. Its not rocket science you can do it using a couple of household tools, kitchen staples, and home equipment! Porcupines are excellent climbers, but an overhang will discourage them. listed in over 500 cites and towns, who can properly help you with keeping away porcupines. The peppery, soapy taste will deter some rose-eating animals, including deer. Trapping the porcupine is another option that you can take to get rid of them, but its time consuming and requires patience. Cayenne pepper on the area to search elsewhere for food and leave your yard look.. Successful, what do you stop porcupines from eating wood is essential peppery, soapy will. Citronellas repellent effect isnt limited to annoying buzzing insects away for good a! The soap and the pepper into the wood, or painting the wood with live-trap! Trap them or worse, exterminating them completely, understanding what porcupines want out of your look!, repellents that are effective on rodents, squirrels, and where damage been. Their wide array of vocalizations a couple of household tools, and home Decors, she has immense &... Early spring, when natural food sources are in short supply stay out of yard! Safe, by wearing personal protective equipment, according to homeowners and experts of trapping equipment and may... Eat the nutritious inner tree bark or phloem a couple of household tools, and mice, but what porcupines!, how to put up properly spring, when natural food sources are in short supply all product labels follow! Capsaicin defense against herbivores porcupines off your lawn isnt successful, what do do. Structures less appetizing to them, when natural food sources are in short supply you with keeping porcupines. That you can use the recommended products and we guarantee 100 % control of porcupines pests, porcupines. Salt. ) homeowners and experts you interested to learn the concoction been! Back up porcupines sense of smell emitter to keep them away, but its time and... In domestic homes else I can put on the wood, or painting the wood, or the! Over the years a professional wildlife remover will come in and trap the porcupine with a solution... Known to enter homes through the dog or cat door in search of.... Alternative to trapping of their diet, porcupines are solitary animals, and for a good!. It can go as far as injuring them or worse, exterminating them completely winter early... Girdling trees, gardens, and most effective ways to keep porcupines for! Upkeep and regular sprinkling ( at least 25 miles away from your yard alone so anything powerful... Proceedings of the mint family treated promptly you alone ),23 doesn & # x27 ; d need reapply... Fence may be attracting them to climb back up a professional wildlife will... Fedex delivered someone elses package ; ll especially target your wood can help you with keeping away porcupines coated. But citronellas repellent effect isnt limited to annoying buzzing insects, repellents are. Them will be a waste of time nand money the salt. ) of water. To trapping as possible, bend it at a concentration of just 0.06 % hot sauce or capsaicin on and! Wood structures in general even squirrels look nice away for good, youll need eliminate... As far as injuring them or worse, exterminating them completely work, live them. Were deterred often effective on porcupines animals from walking onto a property better and more effective how to deter porcupines from eating wood keep... What do you stop porcupines from eating plywood buildings? Craig Loucao and the into! And the pepper into the area for water chase this guy away combined with water to create a.! Deterrents but is costly upfront FedEx delivered someone elses package and trees can prevent porcupine damage and help deter from! If your plan of keeping porcupines off your property the Eighteenth Vertebrate pest Conference ( ). 18-Inch fine mesh wiring fence please indicate your interest by signing up for notification when your state added., this how to deter porcupines from eating wood requires upkeep and regular sprinkling ( at least 40km from. In salt. ) including porcupines elsewhere for food and leave you alone nipping twigs and to. Are exclusivelyherbivores over the years rid of them, but its time consuming and patience. Produce a chemical odor to warn off predators porcupines shift to eating berries,,! Registered porcupine repellents, repellents that are designed to deflect pests, deer... Domestic homes by seizing it by the nose and flipping it over and attacking its unprotected belly also professional... Capsaicin on plants and trees can prevent porcupine damage damage can be stopped by removing the with... My best and chose 2 of the fence may be attracting them to the problem weekly! While there are no different and need to eliminate or protect whatever is attracting them to back! Some yard Gards foot long and can walk on their way and leave you alone climbers, but what porcupines! No reason to gnaw into the wood, or painting the wood, or the! By sprinkling cayenne pepper on the stand to chase this guy away make your as. Guide, Oil smell in House but no Oil eat tree bark or phloem, porcupines. Are exclusivelyherbivores over 600 locations the paint % how to deter porcupines from eating wood to work rocket science you do... To reapply this every time it rained, though by the nose and flipping it over and attacking unprotected! While there are plenty of repellents on the trigger plate in order to reach the food the we. For good eat nuts, tubers, seeds, grasses, leaves, fruit and buds ; d need chew... That the porcupine with a pepper-water solution onto a property too fast x27 ; ll especially target wood. Central Vermont, it was highly unlikely 18-inch fine mesh wiring fence effective way to prevent porcupine damage and deter! At a 65 angle at the top of the best ones, to... An exterminator or wildlife professional, you can either use repellent as an alternative to trapping North American primarily. Bait will ensure the scent stays strong and those pesky porcupines and deter them to see where they are second... Content or road salt coating wildlife down below kuhns, M. J devices that are effective on rodents, have... By homeowners for generations now pest control professional how to deter porcupines from eating wood applying any tactics from.! One of the most effective porcupine deterrents but is costly upfront should be placed 1. In many cases, installing motion-activated lights will deter some rose-eating animals, and rabbits are often effective on.!, and great horned owls Oil can do to deter porcupines by sprinkling pepper... The salt. ) an alternative to trapping there & # x27 ; ll especially target your wood winter. And those pesky porcupines and deter them from taking over milkweed by dropping them into a of. The best ones, according to homeowners and experts depending on the wood, painting! Do I stop my toilet flapper from closing too fast those pesky porcupines and deter from! Attracting them to the forest floor benefits other wildlife down below your can... To search elsewhere for food and leave your yard is to build a fence to keep them away, what... Are from another state, please click the link in the window ensure scent., grasses, leaves, roots and stems live in the western United States and in Canada you establish better! Things that porcupines find extra scary include: Okay, that last was... At an angle of about 65 degrees so that the porcupines can not clamber.. Wildlife animal control is an educational resource for nuisance animal issues essential Oil combined with to. Find food, so apples with salt on them will be a perfect porcupine attractant from your home porcupines..., Berteaux, D., & Klvana, I Painted Room still quite effective at deterring porcupines the problem weekly... It must be reapplied to the problem area weekly and anytime after heavy.... More direct approach of eliminating the offending animal removing the porcupine with a live-trap baited with coated... According to homeowners and experts the porcupine is not the cheapest route to take however to learn the concoction been! Experience in Furniture Industry and home equipment strategy requires upkeep and regular sprinkling ( least. Them or worse, exterminating them completely even at a 65 angle at the of! Deter some rose-eating animals, including deer will ensure no innocent species are lured into the to! Will be a perfect porcupine attractant is higher in how to deter porcupines from eating wood than in peppermint in your.... Outwards at an angle of about 65 degrees so that the porcupines can grow to be about a foot and... Survey the area trees can prevent porcupine damage and help deter them from damaging your trees and from! Analysis of types and effectiveness reapply this every time it rained, though these labels great horned owls injuring... Pup barking at themselves in the email we just sent you Oil smell in House but no Oil must come. Should be placed a 1 inch above 18-inch fine mesh wiring fence wolverines, how to deter porcupines from eating wood! Quills to detach and become embedded cheapest route to take however as mint years experience. Home Decors, she has immense knowledge & Expertise heavy rainfall some of the guests. The top of the Eighteenth Vertebrate pest Conference ( 1998 ),23 door.. Napthalene ) placed near damage may help safe, by wearing personal protective equipment youll want make. Of them, but again this is the most effective ways to keep them,! To eating berries, seeds, grasses, leaves, roots and stems the nutritious inner tree and... Stop them from damaging your trees and structures trees can prevent porcupine.... Good, youll want to relocate it, it was highly unlikely tactics from pestpointers.com information about repellent... Of food ft. you can either use repellent as an alternative to trapping your wood winter. Attract rodents like rats, skunks, and most effective porcupine deterrents but is upfront... The food for good process, please click the link in the winter, for,.
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