Many people have problems with squirrels taking the food that they put out for their garden birds, and we have had a few of you get in touch to ask whether it’s ok to kill these pesky pests.
Firstly, we would never condone killing a wild animal unless absolutely necessary and secondly, a distinction needs to be made between the legal protection of grey squirrels and red squirrels.
Unlike, the native red squirrel, the grey squirrel is considered an invasive species. It is native to North America and was introduced to the UK in the 1870s. It’s not clear why they were introduced but whoever did so apparently had no idea of the risks involved with introducing non-native species.
Grey squirrels quickly colonised the UK, and in doing so caused the decline of the red squirrel which is now classed as Near Threatened in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, although it is more common in Scotland.
Grey squirrels carry a disease called Parapoxvirus which does not affect their health but can be fatal to red squirrels. They are also much larger than red squirrels which means they eat more and will happily feed on green acorns so will decimate them before they ripen, and red squirrels can eat them.
The population of red squirrels has also been affected by habitat loss, in particularly the destruction of woodland, whereas grey squirrels have a wider range including parks and gardens.
Grey squirrels can also cause other problems. They strip bark from the base of trees which causes them to weaken and eventually die, a practice that has damaged natural woodland and has had an impact on the forestry industry. They take eggs and chicks which can be devastating for songbirds and ground-nesting birds, although not on the same scale as domestic and feral cats. And they have been known to damage houses and buildings by gnawing through woodwork and electrical wires.
Grey squirrels have limited legal protection and as the law stands it is perfectly legal to kill grey squirrels as long it is done in a humane manner. Despite this, the Wildlife Act 2006 states that it is against the law to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal under your care.
This means that you can’t kill an animal by methods such as drowning, suffocating, or beating it to death, but you could trap a grey squirrel and then kill it with a single blow to the head.
However, the RSPCA says that most people would be incapable of killing an animal without causing it to suffer and therefore you would be in breach of the law if you tried to do so. There have been a number of cases where people have been fined for killing grey squirrels they have trapped in their gardens.
It is also illegal to release grey squirrels into the wild or to keep a grey squirrel in captivity under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), so if you do trap a grey squirrel you should take it to a vet or the RSPCA to dispose of it humanely. To try and control the population the law has been extended further and since 2019, it has been illegal for wildlife rehabilitation centres to release grey squirrels so many have stopped taking sick and injured grey squirrels at all.
Red squirrels on the other hand, are legally protected, and it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure, or capture a red squirrel or damage any structures they use for shelter.
Although it can be incredibly frustrating to have squirrels take the food you put out for birds there are a number of things you can do to try and prevent them doing so before resorting to pest control.
Invest in a specially designed squirrel proof bird feeder, or one that has small mesh holes so that squirrels and larger birds cannot easily get to the food. Don’t put out food on the ground or on bird tables, which will not only attract squirrels but also vermin and other pests.
You could also try adding cayenne pepper to the food you offer to the birds that visit your garden or use a specially formulated squirrel repellent spray. We have a number of other tips to prevent squirrels stealing your bird food and we recommend that you try these rather than killing them.
42 Responses
Is there such a thing as humane killing? Killing is killing. If deterrents don’t work and squirrels are destroying your property then they have to be eliminated.
You may find getting rid of squirrels will bring in the rats which is what has happened in my garden.Rats dont like squirrels they can kill them and see them as a threat. We had no rats until someone near us killed the squirrels now we have rats instead.Great.
You people who kill squirrels are very fortunate not to be over run with rats. a man who killed all the squirrels near us has now created a rat problem we never saw rats but now there is no squirrels the rats are taking over.Rats are scared off by squirrels as they see them as a threat and squirrels will kill rats.
This ‘as real struck a cord with me. Myself and the missus is registered pensionars. tries to grows as much fuds as we can in the garden, but is not jus them squillels, but the retched cats! Shittin on me’s rubarbs. So I got meself a litle air pistol and shoots em. Cats are jus like squirrls really. I calls em big rats. Cos they’s like rats but bigger., Not ingenuous either., like the grays
Cats, I’ll think you’ll find are manly pets and loved by their owners, you won’t be very popular if you start shooting them with a low powered air pistol and might find yourself on the wrong side of the law if you even manage to hit 1.
My neighbour and myself are pensioners so we try to grow as much of our food as we can.
every year we get grey squirrels digging up plants and eating the food,
so now we trap them and kill them.
You should invest in heavy duty chicken wire which is available on a roll 2ft or 3ft high in various lengths.
This can be made into an enclosure or cage and covered with pond netting.
Initial outlay may be relatively high but these are reused year after year on my allotment plot.
The enclosure and netting will also help deter pigeons from eating crops.
There must be no gaps at the bottom. This is ssential to prevent small birds entering which will be trapped and die as they can’t find a way out.
Everyone should have a hobby
TOP TIP – Hang your bird feeders down from a horizontally strung length of barbed wire, THAT stops your squirrels from eating your bird food!
I finally had to kill my first squirrel..They have eaten wires under my car..ripped my Convertible Top on Two Cars..Made the Brakes Unable to Stop, due to their eating everything..
My Plants..Our Garden Our Back Yard ..as Well as Our Back Deck was their home..
I used Pepper ? around My Flower ? Beds..My Bulbs were eaten the the Moment I put them outside..
We hung bird ? feeders from a tree ? limb..and yet..they ate thru the rope, and Me Finding the Bird ? Feeder on the Ground..
I placed oil on any hangers I had for Baskets of Flowers ?..Only to Look the Next Day to See Half of it Dug Out..and It’s Expensive..
But Today was My Day to Look thru the Scope and Aim it at One of the Many Squirrels here… In my Fenced Back Yard..My Front Yard..My Driveway..
Finding pieces of nuts on places of the Motor when Checking My Fluids for My Vehicles..
I Killed that Squirrel..Said a Prayer..and I Was Sorry ?..and I Will Bury that Squirrel..and Guess I will begin My Squirrel Cemetery..Cry..but I am Really Tired of All the Destruction they Are and Have Created over the Past Nine Years..
It’s obvious from the many similar notes above and our own experience that there is a serious new plague of grey squirrels. I have had to stop feeding birds because instead of an usual one or two squirrels usually seen separately we now have five-six including a pair brazenly, ahem, at it in our closest tree yesterday, for half an hour. They attack any possible food including prize rose buds, repeatedly digging up pot plants and have chewed away the wooden bottom of a shed door to get at the thick bag of birdseed inside. And chewed up new defences to get back into our loft. RSPB etc, NB.
I have the same problem, chewing flower heads, digging up plants. This was since I placed squirrel proof feeders.
I bet Paula does not have red squirrels today and alot less song birds.
We have new neighbours who have put hung up several Bird Feeders in the trees, we allways had some issues with grey squirells, but it wasnt to much of an issue, since they hung the feeders up its gone balistic, the squirells have become Very Aggresvie with each other, numbers visiting have increased.. Neighbours think its lovely watching them feed. Lets see how they like it if the get into there roof space or the childrens wendy house. They are just so thick and dont see them as pests
Been shooting them for 6months now and am happy to say got most of my birds back. It’s hard at first but when you see the birds coming back you feel better. Good luck. John
Wow, you really are a piece of work. Something very dubious about someone shooting squirrels and using bird as an excuse. I have always had squirrels red and grey in the garden growing up. The birds aren’t fussed by the squirrels, it’s the huge hawk that freaks them out. It’s not the squirrels that are the problem it is the destrction 0f habitat for building homes.
I’ve worked so hard on my garden and I have 4 squirrels living in the tree next door and they have absolutely destroyed my garden. I’m disabled and my garden is everything to me and to watch the rat like creatures dig it up is destroying me. I would gladly exterminate them.
Where do you live Ross? I will come and shoot them for you
Does anyone on here know how to get rid of a baby squirrel that is trapped on the roof of our detached house.
It is keeping us awake all night running around the gutter of our bedroom. We are pensioners and my hubby had a transplant and we need our sleep. Been told we cant kill it
we are in KT9 area
I have the same problem. I don’t think you are breaking the law as long as you put them down humanely.
I totally agree with John, I back onto woods and was inundated with grey squirrels so much so that the birds you want to help just stayed away. I shot 54 grey squirrels and now the birds are much happier. Grey squirrels are vermin and cause a lot of damage to trees and other wildlife.
I call them Tree rats!
Hi Michael, oh my, if only I had a gun. I am a cancer sufferer and very wobbly on my legs but I spend 1/2 my time in the garden – what’s left of it ! trying to scare the squirrels away. Only this morning I fell over in my haste to get into the garden and now waiting to go to Hospital. Honestly I really at the end of my tether. My Blackbirds and Robins are about the only please I get whilst having to sit in my chair for long periods of time. I would easily shoot them and not mourn them
I shot 37 of them over the past 2 months. Takes a special person to not understand the damaged these rodents cause if not kept in check. How about you do you and let see how you feel when your contractor hands you a bill you have to take a loan out in order to pay to repair damage they have cause to your home . That’s 37 and counting I’ll keep you posted as count rises!!! 🙂
Only grey squirrels are protected, other squirrels can be killed if the squirrels are eating your garden or bird feed. You may kill them as long as it’s humane. Inhumane methods get you a ticket from the Game warden. So Paula Karen, know what your talking about before spewing forth poisoned words!
Jana, Grey squirrels have ‘limited legal protection’ whereas the red has total protection
I think you got that wrong mate greys aren’t protected they are vermin the reds are the ones that are protected.
Grey squirrels???
Grey squirrels are NOT protected. They’re vermin and may be killed humanely. Red squirrels are declining in numbers, are only in a very few areas of UK now and are protected.
Red Squirrels are protected not Grey ,, Grey are vermin and have anti cruelty protection,,,, ,we only have the Red and Grey in this country and the grey is a big problem. am happy to cull any that folk are getting problems from.
I too am somewhat disabled and have put a lot of work into my garden. The bulbs I plant are never in the ground long enough to produce flowers. The grey squirrels have multiplied vastly in the last three years and while I don’t mind one or two anything up to 15 in the garden at once is a bit much. I’m all for the protection of wildlife but in this case, I’ve decided to cull them a bit…Just to give my garden a chance.
Squirrels eat the birds eggs, they strip the stems of rose bushes, eat the roses, chew the low voltage cables of garden lighting, chew ways into your roof…..the list goes on and on so clearly you are the piece of work.
I’m sorry you feel that way. I have a large vegetable garden and this year thanks to my neighbor, grey squirrels eat twenty percent of everything, corn, strawberries, blueberries, you name it they eat it or dug it up. Birds do a little damage but they earn there kept by eating bugs and pollinating veggies. Grey squirrels are invasive ( tree rats ) and do a great deal of damage. I don’t like killing, but sometimes it’s necessary.
Its the humans who should be controlled . They come here thinking its their world ! When will they learn !?!
Too true ????????
Nice one John
I have shot and killed over 100 grey squirrels over the past two years. I dread to think how many more there would be if I hadn’t! Sorry Paula, they are an invasive pest, an absolute nuisance and are certainly not cute!
Can I borrow your gun……they stripped my apple trees completely, next season have I got a surprize for them. Amazing to see a colorful assortment on the feeder ….bluejays, cardinals,chickadees, nuthatches etc…. until bully squirrel leaps 7ft from fence crashing down on feeder breaking the plastick side pieces.
Mark
Well Done, we need more people doing this all over the country
(Despite this, the Wildlife Act 2006 states that it is against the law to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal under your care.)
So a wild grey squirrel “would not” be in your care so surely it would be ok, and as far as the RSPCA are concerned why do they think it is then acceptable to kill say a chicken, a cow, a pig, a fish or any other creature for food consumption..??
Oh no of course that’s perfectly acceptable isn’t it… hypocrisy at its best!
Your a special kind of special! Must be a outspoken Biden supporter a former me too advocate!
My bird feeders used to attract several robin families blackbirds blue tits a wren or two pigeons doves magpies and various other casual visitors
4 months ago squirrels started to plague them and now I am lucky to get pigeons
I have squirrels all the time
I have squirrel proof feeders but they eat though the plastic and destroy everything
I have decided to trap them and humanely put them down but reading this article I could be breaking the law
I might try to find someone who can shoot them
I have bought the ‘Gardman Heavy Duty Squirrel Proof Fat Snax Feeder’ and can confirm that squirrels cannot get at the food – I have the fat balls feeder. Little expensive but worth it!
Good luck!