How do I prevent critters from chewing my sprinkler system?

Question

I have a lot of trees in my yard...and squirrels. I'm not 100% sure the squirrels are the critters doing the damage, but it seems the most likely. My neighbor says he's seen a possum in his yard before...and I'm not ruling out rats or mice.

Anyway, this is the third time this has happened. I hate to start killing squirrels to prevent it; it's kind of fun looking at them scamper up and down my trees. Plus, they might not be the offender anyway.

Here's what the damage looks like:

enter image description here

@randy - Yes, I had mulch covering them originally, but I haven't had time to put rain gutters up yet and when it rained the gradually got uncovered. Need to bump that up the priority list. Good suggestion. — Shane, Jun 09 '11 at 15:29

score 12 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 08 '11 at 19:28

12

Weaponize some chili pepper oil by putting it in an atomizer or other spray bottle; proceed to spray the equipment.

answered Jun 08 '11 at 19:28

mfg

2,322
1
23
25

1

I like this idea a lot, I'll give it a try. Do you have any personal experience with this that proves that this will work? – Shane Jun 08 '11 at 19:32
1

You don't typically see critters chewing on pepper plants... and the NPIC (National Pesticide Information Center) – mfg Jun 08 '11 at 19:34
1

+1. This can also work for keeping rabbits and other nibblers out of gardens w/o a fence. – JSBձոգչ Jun 08 '11 at 19:35

How do I prevent critters from chewing my sprinkler system?

1 Answers1

Linked