One cannot deny the fact that squirrels are the cutest creatures on this planet but they can get on your nerves sometimes. Squirrels have sharp teeth that are known to break open even the hardest nuts. Without proper precautions, a squirrel can cause a ruckus sometimes.
The chicken wire which is also known as a hex wire is used in many areas of house improvement. Many rodents like squirrels can chew the chicken wire. To know more about all precautions one must take to save their wires and gardens from a squirrel, stay hooked to the article!
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Can Squirrels Chew Through Wire?
A squirrel’s teeth don’t stop growing, even at a later stage in their life, they continue to develop and evolve. But this can be harmful to them.
If their teeth grow too long then the squirrel won’t be able to open nuts or acorns. So, to control the length of their teeth and to sharpen them, they start to chew. They chew on certain materials which in turn creates friction to grind their teeth to bring them to a much shorter length or the ideal teeth length.
Hence, this means that squirrels can try to chew on everything that appears in front of them. It could be wires or any other material such as soft metals, etc. It is because of their long, elongated, and sharp teeth that they can gnaw on any wire easily. So to answer the question, yes squirrels can chew wires.
What Can Squirrels Chew Through?
Chewing is one of the most common habits that can be easily found in any squirrel. It becomes absolutely difficult to stop them from chewing on something.
Squirrels have sharp teeth which can go through any kind of material. Their teeth are very long and are elongated to a certain angle which helps them to chew easily. They can chew through a variety of materials. These materials include wood, plastic, vinyl, asphalt as well as soft metals like aluminum, zinc, and many more.
Hence, we find out that squirrels can chew through many kinds of materials be it wires or soft metals like aluminum or zinc, they all are chewable.
Can Squirrels Chew Through Metal?
A squirrel’s teeth are very strong, sharp, and long. This enables them to chew on any kind of material. Any kind of material includes soft metals and wires. Squirrels can chew on all soft metals. Soft metals like aluminum, zinc, copper, gold, silver, lead, tin, and more.
Squirrels cannot chew on hard materials as they have attributes like hardness, toughness, and strength which makes it difficult for a squirrel to chew upon.
So, to answer the question about whether the squirrels can chew upon metals or not, the answer to it is that yes, they can chew on soft metals but not on hard ones.
Can Squirrels Climb Chicken Wire?
Squirrels are known for their liveliness. They are also quick to move from one place to another. A chicken wire is used by people in their gardens to save their gardens from any kind of damage caused by squirrels.
But, squirrels are good climbers. You might have observed when they move across you or on the trees nearby that they move very smoothly over all kinds of trees.
Since both captive and wild squirrels are good climbers, they can easily climb a chicken wire and cause a nuisance in your garden. Hence, you can only take care of your garden and protect it from squirrels by using chicken wire in the right way.
You must make a roof using the chicken wire in addition to the wall that is formed with these wires. With the help of a roof and a wall, it will restrict the squirrel from entering your garden.
So, to answer the question of whether squirrels can climb the chicken wire or not, yes the squirrels can easily climb these wires as they have a strong grip.
In addition to a rigid grip, squirrels also have a god-gift of impeccable climbing which helps them to climb the chicken wires.
Can Squirrels Chew Through Wire Mesh?
A wire mesh is the same as a chicken wire and a squirrel can chew through any kind of material, be it a wire or a soft metal.
A squirrel can easily nibble through a wire mesh too as it is not very tough in nature which makes it easy for the squirrel to gnaw upon. But if you wish to keep the squirrel away from your garden then you should use a wire mesh that is no longer than 1 inch i.e. 25 mm.
This measurement of the wire mesh is a suitable length to keep rodents like squirrels and rabbits away from your home and garden.
Does Chicken Wire Keep Squirrels Out of Gardens?
As we have already discussed, squirrels are excellent climbers and can chew on a variety of materials ranging from wires to soft metals.
Chicken wire is a favorable measure to prevent your garden from the nibbles of a squirrel. However, you should try to make a wall and a roof with the chicken wire.
Making a roof with the wall will add additional support and will prohibit the squirrel from entering the garden area.
Also, you must keep the measurement of the chicken wire in your mind before you start constructing a roof and a wall with the available wire mesh.
You should at least have a 1-inch or a 25 mm long wire mesh with you in hand to protect your garden from the claws of the squirrel. This length is the suitable length that will protect your garden and its surroundings from the nibbles and the claws of the mischievous critter.
As long as the question is concerned about whether the chicken wire can stop a squirrel from entering a garden or not, the answer is maybe yes or maybe not. If you choose the right amount of precautions that have been mentioned above that pertain to the length of the chicken wire then your garden is safe.
But, if not, then it is quite possible that your garden is vulnerable to havoc owing to a squirrel’s sharp teeth and good climbing skills.
How Do You Keep Squirrels Out of Chicken Wire?
Let’s understand how to keep a squirrel out of a chicken wire in a step-by-step manner!
1. Selecting the Right Wire
The most important step is to select the right type of wire mesh that you think will be perfect to restrict the squirrel’s movement in your garden.
2. The Correct Length of the Wire
After the selection, it’s necessary to focus on the length of the wire. It is determined by the length of the wall whether the squirrel will enter the garden or not.
The length of the wire should be approximately 1 inch or 25 mm. This length is the ideal length for the construction of a wall and a roof using chicken wire.
Choosing the wrong type of wire or a length that is shorter than an inch will result in squirrel havoc in your garden daily.
3. Making a Plan
Here comes the most essential step. If you just plan to build a wall out of wire then it won’t be as beneficial as a combo of a wall and a roof.
To keep these little mischievous creatures away from your garden, you should build a wall and additionally a roof too.
This will properly cover your garden and these critters will not be able to enter your garden premises once this plan is executed.
Making a wall will not provide the profit which is needed. But ensuring that this wall is made with a roof on top of it will give you the desired results.
As far as the protection of your garden is concerned, you should try to cover them from top to bottom with walls and roofs of mesh wire.
Natural Ways To Keep Squirrels Out
Squirrels can chew through chicken wire, but there are a few other ways to keep squirrels out of your garden!
1. Use Hair!
Did you know that dogs love chasing squirrels? Hence, squirrels try to stay away from areas where they sense a dog’s presence. So, if you have a dog, you can use their hair to mulch the garden beds. This way, the squirrels will stay away from them completely.
If you don’t have dog hair, you can opt for human hair too. Most squirrels might be wary of humans. So, if they smell them, they will prefer to stay away.
2. Opt For Natural Repellants
A few items act as natural repellants for squirrels. For instance, you can sprinkle cayenne pepper on plants near the squirrel-infested areas. You can also plant plants having strong aromas, such as marigold, to keep the squirrels away.
Final Thoughts
A squirrel is a lively yet very mischievous creature. This creature can cause havoc if it wishes to. It has strong and long teeth which help it to eat its food.
However, they often use their teeth as a weapon to cut down on the wires of our electrical appliances at home. This is a major loss for all of us.
Taming a squirrel is a tough task hence you should try to keep materials like wires and other soft metals at a distance from the little creature.
