Squirrels have strong teeth, which can chew plastic, PVC, metal, wood, and aluminum. Plastic and PVC materials are more vulnerable because of their unique smell and flexible texture.
Are Squirrels Attracted To Plastic? Squirrels are attracted to plastic because of food source, nesting place, plastic scent, and wear down their teeth. However, they do not ingest plastic because it can damage the digestive system and cause nutritional imbalance. Flexible jaw muscles and sharp front teeth allow them to chew hard materials.
These can easily chew the PVC material used in construction and electronics for insulation. They get attracted to the electric wires because of the plastic coating, which causes their destruction. These pesky critters mostly live in wild areas but can also enter your home for food and shelter.
Why are squirrels attracted to plastic?
Squirrels are omnivore animals, and they meet their daily needs through plants and animal sources, but they also get attracted to non-edible things like wood, plastic, and aluminum.
Food source
These rodents like plastic material because of the presence of food sources. Various food materials come in similar packages because they are lightweight and cost-effective.
These animals identify the presence of food material through their specific aroma.
In addition, these can also come there if these food packages are not appropriately sealed. Moreover, these can also chew the trays that people usually place on their lawns to feed birds and animals.
Different food items in these trays attract these animals, and they can also damage their plastic material. Many people discard spoiled and contaminated foods in trash cans made of PVC materials.
The smell of spoiled food is strong, and it grabs the attraction of various rodents and birds, and they feed on them. I prefer to use covered and sealed trash cans so they cannot attract any insects and rodents.
Moreover, I also place the stainless-steel trashcan in my yards because it becomes difficult for squirrels to chew them. Furthermore, stainless steel material is less susceptible to damage as compared to plastic ones, which become brittle because of heat exposure.
Lack of food
Squirrels usually do not eat plastic material because of their digestive system adaptability. They only get attracted to them because of food odors and building their nest.
Sometimes the food sources are scarce, and these animals do not find anything in their surroundings. In this situation, they feed on non-edible and non-nutritive things to fill their stomach.
They can bite, chew and ingest them to fill their stomach. These cannot eat them frequently and as a natural diet source because their body does not contain any enzymes for their digestion and metabolism.
Nesting place
Wild squirrels can easily find nesting places because of the presence of trees, while the captive ones do not have enough sources to build them.
They chew the plastic material and use their small pieces to build their nest. In addition, they prefer to live in dark places and make holes in vent pipes for nesting purposes.
I prefer to use the wire mesh and spray the peppermint solution on these pipes to keep these animals away. Moreover, they also produce wear and tear in these pipes and prefer to reside inside because of the warm and insulated places.
Plastic scent
This material has a special smell because of plasticizers and PVC chemicals. Squirrels have strong smelling power, and they get attracted to them,
I saw them on the plumbing pipes because they wanted to chew them and fulfill their water requirements. In addition, its smell does not attract these animals, and they come there because of the aroma of various food materials from the packages and containers.
I always prefer to discard them properly in the lidded trash cans so their smell cannot disturb rodents in the surrounding environment.
Food wrappers and containers have a special aroma because food residue retention grabs the attention of different birds and animals.
Teeth wear down
Squirrels have growing teeth like other rodents, and they have to trim them to decrease their eating issues. They chew and gnaw on hard material to wear down their teeth.
These hard materials allow them to wear down their overgrown teeth. Overgrown teeth can make them unconformable, and they also feel irritation because of them.
In addition, it can also cause eating difficulties which can compromise their health. They bite the edges of plastic materials because they are sharper.
Do squirrels ingest plastic?
Squirrels are curious animals, and they are always attracted to new and unfamiliar things. The animals living in the wild areas are unfamiliar with plastic objects because of their rare occurrence in these areas.
The captive ones can easily chew this material for food and nesting. In addition, some of these also ingest it when food sources are scarce to fill their stomach.
Ingesting plastic material is harmful to them because it can cause digestive system issues. These animals’ digestive systems do not contain any enzymes that can digest these materials.
The digestive system only contains enzymes that can break down plant and animal-based foods. In addition, it can have sharp edges, which can cause digestive tract injuries.
Moreover, these also contain toxic animals and chemicals which can affect their organs and cause disruption in normal body functioning.
These can also cause nutritional imbalances in these animals because of the absence of nutritional value.
How do squirrels chew plastic?
Squirrels and other rodents can easily chew hard materials because of their strong teeth. These animals have flexible jaw muscles that allow them to chew the plastic material.
It is a hard and flexible material, and humans cannot chew them because of their less developed muscles. The flexible and strong jaw muscles allow their chewing without any jaw pain.
In addition, these also have chisel-like front teeth that help chew all edible and non-edible materials. The front teeth, also known as the incisors, are well-adapted for chewing and gnawing.
Squirrels bite this material with their front teeth and then exert pressure on them to break them.
Chewing on plastic is not the natural behavior of these animals because they feed o plants, grass, and nuts.
These can only attract them because of the presence of food sources. Moreover, these animals produce wear and tear, scratches, and holes in the material.
How do I keep squirrels from chewing plastic?
It is necessary to keep the squirrels away from plastic material because it destroys your homes. Close the entry points and holes properly so they cannot find any way to enter inside.
It is also necessary to call the wildlife expert for their removal if these are already present. You can also use the live traps to relocate and remove them according to their size.
Spray these pipes, wires, and plumbing vents with repellent essential oils and hot pepper. In addition, you can also hang the artificial snakes and owls in your yards so they cannot come into your garden.
It is also necessary to keep them clean and remove the bird feeders from them so they cannot come there for water and food.
Clear the debris from the grass, including nuts, seeds, and food residues, because they come in your lawn to eat them. Use metal trash cans with sealed lids instead of plastic ones.
Using metal wire mesh in your garden is also better than PVC ones because squirrels can chew them.
I always prefer to make my lawn less attractive to rodents. Store the edible foods in tightly sealed containers. Use the metal wire mesh to cover the roof’s plumbing vents and chimneys.
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