As weird as it might sound, I’ve seen a number of people claiming that prairie dogs can be exterminated or even put down with bubble gum. Apparently, there was a study in North Dakota about 20 years ago that found people trying to keep prairie dogs out of their yard by doing just that.
The idea was that prairie dogs can’t really chew through bubble gum, so they’d get it caught in their teeth and choke to death. That sounds extremely horrific and inhumane honestly, but it seems that the researchers looked into it as a potential method of rodent control.
As it turns out, it doesn’t really work! I can’t imagine that bubble gum is very good for their digestion, and you certainly don’t want to let any pet prairie dogs get close to bubble gum.
If you’re someone who keeps a pet p-dog, then you’ll need to position your own chewing gum away from them because there are additives in it that are bad. For that matter, some of the artificial dyes probably aren’t doing your own health much of a favor either!
However, it doesn’t seem like chewing gum is at all an effective method of controlling wild prairie dogs that have become a problem.
At times, people have attempted to combine chewing gum with other methods. For instance, there are two types of fumigants in use for controlling prairie dogs.
Sometimes, a rancher will try gum and then use one of these two chemical compounds. Chances are that it was actually the fumigants working and not the chewing gum that was doing the job, but this might not be instantly apparent.
What Will Kill Prairie Dogs?
According to the conservation experts I’ve followed online, zinc phosphide was long preferred as a way to exterminate prairie dogs without causing too much in the way of collateral damage. There are commercial preparations available, but you normally have to be certified to get it.
That means you could call an exterminator, who will take care of the problem for you. Depending on your jurisdiction, then you might be able to find poison bait traps in the hardware store.
Some extermination firms have also used carbon monoxide injection equipment to eliminate prairie dogs that are deep in burrows, but it seems like the most common method to deal with them on larger farms is with a rifle.
Ranchers are normally concerned with prairie dogs that could cause problems for their crops or livestock, which is where this last method comes into play. If a rancher is out taking a look at their property, then there’s a chance they might take a p-dog out.
Fortunately, there are some ways to get rid of these critters without putting an end to their life!
How to Get Rid of Prairie Dogs
Naturally, you could use any of the above methods to exterminate a prairie dog. People have come up with some other techniques, like trying to use ammonia to kill them.
This is rather dangerous and can eventually seep into the ground, where it might interfere with water supplies. If you’re going to use poison bait, then you’ll need to check the weather before doing so because any sort of precipitation will interfere with the process.
Other less lethal options include:
- Mechanical traps, which can be used to move the animals and relocate them elsewhere
- Getting rid of whatever it is that the prairie dogs are using as a food supply
- Using granular repellents, which smell terrible to prairie dogs
- Leveling and tilling the ground, which makes it hard for them to dig holes
- Reap and replant grassy areas, which again will make it hard for them to move around
- Grow taller grasses so the prairie dogs don’t establish colonies
In general, those who maintain their grounds really well won’t end up with too many prairie dogs because they only like a very specific type of environment. Land management seems to be the least dangerous and the most cost-effective way of preventing prairie dog colonies taking root to begin with.
Will Bubble Gum Kill Squirrels?
In theory, bubble gum can clog the intestines of ground squirrels and cause them to hemorrhage. It sounds like a really horrible way to go!
That being said, the jury seems out on whether or not this would ever be considered an effective way of dealing with them. From what I’ve found, it doesn’t look like anyone has done any real research on this and thus it’s unclear whether it’s a good idea from an effectiveness perspective.
As far as humaneness goes, it doesn’t really sound like that great of a concept. You’ll probably want to try relocating ground squirrels if at all possible.
Keep in mind that some people keep squirrels as pets. If you do, then you certainly don’t want to keep chewing gum anywhere near them.
Otherwise, if you had to have squirrels exterminated for whatever reason, you could use one of the above methods. Before you do anything, though, you’ll want to take a look at local laws.
A number of squirrel species have been added to state and county endangered species lists, and conservation experts have recommended adding several others. You don’t want to inadvertently take out something that’s currently protected!
Considering the fact that most people don’t find squirrels a problem, you more than likely won’t have to get rid of them anyway. The only individuals that usually find themselves in a position to start considering chewing gum are productive farmers who have crop problems and those who were unfortunate enough to find that the little critters started to get into their house.
In either of these situations, a relocation plan would probably be equally effective anyway. The same would go for those ho may have found that p-dogs were invading their space like that.
