A Squirrelly Conundrum
September 23, 2017 8:24 AM Subscribe
It's hot. There's a squirrel that likes to sleep next to our window AC. We're going out of town. Squirrel experts of MeFi, what are the chances this thing is going to invade our apartment and terrorize our cats while we're gone?
It's autumn in this part of the world and one of these guys has taken to sleeping at night in the gap between our (removable window unit) air conditioner and the wall. The AC unit has a thin accordion of plastic separating inside from outside, like so.
We're going out of town for a week first thing tomorrow morning, and coincidentally it's really fucking hot outside and will be through the end of the weekend. We're on the top floor of a 3 story brick building with west-facing windows.
Ideally we'd remove the unit before we go out of town, but given the forecast we'd prefer not to. For those with similar squirrel experiences: if we leave the AC in place until we get back, what are the chances this guy is going to chew its way into our apartment while we're gone? I'd hate for our cats and cat sitter to have to deal with an uninvited guest.
NOTE 1: asking our cat sitter to remove the AC unit is off the table. It's a two-person job and a huge pain in the ass.
NOTE 2: I haven't seen the squirrel hanging around as much in the last few days. He/she could be getting sneakier, or maybe found a more comfortable abode, or perhaps will return once the weather cools down into the 60s next week.
Good grief, I'm second-guessing a squirrel. Thanks in advance for any sensible advice and/or reassurances you can provide.
It's autumn in this part of the world and one of these guys has taken to sleeping at night in the gap between our (removable window unit) air conditioner and the wall. The AC unit has a thin accordion of plastic separating inside from outside, like so.
We're going out of town for a week first thing tomorrow morning, and coincidentally it's really fucking hot outside and will be through the end of the weekend. We're on the top floor of a 3 story brick building with west-facing windows.
Ideally we'd remove the unit before we go out of town, but given the forecast we'd prefer not to. For those with similar squirrel experiences: if we leave the AC in place until we get back, what are the chances this guy is going to chew its way into our apartment while we're gone? I'd hate for our cats and cat sitter to have to deal with an uninvited guest.
NOTE 1: asking our cat sitter to remove the AC unit is off the table. It's a two-person job and a huge pain in the ass.
NOTE 2: I haven't seen the squirrel hanging around as much in the last few days. He/she could be getting sneakier, or maybe found a more comfortable abode, or perhaps will return once the weather cools down into the 60s next week.
Good grief, I'm second-guessing a squirrel. Thanks in advance for any sensible advice and/or reassurances you can provide.
Best answer: It seems pretty unlikely that it would choose to come in. I'm basing this on years of leaving my sliding glass door (and before that, enormous dog door) open all day for the dogs to come and go, and squirrels coming up within a foot of it to eat spilled dog food, and never actually having a squirrel in the house. They've got good noses and are likely to know there's predator animals inside.
But, if you wanted to be certain, why not cut up some cardboard or foamcore (this is my preferred format, it looks so much nicer and you can get big sheets of it at Michaels/JoAnn/etc for a buck a piece) to wedge into those spaces/tape over the plastic as an additional layer that would have to be breached. It improves the insulation anyway.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:39 AM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
But, if you wanted to be certain, why not cut up some cardboard or foamcore (this is my preferred format, it looks so much nicer and you can get big sheets of it at Michaels/JoAnn/etc for a buck a piece) to wedge into those spaces/tape over the plastic as an additional layer that would have to be breached. It improves the insulation anyway.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:39 AM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Squirrels don't get that it's cool inside and they will not really be aware that you're out of town (you have a pet sitter coming in, the place isn't uninhabited). If you're super worried, you could put aluminum foil (maybe) or something that is metal (better) on the inside of the plastic accordion part. Squirrels mostly try to get inside when they are finding a winter nest or when they are having babies and I don't think you're in the danger zone for any of these right now. Make sure the pet sitter sort of thunks on the window every so often to make it less appealing to the squirrel as a resting place.
posted by jessamyn at 9:10 AM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by jessamyn at 9:10 AM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks all, this is exactly the info/perspective we needed. Squirrelxiety subsiding.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 9:18 AM on September 23, 2017
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 9:18 AM on September 23, 2017
Best answer: because i am a massive worrywart, and because a previous cat of mine figured out how to slip between the AC accordion and the windowframe and get stuck and i had to haul his giant fluffy complaining halfway-stuck self back out again tail-first, i tape my AC unit in place! it keeps mosquitos from getting in, it keeps the cat from getting out, and it adds a layer of security against the pigeons that sometimes visit me.
i got a roll of white duct tape and just taped the whole thing over. you could probably also use contact paper, if you wanted, but i thought the tape would be stronger. my plastic accordion is old and gappy, so i made a tape frame on the outside to patch the gap, then just covered the entire indoor-facing accordion in tape strips. it's considerably more attractive than the yellowing accordion plastic. when you want to remove the thing for the winter, just peel off the strips that touch the sill and the window sash.
posted by halation at 10:06 AM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
i got a roll of white duct tape and just taped the whole thing over. you could probably also use contact paper, if you wanted, but i thought the tape would be stronger. my plastic accordion is old and gappy, so i made a tape frame on the outside to patch the gap, then just covered the entire indoor-facing accordion in tape strips. it's considerably more attractive than the yellowing accordion plastic. when you want to remove the thing for the winter, just peel off the strips that touch the sill and the window sash.
posted by halation at 10:06 AM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just tape the accordion parts to the window frame. I usually have to do this because of wildfire smoke but seems like it would work against squirrels too.
posted by HotToddy at 10:57 AM on September 23, 2017
posted by HotToddy at 10:57 AM on September 23, 2017
As an added measure, could you leave a radio on at low volume? In my experience, human voices will keep the critters away.
posted by rpfields at 11:25 AM on September 23, 2017
posted by rpfields at 11:25 AM on September 23, 2017
Grab some cat pee soaked litter and put it outside on the sill.
posted by zengargoyle at 1:18 PM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by zengargoyle at 1:18 PM on September 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Years ago when I lived in an apartment with no central air I had a squirrel do the exact same thing-- take up residence next to my window unit AC, with naught but a thin plastic accordion keeping the squirrel from coming inside. As far as I saw, the squirrel never really tried to come in, but because it would occasionally have arguments with my rabbit through another window in the next room, and because these interactions would stress my rabbit out enough that I was worried she'd straight up die of annoyance if that squirrel ever actually got inside, I decided to up my anti-squirrel-invasion security system by duct taping a small but sturdy metal baking sheet over the same area covered by the accordion barrier, on the inside. Et voila, I no longer had to worry about the squirrel possibly chewing through the plastic, because even if it did, there was no way it could also chew through a baking sheet. Bonus: this improved the insulation in the window which made a surprisingly noticeable difference in the temperature in the room.
posted by BlueJae at 1:21 PM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by BlueJae at 1:21 PM on September 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
If it gets in, I'd worry more about having many small squirrel parts to clean up. Even kinda dopey declawed cats can make quick work of a squirrel.
I think the aluminium foil idea is good, and I might just vacuum or clean around the area so that any crumbs of food aren't tempting.
posted by thenormshow at 2:26 PM on September 23, 2017
I think the aluminium foil idea is good, and I might just vacuum or clean around the area so that any crumbs of food aren't tempting.
posted by thenormshow at 2:26 PM on September 23, 2017
I thrilled to the biology lesson that was watching my two cats -- often lazy so-and-sos, poor mousers! -- take apart a squirrel. It was apparently quite the exciting feast. I don't know at what point they gave up, but they were at it for a long time, and when I nest looked there was a head, spine, and tail, and absolutely nothing else. If the squirrel does get in, which I think is super-unlikely -- I live in a rural area and have had raccoons make it through the cat door, I once found a bird indoors (still a mystery), and the odd mouse shows up, but squirrels are plentiful buggers here but never come indoors. Anyway, if it does, you just don't have to feed the cats quite so much; win!
(Prior to moving out here and for a while afterwards I would, yes, have had the standard city person's reaction to the squirrel minus so many of the squirrel parts, all the organs spilling out while it was being eaten, etc. But it really wasn't particularly awful once eaten clean.)
posted by kmennie at 6:33 PM on September 25, 2017
(Prior to moving out here and for a while afterwards I would, yes, have had the standard city person's reaction to the squirrel minus so many of the squirrel parts, all the organs spilling out while it was being eaten, etc. But it really wasn't particularly awful once eaten clean.)
posted by kmennie at 6:33 PM on September 25, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by kapers at 8:39 AM on September 23, 2017