There are several things you can spray on pumpkins to deter squirrels from eating them. Here are some options:
- Vinegar: Spray vinegar around your pumpkin. Its potent smell can be too much for squirrels and their sensitive noses.
- Animal Repellent: Head to your local home improvement or garden store and pick up animal repellent. These sprays contain things like peppermint, garlic, and eggs with unappealing smells.
- Lacquer Spray: Coat your pumpkin in lacquer spray and let it dry until hard. Be sure to coat the pumpkin entirely. The crunchy texture is unappealing to many squirrels, but some hungry critters may choose to tough it out.
- Hairspray: Coat your pumpkin all over, inside and out, with aerosol hairspray. Be sure to repeat the process every day or so. The drawback of hairspray is that it comes off easily and needs frequent reapplication.
- Peppermint Essential Oil: Coat the pumpkin in a mixture of water and peppermint essential oil. Rodents do not like the smell of peppermint, and they can often smell something is off with the pumpkin.
- Capsaicin: Capsaicin is the component found in red pepper flakes and bottled hot sauce. You can sprinkle red pepper flakes inside a carved pumpkin, rub bottled hot sauce on the outside, or create your own repellent spray.
- Petroleum Jelly: Apply a heavy coat of petroleum jelly over all areas of the pumpkin, focusing on spots with exposed flesh. A thick coat is better than a thin coat. As the theory goes, squirrels do not like the sticky texture of petroleum jelly, so the stickier you make the surface, the better.
- Lemon-scented Pledge: Spray your pumpkin liberally with Lemon-scented Pledge. It also gives it a nice sheen.
Note that some of these options may need to be reapplied every few days, especially after rain.
