7 Ways To Stop Weasels From Climbing Over And Under Walls

Weasels can be a real headache due to the damage they can cause to outdoor structures and animals on your property. Even worse, they can climb and dig their way around walls to get to your property!

The best ways to stop weasels from climbing over and under your walls include using the following as added deterrents:

• An increased amount of fencing
• Electric fencing
• Deterrents and repellents 
• Lights
• Sprinklers
• Sounds
• Trapping

Make sure your fence extends at least 12 inches underground to prevent weasels from digging.  We will cover all of the details about keeping weasels from climbing over and under your walls in this article and which methods are best for your situation. We’ll also give you some helpful tips you can use to make your yard less attractive to weasels. Let’s get to it!

Can Weasels Even Climb Over And Under Walls?

Yes, weasels are actually quite athletic. They are quick, agile creatures which aids them in being able to feed on animals such as rabbits. Weasels are also great at climbing, digging, and can even swim!

While most weasels don’t just go around climbing trees all day, they are very good climbers. Weasels will climb things in order to get a meal or to escape a predator.

Weasels have also developed very good digging skills. They can use their digging skills to create a burrow for shelter but more often they will take over the burrow of their prey. Just like with climbing, weasels will also use their digging skills if they see an opportunity to get some food.

Unfortunately for us, and for our yards, the weasel’s ability to climb and dig means just putting up just any old wall isn’t going to keep weasels out.

7 Ways To Stop Weasels From Getting Past Your Walls

There are a couple of options when it comes to stopping weasels from climbing over and under your walls. Which option you use will depend on your unique situation.

Also, consider that weasels may not be climbing over and under your walls but going through them.

According to Washington University, weasels can squeeze through openings as small as a wedding ring. Any opening bigger than an inch should be covered with hardware cloth to keep weasels out.

If you’re interested, take a look at these 4 signs that you have weasels in your yard in order to help identify that you ACTUALLY have them.

1. Increase Fencing To Stop Weasels From Climbing Over And Under Walls

There are two ways to increase your fencing in order to stop weasels from climbing over and under walls.

We aren’t talking about making your fence taller here.

Weasels can climb trees, so it wouldn’t be practical to try and build your fence tall enough to prevent weasels from climbing it.

If your wall is protecting something like chickens, you can increase your fencing to create a roof over the coop or run. By providing a fully enclosed coop or run, you will keep your chickens safe from predators and prevent them from escaping.

If your wall encloses your entire yard, increasing your fencing to create a roof is not going to be practical.

Don’t worry, there are other ways, listed below, to keep weasels from climbing over your walls!

You can also increase your fencing to stop weasels from digging under your walls. Follow the University of Missouri’s recommendation and make sure your fencing goes at least 12 inches under the ground. Weasels typically won’t dig that deep searching for a way to get under the fence.

2. Use An Electric Fence To Stop Weasels From Climbing Over Walls

If you’re trying to keep weasels from climbing over a wall that fences in your entire yard, your best bet is to install an electric fence.

An electric fence will give the weasel a shock and likely prevent them from ever trying to scale the wall again. 

Make sure you properly adjust the strength of your electric fence so that it doesn’t harm the weasel or other wildlife. You just want to give them a shock to scare them away. 

This Patriot Electric Fence Energizer is made for small animals and comes with a spool of aluminum wire so you can quickly electrify your current fence. 

3. Use Deterrents And Repellents To Stop Weasels From Climbing Over And Under Walls 

There are several deterrents and repellents available to help you stop weasels from climbing over and under walls. They typically contain scents that are unpleasant to weasels. Weasels have an extremely good sense of smell. 

The best repellent for weasels is predator urine. The smell of a predator in the area is likely to help make weasels steer clear of the area.  

While predator urine is the only proven deterrent for weasels, some strong odors that don’t resemble their food can also keep them at bay. Peppermint oil, hot pepper, tea tree oil, citronella, eucalyptus, and coffee grounds all have a strong odor that can overwhelm a weasel’s sense of smell and deter it. 

For more information about using smells to deter weasels, and some product recommendations, check out 9 scents that weasels hate (and how to use them).

4. Use Motion Detectors With Lights To Stop Weasels From Climbing Over And Under Walls 

Motion detector lights can be a great way to deter weasels, as well as other animals, and keep them away from your wall. They work by turning on a bright light when motion is detected which will startle the weasel and cause it to run away. 

Depending on how big your yard is, and how big your wall is, you may need multiple lights to get good coverage from the motion detectors. 

If your yard is small, you can simply attach the motion detector to your house and it will be activated if a weasel passes. For larger yards, you may want to install multiple motion detector lights on the actual fence to get better coverage and protection from weasels. 

5. Use Motion Detectors With Sprinklers To Stop Weasels From Climbing Over And Under Walls  

Motion detector sprinklers are another great wildlife deterrent that will work well for weasels. They work in the same way that motion detector lights do but, when triggered, they turn on a sprinkler instead of shining a bright light. 

Motion detector sprinklers often work better than lights because the water actually touches the weasel to startle it and they typically make noise when activated as well. 

We like this Orbit Day & Night Motion Detector Sprinkler because it’s super efficient! It will not only save you from having to change the batteries all the time but will also save water!

6. Use Motion Detectors With Sound To Scare Weasels Away From Walls

Just like lights and water, you can use sound to scare weasels away and stop them from climbing over and under walls. 

There are two types of motion detectors with sound. Some will simply make a loud noise that you (and your neighbors) will hear. This may not be ideal if there are other houses close by. 

The other option is to use a motion detector with ultrasonic sound. Weasels will be deterred by the sound, but it won’t bother you or your neighbors.

7. Use Weasel Traps To Stop Weasels In Their Tracks

Trapping weasels is one of the best ways to keep them from climbing over or under your wall. Weasels are very curious animals and are highly motivated by food. This makes it extremely easy to catch them using a trap. 

If you plan to use trapping to get rid of weasels, we recommend you leave it to a professional. There are rules and regulations in most states regarding trapping weasels. A professional will make sure everything is done by the book. 

A professional will know how to safely remove a weasel from a trap and will usually take care of relocating the animal for you as well. 

To find a wildlife professional in your area, use our Pest Control Locator Page!

What Attracts Weasels To Your House Anyways?

Another thing to consider when trying to keep weasels from climbing over and under fences is making sure you aren’t attracting them.

Though weasels are good climbers and diggers, they only tend to climb over and dig under things if they are trying to get to safety or a food source. 

Food And Leftover Meat Attracts Weasel

Weasels have a ridiculously good sense of smell. If you throw out meat in the trash, a weasel in the area is likely going to smell it. 

You can’t prevent ever throwing out something that contains meat, or the smell of meat, but you can make sure that weasels can’t get to it.

Make sure your trash cans have secure lids so that weasels can’t get to your trash. Even better, you can house your trash cans in a storage shed made for trash cans.

However, it’s not just the weasel itself that you have to worry about when it comes to your trash. 

Not only does certain meat in your trash attract weasels, but other items in your trash may attract other rodents.

Weasels feed on a variety of rodents so you want to make sure you don’t attract rodents to your house. Keep your trash cans properly secured and you can avoid attracting both weasels and other rodents.

Remember, weasels love wide open areas, so be mindful of keeping your grass trimmed low so they can’t hide in tall grass as well.

Weasels Can Be Attracted To Other Weasels!

For the most part, weasels are solitary animals. However, weasels can be attracted to one another during mating season. Weasels mostly mate during spring and summer each year. 

During the mating season, males will abandon their territory in search of females. If you have a female living on your property, she may attract other males during spring and summer.

Females will also add to your weasel population when she gives birth to her offspring. 

Baby weasels are referred to as kits. According to the University of California, females produce up to 9 kits per year! It’s important to make sure you take care of a weasel on your property sooner rather than later or their population may quickly grow. 

Weasels Love Livestock Such As Chickens

Weasels are most commonly considered a pest to homeowners who have chicken coops. While chickens are not a natural food source for weasels, they are opportunistic carnivores, and chickens trapped in a coop make for an easy dinner. 

The reason weasels are such a problem for chickens is that weasels will actually continue hunting even after they are full.

Similar to a squirrel, weasels will keep hunting and take any extra food they can get back to their burrow to eat later. This can lead to a weasel taking more than one chicken at a time and allow them to quickly decimate an entire backyard chicken coop. 

Once a weasel gets an easy meal from your coop, they’re likely to keep coming back. The best way to keep weasels out is to exclude them.

If you have a chicken coop, making sure it has a roof, that the fencing goes 12 inches into the ground, and that there are no openings bigger than 1 inch will keep weasels out.

That’s A Wrap!

Weasels can be a nuisance when they dig under structures or harm your livestock. Even worse, they can climb over and under walls you put up to keep them out!

You can improve your fencing, use deterrents, scare them away, or trap weasels to keep them from going around your walls.  

And remember not to leave out trash which can attract weasels and their prey to your property.

If you’re still having weasel issues, take a look at our piece on the best ways to get rid of weasels indefinitely!

References

Day, M.G., 1968. Food habits of British stoats (Mustela ermined) and weasels (Mustela nivalis). Journal of Zoology, 155(4), pp.485-497.

McDonald, R.A. and Murphy, E.C., 2000. A comparison of the management of stoats and weasels. Mustelids in a Modern World: Management and Conservation Aspects of Small Carnivore: Human Interactions, p.21.

Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage. Editors, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Robert M. Timm, Gary E. Larson. 1994. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 2 vols.