Information About Porcupine Repellent

Porcupines are large, nocturnal rodents that may become a nuisance by nesting under a home, digging up a garden or gnawing on the wood of a house or deck. Most commercial porcupine repellents are either fear-based or taste-based. They are not intended to harm the animal.

Fear-Based Porucpine Repellents

Fear-based repellents attempt to frighten the porcupine away from the treated area by mimicking the odor of its natural predators, including wolf, coyote, fox, or bobcat.

How to Use Fear-Based Repellents

Fear-based repellents are available in powders and sprays that must be applied liberally throughout the porcupine's territory.

Taste-Based Porcupine Repellents

Taste-based repellents are either extremely sour or unpleasantly spicy, leading the hungry porcupine to look elsewhere for its meal.

How to Use Taste-Based Repellents

Taste-based repellents are sprayed or painted onto plants, trees, wooden furniture, or structures that have proven tasty to porcupines.

Other Repellents

Liquid bird repellent is a sticky, irritating substance originally created to prevent birds from roosting. When sprayed or painted on trees, it discourages porcupines from climbing or gnawing.

Fun Fact

Porcupines love salt, which leads them to gnaw on wooden tool handles, leather saddles, and even car tires that have driven over salted roads.

References

• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Animal Diversity Web
• Alaska Department of Fish and Game Wildlife Conservation: Porcupine
• Porcupine Damage and Repellent Research in the Interior Pacific Northwest; Gary M. Witner and Michael J. Pipas; National Wildlife Research Center; Jan. 1998

Resources

• Tree Porcupine Control