Squirrel-proof Bird Feeders

[Osbourne One-Nil]

Are you meant to use them to keep reds off? Saw him this morning scampering up my bird table, and then he spent a few minutes on the bin we keep the bird food in.

Awwwwwwww

[knocker]

Have you got many reds in your area?

[Osbourne One-Nil]

They're all reds....for now, anyway. I'm not sure how long that will remain the case though. Quite a common sight around here, and they are lovely.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

He/she came back.

[Lancashire Lass]

Lucky you having red squirrels in your garden. Think the feeders are aimed at grey squirrels mainly.

[pottyprof]

Squirrel proof the bird feeders and build a bit of an obstacle course for the squirrels.

http://www.northwestnatureshop.com/Nature_Articles/Backyard_Nature/Squirrels_and_More/2037.html

[Nick L]

[WaitingForMackerel]

Caught a snippet about squirrel proofing bird feederss on autumnwatch( i think).

They said to dust the bird food with chilli powder, it puts the squirrels off big time. Birds on the other hand, having very few taste receptors, cant taste it and will be none the wiser.

Sounds cruel to me but it was reccomended by a genuine eco/wildlife person !

[picog]

Caught a snippet about squirrel proofing bird feederss on autumnwatch( i think).

They said to dust the bird food with chilli powder, it puts the squirrels off big time. Birds on the other hand, having very few taste receptors, cant taste it and will be none the wiser.

Sounds cruel to me but it was reccomended by a genuine eco/wildlife person !

That might also stop my dogs scoffing the seeds that fall from the feeders too! On second thoughts, I wonder if that's a bit dodgy for them — they might just end up with the squits!

[Osbourne One-Nil]

For the avoidance of doubt, I wouldn't dream of keeping red squirrels off the food, and I was simply showing off.

[Alex95]

I spend quite a lot of time in the Penrith area, and we get reds there too. Sadly, however, a small number of grays moved into the area around 3 years ago bringing squirrel pox, and there are hardly any reds now compared with just a few years ago. Haven't seen a gray myself though, and there have been a few more reds again in the last 6-12 months, so hopefully they'll make a recovery as the grays never really moved in properly, there has just been a few!

Oh, and we have a squirrel box which keeps the birds out! We also have a bird feeder though.

Edited November 11, 2011 by alza

[Tim B]

Caught a snippet about squirrel proofing bird feederss on autumnwatch( i think).

They said to dust the bird food with chilli powder, it puts the squirrels off big time. Birds on the other hand, having very few taste receptors, cant taste it and will be none the wiser.

Sounds cruel to me but it was reccomended by a genuine eco/wildlife person !

Yeah I heard that too, been meaning to test it since we get nothing but greedy greys around here.

I think it was on the one show.

As for stopping invasive gray squirrels from treating your bird food as a free al fresco meal then your best bet is a mechanical feeder with a set of scales built in to it which cuts off the food supply when a squirrel stands on it, which wont happen with the birds feeding off it.

[Terminal Moraine]

Caught a snippet about squirrel proofing bird feederss on autumnwatch( i think).

They said to dust the bird food with chilli powder, it puts the squirrels off big time. Birds on the other hand, having very few taste receptors, cant taste it and will be none the wiser.

Sounds cruel to me but it was reccomended by a genuine eco/wildlife person !

The Grey Squirrels around here seemed oblivious to the chilli powder when I tried that method, they ate the bird food with such relish it was as though I'd provided a particularly palatable garnish.

The only method I've found which works to any degree is a peanut feeder attached to a device which rotates when a Squirrel hangs from it. The Squirrels made many attempts to hang on to the rotating feeder but eventually thought better of it and gave up.

The ingenuity of Squirrels is amazing. I know someone who bought two peanut feeders made of heavy duty wire fixed to a metal base and top- supposedly Squirrel proof. The feeders were hung out on the short, stout twigs of an Ailanthus tree and the Squirrels made several attempts to gnaw through the wire but to no avail. It took them only a week to learn that if they gnawed through the twig supporting the feeder it would fall to the ground, the top would come off and all the nuts would be there for the taking.

Respect!

[johnholmes]

The Grey Squirrels around here seemed oblivious to the chilli powder when I tried that method, they ate the bird food with such relish it was as though I'd provided a particularly palatable garnish.

The only method I've found which works to any degree is a peanut feeder attached to a device which rotates when a Squirrel hangs from it. The Squirrels made many attempts to hang on to the rotating feeder but eventually thought better of it and gave up.

The ingenuity of Squirrels is amazing. I know someone who bought two peanut feeders made of heavy duty wire fixed to a metal base and top- supposedly Squirrel proof. The feeders were hung out on the short, stout twigs of an Ailanthus tree and the Squirrels made several attempts to gnaw through the wire but to no avail. It took them only a week to learn that if they gnawed through the twig supporting the feeder it would fall to the ground, the top would come off and all the nuts would be there for the taking.

Respect!

Their antics are either infuriating or amusing depending on how you feel about them!

One feeder I had, made of wire, had an apparent thatch roof. One decided to spend all one morning carefully picking these bits of straw off, throwing them between its legs, and was rather puzzled when he found 3cm of solid wood underneath. Eventually, over 3-4 years he managed to get into the nuts.This was done by using the small pea shingle on the paths to eventually break open the very bottom of the metal cage-when I went to look one day there were 2 pieces of pea shingle in the wire cage and nuts scattered all ariound on the floor.

The other amusing antic is watching them try to get the fat feeder on the RSP plastic house on a pole type thing. They will lean out with one paw and get the fat container to swing until they can catch it then keep pulling, several attempts usually needed, before they pull it off the plastic wire its hanging from.

One final comment is sometimes when its wet their attempts to clim up the plastic pole are not successful and they slide down. watching them is hilarious as they slide on to the floof, look at their front paws, wipe them and try again.

Like I said at the beginning, one is either amused or annoyed-I'm amused each time I have to say.

Edited November 13, 2011 by johnholmes

[Nick L]

Our feeders are on a tall pole, and half way up the pole is a plastic dome with the concave side facing down. The squirrels are completely stumped by it.

[bobbydog]

unfortunately, our squirrels are becoming more resourceful...