We cannot keep this critter out of the bird feeders no matter what we do. My husband has tried everything, but alas the little squirrel out wits him every time. I snapped this picture just a few minutes after my husband thought he had the problem solved. Any suggestions would be helpful!
I thought that I was the only one that thought of stringing up a feeder between two trees.
I made exactly the same feeder and was sure that I had our squirrel problem licked, but those little guys are pretty smart (or hungry). What they did first was to crawl from the tree upside down on the string. Thus the use of the two plastic soda bottles. This worked for awhile until they figured if they push hard enough with their back legs last, they can actually jump under the bottle and grab the string on the other side. It took them a few tries but they mastered it!
So what to do? I now add another bottle. That helped but didn't cure it.
One day I found one squirrel feeding away on the bird feeder and all of his buddies enjoying what he drops on the ground below. Hmmmm...how did he get there? It took me awhile to catch them getting to the feeder. I actually had to watch for quite awhile before I caught one and after I saw this squirrel do what he did, I decided they won this round. I haven't tried the oil of peppermint yet but that will be my last resort as I think that it is impossible to build a feeder to keep them out.
So anyway, I sat and watched the squirrel walk upside down just up to the coke bottles. Here he swings himself right side up and is standing on a string! He then perches his front paws on the top of the coke bottles and scampers across the two of them quick enough to not stay on long enough to be spun off and, I guess, equally distributing his weight so his balance would not cause too much of a spin.
These buggers are pretty good! You have to give them credit, but I saw that twice and threw in my towel.
Hang the bird feeder between two trees which are far enough apart so the squirrels cannot jump to the feeder.
However, in order to keep them from walking the line, you must run the line through the top and bottom of a 2 liter bottle, one on each side of the feeder. When the squirrel walks the line it cannot cross on the bottle because the bottle will spin around, and their footing is not sufficient to jump across it.
If you don't have room for the line, there is a birdseed which the squirrels will not eat. I don't have the name of the seed right now. I purchased it at the feedstore and the lady there told me the squirrels do not like it. And, she was right. They no longer frequent my feeding area.
I don't think there is anywhere you can put the bird feeder where the squirrels can't get to. I have tried a larger aluminum top and the little critters turn upside down trying to stretch into the bird feeder. They really are funny. Think I'll try the peanuts on top of the birdseed and see if it works.
Great picture! Suggest a bigger top with sheet metal (not aluminum) so can't reach food, and hang it further from the building so the squirrel can't jump
I had the same problem, so I put up more feeders. I keep bird seed in all of them and put peanuts in half of them, on top of the bird seed. The squirrels prefer the peanuts and don't eat as much of the bird seed, and like some of the people said..the squirrels are highly entertaining!
The bird feeders that were suspended on metal poles were a challenge to the squirrels, so I 'greased' the pole with automotive grease, a good thick coat. Boy were they surprised that they couldn't climb up any more! Did this for a week and then just put thin stripes about every 12" up the pole. Took about a week, but they disappeared from my yard and are now in my neighbor's yard.
I had the same problem and found that if I put some tobasco (or any other hot sauce) around the edge of the feeder it kept the squirrels away. Birds don't have taste buds so the hot sauce doesn't bother them. I watched a squirrel jump up on my feeder to eat. He took a bite, looked shocked, jumped down and didn't return. He decided bird seed didn't taste that good after all!
Ditto on feeding the squirrels their own food or just put bird seed more often in the bird feeder ;-) Birds and squirrels know how to takes fair turns eating from the same place ;-) BTW, great picture!
We actually had the same problem. But the squirrels are so much more entertaining, so we started putting food out - for them! That's one way to solve the problem.
Great Picture! Unfortunately, we had to take our birdfeeder down. Not because of squirrels, but because it was dangerous drawing raccoons into our yard which put our cat at risk.
I've seen bird feeders that keep squirrels away by using extra-large plastic funnels. Placed either at the base of the feeder if it's on a pole, or on the top of the feeder if it's hung from a limb. As foxrun41 said, I bet you could spray silicone on it too!
You could try a new feeded. I saw one at a garden shop recently that a cage drops over the feed from the weight of the squirrel. I used to have a bird feeder that I attached to a plastic pole. It was away from trees so the squirrel could not jump on to it nor did I have any lines to the feeder. The only way the squirrel could get to the feeder was to climb up the pole. I sprayed the pole with silicone every day. Every time the squirrel tried to climb the pole he would slide back to the ground. i finally got rid of the feeder as it was attracting to many other pest.
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Request: Squirrels Eating from Bird Feeders (06/26/2009)
How do I keep squirrels from climbing my patio door screen to reach bird feeders? I know we could move the feeders, but then we wouldn't be able to watch the birds.
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Request: Squirrels Eating from Bird Feeders
Archived on 06/26/2009
How do I keep squirrels from climbing my patio door screen to reach bird feeders? I know we could move the feeders, but then we wouldn't be able to watch the birds. These maddening little rodents are urinating on my glass door!
Hardiness Zone: 7b
Sue from Yorktown, VA
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RE: Squirrels Eating From Bird Feeders
To deter future feedings from the squirrels, put some cayenne pepper in the feeder with the birdseed. The birds cannot taste it as they have no taste buds, but the squirrels do have taste buds and they will stop coming soon enough. (09/18/2006)
By Chella
RE: Squirrels Eating From Bird Feeders
Ditto on the cayenne pepper! I wish I had a video camera when I first used it (it's the only thing which has worked). The squirrel fell backwards on the grass and "army-crawled" to the deck, wiping his mouth on the grass. Then he dug a hole in the dirt and cooled his mouth in it! It was hysterical. He recovered fine and is content to eat the seeds that fall to the ground. NOTE: I normally use the 99 cent food (for a 4-pound bag) from Big Lots. I changed once to the food from Walmart (about the same price). Unfortunately, the pepper did not stick as well and back came the little critters. Once we switched back to the Big Lots brand, the squirrels are back on the ground. (09/19/2006)
RE: Squirrels Eating From Bird Feeders
I have heard that if you put a Tablespoon of Oil of Peppermint & water in a spray bottle and spray it where you do not want squirrels to go that they will stay away, it's supposed to work for rats & mice also. Don't use peppermint extract or the squirrels will get drunk (that would be fun to see), but you're wanting them to stay away. You should be able to find the oil at a health food store. Maybe use the cayenne pepper too in the feeder. (09/25/2006)
By Becky
RE: Squirrels Eating From Bird Feeders
I used the cayenne pepper, it was both effective and entertaining. (05/03/2007)
