Squirrels and Birdfeeders
Read About Friendly Ways to Keep Squirrels From Stealing All Your Birdseed
Keeping squirrels out of your bird feeder can be difficult, but remember not to harm the squirrels. Various ingenious tricks and designs foil squirrels, or distract them.
Are you struggling with keeping squirrels out of the bird feeder? For many people who like to feed the birds, squirrels stealing the birdseed are a big headache - it's difficult to squirrel proof a bird feeder. These crafty, agile creatures can climb smooth poles, reach through small openings, and jump onto a bird feeder from an object more than eight feet away. When there are a lot of squirrels in the neighborhood, bird feeders are emptied faster than bird watchers can refill them. And what about the birds?
Well, no matter how irritated you are, try to curb your desire for revenge: the squirrels are just being squirrels, and in some localities, they endure considerable pressure from habitat loss, prowling domestic cats, and competition from other species. These days even squirrels can use a little help. Keeping squirrels out of the birdfeeder should never result in harm to the squirrels:
- Don't use poison or traps that will kill.
- Don't use sticky stuff that can soil squirrel fur and bird feathers.
- Don't use electric current to shock squirrels.
- Don't add cayenne pepper to your birdseed (if a squirrel gets it in the eyes, the resulting misery and scratching may well result in blindness).
Try creating a squirrel guard for your bird feeder. If it is hanging on a vertical line, or if it sits atop a pole, build a baffle (like sailors use on ship ropes to keep rats out) with the dome facing the squirrel. The squirrel will not be able to get around it to get at the seed. You can also use a baffle if your feeder hangs from a horizontal line, or loosely string a few plastic beverage bottles lengthwise on either side: the bottles will spin under a squirrel's feet and dump the animal on the ground (not too high please). Remember to place your birdfeeder at least 12 feet from the nearest object a squirrel could jump from.
Lots of feeder designs are aimed at squirrel proofing bird feeders. Ingenious squirrel resistant bird feeders include feeders that:
- Automatically close off feeding ports whenever something heavy (like a squirrel or a large bird) lands on the feeder. Watch a demonstration.
- Are surrounded by a cage that allows small birds in, but keeps squirrels and large birds out.
- Roll over like a floating barrel whenever something heavy lands on the feeder.
- Hold seed beneath a grid that birds can reach through with their beaks, but squirrels can't get at.
And if you can't beat them... buy a squirrel feeder. If your squirrels have their very own feeder, situated well away from any bird feeders, they may stick to their own turf and leave the birdseed alone. Instead of keeping squirrels out of the bird feeder, you may find yourself buying a squirrel feeder designed to keep the birds out!
More about squirrels and birdfeeders:
Birdfeeder Information and Tips
