pepper on seeds to deter squirrels (1 Viewer)

Has anyone tried using pepper or chilli on sunflower seed to dissuade squirrels? Has it worked? Does anyone know of any problems for the birds? Has it dissuaded the squirrels AND the birds? have you seen eg doves/finches taking the seed and looking distressed by it?

Morning Poecile
I think there is a thread in here some where that recounts sucsess with chillies in fat feeders discouraging squirrels. One of our American bros if i mind right. I dont ken about chilli powder on seeds though. An intresting idea for those afflicted if it works.

Well I've had a little go at putting cayenne pepper in my sunflower seeds, to give them a dusting, and it seems to keep the squirrels off. Finches and tits don't seem affected, but I thought I'd canvass opinion/experience before I went at it 'large-scale'.

I have used it and on most squirrels it does work and the birds don't seem to mind at all. However I had one squirrel who took a fancy to hot food.
Warning don't get it on you while putting it in the feeder.

Here's an entertaining old thread on the subject:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=46573

Good Lord, much more heat than light on that thread.

Hi,
Peppering the feed to discourage squirrels is quite common here in the New England states, perhaps because our squirrels are unusually crafty. There is some deterrent effect, but as TBMike noted, soon some develop a taste for it. I've had better luck spraying sunflower seeds with Ropel, a bitter tasting deer repellent. Unfortunately, the spray inevitably also winds up on ones fingers or clothes. I can attest it does taste wretched.

Also, anyone handling anything chilli should avoid rubbing their eyes before they've washed their hands - I've done it........ Hurts like f***, believe me!! Our squirrels in the park don't seem to mind spicy stuff though - was sitting eating spicy potato wedges with chilli flavouring, chucked one to a scrounging squirrel for a joke, little b*gger loved it!!

Do beware that putting chilies in your seed increases the moisture, so you will need to clean up the feeder more often. (You can actually sundry them if you have the time/patience or buy them that way)

As far as I know, the birds don't mind Chilies, I occasionally put them on the ground since I have a chili tree. They don't go wild for them, but they do take them if the seed gets eaten up before I get a chance to put out more. I have also been told that Chilies have no affect on birds whatsoever by a guide at my local wildlife museum. She actually said they use Chilies in all of their bird food to repel rodents and it works perfectly.

Also note, if you don't want a Chili plant, don't use them. Chili plants are one of the many that take advantage of a birds digestive system to get planted. (Not harming the bird in any way.)

If this is too much, go for pepper. The problem is I have heard the squirrels do eventually get used to pepper because its just hot in their mouth. Chili actually stays hot and bugs them even when its in their stomachs.

I've been using cayenne chilli pepper, mixed with the seed until I can taste the heat myself if I have a nibble. So far, it's worked a treat for a month - the 2 regular squirrels don't raid the feeders or bird table anymore. It does accumulate in the feeders a little, and clings due to the moisture as LoG said, so they do need checking and cleaned so that they're not blocked. But it does seem to work. And for about £1.30 for a pot of pepper for 10kg of seed, it's worth it. I was having to refill the feeders every day due to the squirrels, now it's every 3-4 days as the blue tits and greenfinches empty them.