Grrrrrrrrr! (1 Viewer)

[Tammie]

Okay, I can handle the damage from the hairy woodpecker.... he's a woodPECKER....... that's what they do!

But look what the !#$%^&* squirrel did to my feeder!!!! :C :C :C

I know it gives me an excuse to go shopping for new feeders but this was my favorite one and the most effective too. The bigger birds couldn't access this feeder. And for some reason, it's been the hardest feeder to find. I've only ever had two and squirrels destroyed both! :C

I'll be looking for something that has STEEL caps and feeder ports!

 

[helenol]

Oops!

Better get a good supply of feeders in stock.

 

[Tammie]

Yeah no kidding Helen. Any suggestions for something made of steel or aluminum or something else the little rats CAN'T chew through???!

 

[SimonC]

Try smearing them with chilli oil (feeders or squirrels - your choice! )

 

[Elizabeth Bigg]

Tammie - do your suppliers stock the Droll Yankee range of feeders? They have a lifetime guarantee against natural predators, including squirrels. They say that as long as you own the feeder, they will repair or replace it if it gets badly damaged so that it is no longer effective, or send replacement parts free of charge, except for the cost of delivery.

 

[Fuchsia]

Well you can't argue with that, can you! Think I'll see if they ship over here. Luckily tho, no grey squirrels here - just the odd Field Mouse that chew through the string.

Jen

 

[Tammie]

Tammie - do your suppliers stock the Droll Yankee range of feeders? They have a lifetime guarantee against natural predators, including squirrels. They say that as long as you own the feeder, they will repair or replace it if it gets badly damaged so that it is no longer effective, or send replacement parts free of charge, except for the cost of delivery.

Thanks Elizabeth, I've bookmarked the site.... I'll definitely be checking into these feeders since we have such a strong population of squirrels around here.

 

[Bluetail]

http://www.squirrels.org/video.html

 

[helenol]

Couldn't you also position some feeders on a tall pole, and then attach a squirrel guard?(to be honest I've no idea if these guards work). Or smear lard or a similar substance onto the pole, making the squirrels slide down when attempting to climb up! Just a thought...

 

[salty]

i remember seeing bird feeders inside wire cages somewere, the wire cage had holes big enough for small birds to climb through- but not squirrels!

 

[helenol]

i remember seeing bird feeders inside wire cages somewere, the wire cage had holes big enough for small birds to climb through- but not squirrels!

Ahh yes, I have a mealworm dish that also enclosed in one of those cages. It was also supposed to stop starlings etc getting in. Did it stop them? Did it heck! Having said that, I guess it could just about stop squirrels, unless one has a midget squirrel in the garden

 

[John P]

i remember seeing bird feeders inside wire cages somewere, the wire cage had holes big enough for small birds to climb through- but not squirrels!

I've got two like that, definitely keeps squirrels out, not field mice though.

 

[Andy V]

A highly effective method of squirrel-damage-prevention is to slide a piece of plastic drainpipe (taller than your squirrel can jump) at least 4" diameter, around the pole of your bird table. It's just too wide for squirrly to get his arms around, and even if he gets the hang of climbing it - give it a squirt of mr.sheen every now and again its very funny watching them take running jumps, get halfway up the pole then sliding down again

I noticed a similar suggestion earlier in the thread - and yes it really works (our squirrels are not happy!)



EDIT : in case you aren't from the UK - mr.sheen is a silicon type aerosol furniture polish - very slippery

 

[Paul_Gower]

i remember seeing bird feeders inside wire cages somewere, the wire cage had holes big enough for small birds to climb through- but not squirrels!

We have two like that, bought from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust sjop at Llanelli - highly effective - we have some very cross squirrels! They also seem to be magpie and starling proof - both species that mastered perching on the basic old feeders we used to have. But woodpeckers manage to reach through to peck the nuts, and all the small birds have no problems.

I guess there must be an equivalent in the US?

Paul

 

[snowyowl]

Do what I did, Tammie and invest in a weight sensitive feeder. Canadian Tire has at least one model although it's not the one that I have. Theirs is hopper style mine is a tube style. I got mine a local feed store. I have a couple of tube feeders with metal ports etc and they seem to survive the squirrels without any problems and they are cheaper than weight- sensitive ones.
The other option is to buy some zinc or tin at the local building supply yard and make cone shaped baffles to put around your feeder poles. Just make sure that you put them high enough that the squirrels can't jump over them and that your feeders are at least 6' from anything that the squirrels can jump from.
I don't seem to have squirrels around this year, which is very strange, but I do have a single chipmonk foraging below the feeders.

 

[ernietd]

Hi Tammy, We were going crazy with the squirrels then I bought some safflower seed which is billed as being loved by birds and hated by squirrels.

Well, it took about a week for the birds to come back. My loyal chickadees led the pack and now everyone is eating safflowers, and my husband is complaining that he hasn't seen the squirrels. I got the seed at Wild Birds Unlimited, and the lady there said sometimes some squirrels actually like it, but it is generally effective.

I know I'm going to feed it forever, or until the squirrels learn to love it.

 

[snowyowl]

The trouble with safflower is that in my experience not too many bird species like it. Cardinals do like it.

 

[Tammie]

I'm likely going to try the baffle. We have a homemade feeder on top of a 7 foot 4x4 post but it's way too close to the trees. I want to move it out into the middle of the backyard and put something around it so the rodent can't climb. I'll let you know if any of this works!
Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[Susan C]

Tammy, my husband bought me a feeder pole system for Christmas last year from Wild Birds Unlimited, with a steel pole, two arms to hang the feeders on, and a baffle. After a couple of adjustments to the height of the baffle, we successfully beat the squirrels - the only time they were able to get to the feeders were when we left the lawn chairs too close, and they jumped across. They have not been able to climb the pole at all. You can add different arms and feeder attachements to it. Good luck!

 

[Tammie]

Hi Susan,
I finally found this morning at the hardware store here in town, 2 tall shepard's hooks that are really quite heavy! They only hold one feeder each but I was also able to hang woodpecker feeders from them so they now serve more than one purpose. These hooks are only about a 1/2 inch diameter so I'm not sure if the rats will be able to climb them or not. I've also moved them away from the trees so there's nothing to jump from. Now it's a wait and see game.
Thanks for the tip!