The good news is there are plenty of things that you can of to your bird feeder to make it less accessible for a squirrel. It is advisable that you do these things too - the squirrel can do so much more than just scare off birds, steal their feed, and rile up the neighborhood cats. They'll dig up the roots of your plants in the garden, ruining beautiful flower gardens and picturesque landscapes. You can buy squirrel-proof bird feeders these days, and these use innovative designs to make it difficult for the squirrel to firstly access the feeder, and secondly, for the opportunistic feeder to get to the food inside. You can place protective cages around the feed, allowing the long beaks of birds to get access to the feed inside, but not those pesky squirrels. The birds are also smaller than the squirrels, so will be able to fly in-between the small wire spaces. You can buy "squirrel slinky" devices that go around the bird feeder pole, and this makes it difficult for the squirrel to get anywhere close ... and also makes for a quite interesting (hilarious) watch. The slinky springs the squirrel away from the feed, and eventually it will give up and move on. Pigeon spacers can be used to stop bigger birds away from the feed, just as the name suggests, and you can buy various other pole adapters. In reality, a feeder on a metal, smooth pole will often do the trick, kept away from branches and other things that could serve as a walkway.
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Squirrels have become to be notorious pests when it comes to steal food that has been put out for the birds. The following are some methods of how to keep these rodents away of the bird feeders.
Put a feeder in a long wire and then hang it within two trees but it should be away of the low branches. Use a string empty thread of spools over the wire to be an additional deterrent.
When the bird feeder is at a pole and you get pestered by the squirrels that steal the seeds, then you should go to a pet store and buy the squirrel baffle. It is a plastic dome that you put under a feeder and it curves downward to protect the feeder. It providers a barrier for the squirrels that want to get access to it upwardly. Ensure that the baffle is at a high level so that the squirrels do not get access to it.
If you still want to learn how to keep the squirrels away, you can set up a feeding area at the ground on a good distance and away of the feeder. However, you will be sacrificing bird seed on some occasions but this will keep the pests occupied and they will leave the birds in peace.
The squirrels that raid your birdfeeder will prefer sunflower seeds and nuts or cracked corn. You can deter them if you feed the seeds to the birds that are not that appealing to the squirrels. The example can be safflower seeds and Nyjer seed.
Even if the squirrels may be nuisance in your backyard, you have to know that they trying to survive as any living do. There are other strategies that you can use to keep them out of your birdfeeder but some do not work while others may be harmful.
Trap and relocate: this is not going to prevent the squirrels against invading the birdfeeder. When you trap and relocate a squirrel, another one will take up its residence and will continue to invade the territory.
When you use the products known as slippery like gels or petroleum-based products, they may prevent the squirrels against reaching the feeder but they may be brushed in the feathers of the birds and they may lead to death.
Feeding the seeds that are coated with the capsaicin or hot peppers; the birds may seem not to care about the capsaicin but squirrels will do. When this happens, the squirrels may try to alleviate the burning sensation in the eyes and the skin by scratching themselves and they may injury themselves and they can even cause blindness.
Instead of chasing the squirrels, you can offer them their feeding station so that they can keep away from the birdfeeders.
If you want to live with the squirrels in peace, you should be aware of what drives their behavior and why they choose to do what they do. Most squirrels' species are known to raid the bird feeders and they are more active in late afternoon or in the morning. During the mid-day, they will retire to go back in the nests or they may nap in the tree branches. Tree squirrels are solitary by nature and they will not hibernate during winter period even if they may nests in a group to keep one another warm.
NEED LOCAL HELP? We are wildlife removal professionals servicing 95% of the USA. Click here to hire our local squirrel removal expert in your home town. Updated 2021. But read the below advice first!
Squirrels have become to be notorious pests when it comes to steal food that has been put out for the birds. The following are some methods of how to keep these rodents away of the bird feeders.
Put a feeder in a long wire and then hang it within two trees but it should be away of the low branches. Use a string empty thread of spools over the wire to be an additional deterrent.
When the bird feeder is at a pole and you get pestered by the squirrels that steal the seeds, then you should go to a pet store and buy the squirrel baffle. It is a plastic dome that you put under a feeder and it curves downward to protect the feeder. It providers a barrier for the squirrels that want to get access to it upwardly. Ensure that the baffle is at a high level so that the squirrels do not get access to it.
If you still want to learn how to keep the squirrels away, you can set up a feeding area at the ground on a good distance and away of the feeder. However, you will be sacrificing bird seed on some occasions but this will keep the pests occupied and they will leave the birds in peace.
The squirrels that raid your birdfeeder will prefer sunflower seeds and nuts or cracked corn. You can deter them if you feed the seeds to the birds that are not that appealing to the squirrels. The example can be safflower seeds and Nyjer seed.
Even if the squirrels may be nuisance in your backyard, you have to know that they trying to survive as any living do. There are other strategies that you can use to keep them out of your birdfeeder but some do not work while others may be harmful.
Trap and relocate: this is not going to prevent the squirrels against invading the birdfeeder. When you trap and relocate a squirrel, another one will take up its residence and will continue to invade the territory.
When you use the products known as slippery like gels or petroleum-based products, they may prevent the squirrels against reaching the feeder but they may be brushed in the feathers of the birds and they may lead to death.
Feeding the seeds that are coated with the capsaicin or hot peppers; the birds may seem not to care about the capsaicin but squirrels will do. When this happens, the squirrels may try to alleviate the burning sensation in the eyes and the skin by scratching themselves and they may injury themselves and they can even cause blindness.
Instead of chasing the squirrels, you can offer them their feeding station so that they can keep away from the birdfeeders.
If you want to live with the squirrels in peace, you should be aware of what drives their behavior and why they choose to do what they do. Most squirrels' species are known to raid the bird feeders and they are more active in late afternoon or in the morning. During the mid-day, they will retire to go back in the nests or they may nap in the tree branches. Tree squirrels are solitary by nature and they will not hibernate during winter period even if they may nests in a group to keep one another warm.
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