[ot] Squirrels in my Bird Feeder

"Jeanne Hedge" wrote in message
...
I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

snippage

Don't hang your feeder too close to the ground. At least 6' s/b good.
Don't hang your feeder too close to a roof/overhang.
Don't hang your feeder near a tree/fence as they can jump to the feeder.

Use a squirrel proof feeder or use a 'baffle' around the pole.

We use a baffle on the pole about 4' up. It stops most squirrels and we have
LOTS. We can't get too excited if the odd squirrel gets into the seed, as
they gave to eat too. For the most part, the squirrels are happy eating what
the birds drop on the ground. Even the rabbits come out at night to clean up
the wasted seed.

This one is similar to the one we have:

http://www.berryhilllimited.com/b-ca...t.asp?pid=SB90

On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:40:02 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

Ouch! Squirrels are pretty adept and wise in outsmarting most
attempts. They can find a way usually. Is the shepherd's crook wood
or metal? They can shinny up wood easily. How high, or low, is it?
Can you put a large metal baffle about midway up? Or is the feeder
located under a tree that he can use to jump down on the top of the
feeder? Because neither my pecan nor walnut tree produced at all
this year I've used a squirrel feeder for peanuts - most of the
squirrels get the nuts, with lots of competition from the blue jays
and chipmunks!! For the most part, I think squirrels will eat *any*
kind of seed but especially like sunflower. Good luck - hope someone
else has better ideas.

Jeanne

I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

My bird feeder hangs from a shepherd's crook, several feet off the
ground. It has a compartment where you pour the bird seed and holes in
the bottom where the seed goes out into a trough-type thing that goes
all around. As the seed is eaten the trough is refilled with seed.

Today a rather large, bushy tailed, prime example of the common North
American squirrel species discovered my bird feeder (it's only been
out there for 6 months). I haven't seen him do it, but I'm assuming
he's shinnying up the pole to the top of the feeder, where I *have*
seen him sitting. From there, he either grabs hold of the wires that
hold the feeder onto the crook with his hands, leans over the side,
and eats from the trough while hanging upside down, or he maneuvers
himself to sit on the bird perch and eat from the trough from there.

Of course, he's making a complete mess as he throws seed all over the
place when he eats, which, judging from the number of them feeding
from the ground beneath the feeder when he's there, the birds love. I
don't love that - he makes much more of a mess than the birds do when
they eat. I really wouldn't mind having him around, except when he's
there he emptys the feeder in nothing flat.

So, what do you do to *try* to keep squirrels from your feeder (other
than get rid of the feeder)? Is there a particular kind of seed they
don't like? Do you put out some other food for the squirrels? Is
there something I could do to the shepherd's crook to make climbing
difficult for him? (remember, I'm currently without feline......)


Jeanne Hedge

============
http://www.jhedge.com

JBHajos wrote:
On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:40:02 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

Ouch! Squirrels are pretty adept and wise in outsmarting most
attempts. They can find a way usually. Is the shepherd's crook wood
or metal? They can shinny up wood easily. How high, or low, is it?
Can you put a large metal baffle about midway up? Or is the feeder
located under a tree that he can use to jump down on the top of the
feeder? Because neither my pecan nor walnut tree produced at all
this year I've used a squirrel feeder for peanuts - most of the
squirrels get the nuts, with lots of competition from the blue jays
and chipmunks!! For the most part, I think squirrels will eat *any*
kind of seed but especially like sunflower. Good luck - hope someone
else has better ideas.

Jeanne

A fews years ago I was convinced I had a rat (or a rather large mouse!)
getting into my outdoor storage room where I stored the bird seed. A friend
gave me a large bucket that sealed to store the bags of seed in. The
critter ate through the heavy duty plastic! I still thought it was a
horrible rodent until one day I was sitting outside and watched a squirrel
literally flatten itself to get inside the storage room! Now I keep bags of
birdseed inside. Not a great solution but I've never had a squirrel inside
my apartment.

My solution for squirrels at the bird feeder was to give them their own
feeder! They sell "squirrel food" - cracked corn and unshelled raw
peanuts. They like that even better than sunflower seeds and it's funny to
watch them figure out how the lid opens. The bluejays like the corn and
peanuts, too.

Jill

In ,
jmcquown purred:
JBHajos wrote:
On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:40:02 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

Ouch! Squirrels are pretty adept and wise in outsmarting most
attempts. They can find a way usually. Is the shepherd's crook wood
or metal? They can shinny up wood easily. How high, or low, is it?
Can you put a large metal baffle about midway up? Or is the feeder
located under a tree that he can use to jump down on the top of the
feeder? Because neither my pecan nor walnut tree produced at all
this year I've used a squirrel feeder for peanuts - most of the
squirrels get the nuts, with lots of competition from the blue jays
and chipmunks!! For the most part, I think squirrels will eat *any*
kind of seed but especially like sunflower. Good luck - hope
someone else has better ideas.

Jeanne

A fews years ago I was convinced I had a rat (or a rather large
mouse!) getting into my outdoor storage room where I stored the bird
seed. A friend gave me a large bucket that sealed to store the bags
of seed in. The critter ate through the heavy duty plastic! I still
thought it was a horrible rodent until one day I was sitting outside
and watched a squirrel literally flatten itself to get inside the
storage room! Now I keep bags of birdseed inside. Not a great
solution but I've never had a squirrel inside my apartment.

My solution for squirrels at the bird feeder was to give them their
own feeder! They sell "squirrel food" - cracked corn and unshelled
raw peanuts. They like that even better than sunflower seeds and
it's funny to watch them figure out how the lid opens. The bluejays
like the corn and peanuts, too.

Jill

We feed the squirrels as well (Weebs love watching them). But still they
get into some of our bird feeders. Except this one
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...110&lpage=none
Apparently, squirrels cannot pick up seed unless they use their mouth first
(and then hold with their 'hands' to eat), and they can't fit their heads
into the mesh on this - but birds can (even the big blue jays)! Maybe it's
just a matter of time before those squirrels evolve to using their hands to
pick up their food - then they'll be using screwdrivers to disassemble
squirrel-proof feeders!

On Mar 17, 9:20�pm, "Magic Mood Jeep�" wrote:
,
jmcquown *purred:





JBHajos wrote:
On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:40:02 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

* *Ouch! *Squirrels are pretty adept and wise in outsmarting most
attempts. *They can find a way usually. *Is the shepherd's crook wood
or metal? *They can shinny up wood easily. *How high, or low, is it?
Can you put a large metal baffle about midway up? *Or is the feeder
located under a tree that he can use to jump down on the top of the
feeder? *Because neither my pecan nor *walnut tree produced at all
this year *I've used a squirrel feeder for peanuts - most of the
squirrels get the nuts, with lots of competition from the blue jays
and chipmunks!! * For the most part, I think squirrels will eat *any*
kind of seed but especially like sunflower. * Good luck - hope
someone else has better ideas.

* * Jeanne

A fews years ago I was convinced I had a rat (or a rather large
mouse!) getting into my outdoor storage room where I stored the bird
seed. *A friend gave me a large bucket that sealed to store the bags
of seed in. *The critter ate through the heavy duty plastic! *I still
thought it was a horrible rodent until one day I was sitting outside
and watched a squirrel literally flatten itself to get inside the
storage room! *Now I keep bags of birdseed inside. *Not a great
solution but I've never had a squirrel inside my apartment.

My solution for squirrels at the bird feeder was to give them their
own feeder! *They sell "squirrel food" - cracked *corn and unshelled
raw peanuts. *They like that even better than sunflower seeds and
it's funny to watch them figure out how the lid opens. *The bluejays
like the corn and peanuts, too.

Jill

We feed the squirrels as well (Weebs love watching them). *But still they
get into some of our bird feeders. *Except this onehttp://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=70104-3...
Apparently, squirrels cannot pick up seed unless they use their mouth first
(and then hold with their 'hands' to eat), and they can't fit their heads
into the mesh on this - but birds can (even the big blue jays)! *Maybe it's
just a matter of time before those squirrels evolve to using their hands to
pick up their food - then they'll be using screwdrivers to disassemble
squirrel-proof feeders!- Hide quoted text -

We had one of those. A larger bird got hung up in it and was dead
before I found it. :-( We took the wire off the outside of it, I
couldn't stand to go out and find another dead bird. It must have
suffered a long time before it died.

Sherry

On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:40:02 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

This is what a freind of mine does. He has a feeder hanging from a tree branch.
He hangs a feeder from a cable, but above the feeder is a garbage can lid. If
the squirrel tries to shimmy down the wire, he has to go around the lid, which
tips and sends him to the ground.

On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 06:19:05 GMT, Shel-hed
wrote:

On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:40:02 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

This is what a freind of mine does. He has a feeder hanging from a tree branch.
He hangs a feeder from a cable, but above the feeder is a garbage can lid. If
the squirrel tries to shimmy down the wire, he has to go around the lid, which
tips and sends him to the ground.

We have used cayenne pepper - mix it with the birds food. Apparently
the birds aren't affected, but the squirrels definitely do not like
it! We hated to do this, but we were going through about 5 lbs of
birdseed a day. We were wondering if we had Big Bird eating there, but
one saturday morning we saw 5 squirrels out there. For the rest of at
season we put the pepper in the food, and the next year we bought this
squirrel proof feeder: http://www.birdsforever.com/bills.html . It
works very well. G They jump on the top, and slide off. If they jump
from the ground, the tray shuts. We have gotten roundly told off in
squirrel for our 'meanness'. G We added a baffle over the top, and
hang the suet from it. Of course, our cats are extremely pleased that
we provided them with entertainment.

Mishi

On Sat, 17 Mar 2007 19:40:02 -0500, Jeanne Hedge
wrote:

I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?

Another solution I saw was for feeders in the middle of a yard;
Make the hanger from 4" white plastic pipe. The squirrels can't climb it.
Just make sure they have no way to jump to the feeder.

"Jeanne Hedge" wrote in message
...
I'm asking for suggestions to deal with an age old problem - how do
you keep squirrels out of your bird feeder?


My parents bought squirrel proof feeders that snapped shut when ever
anything as heavy as a squirrel got on the perch part.

Then they promptly started feeling sorry for the fuzzy tailed rodents and
got their own feed for them.

Jo