Looking for a few ways to protect your bird feeders from hungry squirrels this fall and winter season?
While they can be entertaining to watch dart around the yard burying their treasures for the winter season, squirrels can also be a huge nuisance – especially if you have bird feeders on your property. It seems that just as fast as you fill your feeders, they can empty it!
What makes matters worse is that squirrels aren’t at all bothered by visiting birds. In fact, they often cause the birds to go elsewhere for their food sources while they hang around to devour the feed. And all too often, even some of the best and most durable feeders can get broken into by hungry squirrels.
Perhaps even more frustrating than having to constantly refill your feeders is just how expensive it can be to keep buying more bird feed. The good news? As it turns out, there actually are a few simple, effective and safe ways to protect your feeders!
How To Protect Bird Feeders From Squirrels – 4 Simple Tricks That Work!
It can take more than just one trick to stop hungry and clever squirrels. This is because once a squirrel finds your feeder and figures out a way to it, it will continue to visit it time and time again. With their determination and acrobatic skills, it can certainly take a couple of different tips to finally win the battle!
Here is a look at four of the biggest secrets to keeping squirrels out of your feeders, starting with one of the best – making the food in them unattractive to them!
#1 Making Bird Seed Unattractive To Squirrels
One way to help deter squirrels from using your bird feeders as their all-you-can-eat buffet is by altering the feed so it is less than appealing. There are actually a couple of simple ways of doing this.
First, you can add a bit of a spicy kick to the bird feed. Believe it or not, birds don’t have nearly as many taste buds as typical mammals do. In fact, most birds only have around 300. But believe it or not, squirrels have more than 2,000, including tasting heat. And you can use this to your advantage by adding a bit of hot pepper to the feed.
To do this all you need to do is add cayenne pepper, hot pepper flakes, or another type of dried hot pepper powder to the birdseed mixture. Keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way, so don’t overdo it.
The birds aren’t bothered by the spice at all. But with one taste, the squirrels will be out! As an alternative, you can also purchase bird feed with the spices already added. Product Link: Wild Delight Sizzlenheat Bird Food
Another way to prevent squirrels from feasting away on the bird feeders is to use feed that they tend to not like. For example, squirrels love peanuts, sunflower seeds, and dried fruit. By excluding these from your seed mix, you make the feed less desirable to squirrels.
One of the best ingredients to choose from is safflower seeds. While most birds love the seeds, squirrels do not and will often visit these feeders less often.
#2 Choosing The Right Location – How To Protect Bird Feeders From Squirrels
Another great tip is to always put your bird feeder in the best possible location to prevent robberies from squirrels. Squirrels are quite the acrobatics. In fact, they are able to jump heights of 5+ feet high and 7+ feet long.
Unfortunately, if you have a feeder close to a structure or tree, the squirrels can leap right to it. The further you can place feeders away from these structures, the lower the chances are that they can jump or climb to the feeders.
For the best option, place the feeders on top of a long pole or post. A height of at least 5 feet is best.
#3 Protect The Bird Feeder Pole
After you have the bird feeder up high on a pole, the best way to success is to then protect the pole itself. You can go about doing this two different ways. The first is to use squirrel baffles, while the second is to use an old fashioned metal slinky.
Squirrel baffles are made to deter squirrels from climbing up or down poles. They are inexpensive and easy to install on most feeders. Essentially, they are big, dome-shaped metal cones that are attached either on top or below the feeders. And they are highly effective!
The shape of the baffles as well as the slippery material they are made of help to prevent squirrels from gripping onto the sides and climbing to the bird feeders. Product Link: Garbuildman Squirrel Baffle for Bird Feeder Pole
When attached below, they stop squirrels from climbing up the poles. When they are attached from above, the squirrels cannot jump from above and instead slip off. Just be sure to install the baffles at least five feet off the ground so the squirrels don’t bypass the baffles altogether.
Using A Slinky – How To Protect Bird Feeders From Squirrels
You can also protect the bird feeder pole from squirrels by using a metal slinky. This old child’s toy can be used to wrap around the pole to make climbing next to impossible for squirrels.
Again, similarly to the baffles, make sure that your feeder is located at least five feet off the ground. When a squirrel jumps onto the pole, they will instead grab the slinky. The slinky will take them on a quick but gentle ride back to the ground.
Avoid using inexpensive plastic slinkies since those can easily be chewed through by a squirrel’s sharp front teeth. In addition, they won’t hold up well to the cold winter temperatures. Affiliate Product Link: The Original Slinky Walking Spring Toy, 3-Pack Metal Slinky
#4 Keep Feeding Areas Clean
Finally, one of the best ways to help deter squirrels from hanging around is to clean up the ground around the bird feeders. Birds are not the tidiest of eaters. Most like to break the seed out onto the ground as they dig out the food within.
All of the feed left on the ground is then free game for squirrels. Then, once the food on the ground is all gone, the next choice is to head for the feeder.
But it’s not just squirrels that the seed will attract. Other pests like raccoons, mice and even rats will also visit and take the free ground treats. To help prevent this, just clean up underneath the feeder every couple of days.
Last but not least, it’s also important to select a bird feeder that has some built in protection from squirrels. For more on this, be sure to check out our article, “The Best Bird Feeders To Use In Winter – How To Feed Birds Better When It’s Cold!“
Here’s to helping feed and provide energy to your feathered friends while at the same time protecting the feeder from the squirrels.
Simple Garden Life
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