How to keep gray squirrels out of a birdfeeder?
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I made a squirrel proof bird feeder once. It took lots of tries at lots of designs to come up with one that worked. Those little buggers are pretty creative and determined for having such little brains.
Here's the one that finally worked:
The theory was simple - It was based on how rat guards work to keep rats from climbing up mooring lines to get onto ships that are docked.
I took a 6-foot high bird feeder hook (available at home improvement stores) and knocked off that decorative thing at the top, such that all I had was the hook. I then got about an 18-inch wide metal mixing bowl, drilled a hole in the bottom, slid it onto the hook such that the mouth opened down, and put a hose clamp around the pole of the hook to support the bowl from the inside (about 4 feet from the ground).
When the squirrel climbed up the pole to get to the hanging feeder, he encountered the inside of the bowl. Since the bowl was only supported from the bottom, it moved when the squirrel tried to grab it and climb around it. That sudden shift and the smoothness of the bowl simply knocked the squirrel to the ground.
grease the pole, put a big plastic umbrella thing on top so the squirrel can't get to it. Or better yet just ignore them, some birds are ground feeders, some birds will still eat out of the feeder. Stopping squirrels is one of the most difficult things to do, they are QUITE thoughtful and nimble.
Hahahaha I have a good one! Tabasco. Add a good dose of tabasco to the seeds in your feeder. The birds don't mind tabasco sauce at all, but the squirrels will literally fall out of the tree after a taste of that! Then they won't be back.
BB gun.
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