Squirrel Problem, (1 Viewer)

[Modular]

I really like Squirrel's and alway's will ...

But Every day i have a Squirrel come to my Feeder and wreck it,
I moved the Fatball's under the feeder so it would'nt eat them too but
it still manage's to chew through my feeder whilst ripping the Fatball's off etc,
It also as brought my feeder down and broke it,
I've drawn a quick sketch to show you my simple feeder setup,
Very basic ... And was wondering if anyOne had any idea's on what i could
do to stop him ... I've scattered peanut's all over the ground and under the
feeder and scattered exactly what i have in the feeder too on the floor under
the feeder,
I have heard of people in the past mention putting a bowl over the top of the
feeder to stop the Squirrel and wondered if anyOne knew of a Diy method
of this Bowl conversion ... I can't move the feeder or put another One somewhere else as this is the only place i can put it ... Any help on this
would be very appreciated, ... Looked out earlier and the feeder is on the floor, Very annoying as the Squirrel has plenty of food around,
Any solution's?,
Thank's and take care,
John,

 

[Modular]

By the way ... Is this in the right section?,
If so please say and i'll delete it and repost,
Thank's all,
John,

 

[magpiemick]

pest control

Hello,

the bowl idea works, try in the pound shops for a plastic mixing bowl large one 300mm diameter or bigger...Drill a hole in the middle hang the feeder from inside the up turned bowl , hang bowl from your position..
good luck mick..

 

[Cathy H]

Hi John,

I've had the same problem with squirrels - the previous owner of our house used to encourage the little 'darlings' inot the kitchen for their food, something which we put a stop to straight away. At times we've had eight visiting, but we've now come to an understanding. We put up a feeder called the little nutter (they do a bigger version). It's a ceramic top and bottom with a mesh that looks like it's been done by a hole punch, and it's worked a treat. They have to work for their dinner but they can't seem to bust the feeder! I've put it on the 'arm' by the loop i n the top, not the chain that comes with it, so that way they can't chew through it as it's made of thick metal! Something you could try with fat cakes is a fat cake guardian. It's a feeder with a cage surrounding it so they can't get in. It works a treat too!

You can view both these items at www.birdfood.co.uk

Good luck :t: :flyaway:

 

[Modular]

Ty so much Cathy and Micky for the replie's ... I think i'm going to try the bowl
trick as it seem's popular ... But Yesterday the Squirrel must of got it again
as it was on the floor with the Fatball gone that was hanging off the bottom
of the feeder,
It was placed back and i went back to my window and took a few Bird pictures
of a Robin singing in the top of the Tree ... Took a couple of a GreenFinch ...
(That was a nice picture actually, , ) ... and then the greenfinch flew to
the feeder ... So i decided to have a Cigarette and come away from the
Window as the Angle to the feeder for my scope is Downward's ... I'm
above the feeder and generally take the picture's before they land on it,
The Tree i take the picture's in are level with me,

All of a sudden i heard a Gravel kind of noise ... so i looked out the Window
and could'nt work out what it was ... Did'nt sound like a Bird lol ...
I looked at my feeder and One of the Bottom perches must have been broke
from the fall ... Because The Greenfinch was sitting on it and it's weight had
obviously brought the perch completely off,
So the noise was the seed pouring out of a big hole on the feeder where the
perch originally was ... I guess the Greenfinch thought he had hit the
Jackpot lol ... Soon the Male joined on the Tray at the bottom and they had
feast ... I had'nt the heart to fix it, It's still like it and i've bought a new One
to replace it ... The old One's scratched from the fall's,
I've attached a few picture's and the Jackpot Finch ... I'm leaving it there
until they empty it ... The Female as even got her head in the Hole and being very greedy lol ...
Guess she deserve's it, |;|

I could'nt find that feeder you mentioned Cathy about that feeder you describe
... There's so much there lol ... Do you have a direct link please?,
Thank's and thank's for the replies,
Take care,

 

[Cathy H]

Hi Modular,

Sorry, the description was a bit vague, and I've just discovered by looking on the website that they've changed the name to 'Woodville Ceramic Peanut Feeder'. They do 2 sizes and at the moment the smaller one of the two is on special offer - £9.95

We've had one of ours for over eighteen months and the squirrels use it daily. It's been very bashed about by them and the mesh is more square than round by now but it's still intact.

Like I said before I'm quite happy for the squirrels to use it but not break it.

Here's the page you wanted, sorry again about before, the feeder is at the bottom of the list. Good luck,

http://www.birdfood.co.uk/products.php?area_id=2&nav_id=37

:hi:

 

[The Raptor]

I have a nut hanger in my silver birch tree which the squirrel feeds from, he is out there as I send this message, does not effect the birds however for at this moment Great tits, blue tits & house sparrows are feeding on other hangers in the garden. He only ever goes to the one in the tree, so I never have a problem with him except of course he costs me a little having to buy extra nuts. Personally my wife & I enjoy seeing him around, we have had as many as three coming in, but this is a rare occurence.

Rod.

 

[Cathy H]

Morning Raptor,

We feel exactly the same about squirrels, although my mother is not too impressed when the little perishers dig up her precious bulbs. She has another species to moan about now as we've got a cat using her container full of onion sets as a toilet! Yuk!!!

It was nice to see you hail from Bristol too. That's where we lived before we moved up here. We were in Stapleton, near Frenchay Hospital by the River Frome. Happy memories!

Ta-raa (o)<

 

[The Raptor]

Morning Raptor,

We feel exactly the same about squirrels, although my mother is not too impressed when the little perishers dig up her precious bulbs. She has another species to moan about now as we've got a cat using her container full of onion sets as a toilet! Yuk!!!

It was nice to see you hail from Bristol too. That's where we lived before we moved up here. We were in Stapleton, near Frenchay Hospital by the River Frome. Happy memories!

Ta-raa (o)<

Nice to know you have happy memories of living near Bristol, I sometimes walk through Snuff Mills and along the river Frome, still not spotted the kingfisher or dipper. Where in Scotland is Garelochead. Rod.

 

[Cathy H]

Hi rod,

If you look up the map the nearest place to us you are likely to see is Helensburgh which is a seaside town on the west caost of Scotland. We're about 30 miles north of Glasgow and about 3 miles west of Loch Lomond.

In July they have the Scottish Open golf tournament at Loch Lomond. The golf is boring but they do show much of the countryside and flora and fauna of the area on the TV if you're interested.

Cheers, :t:

 

[The Raptor]

Hi rod,

If you look up the map the nearest place to us you are likely to see is Helensburgh which is a seaside town on the west caost of Scotland. We're about 30 miles north of Glasgow and about 3 miles west of Loch Lomond.

In July they have the Scottish Open golf tournament at Loch Lomond. The golf is boring but they do show much of the countryside and flora and fauna of the area on the TV if you're interested.

Cheers, :t:

Hi Cathy.

Found where you live in my atlas, imagine it's a lovely place to live. I do watch golf on TV occasionally, will look out for the tournament in july. I have watched it before. Rod.

 

[squirrelman]

Hi John...

Looks like your in a bit of a sticky wicket with your furry friend. One thing I did notice was you said you put peanuts and what is in the feeder on the floor around and under the feeder. That was the fatal mistake you made. Squirrels are VERY intelligent creatures. Now in his mind, he knows that what is on the floor came from that feeder and he will continue to raid it in any way he can even if he has to eat into it or take it down every time you put it back up.

Also putting the fat balls under the feeder gives him a way up to the feeder. An adult squirrel can jump straight up to a distance of 5 feet from the ground. If the fat balls are below that it is easy to jump to. They can also climb brick walls as well as stucco with ease. This would give him access to the pole that your feeder is hanging on. Squirrels can also do a horizontal jump of up to 9 feet. Especially if they are above the intended target. This gives them distance to drift down and land on what they are jumping onto.

Magpiemik had one good idea in buying a large mixing bowl and drilling a hole in it so when the squirrel tries to jump or climb down onto it, he will fall off to the floor. I'm guessing that the pole you have the feeder on is a round metal one. If so you can also buy some LARGE juice cans, empty them without cutting one of the ends off but just a couple of holes as usual to pour the juice out. When empty, drill a hole on each end of the cans in the center just big enough to losely slide over the pole and be able to spin freely. I would use 2 cans. When he comes along and tries to walk out on the pole to the feeder he will have to go onto the cans and they will spin him to the floor.

Having said all this, if the feeder is within that 9 feet distance to the wall, he will be able to jump from the wall to the feeder with ease. This also includes things like bushes and trees. So you need to get the feeder 9 feet away from everything and at least 6 feet from the floor. And that means the bottom of the feeder 6 feet above floor level. If you still want to hang the fat balls under the feeder... the fat will have to be at the 6 foot level so you feeder will have to be even higher.

Otherwise I'm affraid you will just have to put up with him and enjoy his company no matter what. The only other thing I can think of is going out and buying a good squirrel proof feeder. there is one here called the Flipper. Anything to heavy tries to sit on the perch and the perch spins around throwing Mr. Squirrel off to the floor. This feeder is not cheap though. But try different things, some folks have some fun trying to outwit thier squirrels.

Have fun, good luck and keep us posted.... Cheers. Ron

 

[Kits]

I grease the pole from which our feeders hang with vaseline to stop the squirrels climbing up the pole. They have just learned that if they climb up the fir tree near the pole they can leap onto the arms which are attached to the pole, from which the feeders are suspended. This morning I have been out and greased the arms! Might be an idea to try to deter your squirrel. It does need to be reapplied after heavy rain.

 

[snowyowl]

Squirrelman gave you some good and accurate information. The only thing is that you are probably talking about Gray Squirrels but he may be referring to Red Squrrels. I'm not sure what he would get in Surrey, BC. I believe that Grays are more destructive than Reds.
I would do several things to stop the squirrels starting with buying squirrel proof feeders. The ones that I know all work on weight. the squirrel gets on the ffed and the feeding port shuts. They soon learn not to bother. Get metal ones or ones with metal around the feeding ports just to make sure that hey don't chew through. Squirrel proof feeders are expensive but could well work out cheaper in the long run as you shouldn't have to keep replacing them. Even with non-squirrel proof feeders buy only ones with metal around the ports. There is nothing worse than to watch squirrels chew through the plastic ones. Then, I would follow the advice given by Squirrelman regarding distances. Squirrel guards on the poles will also help.

 

[squirrelman]

This is true Snowyowl, he may be talking about the red squirrel. I'm just so use to the grays I thought that might be the one he was talking about. I have seen the squirrel proof feeders and some folks say they work great and some say otherwise. The ones that are made of metal and have the drop down perch will be best and they aren't cheap. The flipper one I mentioned will work as well but is very expensive.

I also saw in my local bird store just yesturday, a new kind of suet cake or fat ball. Hot stuff, it has chili pepper mixed into it along with the seed and bugs depending on which one you want. Maybe Modular could try coating his fat balls with a little hot sauce. The birds shouldn't mind it.

Also as far as hanging any feeder, I would use a strong small guage steel chain or steel wire rather than string or even copper wire. I have had squirrels chew through copper wire and bring feeders down. Some modification to the feeder may have to be done to do this.

All this seems like an awful lot of work doesn't it...

Ron

 

[gberg67]

Mean though it may seem, I've largely solved my squirrel problem... with a pellet gun. It's a cheapie that barely generates enough power to spit the pellet out the muzzle, let alone injure the squirrel (I'm not a monster!). But it seems to sting enough to send them running when I nail them in the tush with it. It's simple behavioral psychology. The squirrel has no idea it's been beaned with a pellet; it just knows that every time it comes to the bird feeder, something whacks it in the kiester. After a while, they decide that it's not worth the pain the butt, and they look elsewhere for their food.

 

[Kits]

:eek!: Gosh! Well, as long as it solves the problem! :eek!:

 

[saluki]

Mean though it may seem, I've largely solved my squirrel problem... with a pellet gun. It's a cheapie that barely generates enough power to spit the pellet out the muzzle, let alone injure the squirrel (I'm not a monster!). But it seems to sting enough to send them running when I nail them in the tush with it. It's simple behavioral psychology. The squirrel has no idea it's been beaned with a pellet; it just knows that every time it comes to the bird feeder, something whacks it in the kiester. After a while, they decide that it's not worth the pain the butt, and they look elsewhere for their food.

As someone who shot for many years, I really would advise you not to shoot anything with a gun that you think isn't powerfull enough to kill whatever it is you're shooting at. If it's powerful enough to be acurate, then it will be poweful enough to injure, especially if you hit the animal in the eye or the thin skin around the belly. Either get an air rifle that's powerful enough to kill a squirrel cleanly or leave them be.

saluki

 

[snowyowl]

As someone who shot for many years, I really would advise you not to shoot anything with a gun that you think isn't powerfull enough to kill whatever it is you're shooting at. If it's powerful enough to be acurate, then it will be poweful enough to injure, especially if you hit the animal in the eye or the thin skin around the belly. Either get an air rifle that's powerful enough to kill a squirrel cleanly or leave them be.

saluki

Good advice.

 

[Transformer]

Mean though it may seem, I've largely solved my squirrel problem... with a pellet gun. It's a cheapie that barely generates enough power to spit the pellet out the muzzle, let alone injure the squirrel (I'm not a monster!). But it seems to sting enough to send them running when I nail them in the tush with it. It's simple behavioral psychology. The squirrel has no idea it's been beaned with a pellet; it just knows that every time it comes to the bird feeder, something whacks it in the kiester. After a while, they decide that it's not worth the pain the butt, and they look elsewhere for their food.

LOL!! And I thought I had become Carl Spackler!