Squirrels driving me mad - Help! (1 Viewer)

[kizibu]

I've serached this forum for ideas on squirrel proof (or at least squirrel unfriendly) feeders etc and I sympathise with all those who battle with them.

I've never even contemplated a bird table as such and find the only secure feeder is one hung from a high branch on a long (10 foot+) single strand wire with no shrubs nearby providing handy launch pads. The wire needs to be stiff or they simply haul it up hand over hand.

But there are not many places in my garden which fit that specification... and I would like to try a table.

I have read here that greasy poles work. What kind of grease? Vaseline? KY? Axle grease? And what sort of diameter poles provide the biggest problems? The half inch sort that get sold to hang bird feeders on or bigger?

And I've also seen the suggestion that plastic or PVC pipe is unclimbable. Again, what works best? Are we talking drain pipe (4" ), rainwater (2")? Wastepipe? 1"Overflow ?

Has anyone tried 15m or 22mm coppertubing? Greased or not?

 

[markgrubb]

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=93691&highlight=squirrel

This has succesfully kept them at bay for a few months in my garden. Grease works for only a short time and you keep to he reapplying it

 

[PhilW]

This work a as long as they don't have a launch pad nearby that they can jump from! Our feeders are suspended from each end of a 'T' made by drilling a suitable sized diameter hole through the upright post and passing a wooden broom handle through it. On each side thread on 2 x plastic lemondae bottles with the tops and bottoms cut off so they're cylindrical. The squirrels can't walk on these as they spin round and dumps them on the ground. Comical and endless hours of satisfying fun. You can also suspend a bird table off the 'T' as well.

As for pole feeders a liberal spray of WD40 once a week helps!

 

[Ti-Loup]

This is what I did.

As long as they don't have a lauch pad, it keeps them off. It's a big plastic water bottle (the one for the water dispensers) I cut the bottom off. It's cheap and it works.