Are you fed up with choosing up the pieces after squirrels have ruined yet one more of your feeders and consumed all the bird food? Simply comply with the basic insight below to squirrel proof your garden bird food!
Choose the right feeder …
Use a specially developed squirrel proof feeder. The simplest and most reliable style has a feeder bordered by a cage that allows little garden birds in, however keeps squirrels and also huge birds out. You can get captive feeders for seed, peanuts, fat rounds and various other bird foods.
Other particularly made feeders have numerous weight-sensitive mechanisms to close the feeding ports, or take the feeder out of the squirrel’s reach
Constantly utilize solid steel feeders. Squirrels will certainly make fast job of plastic feeders, and also can also eat with cord mesh with their chisel-like teeth, so only captive feeders are actually risk-free
Never ever suspend feeders from rope or string. Squirrels will rapidly eat with
Safeguard your feeders …
Place your feeders a minimum of 10 feet far from branches, fencings as well as walls. Squirrels can leap greater than 8 feet and will certainly jump directly onto the feeder or bird table if you offer them the chance
Protect the course to your bird feeders by putting a dome or disk (additionally called a ‘baffle’) above the feeder. If a squirrel jumps below a tree or roofing, it will move off
If your feeder is placed on a post, placement a descending opening cone or a biscuit tin dealt with to the pole underneath the bird feeder/table. This baffle needs to be placed at the very least 4 feet off the ground.
You can likewise oil the pole so that squirrels slide down when they attempt to climb it. Simply take care not to utilize excessive oil because it could obstruct squirrel hair as well as bird feathers
If your feeder is hung from a cleaning line or cord, thread the line via a length of hosepipe. Enjoy the squirrels struggle when the hosepipe rotates as they aim to creep out to the feeder!
Make them sneeze …
Mix cayenne pepper or chilli powder into your bird food. It has no effect on birds, but squirrels despise it.
If you cannot defeat ’em …
Lastly, you could aim to keep squirrels away from your bird feeders by offering them with their very own source of food. Put out a box of favourite squirrel food faraway from your birds, loaded with corn bits, peanuts or sunflower seeds. You might frown at the expense of feeding these pesky trespassers – a squirrel will certainly eat about half a kilo of food a week – yet a minimum of you’ll have the additional enjoyment of seeing these saucy, smart pets together with the birds in your garden!