When you have decorative bird feeders in your backyard, you will not like it when squirrels and chipmunks begin to run all over the place seemingly attracted by the bird seed. However, you will notice that these flurry animals offer disadvantages, especially if your bird feeders become frequently empty and there are no more birds in sight. As much as possible, consider squirrel proofing any bird feeders that you have at home.
When it comes to the squirrels, they are excellent jumpers. They can claw their way up and down on tree branches. A squirrel can get really determined especially when there is a source of food in sight.
Most of the time, squirrels will go near bird feeders when the bird feed includes sunflower seeds, nuts, cracked corns, and suet. No birds will consider flying into your bird feeders if the food has been eaten by squirrels if these squirrels have access to the bird feeders that you set up. A bird feeder pole allows the feeder to be placed at a much greater height which makes it more eye-catching for the birds. Make sure that you position the pole away from tree branches where squirrels might use them as jumping points. You can purchase a pole from your birding supplies store or you may want to buy a whole setup for easier installation.
Another trick when it comes to duncraft bird feeders is to put a metal or plastic cone on top of the feeder. In this case, you will be using the smooth surfaces of the metals or plastics to reduce the cling space for the squirrels. When the squirrels try to reach the feeders and the more times they fail than succeed, they will surely stop bugging you and the birds can feed in peace.
If you have no pole to use when it comes to your bird feeders, you can resort to another squirrel proofing trick. You should try putting some dried or crushed cayenne pepper to the bird feed. Squirrels like any other mammals can taste the spices while the birds will not and soon enough, squirrels will not be getting near to your feeders. Another tip to make your bird feeders squirrel proof is to hang your feeders using a horizontal wire with spinners. In case that the squirrel is able to get to the feeder, the spinners will roll and the squirrel will eventually fall down into the ground. However, there are limitations to what you can do to make your bird feeders squirrel proof. First and foremost, please do not put poison on your seed as bait to wandering squirrels. Do not even consider doing this.
Also try not to grease up the poles when it comes to your bird feeders. When it comes to this, the grease, when it gets onto the birds’ feathers and the squirrels’ fur, can cause illnesses. Bird feeders cannot be squirrel proofed with grease and you should take this into consideration.
In case that you have followed every tip to make you bird feeders squirrel proof but still to no avail, hope is not yet lost. In this case, do consider giving the squirrels, chipmunks, and raccoons a feeder of their own. You can make every critter happy if you take this into consideration.