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I made a squirrel proof feeder

13 years ago

So far this is actually squirrel proof. It's made from metal wire storage cubes.

The squirrels try like crazy, but they can only get seeds that the birds have dropped close to the edge, and they reach in and get them, but they can't reach the feeder inside. One squirrel tried to get inside but got his head stuck in the wire opening and had to really work to get it back out! Pretty funny, actually. I got the idea from the sialis site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sialis site

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Comments (8)

glad2garden
Original Author
13 years ago
Right now there's a gang of 4 squirrels out there. They get ticked off that they can't get inside the cage and start to fight among themselves. They're very rough. I never knew they were such thugs.
donald lucius
13 years ago
it's been a few years ago now. My nephew took shop and woodworking classes and they had to design and build a wood project and get graded on it, He built a wooden platform with inch high sides on it and then around all four sides drilled holes so that dowels on end about 1 1/2 inches apart and then a wooden hopper in the middle of the platform with a over hanging lid over it all to keep out rain and snow. a chain ran from the bottem thru the hopper and roof to hang it with. with a lift up cap on the hopper. he painted the whole thing with outdoor enamel
with the dowels alternateing colors. the little birds learned in a hurry to fly thru the dowel spacings but the bigger birds and the squirrels could not get in. He got all a's on design and woodworking and got award for best project of the class. He gave it to me as a present and i loved it. The nexr summer a whirlwind came thru the backyard ane destroyed all my feeders and couple a never found.
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Vera, I know, isn't it hilarious?!! I wish I had thought to have the camera up and ready when I told him he had to leave. He managed to flip around in there and come up head first. He peered over the edge at me before he skedaddled. It would have made a priceless picture. Lisa
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Ginny, how often do you apply the petroleum jelly to your feeder poles? I have baffles on mine and they have worked for over a year, but ONE steenkin' squirrel has finally figured out some way to get on my big tray. I'm thinking maybe a combination of the baffle and the petroleum jelly might do the trick. I could even put some on the edge of the baffle. I, too, have seen the squirrels do the upside down trick with the squirrel proof feeders. They can hang from the roof sometimes and reach the food without the perch ever closing. Depends on how smart and/or determined the squirrel is. I don't mind them getting what hits the ground. I just hate for them to get EVERYTHING, which they do if they can reach the feeder. Oh, and my slinkies were finally breached. Once one of them figured out how to climb up by reaching between the rings, the rest of them had it in a week. But it did take several months for the first one to accomplish it. Marcia
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One thing I've tried but sadly, it only works for a short time is this: Spray the pole and every place the squirrels may touch with oily cooking spray. Then sprinkle it HEAVILY with red pepper. They really hate red pepper. The rain will wash it all away and red pepper is NOT cheap in the bigger containers, but it works. I mostly use it when I'm at my wit's end just to get the satisfaction of watching them try to get to the seed but can't. If someone could come up with a good reliable and affordable solution to this, they could make a lot of money! We've tried all the squirrel baffles, supposedly squirrel proof feeders, etc. but they always find a way around it.
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There is only one way to prevent squirrels from raiding bird feeders and that is don't have bird feeders. My neighbors (now moved away and missed) used to have several bird feeders that attracted a lot of birds. I have a bird bath that I try to keep full where the well fed birds would come over to for a drink and frolic in the water. One day my neighbor came over and his eyes popped when he saw all the birds in the bird bath which easily outnumbered those at their feeding stations. I said, 'Yup, they eat of your house and then come over here for a drink and to play' Since they moved and the new neighbors rarely fill their feeders the bird watching here has suffered (not in dry spells), but, on the good side, squirrel watching has declined significantly as well. Jon
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bandjzmom
13 years ago
Pretty creative feeder there! I have to admit that I have been mixing red pepper flakes into my seed to try to keep the squirrels away. They don't seem to like the pepper. :o)
glad2garden
Original Author
13 years ago
Here's another one. I was able to make 3 feeders from the set of 4 storage cubes. Titmice, wrens, chickadees and white throated sparrows have been visiting regularly. I know it looks homemade, but the thing really works to keep squirrels out, and I'm saving a bundle on mealworms.
From birdfeeder
summerstar
13 years ago
Glad2garden:

Where did you find your metal wire storage cubes? Hope our Lowes or Home Depot will have them . . . Did you use regular soil to set the cubes in? I'm thinking mulch wouldn't be heavy enough to keep cage secure with squirrels wrestling with it.

Would appreciate your answers.
glad2garden
Original Author
13 years ago
Summerstar, I got them from home depot online. Look below for a link to the page. Sometimes you can find them in the stores, but usually in white, which I thought would stand out too much in the garden, so I opted for black.

I used a big planter that was soil with a little mulch on top. It's all frozen now though. I have to find a container to put the mealworms in because the birds scatter them and then if they are close to the edges the squirrels can reach in and rake them over to their busy little mouths.

You will come up with some new ideas I'm sure, to fit your situation.

Victoria

Here is a link that might be useful: Storage cubes
rachel_frome_ky
13 years ago
Great economical idea-good job!
glad2garden
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you Rachel!

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