I am now thouroughly fed up with the squirrels in my garden stealing
nuts from the bird feeder. I've tried various locations, including
suspending it from a 15' length of wire strung horizontally from one
wall to another. This morning they've finally learnt how to shimmy
along the wire.

I've just looked at various gimicky contraptions online, but they all
seem to have weaknesses. The yanks have an electric one which spins
when the little blighters get onto it and throws them off at a tangent
- the problem seems to be that in spinning it also sprays seeds all
over the place so that they can just eat from the ground.

I think simple must be better, so I'm more attracted to the type that
have an outer cage with holes too small for squirrels to get in, eg
http://url2it.com/egf

Anyone got any comments on this type? Failing this I'm considering
putting 240v through the bloody thing.

Cheers!

Martin

Martin Pentreath wrote:
I am now thouroughly fed up with the squirrels in my garden stealing
nuts from the bird feeder. I've tried various locations, including
suspending it from a 15' length of wire strung horizontally from one
wall to another. This morning they've finally learnt how to shimmy
along the wire.

I think simple must be better, so I'm more attracted to the type that
have an outer cage with holes too small for squirrels to get in, eg
http://url2it.com/egf

Anyone got any comments on this type? Failing this I'm considering
putting 240v through the bloody thing.

Cheers!

Martin

It may help to mix the nuts with chilli powder, although views are mixed on
whether or not this deters squirrels. Have a look here for options:
http://forums.rspb.org.uk/ShowPost.a...x=2&PostID=820

--
Jeff
(cut "thetape" to reply)

"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
...
I am now thouroughly fed up with the squirrels in my garden stealing
nuts from the bird feeder. I've tried various locations, including
suspending it from a 15' length of wire strung horizontally from one
wall to another. This morning they've finally learnt how to shimmy
along the wire.

I've just looked at various gimicky contraptions online, but they all
seem to have weaknesses. The yanks have an electric one which spins
when the little blighters get onto it and throws them off at a tangent
- the problem seems to be that in spinning it also sprays seeds all
over the place so that they can just eat from the ground.

I think simple must be better, so I'm more attracted to the type that
have an outer cage with holes too small for squirrels to get in, eg
http://url2it.com/egf

Anyone got any comments on this type? Failing this I'm considering
putting 240v through the bloody thing.

Cheers!

Martin
Aren't these available in the UK?
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page...719,33068&ap=1

Graham

Hi, Martin. We've had the same experience as you and been through a
number of permutations before finding "the answer" . . . which is as
follows.

Buy one of those feeders which consists of a cylinder within a circular
barred cage (the bars are far enough apart for the birds to get inside).
Buy two metres of strong chain from a hardware store to suspend the
feeder from the branch of a tree. If the feeder is at least 3' above
the ground the birds will be safe from cats. In four years of this
arrangement we have never had a squirrel climb the tree, find the
appropriate branch, dare to shimmy down the vertical chain, then
endeavour to reach through the cage to get at the nuts. Once, however,
we observed a very game squirrel leap from the trunk of the tree to the
feeder, a distance of about four feet! When he hit the feeder he and it
swung wildly for a minute or so, and then he tried to get at the nuts .
. but couldn't and so dropped the grass below and sloped off!

Good luck.

Eddy.

In message , Eddy
writes
Hi, Martin. We've had the same experience as you and been through a
number of permutations before finding "the answer" . . . which is as
follows.

Buy one of those feeders which consists of a cylinder within a circular
barred cage (the bars are far enough apart for the birds to get inside).
Buy two metres of strong chain from a hardware store to suspend the
feeder from the branch of a tree. If the feeder is at least 3' above
the ground the birds will be safe from cats.

I wouldn't like to bet on that. One local cat has had a try for ours at
5' off the ground - it looked a bit surprised as it landed in the edge
of a thorny juniper bush afterwards so may not try it again.

In four years of this
arrangement we have never had a squirrel climb the tree, find the
appropriate branch, dare to shimmy down the vertical chain, then
endeavour to reach through the cage to get at the nuts. Once, however,
we observed a very game squirrel leap from the trunk of the tree to the
feeder, a distance of about four feet! When he hit the feeder he and it
swung wildly for a minute or so, and then he tried to get at the nuts .
. . but couldn't and so dropped the grass below and sloped off!

The anti squirrel solution I found effective was to mount the bird
feeder (steel mesh peanut type) on the top of an 8' 15mm copper pipe
hammered into the ground (the thread underneath some bird feeders is the
same as plumbers compression joints). Not even squirrels can climb up 6'
of polished metal pipe. Has to be well clear of trees though.

Minor weakness it that it doesn't really sway about enough so sparrows
can learn to land and feed on it. The bonus is so can woodpeckers.

Cheers,
--
Martin Brown

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On 7/3/08 12:53, in article
, "Martin
Pentreath" wrote:

I am now thouroughly fed up with the squirrels in my garden stealing
nuts from the bird feeder. I've tried various locations, including
suspending it from a 15' length of wire strung horizontally from one
wall to another. This morning they've finally learnt how to shimmy
along the wire.

I've just looked at various gimicky contraptions online, but they all
seem to have weaknesses. The yanks have an electric one which spins
when the little blighters get onto it and throws them off at a tangent
- the problem seems to be that in spinning it also sprays seeds all
over the place so that they can just eat from the ground.

I think simple must be better, so I'm more attracted to the type that
have an outer cage with holes too small for squirrels to get in, eg
http://url2it.com/egf

Anyone got any comments on this type? Failing this I'm considering
putting 240v through the bloody thing.

Cheers!

Martin

You know those bucket shaped thingies they put on dogs when they don't want
them to scratch their ears or worry at stitches? People use something
similar on warps for their boats to deter rats from climbing aboard. You
could find those (or make them) and attach them to whatever you have the
feeder hanging from. As long as the squirrel can't drop onto the feeder, it
probably won't get past the funnel with the wide end facing towards it.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'

Sacha wrote:
You know those bucket shaped thingies they put on dogs when they don't want
them to scratch their ears or worry at stitches? People use something
similar on warps for their boats to deter rats from climbing aboard. You
could find those (or make them) and attach them to whatever you have the
feeder hanging from. As long as the squirrel can't drop onto the feeder, it
probably won't get past the funnel with the wide end facing towards it.

Our neighbour has his feeders hanging from an iron pole which is stuck
into the ground in front of his living-room window and to accomplish
what Sacha's describing above he has simply taken a large black plastic
standard nursery pot, made a hole in the bottom, and (after taking the
pole out of the ground) pushed it upside down up the pole to form the
deterring "umbrella". I guess he must have some kind of clasp up inside
it, attached to the pole, to stop it slipping down. Same principle as a
light-shade fitting. It apparently works. No leaping places nearby
from which the blighters may jump.

Eddy.

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll get one of the "double cage" type
of feeder and see if it does the trick.

In my attempts to outwit them I've seen them throw themselves at least
four feet from a nearby tree at the feeder suspended on horizontal
wire. At one point I put a tray of water underneath the feeder so that
when they jumped at it and missed they got a nice bath. This still
didn't deter them. I had dreamed up a system of suspending the feeder
from elastic with a bucket of water underneath so that the weight of
the squirrel would take the feeder down into the water for a thorough
dunking. At this point I decided I should be getting out more, and
found the squirrel-proof design online.

By the way, I don't think the design that Graham posted are available
in the UK, but in my extensive online research this morning I read
that the little bleeders can defeat that type anyway. I've been quite
impressed by their persistence and problem-solving skills in the
battle so far.

High pressure water pistols are good for a laugh, in the immortal
words of Corporal Jones: they don't like it up 'em.

Cheers!

Martin

On Fri, 7 Mar 2008 18:31:06 +0000, Martin Pentreath wrote
(in article
):

Hi all,

Thanks for the advice, I think I'll get one of the "double cage" type
of feeder and see if it does the trick.


We have several of the "double cage" type, separate ones for peanuts and
seeds, and they really do work except that very occasionally a young squirrel
will get in. I wouldn't bother with eBay, though, you should be able to find
them in any garden store or B&Q or somewhere like that.



--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
http://www.freerice.com/index.php
Give free rice to hungry people by playing a simple word game

Martin Pentreath wrote:
High pressure water pistols are good for a laugh, in the immortal
words of Corporal Jones: they don't like it up 'em.

And, dare I say it, the use of an air-gun from a corner of a bedroom
window really get the adrenalin pumping. A squirrel shot instantly dead
is later excellent on the table & no longer a menace!

Eddy.

"Eddy" wrote in message
...
Martin Pentreath wrote:
High pressure water pistols are good for a laugh, in the immortal
words of Corporal Jones: they don't like it up 'em.

And, dare I say it, the use of an air-gun from a corner of a bedroom
window really get the adrenalin pumping. A squirrel shot instantly dead
is later excellent on the table & no longer a menace!

Eddy.




Yeh I was going to say my dad recommends what he calls a 'Lead Breakfast'!

"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message
...
I am now thouroughly fed up with the squirrels in my garden stealing
nuts from the bird feeder. I've tried various locations, including
suspending it from a 15' length of wire strung horizontally from one
wall to another. This morning they've finally learnt how to shimmy
along the wire.

I've just looked at various gimicky contraptions online, but they all
seem to have weaknesses. The yanks have an electric one which spins
when the little blighters get onto it and throws them off at a tangent
- the problem seems to be that in spinning it also sprays seeds all
over the place so that they can just eat from the ground.

I think simple must be better, so I'm more attracted to the type that
have an outer cage with holes too small for squirrels to get in, eg
http://url2it.com/egf

Anyone got any comments on this type? Failing this I'm considering
putting 240v through the bloody thing.

Cheers!

Martin

I've come to the conclusion that even the tube within cage type can be
defeated. They prised the lid off one of mine. Of course, they could
only reach down into the tube so far but the peanuts were exposed and got
damp.

It seems to me that you need a tree with a broad overhang. Put a chain at
least 6 foot from *any* point the squirrel can climb up. Put a (preferably
two at least 6 ft apart and the lower one smaller than the upper) baffle on
the chain put the tube in a cage feeder at least 6 ft below the baffle and
the bottom of the feeder about 6ft from the ground. That *might* work but
I don't guarantee it.

On 7 Mar, 18:55, "Graham Harrison"
wrote:
"Martin Pentreath" wrote in message

...





I am now thouroughly fed up with the squirrels in my garden stealing
nuts from the bird feeder. I've tried various locations, including
suspending it from a 15' length of wire strung horizontally from one
wall to another. This morning they've finally learnt how to shimmy
along the wire.

I've just looked at various gimicky contraptions online, but they all
seem to have weaknesses. The yanks have an electric one which spins
when the little blighters get onto it and throws them off at a tangent
- the problem seems to be that in spinning it also sprays seeds all
over the place so that they can just eat from the ground.

I think simple must be better, so I'm more attracted to the type that
have an outer cage with holes too small for squirrels to get in, eg
http://url2it.com/egf

Anyone got any comments on this type? Failing this I'm considering
putting 240v through the bloody thing.

Cheers!

Martin

I've come to the conclusion that even the tube within cage type can be
defeated. * They prised the lid off one of mine. * Of course, they could
only reach down into the tube so far but the peanuts were exposed and got
damp.

It seems to me that you need a tree with a broad overhang. * Put a chain at
least 6 foot from *any* point the squirrel can climb up. * Put a (preferably
two at least *6 ft apart and the lower one smaller than the upper) baffle on
the chain put the tube in a cage feeder at least 6 ft below the baffle and
the bottom of the feeder about 6ft from the ground. * That *might* work but
I don't guarantee it.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I have our feeders inside a pair of hanging baskets hanging side by
side on 2 chains with the 3rd being the hanging point for the feeder.
on the cord down from the branch I have a 2 litre pop bottle with the
bottom cut out and the cord going through it as anti squirel device..
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

In message , Graham Harrison
writes

I've come to the conclusion that even the tube within cage type can be
defeated. They prised the lid off one of mine. Of course, they could
only reach down into the tube so far but the peanuts were exposed and got
damp.

It seems to me that you need a tree with a broad overhang. Put a chain at
least 6 foot from *any* point the squirrel can climb up. Put a (preferably
two at least 6 ft apart and the lower one smaller than the upper) baffle on
the chain put the tube in a cage feeder at least 6 ft below the baffle and
the bottom of the feeder about 6ft from the ground. That *might* work but
I don't guarantee it.


Our solution was to suspend a range of feeders from hanging basket
brackets fixed to a length of 22mm copper pipe planted in the lawn. At
first a squirrel still managed to climb the pipe however an smear of
grease soon solved the problem.

We have found that the Droll Yankee range of feeders are tough enough to
withstand squirrel attempts to pull them apart.
--
Robert

On 7 Mar, 12:53, Martin Pentreath
wrote:
I am now thouroughly fed up with the squirrels in my garden stealing
nuts from the bird feeder. I

I was taught by my father, when overhauling the mobile shops
'"Too much grease" is like "too much money". You can say it but not
do it.'

Well I reckon "squizzle proof bird feeder" is something you can say
but not do.