Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

Our garden backs onto a strip of municipal woodland. We have a metal
support for hanging cage-type bird feeders, and attract a good number
and variety of small birds.

We also attract many pigeons, which can't properly cope with the cage
around the feeders, but also three or four grey squirrels which pay a
visit several times a day.

They don't tend to go for the bird seed feeder, but go instead for the
peanut feeder, having learnt to clamber inside the cage part and feed
upside-down on the peanuts in an inner, small-meshed cage. A pack of
peanuts costs me 99p, and one, thanks almost entirely to the squirrels,
lasts a day at the most.

Spraying the metal pole with WD-40 stops the squirrels as they slither
around and can't climb it, but this lasts only a couple of days, and
costs more than the peanuts if I kept refreshing the WD-40. I suspect
that someting other than WD-40, such as soap or an oil, would no last
much longer before the little critters are able to shin up the pole
again. (The pole etc is not near a tree of fence, but the squirrels
cross the lawn to it and race up it - amusing the first few times, but
now infuriating!

Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

"Bill Smith" wrote in message news:suilven- Can
anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Hold me back! (speaking from Formby, one home of the beautiful endangered
red squirrel....) Fetch ma gun!!

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

On Wed, 06 May 2009 23:27:24 +0000, Bill Smith wrote:



Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent

12-bore cartridges are less than £150 a thousand.

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

On 2009-05-07 00:27:24 +0100, Bill Smith said:

Our garden backs onto a strip of municipal woodland. We have a metal
support for hanging cage-type bird feeders, and attract a good number
and variety of small birds.
snip

Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

You could try making the sort of thing they put on ship's warps to
prevent rats coming aboard. It's like one of those inverted buckets
you see dogs wearing to stop them nibbling at stitches after an
operation. Attach that to the pole with the wide end at the bottom and
coat it with e.g. vaseline so the squirrel can't climb over it. If
it's wide enough the squirrel won't be able to stretch to climb over
and past it. Worth a try.
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

"Bill Smith" wrote in message
...

now infuriating!

Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Dust the peanuts in chilli powder, the hotter the better. Sit back. Watch.
Have fun when the squirrel does a "YUK!" expression & runs off shaking its
head. You do have to keep up with regular dustings of chilli though.

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

Bill Smith wrote:
Our garden backs onto a strip of municipal woodland. We have a metal
support for hanging cage-type bird feeders, and attract a good number
and variety of small birds.

We also attract many pigeons, which can't properly cope with the cage
around the feeders, but also three or four grey squirrels which pay a
visit several times a day.

They don't tend to go for the bird seed feeder, but go instead for the
peanut feeder, having learnt to clamber inside the cage part and feed
upside-down on the peanuts in an inner, small-meshed cage. A pack of
peanuts costs me 99p, and one, thanks almost entirely to the squirrels,
lasts a day at the most.

Spraying the metal pole with WD-40 stops the squirrels as they slither
around and can't climb it, but this lasts only a couple of days, and
costs more than the peanuts if I kept refreshing the WD-40. I suspect
that someting other than WD-40, such as soap or an oil, would no last
much longer before the little critters are able to shin up the pole
again. (The pole etc is not near a tree of fence, but the squirrels
cross the lawn to it and race up it - amusing the first few times, but
now infuriating!

Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.
Try your local garden centre for a 'Squirel baffle' to fit on your bird
feeder - its sort of like a clear plastic hemisphere which fits onto the
upright - Gardman make them(?) About twenty quid. They work.

Hope this helps

rjbl

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

"Derek Turner" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 06 May 2009 23:27:24 +0000, Bill Smith wrote:



Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent

12-bore cartridges are less than £150 a thousand.

I suspect this method doesn't meet the original brief of not harming the
squirrels.

mark

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

Sheila wrote:
"Bill Smith" wrote in message
news:suilven- Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not
harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to
prefer peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Hold me back! (speaking from Formby, one home of the beautiful
endangered red squirrel....) Fetch ma gun!!

Heh, nothing wrong with squirrel casserole. You need a few though:)

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Sheila wrote:
"Bill Smith" wrote in message
news:suilven- Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not
harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to
prefer peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Hold me back! (speaking from Formby, one home of the beautiful
endangered red squirrel....) Fetch ma gun!!

Heh, nothing wrong with squirrel casserole. You need a few though:)

Indeed, it's a meat I'd like to try. Tree-rat. An excellent way to keep
vermin under control. Shoot and eat.

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

On 2009-05-07 07:19:53 +0100, "wafflycat"
said:


"Bill Smith" wrote in message
...

now infuriating!

Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Dust the peanuts in chilli powder, the hotter the better. Sit back.
Watch. Have fun when the squirrel does a "YUK!" expression & runs off
shaking its head. You do have to keep up with regular dustings of
chilli though.

And the birds?!
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-05-07 07:19:53 +0100, "wafflycat"
said:


"Bill Smith" wrote in message
...

now infuriating!

Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Dust the peanuts in chilli powder, the hotter the better. Sit back.
Watch. Have fun when the squirrel does a "YUK!" expression & runs off
shaking its head. You do have to keep up with regular dustings of chilli
though.

And the birds?!
--

No adverse effect on the birds at all. Birds do not taste hot chilli - the
seeds are evolved to be spread by birds. Mammals, on the other hand, do
taste the heat. :) My hens have crushed chilli in their food every day. They
love it.

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

On 2009-05-07 08:38:38 +0100, RJBL said:

Bill Smith wrote:
Our garden backs onto a strip of municipal woodland. We have a metal
support for hanging cage-type bird feeders, and attract a good number
and variety of small birds.

We also attract many pigeons, which can't properly cope with the cage
around the feeders, but also three or four grey squirrels which pay a
visit several times a day.

They don't tend to go for the bird seed feeder, but go instead for the
peanut feeder, having learnt to clamber inside the cage part and feed
upside-down on the peanuts in an inner, small-meshed cage. A pack of
peanuts costs me 99p, and one, thanks almost entirely to the squirrels,
lasts a day at the most.

Spraying the metal pole with WD-40 stops the squirrels as they slither
around and can't climb it, but this lasts only a couple of days, and
costs more than the peanuts if I kept refreshing the WD-40. I suspect
that someting other than WD-40, such as soap or an oil, would no last
much longer before the little critters are able to shin up the pole
again. (The pole etc is not near a tree of fence, but the squirrels
cross the lawn to it and race up it - amusing the first few times, but
now infuriating!

Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.
Try your local garden centre for a 'Squirel baffle' to fit on your bird
feeder - its sort of like a clear plastic hemisphere which fits onto
the upright - Gardman make them(?) About twenty quid. They work.

Hope this helps

rjbl

Just the sort of thing I was trying to describe. And this is a clever
seed feeder:
http://www.gardman.co.uk/asp/birds/f...ist-feeder.asp

I didn't find squirrel baffles there but I did find them he
http://www.jacobijayne.co.uk/squirre...uirrel-guards/
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

"wafflycat" wrote in message
...

"Sacha" wrote in message
...


snippity..


And the birds?!
--

No adverse effect on the birds at all. Birds do not taste hot chilli - the
seeds are evolved to be spread by birds. Mammals, on the other hand, do
taste the heat. :) My hens have crushed chilli in their food every day.
They love it.

And to confirm

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-202877

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

On 2009-05-07 10:02:01 +0100, "wafflycat"
said:


"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2009-05-07 07:19:53 +0100, "wafflycat"
said:


"Bill Smith" wrote in message
...

now infuriating!

Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to prefer
peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Dust the peanuts in chilli powder, the hotter the better. Sit back.
Watch. Have fun when the squirrel does a "YUK!" expression & runs off
shaking its head. You do have to keep up with regular dustings of
chilli though.

And the birds?!
--

No adverse effect on the birds at all. Birds do not taste hot chilli -
the seeds are evolved to be spread by birds. Mammals, on the other
hand, do taste the heat. :) My hens have crushed chilli in their food
every day. They love it.

Wonderful. I had no idea - says she rushing off to the larder....... ;-)
--
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon

Deter squirrels (only) from bird feeders?
 

wafflycat wrote:
"Ophelia" wrote in message
...
Sheila wrote:
"Bill Smith" wrote in message
news:suilven- Can anyone suggest a low-cost deterrent which will
not harm the
squirrels but would allow the other birds (Most of which seem to
prefer peanuts to wild bird seed) to feed on the peanuts?

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Bill.

Hold me back! (speaking from Formby, one home of the beautiful
endangered red squirrel....) Fetch ma gun!!

Heh, nothing wrong with squirrel casserole. You need a few though:)

Indeed, it's a meat I'd like to try. Tree-rat. An excellent way to
keep vermin under control. Shoot and eat.

Treat it like rabbit but it is not as strong. I usually casserole them with
garlic, onions, red wine etc:)