Guess how many days it took Mr. Squirrel to defeat my "squirrel-proof" bird feeder...

[NurseJackie]

Guess how many days it took Mr. Squirrel to defeat my "squirrel-proof" bird feeder.

This is not my photo... but this is my exact brand of squirrel-proof feeder. And this shows EXACTLY how the little bastard has figured out what to do.



On the plus side, I've ordered a cone-shaped baffle that I'll soon attack to the bird feeder's pole... I've had good luck with that in the past. (And I've already trimmed back the low-hanging tree branches that he was using as a little bridge.)

Also, this design has a perch that's attached to a trap-door that will cover up the feeding area whenever heavier, larger, and aggressive birds try to have a feast. (After awhile, they give up and must be content with the bits of seeds that fall to the ground.)

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[gibraltar72]

1. He won it's over time to move on.

[NurseJackie]

4. I know!

It's hard to give up and walk away. I enjoy a challenge.

There are a lot of VERY funny videos on youtube that show all the creative and clever contraptions that people have put together in an attempt to foil the squirrels.

Some are simple and effective (and it's amusing to see them try and try again)... the more complicated ones (very rube-goldberg-like) are the ones that the squirrels enjoy mastering.

[Delmette2.0]

30. I started rooting for the squirrel!

She never gave up and tried an alternative!

[underpants]

2. There is no hope.

I guessed one day.

[Walleye]

3. My squirrels hang from a very thin wire by their toes

Stretch out, grab the hummingbird feeder and drink from it like it’s a liquor bottle. I finally defeated them by putting the feeders on thinner and thinner wires and making sure they were longer than the squirrel was. Sometimes I see them looking up at it and scratching their heads. They might figure it out someday.

[NurseJackie]

5. My neighborhood squirrels have that same look... you can almost see their brain-gears turning.

[Walleye]

6. 😁🐿

[Marthe48]

18. I laughed :)

n/t

[Srkdqltr]

7. Put out food and they will come.

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Only way we won was putting feeder out of reach

It's hanging on the soffit of our roof overhang. They can't reach down and in from the roof.
We have lattice on the window facing the feeder, but they can't hang on to feeder if they jump from lattice to it, it's round, it swings and they fall off.
It was fun watching their lil minds at work trying to figure a way from deck to lattice to feeder height. After the first 3-4 jump failures, no other squirrels have even tried.

[doc03]

9. I would suggest a .22 rifle or just give up

and feed him.

[NurseJackie]

12. I've seen some non-lethal and creative contraptions that are intended to discourage squirrels...

... mild zaps; collapsing platforms; spinning platforms; trebuchet and slighshot rides for the hapless rodent. But they still persist.

[doc03]

14. How about a cat?

[NurseJackie]

15. That's just trading one annoyance for another.

But for some, I see how that could be an effective solution.

[yardwork]

33. An uncontrollable weapon, as the cat is more likely to get the birds.

[lastlib]

10. Does that squirrel have Internet access?

maybe that's where he learned how to do it.

proof there is no such thing as dumb animals. Maybe they can't write symphonies or novels, or integrate transcendental functions, but they can sure figure out how to do what they need to do to survive.

[NurseJackie]

11. I've wondered if there's some shared knowledge going on...

... perhaps another person nearby has the same feeder, and my squirrel watched the technique that a different squirrel had already mastered. Squirrel-see, squirrel-do.

[flor-de-jasmim]

13. Less than one...

[NurseJackie]

16. Damn near. It was (technically) less than 24 hours.

[2naSalit]

17. The WHOLE DAY?

I bet it took less than an hour.

[NurseJackie]

19. You're probably right about that. It was about a day before I caught him in the act.

[Talitha]

20. They've got nothing better to do than get into trouble.

Might as well name it Matt Gaetz.

[NurseJackie]

23. Matt Gaetz has always been a little squirrely.

[bucolic_frolic]

21. I don't remember if cayenne pepper worked. But it takes 2 squirrels to make dinner. /nt

[Marthe48]

22. I don't mind (too much) feeding anything that stops by

I got upset when the squirrels broke one of the feeders and chewed through the cap on the other, so I can't hang it any more.

I had a tire swing on a plastic cable hanging from a high branch on a very straight sweet gum tree. Our grand dog enjoyed leaping on the tire, gnawing the rope and finally breaking it. After the squirrels broke the feeders, I hung one from the old tire swing cable. It is about 6' off the ground, and about 4' from the tree, and there is about 20' of cable going up to the branch. It has worked pretty well. Most of the squirrels in my yard are morbidly obese, and don't try to leap from the tree trunk to the feeder. We have some visitors who can make the leap and I'll see them draped from the top of the feeder to the trays. I have other feeders and they empty pretty fast. I like to see the squirrels sizing up the feeder on the swing cable and giving up. I see that look as they appraise the situation. Really glad they don't know about Weight Watchers lol

[NurseJackie]

24. I've got a few chubby ones... there was one that I assumed to be pregnant...

... but then he turned and I saw his dangly bits, and I knew he'd just been well-fed.

[TlalocW]

25. I can't your photo (blocked at work for some reason)

But if it's on a pole, I've seen videos of a person who put a slinky over the pole attached to the bottom of the feeder. If nothing else, it could provide a few days of amusement.

TlalocW

[NurseJackie]

27. I saw a similar video... it's amusing to see how confused and frustrated they get.

I might try that if my cone-baffle does not work.

(That image was hosted on a free image server website... your internal network may be blocking it because "free" services are the ones that are often abused by spammers.)

[Vinca]

26. I have a cylindrical feeder that has an outside cage with perches. When a squirrel tries to get

to the food and has to hang onto the cage it drops and the holes with the food are blocked. They figure it out after about 50 tries. LOL. The suet feeder is another matter. I've got one squirrel I've nicknamed Houdini. I finally gave up and throw some sunflower seeds on the ground for them.

[NurseJackie]

28. I've been giving my squirrels a peace-offering as well.

When the feeder is "empty" there's always a handful of seeds inside that did not fall into the feeding trough.

So, after taking the feeder down to refill it, I'll just scatter those remaining seeds directly on the ground for the squirrels and the mourning doves.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

29. "squirrel-proof" really means...

...how to charge $8 to $100 more for something which won't work better than the $10 to $30 version.

[NurseJackie]

35. That's exactly right. I bought mine for nearly $50 (including shipping).

It's sturdy metal construction with a powder-coated finish. Quality construction... but that only means that it will stand up to years of weather and squirrel gnawing. It doesn't necessarily mean that the squirrels won't figure it out. (The clever sneaky bastards!)

[malthaussen]

32. Days? Minutes, I expect. n/t

[NurseJackie]

34. He's probably figured it out long before I caught him in the act.

I imagine that some other nearby neighbor has a similar feeder... he had honed his skills elsewhere, then came to my feeder to show off and taunt me.

[Phentex]

36. My husband battled a squirrel for weeks...

and he is an engineer so he took the challenge very seriously. I just watched and smiled as the squirrel defeated each contraption/set up. Honestly, I wanted to create my own Squirrel Obstacle Course after that. There are hundreds of those vidoes on YouTube. The critters are pretty determined themselves.

We now have an empty feeder with a metal baffle hanging over it.

[NurseJackie]

37. I'm certain...

We now have an empty feeder with a metal baffle hanging over it.

I'm certain that the squirrels see that as a monument to their success. A point of pride. Their triumph. A tribute to their determination and ingenuity.

[herding cats]

38. I have two which actually work.

This is the brand: https://bromebirdcare.com/squirrelbuster-standard/

I have the small and large size and they both are hung under large metal baffles in trees by piano wire. This is the only configuration I've come up with which leaves any seed for the birds!

They're wicked smart little rodents.

The squirrels (and the deer) are fed corn daily, but the stinkers still try to steal the bird seed!

[NurseJackie]

39. We have deer too... but they leave the bird feeders alone.

Probably because they have enough clover to keep them full. And my hydrangeas and azaleas.

[NurseJackie]

40. That's a nice design... and cheaper than the one I bought.

Thanks for the link.

[herding cats]

45. You're welcome!

It took me 10 years and tons of failures (including the one you tried) to come up with something which works. I've been been using these for years now and they're still in excellent shape, and most importantly squirrel proof! At first they became so frustrated they chewed the cord they were hanging from and sent them to the ground. Thus the piano wire!

[llmart]

43. I have that one and have had it for years.

The squirrels have never gotten into it.

[herding cats]

46. They're truly the only ones I've found which work!

I love mine!

[llmart]

47. Yep.

I gave my daughter one about ten years ago - the larger one - and she loves it. She is much more of a bird "feeder" than I am and has deer also, but she says the squirrels have never gotten into hers either. She brings hers in every night because of the deer though.

[Hotler]

41. Wild Birds Unlimited has cages that fit over tube feeders. Both sold separate.

A little pricey but, well made and life time warranty (if I remember correctly). I've had mine for at least 15yrs. and they hold up well.
I have the tube feeder with the OnGuard cage, two of them.

[NurseJackie]

42. Thank you for the info... I'll check it out.

I found this link: https://www.wbu.com/products/squirrel-proof/

[Hotler]

44. That is the one. I'm sorry, I forgot to add that link. nt