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Simple way to stop squirrels trashing your bird feeder

valerierobertsvalerieroberts Posts: 726
in Problem solving
This is my clever husbands way of stopping the squirrels take out every nut from the bird feeder. It’s a pole with a 50cm circular piece of  2 mm polycarbonate. The feeder is fastened on top to the wood and polycarbonate by drilling holes through and screwing down.  For a nice look, the hat is a lid off a plastic tub. Cut to the centre of the lid and then bend and secure it in shape. The squirrels drop on to the  platform and slide off with their weight. I know it’s cruel and I’m sorry for them, but they just trash the full feeder and I can’t keep up.  After a few times they give up and don’t try.  Valerie 

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Posts

  • valerierobertsvalerieroberts Posts: 726
    Photo of it
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I wouldn't feel sorry for them at all   :)
    My feeders are all in cages. They can't get in but the birds can. I rarely feed peanuts though. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LunarSeaLunarSea Posts: 1,923
    This is my very simple & cheap version. Just an inverted plastic plant pot slid onto the pole and held in place with a jubilee clip and/or wire. None have got past it yet.


    Clay soil - Cheshire/Derbyshire border. 

    I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    How do you clean the feeder if it's screwed on?   Is that not a bit of a faff to have to unscrew it all? 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • valerierobertsvalerieroberts Posts: 726
    Thanks for that @VictorMeldrew  unfortunately, I don’t have the stand that you have. Only an old feeder. Valerie 
  • valerierobertsvalerieroberts Posts: 726
    @Fairygirl Hi, as you can see it’s not very tall,  so I just get a handled  brush and give it a quick swish round when it’s empty. Valerie 
  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    We have used an old metal lamp shade on the main pole.
    Had to move it up as the squirrel just leaped over it.
    Also it is only resting on 2 nails so that it moves if the squirrel tries to cling onto it.
    So far so good.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Ingenious @VictorMeldrew!
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • valerierobertsvalerieroberts Posts: 726
    @bertrand-mabel Hi, a photo would be nice to see it. I think squirrels are most clever at working out anything to their advantage. We tried all sorts of things before we got this idea to work. Valerie 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Anything that deters them is a good idea. They cause untold damage.  :/
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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