Chrissy: I did just the same at my old house to keep the resident rats off the feeder (we rented and the landlord wasn't at all bothered at getting an exterminator in when we mentioned the rats that lived in the compost bin so after trying ourselves to put them off - taking away the bird food, regularly drowning the compost bin.... they promptly moved in under the decking instead) we just left them be and used this approach to keep them off the feeder (the neighbours kept them well fed alas but they never felt the need to move in to theirs).
The younger ones could still get in and when the squirrels would arrive only the smaller ones would even attempt to give it ago (they also tried flinging themselves off the shed: a brave jump and I felt worthy of letting them eat all they wanted if they managed it).
We would also grease the pole which seemed the most effective approach.
As an aside I currently have one of those feeders on the grass for my ground feeding birds: it keeps the pigeons off no matter how hard they try! Next spring I'll be making a meal worm feeder with a similar design.
(The landlord suddenly became much more interested in getting rid of Mr Ratty and Mrs Ratty and their many many well fed relatives when trying to sell the house and as we were tasked in showing people around you'd see people squealing when they looked out of the window to find it wasn't a cute squirrel looking back at them).
I LOVE my baby squirrel pair, brother and sister, I think. I feed them separately -- hazel nuts, walnuts, and flapjack bites -- so they don't have to attack bird feeders. I also throw out pears cut up into pieces. After eating, they drink from the bird baths and run around playing with each other. My little male one does his swimming thing in the grass for me when I call out his name, and does summersaults, playing with a stick for me.
Will they obey you just as well when you tell them not to eat the birds' eggs or the baby birds? Or your tulip bulbs for that matter. Though those are easier to protect.
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Chrissy: I did just the same at my old house to keep the resident rats off the feeder (we rented and the landlord wasn't at all bothered at getting an exterminator in when we mentioned the rats that lived in the compost bin so after trying ourselves to put them off - taking away the bird food, regularly drowning the compost bin.... they promptly moved in under the decking instead) we just left them be and used this approach to keep them off the feeder (the neighbours kept them well fed alas but they never felt the need to move in to theirs).
The younger ones could still get in and when the squirrels would arrive only the smaller ones would even attempt to give it ago (they also tried flinging themselves off the shed: a brave jump and I felt worthy of letting them eat all they wanted if they managed it).
We would also grease the pole which seemed the most effective approach.
As an aside I currently have one of those feeders on the grass for my ground feeding birds: it keeps the pigeons off no matter how hard they try! Next spring I'll be making a meal worm feeder with a similar design.
(The landlord suddenly became much more interested in getting rid of Mr Ratty and Mrs Ratty and their many many well fed relatives when trying to sell the house and as we were tasked in showing people around you'd see people squealing when they looked out of the window to find it wasn't a cute squirrel looking back at them).
I mix veggie oil and chili oil, they slide down it once, lick their paws and then never come!
Oh no, don't use chilli oil - it can burn and cause ulcers
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have a Blue Tit family nesting in a bird box with a small hole. And a Robin nesting in the nest I put up in the Ivy.
There are other squirrels other than my pair who come and dig up some areas now and then.