Backyard Birding Forum

The little rats have started a seige on my feeder. They have already destroyed one plastic bird feeder. I replaced it with a metal and glass feeder. I placed a squirrel suet block and a corn feeder for them, but they keep going after the sunflower also. I tried greaseing the feeder pole with crisco. That works for about a day then it is all rubbed off from them trying. Any suggestions on a reliable way to keep them out of the sunflower?

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Ryan

what's your feeder look like?

I hope this works. OK it is small, but the left feeder has the squirrel suet and corn cob the other feeder is the one I want to keep them off of. Check out this link if it works

http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wMTI5MDI1NjZzNDEzZGZkMzF5NTQx.jpg" border="0" />

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Ryan

i'd start with something like this baffle or this "torpedo".

should work as long as it's mounted on the pole below the bottom of your feeder.

BTW, there aren't trees around for them to access the feeder from above or fromt he sides, are there?

good luck.

Cool I was looking at at both kinds. I just was't sure if one worked bettter than the other. The trees are far enough away. I have had to move the squirrel feeder cuz they were jumping from one to the other.

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Ryan

baffle on top of the torpedo FTW.

 

;-)

Capsicun powder - works great and doesn't scare birds off.
Or you can just get a bb gun.

is this the thing that guy used on the raccoon that was stealing his cat's food off his back porch?

yes, I've done the same thing.
Worked great on raccoons that were ravaging my feeders. Never saw them again.
Squirrels have a worse memory - that or there are so many of them you have to keep using it from time to time to get the new ones.

how do you properly mix the capsicum in with the feed??

i wonder if this will work with deer too.

I pour the powder in a seed bag that is about half full, twist the bag to seal it shut, then shake it up really good.
Not sure if it works on deer.

Cool I was just told about that at work toady. I am going to head out to the local feed store and try it.

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Ryan

post pics.  even better, videos.

OK I mixed in the squirrel away. I will keep everyone posted if it works. If anything funny happens I will take pics, sorry no vids

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Ryan

any luck with the squirrel away?

Well when I mixed in the squirrel away I didn't realize that I had a container full of seed. So I dumped the caontainer into the bag of seed and didn't mix it well enough. When I poured it in the feeder only some it had the powder on it. You could tell when a squirrel got a mouth full of the powder cuz they would jump off of the feeder and run. It was slow going and I got impatient and bought a baffle, so between the baffle and the seed they have been staying off. Now they are climbing the screen door to antagonize the cats. I will try to get a pic of them on the screen door.

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Ryan

well, at least it works.

any chance the squirrel wil learn?

I feed the squirrels AND birds. I have a platform feeder on the ground that I purchase squirrel food to put in.( peanuts,dog food, corn sunflower seeds) I have metal baffles on the bird feeder poles and they CANNOT get up the pole. Just remember to place your bird feeders far away from buildings, or any place that squirrels can jump onto the feeder from. I find if you feed them the correct food, they do not bother the bird food.

I just moved the bird feeder futher away from the squirrel feeder to keep them from jumping on the bird feeder. The baffle is living up to its name.   ;) The squirrels have been climbing up on the screen door to taunt the cats. I have some pictures that I need to download off the camera. I will post them when I get back from drilling this weedend.

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Ryan

Here is a pictures of the squirrel

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Ryan

another

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Ryan

both pics are absolutely precious!

My squirrels have apparently developed a taste for capsicun pepper. Just ordered this from bestnest last week - still waiting on it's arrival. Should be entertaining!

The Wild Bills Electronic Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder features a revolutionary design that provides birds with a safe feeding haven while preventing squirrels and raccoons from feeding. Designed with animal training techniques in mind, this feeder provides squirrels and raccoons with a mild electric correction when they attempt to feed but birds are completely safe from the electric correction. Squirrels, raccoons, or other pests large enough to touch two metal contact points will complete the electrical circuit and be provided with a mild electric correction (i.e. standing on the feeder tray and touching the perches). Birds' feathers are such poor conductors that birds may feed without the worry of a correction. A convenient on/off switch allows the feeder's electronic system to be disabled for cleaning or refilling.

pics/video or ban!!!!!!!

Wow, that is very nice.     

got it today.
holy carp. it is evil.
I didn't think 9 volts could pack such a punch but I ran my finger on the base and thumb on the perch and it shocked the hell out of me. I could feel it in the web between my finger and thumb still for about an hour afterward.  I am serious - if it sucked I would tell you but this thing is totally evil and does not suck. I put it up just before dark so no squirrels yet but they will come. Before it arrived I was contemplating running more batteries in series to make it more powerful  but after getting shocked by it I am sure one battery is enough.
I still don't understand how I can stick a 9 volt on my tongue and get a small tingle but plug it into this thing and it actually hurts. It has contacts between the base and first lower set of perches and then another set between the hanger hook and a plate on the top so it gets them from top or bottom. I have mine mounted on a pole so only the bottom part should do anything.

I promise video.
I  want to turn it off for the week so they will be unwary by the weekend so I can get video but unfortunately they make the thing out of abs plastic and if I leave it off the squirrels will chew it apart.

Video will come.

LOL.  matt, you're evil.

 

can't wait for the video.

 can't wait to see the video. It probable has a capasitor(sp) in it that the 9v charges up. much like a taser.

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Ryan

did some digging and you are right - it has a capacitor and some other junk..

damn squirrels are smart.
I thought I had one - had the video running - he got all the way up to his front paws on the bottom metal tray then he chickened out. Someone at work said they can smell the battery? Hell if I know, but if that was the case I could have saved a ton of money by taping a battery to all my feeders. In any event I guess it is working since they won't get on the feeder.

but I want to see one of the little demons fry!

We need to set up a test to validate this claim.  Someone else needs to volunteer since I do not have squirrels.

I'll do it on my small feeder as soon as I buy more seed -  it will be this weekend. They annihilate that one.

My squirrels stay away from the birdfeeders.  The Cat stays away from the birds.  Solution is a ten pump BB-gun.  One pump and a shot in the hiney works wonders. 

Now I can put corn cobs out for squirrels and they leave the feeders alone.  They have learned their lesson and stick around with the Chickadees etc. when I go out to fill up the feeders.

Cheers

Dave

 

so far no squirrels on the electric feeder and no squirrels on my tube feeder that I strapped a 9 volt battery to the bottom of
:shrug:

dammit.  i just realized i referred to you as mike in dicmo's thread on NASIOC.

lol - no big deal. ;)

I have caught 2 birds in the new feeder now.
It has 3 depressions in the clear plastic part under the top lid - they are curved - about 1"x3" and apparently large enough for a sparrow to fit into. (you can kindof see them in the picture earlier in this thread)
Both were released unharmed and suprisingly neither one *** in the bird seed while trapped in there.I thought the first was just a fluke, but then coming home to the second one that had been in there a few hours because the nanny is afraid to mess with the electric feeder I figured we had a design flaw.
I put some clear tape over the open spaces after that and so far so good. Unfortunately I can't find any kind of website for the company to at least let them know about this.

still have not witnessed a single squirrel get fried

So you tazered the birds for a while.  har.  I swear.  Get a daisy ten pump bb gun – pump it once and put in a fat heavy pellet like the Beeman Crow Magnum. Them pop the  evil rats with tails in the butt. No harm except they jump.  Maybe 150 ft per sec. and flat nosed so it is a shock only.  My Mendoza Pellet gun is 1,200 ft per sec.. 

My squirrels used to tip over the feeders just to get the feed on the ground.  Now they are little gentlemen.  I just put some dried corn cobs out for them today. They eat the corn and seed on the ground and stay away from the feeders.   

They are great exercise for my cat though.  They sit still until he gets right on them then they dart off leaving him flaying his paws around in the grass for what happened.  The Squirrel is usually in the nearest branch with eyes on cat and tail twitching.  Cracks me up. .    

look at what i sw on saturday morning.

updated pic.

i raised the feeder by 6" and i think we're OK today.

so it turned out that raising the feeder was not the cure since the squirrels just scampered up the pole anyway.

on thursday, i bought this baffle while i was at Home Depot ($9.97) and they haven't been able to overcome it yet.

hahaha clear baffle FTW. they can see the goodies ,but can't get them. Thats awsome

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Ryan

damn, ryan.  what's got you up and posting at 4:19AM??

Finally watched one get zapped this weekend!

Triple side flip off the feeder
shook his paw and twitched for a little while on the ground then he ran off into the woods as I was opening the window to pop him with the bb gun.

Must be a new guy - he was pretty skinny.
There will be more - sorry no video but I am working on it!

Some times I just can't sleep

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Ryan

so do you think that they learn to not use that feeder?

Without a doubt they learn.
I have watched many of them crawl up the feeder pole and then turn around and go back down.
The one I watched get zapped was skinny so I am pretty sure he is a new guy. Most of the squirrels in my yard are fat from dining on the seed droppings!

Now I just need to figure out a way to keep them off my suet.