Give it a try to see if it works! Even though squirrels are adorable to look at and can provide hours of entertainment, having them around your home can cause loads of trouble. You can also use safflower seeds for the birds instead of regular bird feed, as squirrels don't like these seeds. If you're truly desperate to keep squirrels out of bird feeders, set up a small squirrel feeding area on the ground a good distance away from your feeders. Use inch wire mesh or hardware cloth to cover any of those spaces securely. They especially love hardwood trees. Consider spiral reflectors. Using a strainer, strain the vegetables out of the liquid and pour the liquid into a spray bottle. They can also ingest the grease or petroleum jelly, which can make them sick. Fun fact you can note the kit is a squirrel by its dark toenails! You can read more about where squirrels nest during winter here if youd like! On average, the standard gray squirrel can jump att least four feet straight up into the air and eight to ten feet sideways. Joshua Bloom. Use a Motion Activated Sprinkler Use a Homemade Squirrel Repellent Install a Baffle on Your Bird Feeder Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder Poles Use Foods that Squirrels Dislike Use a Platform Feeder Add Grease to Poles Try Using Decoys Place Cages around the Bird Feeder Set Traps Additional Squirrel Repellent Recipes Loud music being played from outdoor speakers can help keep squirrels at a distance. By using our site, you agree to our. To keep your seeds where they belong (for the birds), make sure the areas around your bird feeders are clean. I only use these links for products Ive used myself unless specifically noted otherwise. Hickory Pine Spruce Balsam Fir Home Preference Varies By Squirrel Species Male and female squirrels look identical, but you can definitely tell the difference between species. (2021, December). Please always respect copyrights. Squirrels are expert climbers, so they can easily get into most spaces, but placing the feeders away from your house can discourage them from coming nearby. Many types of bird food have a strong smell that deters squirrels but not birds. Squirrels learn quickly that their advances are futile, leaving the dining to the downy woodpeckers. The baffle will go on the bottom half of the post, to keep squirrels from accessing the feeders from the ground. Get rid of squirrels with motion-detector water sprays. Pour the water into a bucket and add another gallon of water. The sound of any large predatory bird can be used to help scare squirrels away. I bought my first of two Squirrel Buster Plus feeders (Brome Bird Feeders on Amazon) years ago. Visit our Terms and Conditions for more information. Gray squirrels have their babies between March and April and again from June until August, depending on how abundant their food supplies are. The small fees they provide help cover my site costs. 11 Simple, Humane Methods to Keep Squirrels Out of a Garden 12 Easy Ways to Keep Magpies Away from Bird Feeders To attach the ring, use wire. How to Keep Squirrels Out of Bird Feeders | Simple Solutions Placing hot pepper flakes or spray in an area where squirrels frequent will keep them away. You can try distracting the squirrels by placing a decoy in your yard. They sustain serious injuries if they slip, slide or fall off a pole too quickly or clumsily. 11 Simple, Humane Methods to Keep Squirrels Out of a Garden. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). The vivid amber-colored eyes look strikingly realistic and menacing to small rodents and other birds. Because birds dont have the receptors to taste the capsaicin, which is the compound that puts the heat in the peppers, they dont have issues when they eat it. Using a drill, create pilot holes through the sides of the end cap. But while these feeders dont technically need baffles to keep squirrels out of the seed, I still added one over each one. Hanging some suet in a small wire cage in the tree can also deter squirrels. The grease makes it hard for the squirrels to climb the pole and they will decide getting to the bird seed isnt worth trying the effort. A squirrel's strong sense of taste and smell are irritated by the capsaicin in hot pepper. Once squirrels start getting into your yard, digging around and eating your plants or birdseed, they become much less precious and more of a pest. Backyard birdwatching is so much less stressful when the squirrels are kept off the feeders! They do this in nature by eating things with rough surfaces, like acorns and nuts. 12 Smells Squirrels Hate And How To Use Smells To Repel Squirrels However, part of the cap is made from a wire cage, so the smoke will still be able to get out. The two Squirrel Buster Plus feeders with their Erva baffles still hang on the same tree limbs years later. Wrap the wire around the metal collar on the tree and thread the end of the wire through the other side of the spring, pulling it taut against the collar. Outdoor speakers like these Polk Audio Atrium 4 Outdoor Speakers which can help you blast some tunes when the squirrely nutters get too close to home. To assist your efforts in preventing squirrels from getting into your bird feeder, you can squirrel proof bird feeder pole by installing a baffle to the top of the feeder if it is hanging from a wire or chain, or at the bottom of the feeder if you mount it on a post. Mint is also an odor squirrels don't like. Use motion sensor water sprinklers to scare squirrels away with water. (This is a pretty awesome skill when you consider how thin, curved and slippery as these poles seem.) Buy the best squirrel-proof bird feeder, one that features a cage design, such as the Perky-Pet 336 Squirrel-Be-Gone Wild Bird Feeder. If your bird feeder hangs from a tall metal pole in your yard, you can use grease to keep them from getting into the feeder and driving the birds away. (If you need to choose a hanging baffle, see my post on Best Hanging Squirrel Baffle. Create a barrier with these flowers, and the squirrels won't want to pass through it. The rodents are considered pests because, Read More 7 Ways Squirrels Can Damage Your House (With Prevention Tips)Continue, Your email address will not be published. If you have become frustrated with trying to keep squirrels from devouring the seeds you leave out for the birds, there are several ways to squirrel-proof your backyard bird feeder, from purchasing specialized feeders to quick and easy ways to deter the pesky rodents. Fetching Fun: Whats the Best Adventure Name for Your Pup? Here are some more useful recipes you can make at home that will help keep pesky squirrels from invading your yard and devouring your bird seed. Despite a lot of effort, they never succeeded in breaching these feeders. Stinky, smelly, and generally a pest! All content of this site is copyrighted Nancie Waterman 2013-2022 unless credited to someone else (who probably then has copyright on it.) You set the weight. Theyll not like it, but youre the boss. Squirrels initially left the Squirrel Buster feeders completely alone. This can cause some major home problems! How to Stop Squirrels from Eating Your Birdseed: 8 Steps - wikiHow [1] There are several on the market that are weight-activated, allowing birds to feed but not squirrels. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Keep-Squirrels-Away-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Keep-Squirrels-Away-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f2\/Keep-Squirrels-Away-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid3729365-v4-728px-Keep-Squirrels-Away-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"