Squirrels and Your Bird Feeder A bird feeder is an essential addition to any yard. Not only do they provide a source of nutrition, they’re also the perfect way to attract all sorts of birds to your garden! But unfortunately, sometimes bird feeders can attract animals other than birds – none more unwelcome than the humble squirrel. Good thing is that there are ways and means of deterring these pesky rodents from raiding your bird feeder. Here are some tips for keeping squirrels away from your bird feeder:Remove Any Nearby Sources of Food for the Squirrels The first step in preventing squirrels from taking over your bird feeder is to make sure that there aren’t any sources of food available nearby. This means removing nuts, fruits and any other food that squirrels like from your garden, as well as cutting back trees and bushes that may provide shelter for them. If they can’t find a reliable source of food close by, then they will be less likely to stay around where you want them least – near your bird feeder. Use a Mesh Cage Around Your Bird FeederAnother way to keep squirrels away from your bird feeder is by using a mesh cage or enclosure around it. A mesh cage is essentially a wire frame with small holes that allow birds (but not larger animals) access to the seeds inside. You might have seen mesh cages on commercial bird feeders sold at stores; if not, you can fashion one yourself with a bit of DIY know-how or purchase an inexpensive model online! Weight Your Bird Feeder Down with Objects That Aren’t Too HeavySquirrels love nothing more than leaping onto your bird feeder and helping themselves to all the seeds within! To stop this from happening, you should weight down your bird feeder with objects that aren’t too heavy; this will ensure that it stays firmly in place and won’t be easily toppled by the furry little critters. Rocks or bricks work great here as they’re relatively light yet still hefty enough weigh down the tray itself. Just be sure you don’t place anything too heavy on top so as not to crush it! You could also consider rubbing petroleum jelly on top of the pole so that it’s slippery for squirrels when trying to climb up it. Make Sure You Replace Old Seeds RegularlyEven if you’ve taken all the steps above, you still need to actively monitor and maintain your bird feeders every so often otherwise old seeds may rot and attract rodents such as squirrels rather than birds! We recommend doing this at least once every few weeks or month depending on how much activity you tend to see at your particular location; simply clean out any old seeds and replace them with fresh ones regularly so as not keep pests away! Get The Help Of Furry FriendsFinally, one tactic you might consider when trying keep pests like squirrels away from your beloved backyard wildlife sanctuary would be enlisting the help of friendly neighborhood felines! While cats don’t generally offer much assistance against something like deer, they definitely make great sentinels against smaller critters like squirrels who are always looking for easy meals near our delicious seed-filled trays! While we don’t recommend leaving cats unsupervised outside very often (they’re usually better off safe inside), having one nearby during peak hours could prove helpful if there are persistent troublemakers present in your vicinity looking for a quick snack before heading elsewhere in search of grander adventures.We hope this post has provided useful advice on how you can keep pesky critters like squirrels away from enjoying all the tasty snacks stored inside those delightful hanging pieces we fondly refer to as “birdfeeders”.
Good luck and happy feeding both the Squirrels and Birds!
