How can i keep squirrels out of my bird feeder?

theyre big eaters and the birds get very little.How can i keep squirrels out of my bird feeder?
That has been a problem for as long as man has fed birds.





Difficulty: Moderate


Squirrels are wily little rodents noted for being able to outsmart just about anyone who tries to deny them access to bird feeders. Squirrels can walk on wire, jump almost 4 feet straight up, leap 10 feet across, and climb almost anything.


Steps





Contact a bird-feeding specialty store either in person, by phone or online, and ask about ';squirrel-proof'; bird feeders.


Purchase a recommended feeder.


Buy or make a squirrel baffle if you intend to mount the feeder on a post. A baffle is designed to foil squirrels that can jump or climb onto the feeder from the ground.


Mount feeder on post and add baffle according to instructions. Or,


Mount your feeder in the middle of a long wire that extends from your house to a tree in your yard.


String empty film canisters, empty plastic soda bottles, sections of hose, old vinyl records, spools of thread, or PVC pipe all along the wire. Use any objects that will cause squirrels to slip off the wire if they walk on it.


Try providing squirrels with their own feeding station if all else fails, and give them whole dried corn and seeds that they like.


Tips %26amp; Warnings





One of the most successful squirrel baffles, the Pole Mount Cylindrical Squirrel Baffle, is made by ERVA.


Putting grease or oil on poles sometimes prevents squirrels from climbing.


Try enclosing the entire feeder in a wire cage that denies access to squirrels, but allows birds in.


If you are bitten by a squirrel, seek medical attention immediately.How can i keep squirrels out of my bird feeder?
I say feed the squirrels,they're cute!
if it is a hanging feeder, poke a hole in a pie pan and run the string or wire thru the hole so the pan is like an umbrella. also, hang the feeder away from anything the squirrels can jump onto the feeder from.
Put screen over feeding part or go to bird supply store and get feeder designed to keep squirrels away.
I hang the feeder by a single, fine wire -- like 4 ft. length. The feeder is a cylinder type with a small round base. Too far to jump and too fine to climb down. Fun to watch them try.
A sling shot and lots of patience.
buy bird food with hot peeper


the squirrels will not eat hot peeper but the birds will
It depends on the type of feeder you have, if it is on a pole stuck in the ground then nail a board around the pole to keep them from climbing up, I saw various ways to do these things on cable tv, animal planets backyard habitat, I think you can go to the web site and find some of the ways they do it. animalplanet.com/backyardhabitat


good luck.
This may seem a little strange but, it works. My mother lives in a heavily wooded area. She has the same problems with the squirrels eatting the bird seed. What she did was rap the pole just under the feeder with a little barbed wire. You can pick some up at your local hardware store. You only need about 2 feet of it. Rap the pole loosely with the wire and nail it to the pole. That will prevent them from climbing up the pole and getting at the seed. The barbed wire when painted doesn't look that bad.


But, if you want a clean look there is a bird feeder that closes when a squirrel or other large animal gets on the feeder. A bird weighs a lot less than a squirrel. When there is too much weight on the feeder(like the weight of a squirell) it closes the door where the bird seed is denying access to the seed. Once the squirrel jumps off the door open again for the birds. You can find these at hardware stores or garden shops etc. I hope this helps..Good luck.
My grandmother used vaseline on the ropes that tied the feeders to the tree's
we would put a band of sheet metal around the bottom of the post. a band of about oh say 1foot its slippery and they cannot climb on it or past it..like trying to climb up a slide at the park...works for us..you can also paint it with roofing paint to blend in the color. (roofing paint is for painting flashings, metal things, husbands a roofer). also theres blue marbles in the cans, that make them rattle.