Do you love having the sight of local birds feeding in your backyard? If yes, then you must have arranged the backyard feeders for these local birds. But often, this invites some unwanted guests like a squirrel bird feeder. These unwanted guests steal the food of your feathered friends. Are you facing the same problem? Do you also want to get rid of these unwanted guests and how to squirrel proof bird feeder?

This article is going to help you as here we will discuss all possible measures to prevent squirrels to reach the food for your feathered friends.

How to Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder?

Many of us love watching birds feeding in the backyard. For this purpose, often people install bird feeders in their backyards. But some rodents like squirrels often visit the bird feeders and steal the food of the birds. This dilemma is not only to you but is a very common problem with bird lovers.

Bird lovers install feeders to attract birds but along with local birds, it often attracts squirrel bird feeders as well. Fortunately, it is possible to get rid of these rodents and keep the squirrels out of bird feeders.

Given below are some measures that will help you get rid of all these unwanted creatures and will help you how to squirrel proof bird feeder.

How to Keep Squirrels Out of Bird Feeders

It is difficult to stop squirrels from stealing birds’ food but you can offer the bird the food that squirrels don’t like. Seeds, nuts, sunflower seeds, corn, and fruits are good to attract birds but are appreciated by squirrels as well. They love eating these food items. Instead of these items, there is several more option that birds like but squirrels do not.

So we recommend stocking your bird feeder with nyjer seed, safflower seed, white proso millets, etc. These items are craved by birds but squirrels don’t like them and thus don’t care for them. When they find these kinds of stuff in your bird feeder, they will head toward another food source for their next meal.

Place Bird Feeders in Some Safe Place Away From the Approach of Squirrels

When you place bird feeders on the tree, squirrels easily approach your feeder. Squirrels have the potential to jump up to 7 feet horizontally. So even when you are using squirrel proof bird feeders near a tree, they can easily leap from a nearby tree onto the food source meant for local birds. The point is to place your bird feeder away from the tree.

How to Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder Pole

As you know, squirrels are incredible climbers. But the squirrel-proof feeder pole can outsmart them. The squirrel-proof feeder pole generally has a baffle that prevents squirrels and other critters from reaching the food source.

Note: Squirrels can jump up to 5 feet vertically. So make sure the feeder is high enough from the approach of these critters.

Also, in the case when you already have a bird feeder, instead of buying a complete Squirrel-proof feeder pole, you can only invest in the baffle. The baffle is easily available on Amazon. Get it from there and install it on your Birdfeeder.

Squirrel Proof Feeder

If you have tried all of the above products and none of them work, then you can plan to invest in the squirrel-proof feeder. These feeders often employ cages and other spring-loaded doors that help how to squirrel-proof bird feeders.

Create Some Obstacles

When you make the way to the bird feeder difficult, critters will find some other food source. For instance, when you hang a bird feeder on the rope between two poles, hang some empty plastic bottles in between. With more obstacles between the feeders, fewer critters will get attracted to them.

Keep the Feeder Area Clean

Many times when birds feed on the feeders, they scatter some grains out of the feeder. These scattered food items attract squirrels and soon they approach directly the main food source. Thus we recommend you keep the feeder area clean.

Use Seed Coated with Hot Peppers

The market is full of bird seeds coated with hot pepper. These hot pepper-laced seeds burn the tongue of squirrels or other mammals. They have a tongue-burning impact on mammals only, not on birds. Since Squirrels are mammals, they will drive out all the squirrels from the bird feeders.

In the case when you already have purchased the seeds for the birds, you can simply buy hot pepper sauces and mix them with your regular seeds. This will also work in the same way as a seed laced with hot pepper.

Feed the Squirrels Separately

All of the above methods are to keep the squirrels out of bird feeders. But in the case when you consider squirrels cute as well but don’t want them to snatch the food of your feathered friends, you can offer them food separately.

It is a good idea to offer them sunflower seeds, corn, peanuts, etc. that they love in a place away from the bird feeders. When they get an easy approach to the food, the bird feeder with some obstacles will look less appealing to them.

Note: When you offer food separately to squirrels, you are also inviting other animals like raccoons, deer, rabbits, etc. to the party as well.

Bottom Line

So these are some methods to how to squirrel proof bird feeder. I hope this article helps you.