Bloody squirrels. Tips please?

[Mykittensmittens]

I’ve had enough. We live in a house next to woods and the bird life is spectacular. Feeding the birds makes me so happy. We have nesting birds in our boxes and don’t want to stop feeding them.

But the bastarding, destructive, relentless furry squirrel arseholes are driving me crackers.

I have a bird table - I’ve stopped using that as they first just cleaned it out so we added chicken wire big enough for the birds but not them. It stopped the blackbirds which made me sad, then they ate through the wire anyway. So we took the wire off and added wooden batons - they’ve chewed through those and it looks appalling.

So I got a pole feeder with hooks. I added feeders with mealworms and sunflowers and seed - the birds are all over it and it’s joyous. But those bastard squirrels worked it out within a day.

So I spread WD40 up the pole. That worked for 24 hours and although HIGHLY entertaining it was t good as it’s a)not very practical to do daily and b) they’ve found a workaround anyway - they just leap up, or from a tree, or our archway, or the shed roof, and I haven’t got anywhere to put it that isn’t equidistant from one of those things enough to stop it. They can jump an enormous range.

They’ve chewed through the feeding posts on two feeders - including guardman ‘heavy duty’ £20 ones. They’ve chewed the lid off a caged feeder. They’ve chewed up all my gladioli bulbs. There are holes in all the planters with delicate small plants in.

I’ve chased them with the hose (some days what feels like hundreds of times). Sometimes all 6 come at once and frankly they don’t give two shits about the hose any more I can get within a couple of feet of them. I swear they are sticking their furry middle finger up at me.

What works? I’ve seen baffles but they are huge money for what is basically a plastic bowl. Cheapest I’ve seen is about £15 which feels a lot. Or are there genuinely squirrel proof feeders which they can’t infiltrate? I don’t want to pay loads but I’m happy to have a couple of decent ones and cut down the choices.

Pine martens.

@musicalfrog not sure I can pick a couple up in ‘pets at home’ and we’re too far south of the border to lure them in, sadly.

I'm not sure what the problem is? Is it that they take eggs or that they eat the bird feed?

We live up to a wood, we have loads of birds and squirrels and owls, I actually mostly feed for the squirrels sake (ours are red if that makes a difference?). They thrive together and yes squirrels take eggs and baby birds, but it's the way nature works. Squirrels or not there is a huge waste in baby bird survivability. And a lot of birds do the same to each other.

Sorry it's not meant to be goady, but I don't recognize the problem.

If the bird life is ‘spectacular’ then they clearly aren’t a problem are they?
Live and let live.
Wildlife is wildlife, the birds and squirrels manage to co exist perfectly peacefully together.
You could learn a lot from them.

My solution to this is to feed squirrels their own food.
A mixed in shell nuts and sometimes chopped fruit on a little platform.
Then have bird seed in a harder to reach
Feeder.

I have a squirrel baffle on my pole feeder which seems to work. The squirrel's have wreaked their revenge by digging large holes in my lawn to bury walnuts from a neighbouring tree

Just to say OP, I do sympathise but the way you described the squirrels was very funny!

The issue is they’re breaking the feeders and clearing them of food at a rate of knots. And digging holes everywhere to bury the food (they’re not even just eating it). I appreciate the cycle of wildlife and that they have to eat too, but there is no balance to be had.

We tried feeding them separately with monkey nuts on an old tree stump. They took dozens (the lot) within an hour of them being out, every single time and just put them in holes all over the lawn then carried on wrecking the bird feeders anyway.

The birds are spectacular yes, we have so many and it’s so enjoyable to watch them. I’m not concerned about egg or chick theft (that’s the way of the world, I appreciate) but it’s the destruction.

I’m clearly going to have to either stop feeding the birds or find a better squirrel proof feeder (which is what I was asking, if anyone had any recommendations)

The issue is they’re breaking the feeders and clearing them of food at a rate of knots
I’m afraid this will always be the case for choosing to provide supplemental food for any animal though.
When starlings are about they clear an astonishing number of fat balls from my feeder and magpies and crows are partial to taking and carrying off an entire fat ball for themselves each!

And digging holes everywhere to bury the food (they’re not even just eating it). I appreciate the cycle of wildlife and that they have to eat too, but there is no balance to be had
Ah but there is balance to be had.
Everything has its role.
People need to step back and just let nature take care of itself.
Some animals have irritating habits yes, squirrels digging, rabbits eating everything, foxes messing etc but then there is no animal more destructive than ourselves.

We tried feeding them separately with monkey nuts on an old tree stump. They took dozens (the lot) within an hour of them being out, every single time and just put them in holes all over the lawn then carried on wrecking the bird feeders anyway
🤣
Sorry OP, I know it’s stressing you but they are just doing exactly what we do.
Taking available food and planting/storing the excess so they won’t go hungry.
Foxes do the same.

The birds are spectacular yes, we have so many and it’s so enjoyable to watch them. I’m not concerned about egg or chick theft (that’s the way of the world, I appreciate) but it’s the destruction

I’m clearly going to have to either stop feeding the birds or find a better squirrel proof feeder (which is what I was asking, if anyone had any recommendations)
You could try making the garden more bird friendly in other ways rather than providing supplemental food?
Seed bearing plants like sunflowers and thistles for instance, nesting boxes, bird baths etc.
Imo, most birds don’t really need much supplemental feeding anyway.
My feeders only tend to be be filled from Oct to April time

I love squirrels. You have to admire their tenacity. Give up, you won't win. There's a brilliant video on YouTube. It's a long one, but wonderful.

Ah, I see. We have a bird table much like this. Nothing to break into. We feed with sunflower seeds. Squirrels don't bury the seeds, the biggest problem is the blackbirds, who sit in the middle of the table flapping all seeds to the ground for the pigeons to eat, stupid birds . (and pigeons can really eat you out of the house in no time).

When we occasionally feed with walnuts, we sometimes find a walnut buried in soft beds, but mainly i think they remove them to the woods.

(i know our neighbor has hung a bird feeder from a tall tree in thin wire, haven't seen a squirrel near it, but it isca sight when it's windy. The feeder svirls around in big circles and the poor birds try to hold on for dear life ).

I love the squirrel maze videos.

I find nuts like walnuts work best because a harder shell takes longer to break into than a peanut shell.

But it is possible that bird baths and bird friendly plants might be a better solution for you.

Although I like watching squirrels feed.

We got a Roamwild bird feeder. It was ££ but very sturdy. The squirrels have tried to get to it but so far it’s defeated them!

Have a try of 'squirrel buster' brand feeders. I've found they're the only thing that can keep the squirrels away from my feeders. You need to hang them on a spindly branch so the squirrels can't lower themselves down without triggering the weight activated mechanism. I've found rolling fat balls in chilli powder gives them something to think about and they don't return!

[quote LovelyGirlCompetition]I love squirrels. You have to admire their tenacity. Give up, you won't win. There's a brilliant video on YouTube. It's a long one, but wonderful. [/quote]
There’s a part 2!!!!

I want to build one in our garden for the squirrels

My sympathies - we have similar problems, together with the squirrels possibly killing a tree by bark stripping.

For the bird feeder:

• is there really nowhere which is away from trees/bushes? Or perhaps put inside one of those garden umbrella stands on a terrace?
• yes to a squirrel baffle. Dh made his own from a plastic cloche.
• yes to the Roamwild feeder linked above

Navigating. Haha love it. The man is a genius

Literally. He’s my geeky crush.

Buy an air gun & shoot the little buggers? You could have family competitions.

Thanks.

@Whippet same. Stripping trees. Next door have removed a badly damaged tree and now they’ve started on ours. There is a (wildlife) pile of logs with the same tree species (ironically from next doors tree) for the hedgehogs and other critters but they don’t strip those felled logs. Just the live tree!! we’ve had tree fungus as a result. I can’t tell you how much destruction in terms of bulbs - gladioli and crocus particularly. The crocus (croci?) emerged and the squirrels pulled them all up and ate them like lollipops. They don’t like the wild garlic bulbs they dig them up and take a bite and leave the rest. They’ve trashed the DCs sunflower seedlings which we’d hardened off and put in a pot against the sunny garage wall - they were dug out within 24 hours to make way for burying dried mealworms.

I didn’t think of a cloche I think I’ll try that. I’m also thinking of a window feeder - maybe they wouldn’t be brave enough. But then they did get into next doors loft and chewed though cables so nothing is safe.

Our neighbour has a gun. Squirrels and pigeons. No wander my garden is over run!

I am continually battling the squirrels. The things that help are -

Squirrel proof feeders with weighted mechanism that closes when the squirrel climbs on

Put cayenne pepper on all vulnerable plants & trees - they don't like the taste.

Also I cover all newly dug beds with chicken wire for a week to give new plants a chance to settle before the squirrels dig too much. They seem to like digging up any new bedding plant or little veg plants I put out. But wire helps.

The baffles are absolutely worth it. I have two poles, both with baffles, and the squirrels have never managed to reach the feeders.

On the other hand, I had to give up trying to use window feeders. Even after adding chilli powder to the bird food to deter them, the squirrels continue to leap onto and viciously chew the feeders until they broke.

This one looks like it would be worth trying.

www.amazon.co.uk/s?ref=nb_sb_noss_2&i=outdoor&k=Woodside+Plastic+Universal+Squirrel+Baffle&tag=mumsnetforu03-21