How to keep Chipmunks off bird feeder pole
Chipmunks of all visiting rodents in our yards are the easiest pest to keep off a bird feeder due to their limited jumping and climbing ability.
How to keep Chipmunks off a bird feeder pole of any kind can simply rely on a squirrel baffle, mounted up to 3-4 feet off the ground. While Chipmunks will be unable to jump on top of the baffle, they will be limited to under it only. No baffle, no problem, as a plastic bottle can be used to slot on the pole to act as a baffle.
What is so great about making an effort to keep chipmunks off a bird feeder pole, is this small rodent is limited in its ability to jump or climb.
Experts will tell you chipmunks can't climb a thin metal pole, despite chipmunks found to climb a bird feeding station pole once in a while.
Of course why would you be here now inquiring about ways to keep chipmunks off the bird feeder pole, when chipmunks are seen to be climbing your bird feeding pole.
Well, what you can do first thing to keep chipmunks as far down the pole as possible, is to simply install a squirrel baffle. Mount up to 4 feet while off the ground while a lower down install would still be enough to prevent chipmunks climbing, as they are unable to jump directly upwards to get access the top of squirrel baffles.
Unlike mice for example who can jump quite high thus a squirrel baffle would need to be installed someway up the bird feeder pole.
If you don't own a bird feeder pole at this time and therefore wish to find ways to deter chipmunks prior to setting up a pole, then favor a no fuss squirrel proof bird feeder pole with a unique baffle pre-installed.
I will admit you do have it easy when it comes to keeping chipmunks off of a Shepard's hook or a regular bird feeding station pole.
Common sense will hopefully prevail with no leaning bird feeder pole, which will make it easy for chipmunks to climb up, whereas the bird feeder pole must be located away from adjacent objects - like a branch or fence - as chipmunks will take advantage of it.
Install low squirrel baffle
Of course the name of the game when preventing squirrels climbing a bird feeder pole is to stop these rodents stealing the bird food within the feeders hung off the pole.
While I might remind you that chipmunks can contribute to the spread of disease, thus you'd really want to prevent any contact with the bird feeders at all.
Remarkably, how you'd go about stopping squirrels climbing a bird feeder pole is to put many deterrents in place; often this is without success as squirrels can be quick, smart thinking and super athletic.
Great then because this isn't true with chipmunks even though they tend to steal more bird food at a time, as they fill their cheeks up full of nuts or seeds.
Rodents especially can be prevented accessing a bird feeder pole with use of a squirrel baffle.
Now you don't have to go overboard when installing a baffle to prevent climbing the pole, as chipmunks can't climb very well anyway.
All you need to do is mount the baffle up to 2 or 3 feet minimum which should be enough to keep chipmunks beneath the baffle cone.
Avoid leaning pole
Make no mistake about it, why your here asking about ways to keep chipmunks off the bird feeding station pole, is because they're indeed able to climb a metal pole.
With chipmunks not making very good climbers on slippery thin metal poles, I hope you aren't finding ways to keep chipmunks climbing a rugged wooden post as these rodents climb wood quite well - even as they tend to avoid occupying trees.
Even so you can still find a squirrel baffle that can be mounted to what is probably a square shape wooden bird feeder pole if that is what you are in possession of.
What you might not realize when chipmunks climb up your bird feeder pole, is it could be leaning to one side, thus the bird feeder pole must be kept straight as any drastic angle can certainly make it easier for chipmunks to to crawl up.
Chipmunks have been seen to scatter up a super leaning bird feeder pole, to only stop half way to attempt to jump on the hanging feeder, now closer to the pole location.
Fortunately chipmunks will be extra cautious with heights thus will avoid climbing any higher in fear of falling down from a great height.
Classic bird feeding stations can be kept straight if at least distributing the weight of bird feeders hung on multiple brackets. Whereas a leaning single bracket Shepard's hook will lean on saturated ground due to it being side heavy.
Shepard's hook usually have one bracket to hang thus it will lean on the same side the bird feeder is hung on.
Attach bottles to pole
If you have an extra tall bird feeding station pole it can be possible to stop chipmunks coming into contact with the base of the pole.
You can depend on a regular size bird feeding station pole if you must although the extra height will come in useful with my next trick to stop climbing chipmunks.
Now, all it takes is to insert a minimum of one used, empty soda bottle - like a Coca Cola or Pepsi bottle - to slot onto the bottom of the pole.
With a soda bottle attached to the pole - with an additional hole cut out of the bottom of the bottle - the bottle will slide down to the ground. As chipmunks find it hard enough to climb a pole... now see how difficult it is to get their claws around this wide soda bottle.
Don't mount this soda bottle in a way it can't give-way in to chipmunk attacks; this flimsy fold in the bottle will kick chipmunks off every time they attempt to climb on it.
Empty plastic bottles like this will concave or crease in, along with a spinning action that a chipmunk won't find easy to get over.
Better yet, there's a possibility to add a second empty coke bottle on top of this one in a stacking formation, thus if one bottle isn't good enough at least the extra height will now guarantee chipmunks can't get over it.
At this point we would be talking about greasing the bird feeder pole with cooking oil by now, but this is a chipmunk... thus no oil is required.
Position bottles the right way up so the curve on the bottleneck will throw chipmunks off, as an upside down bottle can provide a ledge chipmunks can possibly cling onto.
End access on hanging feeders
Now if are at the point of keeping chipmunks off the bird feeder pole that isn't going to plan, you can utilize what tools you have available to you at no extra cost.
Chipmunks like any nuisance rodent in your yard of course will climb up a bird feeder pole to then descend down on the rope or wire to gain access to the top of feeders. At which point the chipmunk will then proceed to climb about on the bird feeder.
What you can do if the chipmunks are acting more athletic and therefore able to climb the pole regardless of defenses in place, let's stop them even touching the bird feeder.
What you can do now is apply a basic squirrel baffle above bird feeders that hang, which is an effective way to stop descending squirrels accessing any bird feeder - that can continue to be hung on a bird feeder pole or even a tree branch, undisturbed.
With chipmunks climbing in and around your bird feeder brackets to go from one bird feeder to another.... you can end access to hanging bird feeders all together.
Bird feeders that hang can be hung on a squirrel baffle that is hung on the pole bracket, with any bird feeder hung on a hook mounted beneath the underside of the baffle.
How this kind of squirrel baffle works is to allow rodents to gain access to the topside of the baffle - whereas this often flexible or harden plastic upside down disc - can absolutely prevent squirrels getting beneath it, so what chance does a less able chipmunk have.
To summarize
Chipmunks should give you less grief when it comes to being a nuisance around and actually on the bird feeder pole.
If you didn't know chipmunks don't make good climbers, thus when attempting to climb essentially a thin metal pole would normally see chipmunks slide back down, every time while repeating the action again and again.
Well, I know this probably doesn't apply to you directly as I expect you're in the process of finding a way to keep chipmunks off a bird feeder pole all together.
With that I ask you to simply install a universal squirrel baffle - universal meaning the baffle is compatible with most bird feeder poles - up to 3 or 4 feet up the pole to stop chipmunks in their tracks.
In no way is it possible for a less able chipmunks to get above this baffle mounted to the pole.
In fact the baffle can be positioned lower down the pole as chipmunks will be seen to struggle to jump above it, due to not having much of a spring in their legs.
Meanwhile, do avoid a leaning bird feeder pole as a too drastic angle can allow rodents to climb up with ease. With that, be sure the bird feeder pole isn't located near a branch, wall, or fence in which chipmunks will climb on to then access the feeders.
To avoid expense on a pole mounted squirrel baffle, you can make your own with an empty soda bottle that must be slotted on to the pole so it comes to rest on the ground.
Double up this bottle to two or three stacked bottles as the wider surface will be near impossible for chipmunks to get their claws around.
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