What can I put on bird feeder to stop squirrels

While additional equipment used to block squirrels on feeders are effective, no extra expense is needed when arts and crafts will take center stage this time around.

What you can put on a bird feeder to stop squirrels is a big soda bottle to shroud 50% of the feeder in, with only the bottom half exposed under the cut open bottle. Squirrels can't reach this far yet wild birds can feed as normal. You can also dust bird feed in chili powder or smother hot sauce on feeders.

Human food or should I say spices can be used to stop squirrels at the point of the pests just about eating the bird feeder food.

Squirrels have great taste buds like people and with a strong sense of small, the fumes coming off spicy chili powder or chili flakes is enough to stop any common backyard squirrel.

Ideally some bird feed in feeders can be sprinkled in chili powder as feeders make it hard enough for squirrels to access as is. If you intend to put bird feed on an open top platform bird feeder... then by sure to thoroughly mix all in spices.

How to feed birds without squirrels is with use of a feeder so the seeds or nuts can be confined; yet to smother hot sauce only at bird feeder food access points can benefit in two highly effective ways.

Squirrels won't like the taste of hot sauce thus will refuse to feed on it; yet with hot sauce smothered on the bird feeders themselves, squirrels will avoid stepping on it.

Bear in mind squirrels are attracted to Hummingbird or Oriole feeders, of which I don't recommend you put human food on this already prone to bacteria feeder type.

Remember that for all bird feeders as hot sauce or chili powder or flakes will begin to germinate in no time at all. Its imperative then to utilize this technique for a day or two to provide enough time for squirrels to give up on your feeders.

You must then replace the chili powder mixed bird feed with fresh but not before cleaning the bird feeders to remove smothered on hot sauce or chili powder internally.

When all else fails you can think about feeding nuisance squirrels even though you shouldn't encourage such behavior - as a way to keep squirrels happy with bird feed accessible to them - just to allow wild birds to feed again without being pestered.

Slot wide soda bottle on wire

To continue too use your bird feeders the way you always have while being hung off a bird feeder pole or on a tree branch, begin with an empty plastic soda bottle to make a sort of homemade squirrel baffle.

Its easy, with your suspended bird feeders you intend to deter squirrels on, provide a hanging wire or rope length of 1/2 feet minimum, to allow room to slot on a soda bottle between suspended feeder and the branch or bracket above.

Where the bird feeder is hung up to a foot or more on a length of rope or wire, this wire or rope will now have a bottle slotted on to it - along with any bird feeder hanging off the end, like it normally would.

You'd need to drill in or cut open a tiny hole at the bottom of this empty bottle; thus the wire or rope can thread through the lid-off top; through the bottom of the plastic soda bottle; to join up with the suspended bird feeder hung below.

What your hoping to achieve with this cost-effective squirrel baffle soda bottle is to provide a too wide bottle a squirrel will be unable to descend down on.

Squirrels can climb down rope or even reach far down without coming into contact with the wire or rope used to hang.

Hopefully then you can provide enough length in the what is hopefully thin steel wire - as it can cut squirrels claws - as the bottle comes to rest on top of the feeder.

Normally you'd have to re-position bird feeders on a bird feeder pole so it can be made squirrel proof.

Whereas this technique can allow you to suspended bird feeders on a tree branch as normal, even when squirrels tend to find this location easier to access feeders.

Shroud bird feeder under bottle

I'm not done with the idea of using a large, wide Coca Cola, Pepsi or store brand empty plastic soda bottle just yet, as my next idea may just be the best thing for stopping squirrels accessing any type of bird feeder.

Now, this time the empty soda bottle is going to be used in a way, any compatible bird feeder can be hung beneath and inside the bottle itself.

What you will get is a bird feeder hung off a bird feeder pole or tree branch on a length of rope or wire; with the wire or rope threaded through a hole cut into the soda bottle lid still screwed on; now the hook for hanging feeders is location on the inside of the bottle.

You'd need to connect the bird feeder hanging hook through the small soda bottle lid hole prior to setting this all up, or else it could be made impossible later.

Full length of a soda bottle to shroud or bird feeder in may not be appropriate for say a suet ball bird feeder, because this type of feeder could be too short.

I don't want the soda bottle to enclose a bird feeder fully at all in fact, with the soda bottle just coming to half way up any bird feeder.

To achieve that you simply have to cut the bottle to the point where it provides access to at least half of the feeder hung inside of it.

What you will get is a descending squirrel on a hanging bird feeder hung off a bracket or branch - only the wide soda bottle will be near impossible to climb down safely - as it would normally see squirrels fall to the ground in an attempt to climb down the bottle.

Once again this technique is made to be an homemade squirrel baffle that provides a way to protect the bird feeder while keeping squirrels out of reach.

Dust food with chili powder

OK now I am getting into a territory I wished I wouldn't have to, but when times are difficult in keeping squirrels off bird feeders, out comes the need to add a little spice.

What you need is a bit of chili powder or chili flakes available on the spice rack, to mix in to the bird seeds, that would be dispensed in the feeder that squirrels are accessing.

While wild birds have no taste buds at all, spice in their bird feed isn't going to trouble them at all, if using it sparsely. Spice could still cause tummy trouble thus its vital to use chili powder or flakes in a way its just enough to deter squirrels.

Squirrels have taste buds similar to humans, thus to see a squirrel attempt to eat bird feed mixed in chili... will indeed make squirrels think twice.

Now the squirrels will hopefully realize your bird feeders are no good at this time and therefore will disappear for good.

Hygiene is a serious issue here because chili powder or flakes in an outdoor, damp environment is sure to begin rotting in a matter of days.

I would then mix a handful of chili flakes scarcely on a small portion of seeds which will then be placed in the seed bird feeder at first - to make them available at the port wells first thing - with the rest of the seeds untouched by chili powder.

To save on waste, just use a small amount of chili powder or flakes' coated bird seeds in the feeder, until squirrels get the point and go away.

Admittedly, this isn't the best way to stop squirrels eating bird seeds yet its an effective method to use on a temporary basis.

Smother Hot Sauce in ports

What else you can put on a bird feeder to stop squirrels is indeed your favorite - or why not a cheap generic brand - bottle of hot sauce.

I know, I know a regular wet human food on bird feeders is never a good idea, as I guarantee this hot sauce will begin to germinate in a matter of a day or two.

Only this time the hot sauce isn't going to be mixed among the bird feeder food, when it can be be just as effective to spread on the bird feeder port wells... or similarly bird feed access points on feeders.

Spread it around the rim while avoiding contact with bird feed just to put squirrels off.

Squirrels can taste and smell the hot sauce thus it isn't going to be something they'd want to touch, making it even more difficult for them to feed on the bird feeder food.

You may need to spread hot sauce on exposed bird feed like suet in bird feeders but only if you plan to use it as a temporary measure - as bird feed smothered in hot sauce will rapidly begin to show signs of mold.

Spread on hot sauce in a way squirrels will avoid stepping on it, while at the same time only cover exposed bird feeder food with clean bird feed stored behind.

Use the littlest bit of bird food in feeders at this time with hot sauce directly on bird feed or feeders, to allow a few days to pass until squirrels get the point.

Stop squirrels with baffle

Whenever the subject of deterring squirrels on bird feeders comes up you can expect to here the words 'squirrel baffle' mentioned quite a lot.

And it shouldn't be taken likely because a well fitted, carefully positioned squirrel baffle really does work to keep squirrels off the suspended bird feeders - while a baffle can even stop squirrels coming into direct contact with bird feeders.

Suspended bird feeders hung off a tree will certainly benefit with a baffle that hangs in place of any type of bird feeders... with the said bird feeder hung directly beneath the hang 'style' squirrel baffle.

Squirrels can get on top of this kind of baffle but you're unlikely to see them get below it, due to the wide baffle fully obstructing the feeder hung beneath it.

Of course you can hang bird feeders on a bird feeder pole with this type of squirrel baffle hung on the bracket, with the feeder then hung beneath it.

Only bird feeder poles may not provide enough height off the ground unlike a tree branch, thus squirrels could access the feeders with a different route.

With that, I would think about protecting the bird feeder pole to stop squirrels climbing freely up it; squirrel baffle installed 3-4 feet up on the pole will stop squirrels accessing the topside of this pole-mounted baffle.

Baffles can be avoided when you can buy a baffle mounted bird feeder pole that utilizes a wide section some way up the pole.

Summary

Don't waste any time deterring squirrels on bird feeder when you only have to insert a plastic soda bottle through the rope or wire the bird feeder happens to be hung off.

No rope or wire used to hang feeders, then don't despair - simple solution would be to use your own length of rope or wire - to provide you additional length this foot or so soda bottle can be slotted on to.

With the tree branch or pole bracket above, the soda bottle in the middle and the bird feeder hung at the bottom, the bottle will hopefully block squirrels climbing over what is essentially a make-shift wide squirrel baffle.

Next soda bottle technique to stop squirrels on feeders will involve shrouding any type of bird feeder, to hang it actually inside the bottle - or at least half way in with the bird feeders bottom half protruding out - of what must be a partially cut open soda bottle.

Bird feeders shrouded in a wide soda bottle like this will guarantee to keep squirrels well out of reach, while at the same time wild birds can utilize the bottom half of the bird feeders only... and with that it can deter large nuisance wild birds as a bonus.

To connect the bird feeder to the soda bottle, thread the wire or rope through a small hole drilled in the bottle lid, to have the bottle come to sit some way on the feeder top.

Making a homemade squirrel baffle can be troublesome I'd admit although there is an easier solution for you.

Why not stop squirrels eating bird feeder food - and therefore make them think twice about returning to your bird feeder - by mixing in chili powder or flakes into the bird feed.

Squirrels have a strong sense of taste and small like people do thus the squirrels can be put off eating the bird feed currently accessible to them in bird feeders or dishes.

Whereas hot sauce can be smothered in and around the bird feed access points on feeders, in an attempt to stop squirrels eating the bird feed again - with a bonus of squirrels unwillingness to touch the sauce where they'd normally put there claws on.

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