# Keeping squirrels away from bird feeders

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-squirrels-away-from-bird-feeders/264136>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 12, 2004, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-squirrels-away-from-bird-feeders/264136 "2004-09-12T15:09:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-squirrels-away-from-bird-feeders/264136/41 "2004-09-15T11:44:27Z")

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> [@tygerbryght](#):
>
> Jeez, guys. :smack:
> 
> Hasn’t anybody ever heard of mixing capsaicin (red pepper) into the birdseed??
> 
> Birds don’t mind it (apparently don’t taste it), but squirrels and other mammals hate it. Squirrels, et al, will usually be deterred after one try.
> 
> I don’t know if there’s a cheaper way of getting it than buying powdered red pepper from the spice section of the baking aisle in the supermarket. However, it doesn’t take a whole lot per feeder refill, and after you’ve done it for a while (at least 3 refills, you can cut back to just a bit. The critters will still be able to smell it and will leave the birdfood alone. 🙂

Yes I have used this method before, but it becomes pricey and does not always work. One time, after a severe hailstorm, my backyard was like pesto, and much of the squirrels’ regular food was destroyed. They were hungry! I had to sprinkle my tomatoes with cayenne, with mixed success. The squirrels were discouraged, but persistant. I even had a squirrel chew through my window screen to get to my tomatoes on the sill.  
The same garden center which has fox urine also has a special capsicum seed mix, but I am not that desperate. With the safflower, I still get nuthatches, chickadees and the like at my feeder.

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**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2004, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-squirrels-away-from-bird-feeders/264136/42 "2004-09-16T05:27:28Z")

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I’ve found that putting chili pepper flakes in the birdfood works, but you only have to use it if the squirrels come back. A flaming hot mouth keeps them away for quite a while, and whether it’s another or the same squirrel, I dunno. You don’t have to use the chili peppers all the time once the word gets around, at least in NJ.

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