Okay, we’ve got some bird feeders that the squirrels in our neighborhood seem to think are squirrel feeders. I’ve tried various methods or repelling the squirrels, but because of the way that the feeders are mounted and their location, a lot of regular methods just won’t work.
Now, one feeder in particluar has a metal plate on top, a plastic enclosure to hold the seeds, and a metal bottom. The bird perches are attached to springs, and if enough weight is placed on them, they fold downward and, at the same time, cause a flap to cover the seed opening. The squirrels have gotten around this by grasping onto the top with their hind legs, and reaching down to the seeds; they just barely reach, but it works.
What does this have to do with electricity, you ask? Well, I have just come into possession of several 9V batteries, and I realized that the squirrels are touching two, seperate, insulted from each other by plastic, metal plates. So of course, it occurred to me that I could place the four 9V batteries that I have in series, and attach one terminal to the top, and the other to the bottom, thus putting 36V across any squirrel that tries to steal seeds from the feeder.
My question is this: Would four 9V batteries in series be able to generate enough current to deter the squirrels? Would they feel it at all? I’d like to get some idea as to whether or not this is feasible before I go out any buy the supplies I need to wire the feeder up.
Of course, if no one is quite sure what would happen, I’ll probably wire the sucker up anyway, just to see.
I think this kind of a simplistic approach. It will be difficult to tune such a device to be strong enough to alarm the squirrels but not strong enough to kill them. Offhand I do not know the resistance of a squirrel nor the DC current needed to do either one of those. Electric fences like those used for cattle have limiters to deliver the shock for a very short period of time; your battery device would not. (Sad story in the Darwin Awards about a guy who used straight household current to create a homemade electric fence.) Also, the weather would probably wreak havoc and short out the plates or otherwise cause corrosion on the circuit.
Is there a mechanical solution, like putting wires or something in a position so as to not bother the birds but deter the squirrels? Alter the top so they can’t grab onto it? Raise the top so they can no longer reach the seeds from it?
The only thing I’ve ever heard of for keeping the squirells out is lacing your bird food VERY generously with hot pepper. It does to other mammals the same thing it does to us, but birds are unaffected by it.
Even if you do get this electrical contraption to work, the squirells will figure out a workaround. They’ll hold onto a different part of the feeder. Or they’ll wedge the opening open before they put their weight on. Or they’ll coat their paws in mud first, so as to insulate them. I’ven’t any idea what they actually will come up with, but rest assured that they’ll come up with something.
How are the pesky varmints getting to the feeders? If they are climbing a pole, the “collar” might work, at least until they figure it out. If they are jumping onto the roof of the feeder, perhaps a conical roof covering might work, again until they figure it out. As Chronos points out, squirrels are very crafty rascals, indeed.
Personally, I find squirrels more amusing than birds, and I’ve seen televised “competitions” where people build ridiculously elaborate Rube Goldberg devices, which don’t actually keep the squirrels out, but actually force them to run ridiculous mazes involving trapezes and miniature cable cars and whatnot.
I replaced a store bought bird feeder with a square of plywood with sides to keep the feed in. Cut a few drain holes for the rain, and voila, I have a feeder that any and all creatures can eat from on a whoever comes first basis. I’ve had half a dozen birds in the feeder while 3 squirrells, a few chipmonks and crow in the tree waiting for his turn. Why have just one species filling it’s belly?
I’m with Itfire on this one. We have chickadees, redpoles, and other birds, as well as squirrels feeding all the time. Squirrels don’t eat much and seed is cheap. Unless you’re being invaded, of course. Our squirrels leap several feet across from a spruce tree to the feeder and eat while swinging wildly back and forth.
Hey, at least you don’t have black bears coming after your seed!Luckily, the bears don’t usually come this far down the moutain, but the folks that live up there can’t even put seed out or dare put the dog out on a leash. Of course, the view is to die for…
…and just today, I put out an armload of left over rolls and italian bread. What a laugh as two squirrills alternately chewed on and dragged, a 24 inch loaf of bread into the woods.
If you’ve got an old ignition coil, and a couple transistors and diodes, you could use the batteries to build an electric fence circuit. Pulsing several hundred volts through the wires every few seconds would get the squirrels attention. Sadly, I can’t seem to find a complete circuit design on the internet this afternoon. Anyone ?
Not for that, but one could use an old crank telephone magneto, which generates about 90 volts, enough to make a human jump. The squirrel would have to touch both leads but that doesn’t sound like a problem. Of course, you would have to be there to turn the handle, so maybe not a good idea…
You may be interested in this book. The author reviews a number of commercially-available “squirrel-proof” feeders, and rates them on their effectiveness. No feeder is entirely squirrel-proof, but some of them work better than others. He goes into detail about how the little varmints are able to thwart each one, also.
In addition, he describes some of his own wild-assed schemes for keeping squirrels out of his feeders, some of which include the rodent version of razor wire. The book is full of stories of his demented glee at coming up with a new contraption, his suspense as he sits by the window watching the squirrel trying to defeat it, and his dejection at their inevitable success.
I have used 12 ga shotgun with excellent results but then I missed having the squirrels.
So I had a change of heart… I made me a squirrel feeder, I bought 100 # sack of corn at the feed store and have more fun watching the squirrels fight over the corn.
I have used 12 ga shotgun with excellent results but then I missed having the squirrels.
So I had a change of heart… I made me a squirrel feeder, I bought 100 # sack of corn at the feed store and have more fun watching the squirrels fight over the corn.
A friend of mine succeeded in making his bird feeder squirrel-proof. He mounted it on a long arm (the only route for a squirrel). He’s an electrical engineer, and he rigged up an insulated collar with something like 150 volts (current limited, I believe). The squirrels run along the arm, hit the collar and fly into the air. It’s totally effective.
He said it took only a day for all the squirrels to figure out that they couldn’t get closer to the feeder than the electrified collar. So squirrels rarely hit the silk - only newcomers are naive enough. But what they never seem to learn is that this means the feeder is inaccessible. Any time you look, there will be a squirrel standing at the last safe spot, contemplating the feeder, trying to figure out a safe way to get there.
