Last updated on April 29th, 2022 at 01:42 am
Squirrel feeders seem like a good way to keep squirrels away from bird feeders, but in reality, they might do more harm than good.
Squirrel feeders are not a good idea. They make squirrels less afraid of humans and more aggressive, increasing the likelihood that they’ll keep coming back to your yard. Better ways of deterring squirrels include using baffles and placing your feeder away from trees.
Why Feeding Squirrels Is a Bad Idea
Feeding squirrels may seem like a good way to keep your bird seed safe, but there are several reasons why it’s a bad idea in the long run.
The main two reasons are that feeding squirrels reduces their fear of humans and that it makes them seek food from humans more aggressively.
Both of these things can result in biting and injury.
Loss of Fear of Humans
It may seem counterintuitive, but it’s good for squirrels to be afraid of humans.
Fear helps them avoid the dangers that humans pose, preventing them from getting close enough for anyone to be injured.
When squirrels bite humans, it’s almost always because they lose their natural fear. The worst thing you can do for a squirrel is hand-feed it.
Aggression
Squirrels are animals that seek food aggressively, and when they find a food source, they’ll hold on to it and keep coming back looking for more.
If you put up a squirrel feeder but run out of food, the squirrels will start seeking food elsewhere on your property, and they won’t be shy about it.
This can lead to negative altercations between squirrels and people.
Food Theft
Squirrels that are used to having squirrel food in a certain yard will keep coming back to that yard.
And that may make them more likely to come by the bird feeders as well.
Squirrels may also steal human food or get into the garbage if they’re used to finding food at your residence, all of which is best avoided.
Disease
Any time you feed animals, there is a risk that you’ll contribute to the spread of disease.
You can reduce this risk by keeping your feed stored in a cool, dry place and cleaning your feeders regularly.
In addition, replace the food if you see a sick or dead squirrel, bird, or other small animals nearby.
Do Squirrel Feeders Keep Squirrels Away From Bird Feeders?
According to The Oregonian, feeding backyard squirrels is bad for them and ineffective.
However, More Birds encourages feeding squirrels to keep them from bird feeders.
More Birds recommends setting out large nuts and seeds on the ground for squirrels, so long as they are raw, unsalted, and made for animal consumption.
Alternative Ways To Keep Squirrels Away From Your Bird Feeder
Besides setting up a squirrel feeder, there are many great ways to keep squirrels away from your bird feeder.
Common ways are using squirrel baffles, planting native trees and shrubs, and placing your feeder 10 feet away from the nearest tree.
Squirrel Baffles
Squirrel baffles are a great way to keep squirrels away from your feeder.
They act as a physical barrier, keeping squirrels from climbing up your feeder pole or dropping down onto your feeder from above.
The Woodlink Audubon Wrap Around Squirrel Baffle from Amazon.com is a great example because it is versatile.
The baffle can be attached above or below a feeder.
Planting Native Trees and Shrubs
Another way to discourage squirrels from coming to your bird feeders is to provide native trees and shrubs with nuts and berries.
This will give squirrels an alternative food source and reduce the chance that they’ll need to come to your bird feeders looking for something to eat.
The National Wildlife Federation has a Native Plants Finder on their website that will help you find the right native plants to use in your area.
Simply enter your zip code, browse native plants and create a list of ones you’re interested in planting.
Feeder Placement
You can make your feeder less accessible to squirrels simply by playing your feeders at least ten feet away from trees or other launching points.
You want the feeder to be just close enough to the vegetation so that birds feel safe and have places to perch.
But not so close that squirrels can make the jump.
When Is It Okay To Feed Wildlife?
Feeding birds is essentially the only time that you should feed wildlife.
One study showed that bird population diversity is related to the presence of bird feeders.
And birds are unlikely to become aggressive towards humans in search of food.
However, they can still be jarred by inconsistency if you suddenly stop filling your feeder.
Are Bird Feeders Good for Biodiversity?
Bird feeders support biodiversity in birds on the whole.
However, they can also transmit disease, impacting bird populations and other animals, like squirrels, that feed on feeder seeds.
Cleaning your bird feeder regularly is an important step to take to make sure that your feeder is beneficial to biodiversity on the whole.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act states that hunting, capturing, or taking migratory birds native to the United States is illegal.
However, there is nothing in the act against feeding birds.
Feeding birds is generally good for biodiversity, so the act does not consider that to be an act of harm towards native birds.
Reasons Not To Feed Wild Animals
As a general rule, feeding wildlife is a bad idea. Here are some reasons why:
- Feeding animals near roads makes them more likely to come back and be hit by cars.
- Human food can cause animals to become sick or malnourished.
- Feeding animals can spread disease both ways.
- Animals used to people are less afraid and more aggressive when they want something.
- Feeding animals makes conflict between humans and animals more likely.
- Animals can’t distinguish between food and wrappers that smell like food, so they can ingest something potentially toxic or dangerous.