Last updated on April 23rd, 2023 at 03:53 pm
Squirrels can take over a bird feeder quickly and easily, scaring away songbirds that would otherwise come by. Keeping them away is a challenge, but not one without solutions.
Here are 9 ways to stop squirrels from climbing a bird feeder pole:
1. Use the 5-7-9 Rule for Bird Feeder Placement
The average squirrel cannot jump more than 5 feet high, 7 feet across, or 9 feet down.
You can prevent a squirrel from getting to your feeder by ensuring it’s placed high enough and far enough away from objects like a house or a tree.
Squirrels can climb up shepherd’s hook poles, however, so make sure that you use a baffle or something similar in addition to following this rule.
2. Use Cayenne Pepper To Deter Squirrels
Another way to keep squirrels away from your feeder is to teach them over time that your seeds don’t taste good.
You can do this by adding cayenne pepper to your seed mixes.
Because birds don’t have a taste receptor for the chemical capsaicin, they are immune to the taste of cayenne pepper.
Squirrels, however, hate the taste of capsaicin and will learn to stay away.
Red pepper flakes keep quirrels away as well. These flakes come from the Capsicum genus of peppers.
3. Use Seeds That Squirrels Don’t Like, Such as Safflower
Safflower seeds are unattractive to squirrels, but many birds love them.
These seeds are high in fat and protein, attractive to the Northern cardinal, the grosbeak, the house finch, and the red-bellied woodpecker.
Safflower seeds have a slightly bitter flavor, which not all species are sensitive to.
Squirrels are sensitive to the taste of safflower seeds, however, and so are bully birds like the crow and the grackle. None of these feeder bullies will steal safflower seeds.
For this reason, safflower seeds are a great choice for feeders where you want to attract small songbirds.
You can put safflower seeds in a thistle feeder like this Gardman Flip Top Thistle Feeder from Amazon.
This feeder allows birds to access the seed through a fine mesh, and it’s easy to clean.
4. Hang the Feeder with Wire and Keep It Safe with Soda Bottles
If you want to do away with the pole-hanging technique for keeping bird feeders, try stringing the feeders up with a sturdy wire instead.
You can keep squirrels from climbing on the wire to get to the feeders by stringing plastic bottles along the wire.
When the squirrels try to climb over the bottles, they will roll off.
5. Buy a Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder
You can also buy squirrel-proof feeders. The two main kinds of squirrel-proof feeders are caged feeders and weight-activated feeders.
Caged Feeders
Caged feeders have metal cage bars on the outside to keep squirrels away.
Small birds can fit through the bars to reach the feeder, but squirrels cannot reach the seed.
Many bully birds are also too big to fit through the bars, leaving the feeder free for small songbirds.
This More Birds 38002 Tube Feeder from Amazon.com has four feeding ports, allowing multiple birds to feed at once without being bothered by squirrels or large bully birds.
Weight-Activated Feeders
Weight-activated feeders have food ports that close when a heavy animal like a squirrel rests on the perches.
This allows small birds to get at the seed while keeping squirrels at bay.
This Squirrel Buster Plus Squirrel-proof Bird Feeder from Amazon.com has six feeding ports and a five-pound seed capacity, making it a perfect fit for a yard with lots of bird activity.
6. Feed Squirrels Separately to Keep Them Away
Another way to keep squirrels away from bird feeders is by leaving them their own food. This draws them away from the birdseed.
What Do Squirrels Eat?
In the wild, squirrels are mostly vegetarians, eating nuts, flower roots, and seeds. They also eat insects and will eat a wide range of human foods if they’re available.
You can attract a squirrel to a feeder with dried corn cob or peanuts, both of which have nutritional value for the squirrel.
To feed peanuts to squirrels, try using a wreath-shaped peanut feeder like Naturesroom Peanut Bird Feeder from Amazon.com.
The wire coils are just big enough to fit a peanut through, and it keeps your peanuts tidy and dry.
7. Use Irish Soap To Keep Squirrels Away
You can also keep squirrels away from your feeder by hanging Irish Spring Soap nearby.
The scent of the soap is so strong and unpleasant for squirrels that the rodents will stay away.
The best way to do this is to take a bar of Irish Spring Soap and place it inside a sock.
You can then hang the sock somewhere near the feeder to keep squirrels away without bothering the birds.
8. Use a Baffle To Keep Squirrels Off of Your Feeder
Buying a baffle like the Woodlink Audubon Wrap Around Squirrel Baffle from Amazon.com is perhaps the simplest way to keep squirrels from climbing your feeder pole.
This conical device stops squirrels from climbing up the pole.
Some people coat the baffle with vaseline to make it even harder for squirrels to get past.
However, you need to be careful when using vaseline because many brands are toxic to squirrels.
9. Stop Squirrels From Climbing Bird Feeder Pole With a Slinky
One way to keep squirrels from climbing your bird feeder pole is by using a slinky. Simply attach the slinky to the pole at the bottom of the feeder.
Squirrels will attempt to climb the pole, grab the slinky, and then drop down when the slinky expands.
See the following video example of a slinky deterring squirrels: