Squirrels in your bird feeders? Your dilemma isn’t uncommon. Bird feeders are an exquisite way to attract these feathered friends. Squirrels commonly eat nuts, acorns, birdseed, insects, fungi, fruit and vegetables so if you’ve got a bird feeder, nut or angiospermous tree and kitchen garden, you’ve probably already attracted squirrels to your property.
Maybe you would like to have birds around your home, so you found out some bird feeders and a birdbath. While the birds will surely like it, unfortunately, so will the squirrels and they can decide your attic is the best place for them to stay whenever they need it at any time of the year.
A squirrel will do exactly about anything to get the food in a bird feeder. More often than not, it’s extremely entertaining and leads to some pretty funny videos. Without a doubt, these food and water resources in your yard are one of the explanations squirrels keep returning. If you keep food and water out for other animals or birds, attempt to keep it in a place where only they can reach it or else use bird feeders that are squirrel-proof.
If they then find an entry point, the squirrel can easily switch from living in your yard to living in your attic, coming and going as required to get food – if it doesn’t attempt to steal the food you have already got inside. Fortunately, there are steps you can use to keep squirrels and other uninvited guests away from your attic. Read on to know about it.
Offer food squirrels don’t like
Squirrels love bird seeds like corn, nuts, sunflower seeds but they don’t like everything that birds eat. So stock your bird feeder with bird foods such as seed, nyjer seed, and white proso millet, which squirrels don’t like and they’ll likely head elsewhere for his or her next meal.
Place bird feeders far away from trees
Squirrels can easily jump as high as 7 feet as per their needs. If your feeder is placed near a tree, squirrels can simply leap from a close-by limb onto the food source from the side or above. So try placing bird feeders far from trees.
Get a squirrel-proof feeder pole
While squirrels are incredible climbers, you’ll outsmart them with a pest-proof bird feeder pole (such as Squirrel Stopper). Most squirrel-proof bird feeder poles employ a baffle—generally a semi-circular or cone-shaped deflector attachment—designed to stay critters from reaching the food source.
Get a squirrel-proof feeder
If you can’t place your feeder in a location squirrels can’t get to, consider investing in a squirrel-proof feeder. They are available in a sort of style, some employing cages, others using spring-loaded doors to assist squirrels away.
Keep the feeder area tidy
Squirrels are often interested in the seed that falls from feeders to the bottom. Once they’ve found scattered food, they’re likely to travel straight for the source. So keep the world under and around your feeders clean of debris to scale back the prospect of luring squirrels in the first place.