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Post by Tringa on Jan 12, 2021 12:30:48 GMT
Has anyone used a peanut feeder made from perforated metal, similar to this one? -
We have two wire mesh peanut feeders which are used by the smaller birds but also ring-necked parakeets and great spotted woodpeckers.
Unfortunately they are also used by the grey squirrels. Perhaps it would be better to say they are abused by the grey squirrels.
Unless the feeder in a cage the squirrels destroy it, eventually. I have used chilli powder/cayenne pepper on the peanuts and it does work but the effect fades and the powder gets washed off.
I don't want the feeder destroyed but also the squirrels monopolise the feeder and I'd like to discourage them from going on to the feeder at all.
Caging the feeder would work but then the parakeets and GSWs could not use it, so I wondered if a feeder such as the one above would be a solution, but don't know if squirrels would destroy this type too.
If you use/used a similar feeder did you have any success with it?
Thanks
Dave
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Post by ianr on Jan 13, 2021 8:10:58 GMT
Surprisingly we don't get a lot of bother from the squirrels here there's plenty of them in the woods and at times you'll see half a dozen in the front garden and street but never see them round the back gardens as much. This time of year we do get the odd one out back I think it's the same one each day and it does hog the peanut feeder but if there's a choice it'll take the peanuts in the shell so I've taken to scattering them amongst the pots, planters and hanging baskets it's quite entertaining to watch it ferreting about looking for them  Answer to your question Dave is no I've not tried that type of feeder and our wire feeders do get destroyed by them eventually though it takes a while  Pigeons are the glutens around here and of course the gulls throw anything up on the flat shed roof and once the gulls see it wow ian |
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Post by Tringa on Jun 17, 2021 11:08:14 GMT
Thought I would update this thread.
I bought one of the feeders in the link in my original post above and it has been very successful.
It does not prevent the squirrels getting to the peanuts but it resists their attempts to destroy it, but it needed a couple of alterations.
The hoop is attached to the feeder by plastic lugs - one of them lasted less than a day before a squirrel ate through it. The bottom of the feeder is attached by a sprung metal ring. The squirrels found out how to pull this enough for the bottom to fall out and then they could eat the peanuts from the ground.
I replaced both of these with stiff wire and for the last few months the body of the feeder has survived without any squirrel damage, which is something a wire mesh feeder has never done.
All the birds, including ring necked parakeets, can feed from it so if anyone is troubled by squirrels and doesn't want to put a feeder in a cage(which in our garden stops GSWs from feeding) I recommend one like this, with a few modifications.
Dave
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Post by rowanberry on Jun 17, 2021 15:15:39 GMT
I missed seeing your original post, Dave- sorry about that! This is the same type feeder I've got, mainly because of squirrels chewing through the mesh ones. I made one other adjustment to it... (this might not work for you, depending on how far the feeder is from the house.) I attached a very long length of paracord to a loop which hangs from the bottom of the feeder- the paracord then runs through some garden wire supports I attached to tree branches so that it doesn't sag to the ground. The end of the paracord comes in through a small window over our kitchen sink, and I wrap it around a plastic adhesive hook stuck to the wall. Whenever I look out and see a squirrel on the feeder, I unwrap the end of the cord, open the window a couple of inches and give it a good hard yank. The squirrel usually goes flying (I did manage to pitch one into the pond once, but that was sheer luck.) After riding the bucking bronco peanut feeder a few times and falling off, they usually give up and go away. Sometimes they sit in the tree staring at it, thrashing their tails and chatter-swearing. I don't know exactly what they're saying, but it sounds really bad.  |
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Post by Tringa on Jun 18, 2021 7:35:54 GMT
Hehe. I'd love to see a video of your squirrel 'trebuchet'.
Dave
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