Squirrels stealing bird food

NBirdy

Hi, haven't posted over here before, but am hoping for a bit of advice. I've recently started hanging fat balls in the garden, as my two little girls loving seeing the birds come and it's been so cold lately I figured there wasn't much for the birds to eat.

It's been very successful and we have lots of birds coming to eat now. BUT we also have several squirrels, and they just chew straight through the netting and take the whole fat ball. I can't afford to replace the 4 fat balls on a daily basis, and squirrel proof feeders look to be outside my budget too . I don't mind squirrels at all, they're just so darned greedy and are leaving nothing for the little birds to eat.

We are in a very rural area, our garden has woods on one side, separated from the garden only by a chicken wire fence, and some of the trees overhang the garden, so I know I won't be able to get rid of the squirrels! There also isn't really anywhere to put food that can't be accessed from a nearby roof/tree etc.

So how can I make sure the birds get some food, without it costing a fortune?
Thanks!

WestonDave

Wilkinsons (and others) do fat ball cages for a couple of quid each which enable you to put one or more fat ball in the cage. It won't stop the squirrel chewing the fat balls but it will stop them nicking the lot. The one we've got takes 4 balls, but you could get a couple and put 2 balls in each in different locations.

The other trick is to put some easy food out for the squirrels - they are lazy so they'll take the easiest option so a dish of peanuts is going to be more attractive. Just watch you don't put whole accessible peanuts out in spring as they can kill baby birds.

NBirdy

Thanks WestonDave. I meant to put that I bought a fat ball cage (4 balls) from Asda for £1.81, but I've seen a squirrel hanging off it for ages and ages, stuffing itself full. And we've got more than 1 squirrel, so whilst it makes the 4 fat balls last up to 2 days now, I'm not sure how much of it the birds are getting. Will try a dish of peanuts somewhere (out of reach of my 1 and 3 year old!) and see if that helps.

Farway

I do not mean to sound negative, but given where you live the next thing may be rats if you leave dishes of food out, some say squirrels are just tree rats anyway

greyteam1959

Word of warning here.....you MUST take the fat balls out of the nets
http://forum.bbcwildlifemagazine.com/tm.asp?m=8384&mpage=2
You can have great fun trying to stop the squirrels they are a bl**dy pest but great fun.
Try getting an old round plastic dish or something make a hole in the base then thread your string thro the hole so the fat ball is inside the upturned dish. The birds can swoop under and in for the fat ball.
Mind you the crafty squirrels will probably cut the string !!!

millie

We hang some of ours on the washing line and it is not close enough to anything to enable them to leap onto them. We have others hanging on a bird feeding station, they used to climb up the pole so we cut the bottom off a 2 litre plastic pop bottle and threaded it onto the pole half way up and they cant get past it.

Salster278

The squirrels in my garden have worked out how to get the top off the fatball cage and take the ball whole! Though it is hanging from a hook, they knock it on to the floor and take the top off and escape like a squirrely !!!!!! Dastardly with the whole thing.

I bought a squirrel proof seed feeder and spent the first day watching the squirrel eating from it - they are just so darn clever!

dacouch

They don't like it if you pinch their nuts

magpiecottage

I mix cayenne pepper in with it - curry or chilli powder will work too.

The birds can't taste it. If the squirrels eat it at least you can use them as a ready made curry!

paulrn_2

Ithought about this before I posted as some may not like it, but an air rifle works on both squirrels and rats, its the country way, trying to out wit the little darlings is a real challenge

rhiwfield

We hang the feeders and fat balls from the a line of plastic coated garden wire. Works a treat, squirrels try to get on the wire from both fixing points but cant hang on to it, which they could with a line. Just make sure its high enough so they cant jump up to the feeders.