Out of the Blue [Mar 16, 2011, 10:15 am ET] – Share – Viewing Comments
A new shop recently opened up nearby to cater to the need of birdfeeders, so I dropped by to see if they had any squirrel-proof suet feeders. The proprietor said they didn't carry any because he hadn't found any sturdy enough to withstand a rodent attack, but he did have suet cakes laced with cayenne pepper, which he said would deter the squirrels but not the birds. He certainly was right about the squirrels, as they have been leaving it alone, but he seemed to be exaggerating the bird's willingness to overcome its spiciness, as there don't seem to be many birds willing to eat from it. This certainly does make the greater expense of these suet cakes seem economical, because even though three dollars and change apiece, the one I bought may last the rest of the year. Back to the drawing board.
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Is your office in the attic Blue?
Do you have a window?
Could be a great sniper nest to pick them little bastards off.
Do you have a window?
Could be a great sniper nest to pick them little bastards off.
sauron wrote on Mar 16, 2011, 17:36:No, his dogs would have laser beams. Blue needs those fancy chairs in his office. Blue's wife would be the loud mouth one (forgot her name).nin wrote on Mar 16, 2011, 17:01:
I'm pretty sure furless cats have slightly special needs, as far as keeping warm. I'm not sure it'd want to be running around outside all the time.
Could be wrong, though...
Ah, here we go...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairless_cat#Care
They're cute (from a crazy cat guy perspective), but I'm afraid I'd be startled the first time I woke up at night and found it staring me in the face.
An additional benefit would be that he could call it Mr. Bigglesworth and pretend to be Dr. Evil. Sharks with laser beams on their heads!
What about his mini-Me? Hmm!
nin wrote on Mar 16, 2011, 17:01:
I'm pretty sure furless cats have slightly special needs, as far as keeping warm. I'm not sure it'd want to be running around outside all the time.
Could be wrong, though...
Ah, here we go...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairless_cat#Care
They're cute (from a crazy cat guy perspective), but I'm afraid I'd be startled the first time I woke up at night and found it staring me in the face.
An additional benefit would be that he could call it Mr. Bigglesworth and pretend to be Dr. Evil. Sharks with laser beams on their heads!
Kittens!
I'm pretty sure furless cats have slightly special needs, as far as keeping warm. I'm not sure it'd want to be running around outside all the time.
Could be wrong, though...
Ah, here we go...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairless_cat#Care
They're cute (from a crazy cat guy perspective), but I'm afraid I'd be startled the first time I woke up at night and found it staring me in the face.
Could be wrong, though...
Ah, here we go...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairless_cat#Care
They're cute (from a crazy cat guy perspective), but I'm afraid I'd be startled the first time I woke up at night and found it staring me in the face.
Blue wrote on Mar 16, 2011, 11:26:Even a furless cat, Blue?InBlack wrote on Mar 16, 2011, 11:22:
How bout getting a cat Blue? Im pretty sure that would be the end of all of your squirrel problems
No doubt, but it would also end my marriage, as MrsBlue is allergic. The squirrels scatter when they see the dogs, but will attack the suet when the coast is clear.
As for a baffle, that might work, but not in the tree where I'm hanging the suet, as there would be ample opportunity to jump on it from underneath.
Hanging a bird feeder high from a branch to make it hard for squirrels also makes it really hard for you to change and add more food too, fyi. That is why I vote on distraction technique. Or killing.
I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.
- W. C. Fields
- W. C. Fields
Yeah, just got my copy of Faster. If you haven't seen it, do. Kick ass guy flick!
String it between two points with a thing metal cable that the squirrels can neither jump to, chew through the cable, or climb the cable to the feeder. Hell, run it up a flagpole.
I could never quite understand my mother always getting the best bird food that the birds liked the best.
Much as it was nice to have all the birds around, surely it is ultimately preferable to be offering "last resort" survival food and leaving their first choices to nature?
This was in the countryside though, no doubt in some urban areas nature isn't much of an option.
Much as it was nice to have all the birds around, surely it is ultimately preferable to be offering "last resort" survival food and leaving their first choices to nature?
This was in the countryside though, no doubt in some urban areas nature isn't much of an option.
Cutter wrote on Mar 16, 2011, 13:24:
Is there somewhere you can suspend the birdfeeder that they can't jump to it from? Even raise it and lower it using a high test fishing line that can take the weight but where a squirrel can find no purchase.
I don't see how.
Any branch strong enough to hold a feeder + seed + birds will be strong enough for a squirrel.
If it (or the fishing line) is weak enough to break when a squirrel jumps on it, then you'll have squirrels kamekaze'ing onto the thing, knocking it off the fishing wire, and eating the food off the ground.
Squirrels are pretty good with their acrobatics. So unless you somehow find the perfect branch and take the time to hang it like 20' off the ground, the squirrels are going to win.
Or you'll wind up having to re-hand the feeder every few days. Which can be a pain if it's super-high in the air.
"Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and a gorilla starts throwing barrels at you."
-Fry, Futurama
-Fry, Futurama
Is there somewhere you can suspend the birdfeeder that they can't jump to it from? Even raise it and lower it using a high test fishing line that can take the weight but where a squirrel can find no purchase.
And in other news I was checking around to see who has a cheap copy of Faster (the Rock's last flick, and an awesome anti-hero flick btw) and I noticed that Excalibur is finally out on Blu-ray. Dunno how that one slipped by me. Love that film!
And in other news I was checking around to see who has a cheap copy of Faster (the Rock's last flick, and an awesome anti-hero flick btw) and I noticed that Excalibur is finally out on Blu-ray. Dunno how that one slipped by me. Love that film!
You could just commit to spending a little extra money and get dried corn cobs and put them in a place that is semi hard to get to but far away from the bird food. The squirrels will go for them before most bird food, and most birds will leave the corn cobs alone, usually.
You could also, if you really wanted, poison the corn.
You could also, if you really wanted, poison the corn.
I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally.
- W. C. Fields
- W. C. Fields
<Have you tried a Squirrel Baffle? It worked for me.>
Are you saying you're baffled?
Are you saying you're baffled?
Suet cakes laced with cayenne pepper...well if all else fails you could have a barbecue...better not. And "Squirrel-proof Suet Feeders" would be a good name for a band, don't you think? brother19
InBlack wrote on Mar 16, 2011, 11:22:
How bout getting a cat Blue? Im pretty sure that would be the end of all of your squirrel problems
No doubt, but it would also end my marriage, as MrsBlue is allergic. The squirrels scatter when they see the dogs, but will attack the suet when the coast is clear.
As for a baffle, that might work, but not in the tree where I'm hanging the suet, as there would be ample opportunity to jump on it from underneath.
Stephen "Blue" Heaslip
Blue's News Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, El Presidente for Life
Blue's News Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, El Presidente for Life
Cayenne also works for cats. My 1 year old tomcat used to be hell on my houseplants, but painting them with Tabasco solved the problem.
Now he restricts his pouncing activities to Mrs. Sauron, the goblin slaves, and the hobbits that sneak in looking for Mount Doom.
Now he restricts his pouncing activities to Mrs. Sauron, the goblin slaves, and the hobbits that sneak in looking for Mount Doom.
Kittens!
How bout getting a cat Blue? Im pretty sure that would be the end of all of your squirrel problems
I have a nifty blue line!
Have you tried a Squirrel Baffle? It worked for me.
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