Everyone loves the furry and mischievous squirrels that live in our gardens. They’re always playful and demonstrate intelligence, determination and cunning. This facet of their personality is most revealed when they start raiding the bird feeders. As squirrels love to eat most if not all of the food on the feeders, bird lovers are always on the lookout for bird feeders that are squirrel proof.

The size of the squirrels enables them to take over any unprotected bird feeders and drive the birds away. This has made bird feeder companies investigate how they can make their various bird feeders more squirrel proof. One company has developed a bird feeder that uses the squirrel’s own weight against it.

In this feeder when the squirrel sits on the perch its weight causes the battery powered motor to activate. The motor makes the perch flip up and close the feeder against the intruder. The squirrel’s own weight causes it to go flying through the air (the squirrel really only tumbles off of the feeder perch). This squirrel proof bird feeder is called the Yankee Flipper Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder. Quite a mouthful but it does the job.

Besides this there are other ways that have been tried in the eternal war against squirrels. Baffles and feeder combinations are one more way. Here a squirrel proof baffle is put on a pole mounted feeder below the feeder. The baffle should be above the feeder if the bird feeder is being hung from a strong chain. The baffle is a large dome that the squirrel has trouble jumping over and climbing around because the surface is smooth and slippery.

Another type of squirrel proof feeder is a tube feeder that is enclosed by a wire cage. Here the holes of the cage are too small for the squirrel to get to the seed. They are however just the right size for birds to eat their seeds in peace. This feeder is called a Caged Bird Feeder.

For creative people you can squirrel proof your feeder by placing it on a wire mounted platform. Attach the 2 ends of the wire to 2 sturdy and strong walls or posts. Now between the feeder and the posts, put PVC tubing on the wire. When the squirrel tries to walk over the tubing to get to the feeder the slippery tubing will spin, thereby causing the squirrel to lose its balance.

The main thing to remember in your fight with squirrels is that they are persistent, agile and acrobatic. The best way to squirrel proof your feeders is to place them away from places like trees, railings and roofs that squirrels can launch themselves from. This means at least 8 to 10 feet away from those places, and your feeder should be kept 4 feet above the ground. This is the most important way to squirrel proof your birds’ food from squirrels. Or you could always just throw in the towel and start feeding the squirrels as well!