![]() 'Squirrels may be deterred by mixing strong chilli powder with bird food as most squirrels don’t like the taste of hot chilli or cayenne pepper,' says a spokesperson from the RSPB. This may sound odd, but experts suggest sprinkling some chilli powder or cayenne pepper on nuts, seeds and fat balls left out for birds. It's one of the same tricks for keeping squirrels out of garden pots. 'The truth is that squirrels can be very persistent and very clever, so sometimes you have to just learn to live with them.' 5. 'Hanging bird feeders from places far from trees (such as strung from a line) and covering the line with tubes that deter the squirrels from running along them can be effective,' says Emma Greig. 'People use tubing or used plastic drinks bottles, as they'll spin when a squirrel jumps onto the line. Obviously, you need to make sure you can reach the feeder in order to be able to fill it and clean it easily. ![]() ![]() Bear in mind, that squirrels can jump around seven feet too.Ī pole or shepherd's hook (try this from Amazon) can be a better option than a tree, where squirrels can climb and run along the branches. This trap is highly sensitive as little as 0.4 ounces of pressure on the pedal is enough to set off the trap, and thats just around the average weight of an adult house mouse. Hang bird feeders at least 4 feet high from the ground and as far from any fences or launch points as you can (away from both squirrels, cats and other predators). There are a lot of mouse traps out there, but in our opinion, the best is this snap trap from Feeke. The baffle also prevents squirrels from trying to ruin the bird feeder by chewing on it to try and get to the seed.' 3. 'When squirrels land on the baffle, it will tip and they will immediately fall off. 'One of the most effective types is the traditional dome-shaped squirrel baffle,' says Carolyn from Perky-Pet. 'Other types of baffles, such as weight-activated bird feeders that close when something heavy (like a squirrel) lands on them, can also be very effective.' 'Squirrel baffles that prevent squirrels from climbing up a post to a feeder can be very effective, as long as the feeder is far enough away from any possible launching points from which the squirrels could jump to the feeder,' says Emma Greig, leader of Project FeederWatch at Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Some bird feeders come with squirrel baffles already attached, or you can buy them separately, like this baffle from Amazon. To be honest, we think Marty deserves his own tiny little watering hole where he can saddle up to the bar and regale fellow bushy-tailed patrons with stories of that time he got 10 million views on YouTube.(Image credit: Getty Images / Ali Majdfar)īuy a what you may ask? A baffle is generally a cone or dome shaped piece of plastic (or other material) that is attached to a bird feeder. ![]() To reward his newfound friends for their determination, Mark recently joined the masses of people ordering squirrel picnic tables for their suburban backyards. Mark calls the whole thing a fun experiment in "how interesting nature can be in a single suburban backyard." And because he's a man who values innovation, squirrels are understandably his new favorite varmints. (Cue the chanting: Eat that walnut! Eat that walnut!) (Just see for yourself!) Mark even conducted an experiment to see what nut would make for the most compelling prize. (Spoiler alert: The smart money's on Rick.) There's The Bridge of Instability, The Maze of 1,000 Corridors, The Slinky Bridge of Deception, and The Homewrecker (you'll see why), but our favorite may be The Tourist Trap at the 13-minute mark. That's when Mark decided to lean on his mechanical engineering prowess, building a multi-stage, squirrel-sized gauntlet to assess what exactly his rodent interlopers-lovingly named Rick, Marty, Frank, and Phat Gus-were capable of. ![]() Like many who have tried to tackle a squirrel situation, he first tried a bird feeder with a wire cage-only to discover that he, as Mark puts it, "completely underestimated his adversary." Mark escalated his defenses to a weight-activated caged bird feeder, but again the contraption fell short. Mark Rober is a popular DIY YouTuber in Orange County, California, who in a former life worked on the Mars-exploring Curiosity Rover. It turns out they can outsmart even a former NASA and Apple engineer-and the insanely elaborate, Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course he subjected them to. If you have a bird feeder or a vegetable garden, you likely already know that squirrels are ridiculously smart and determined little critters, seemingly able to outwit and outmaneuver every obstacle you put in their place. ![]()
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