Foil Those Squirrels Once and For All Regardless of What Feeder and Seed You Use

Ask anyone who feeds the birds in their yard and most agree squirrels are their nemesis. For me, I realize everything must eat but I like the hard-earned money I spend on bird seed going to the birds, not the squirrels.  I have several different styles of feeders up in my yard as I like to have a feeder for everyone and attract as many birds as I can. I have several feeders from the squirrel buster line which work great and others outfitted with baffles and other squirrel deterrents. 

These feeders and products all work amazingly but do come with a few stipulations. A hopper feeder mounted on a pole with a baffle requires it be located far enough from a tree or fence that squirrels can’t jump to it.  Likewise, it is recommended a squirrel buster feeder be hung 18″ away from any foothold the squirrel can reach from forcing it to place all of its weight on the feeder which closes the seed ports as it is designed to do.  

Maybe you don’t want an elaborate feeder setup or have a heavily treed or narrow yard with a fence where the requirements of these feeders can’t be met. Then what? Well, I have found the solution! 

Earlier this year, I started adding Squirrel Proof Treat Your Own Seed Saver to my bird seed. When mixed with any birdseed this liquid adds a hot and spicy sensation birds love and squirrels hate. I must admit I was skeptical trying this product but at only $11.95 a bottle figured it was worth a try. To my delight, I found Squirrel Proof Treat Your Own Seed Saver worked. How this stuff works is it teaches or conditions squirrels to the association between the taste they don’t like and the smell of the food. This process can take a few weeks but I found the results to be almost instant in an area where Grey Squirrels and Red Squirrels are present.   

In the video below, I demonstrate how easy this product is to mix with peanuts before filling my feeder.  

This product is incredibly easy to use. On initial use add 3 to 4 tablespoons of seed saver to 1 pound of your favourite seed. Once squirrels are avoiding your feeder you can cut back to 1 to 2 tablespoons per pound. Each bottle of seed saver treats 35 lbs of bird seed. I use an old plastic coffee can with a snap-on lid to mix my seed as I can easily shake the container ensuring all the seed gets coated. 

One of my favorite feeders is the 16″ metal peanut feeder. I have had great success over the years attracting woodpeckers, nuthatches, and Carolina Wrens to this feeder but have always hung it from a tree branch with an old wire coat hanger. Squirrels would always walk out on the tree branch and descend the wire easily accessing the peanut halves inside. Once I added the seed saver to the peanuts, the squirrels left the peanuts alone almost immediately. Not only was I happy this vitamin-enriched bird seed mix worked, but I also noticed an increase in birds using the feeder. Whether or not this was because the birds like the seed saver treated peanuts more than plain peanuts or the fact the squirrels previously occupying the feeder kept the birds away, only the birds know. 

Satisfied with the results, I started mixing the seed saver with hulled sunflower seed offered in a hopper feeder. Again, the results were the same lots of birds and no squirrels.  Another feeder I love is my ground feeder. As the name suggests, this feeder is popular with ground-feeding birds including cardinals, doves, and the more desired native sparrows including white-throated, white-crowned, and Dark-eyed Juncos. This feeder also attracts squirrels due to its easy ground access. Since adding seed saver to white millet and hulled sunflower in the ground feeder, no squirrels. I even tried adding treated peanuts halves to the ground feeder figuring this was a squirrel’s favourite food and easiest access and again no squirrels. I could finally watch all the amazing ground-feeding birds use this awesome feeder stress-free without worrying about squirrels emptying it in minutes. 

As a bonus, but something I haven’t tried yet, once squirrels are conditioned to the smell of the seed saver it can be added to the base of potted plants or to mulch in your garden to keep squirrels from digging as the seed saver will not harm the plants. 

If you are looking to foil those squirrels once and for all, I highly recommend this incredible product!  

Good birding,
Paul