How do you keep squirrels off a bird feeder?
The most effective way is to place your feeder where squirrels can't reach it, using the 5-7-9 rule, and add a baffle on the pole. Then make the food less tempting: offer safflower, nyjer or seed treated with hot pepper, which birds don't mind but squirrels avoid. Feeding squirrels somewhere else helps too.
For ages, birders have gone to great lengths to keep their seed for their feathered friends, and squirrels have proven worthy adversaries. One YouTuber even built an Olympic-level obstacle course for his backyard squirrels. The results were mixed, and each attempt is funnier than the last.
No feeder is 100% squirrel-proof, but these seven tips will save most of your seed.
1. Follow the 5-7-9 rule
Place your feeder at least 5 feet off the ground, 7 feet away from anything a squirrel can jump from (trees, fences, roofs, decks), and 9 feet below any overhanging branches. Those distances are just beyond how far a squirrel can leap.
If you have no open spot, suspend the feeder on a thin wire between two trees, keeping it at least 7 feet from each trunk.
2. Add a baffle
A baffle is the single most effective squirrel deterrent. On a pole, fit a cone or tube-shaped (stovepipe) baffle below the feeder, with its top at least 4 to 5 feet off the ground, so climbing squirrels can't get past it. For a hanging feeder, a wide dome baffle above it stops squirrels dropping down from branches.
3. Use spinners or weight-activated feeders
Spinners fit around the base of the feeder. When a squirrel grabs one, its weight sets it turning until the squirrel lets go and drops to the ground, unharmed but perhaps not quite so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Weight-activated feeders work similarly: the seed ports close under a squirrel's weight but stay open for birds.
4. Choose foods squirrels don't like
Squirrels aren't picky, but they generally avoid safflower, nyjer (thistle) and white millet. Cardinals, chickadees and doves love safflower, finches love nyjer, and ground-feeding sparrows and juncos eat white millet. Switching seed gives your birds a much better chance at the feeder.
5. Try hot pepper seed
Birds can't taste the heat of chili peppers (capsaicin), but squirrels can, and they hate it. Buy seed or suet already treated with hot pepper, or a pepper additive you mix in yourself. Wear gloves when handling it, and keep it away from your eyes.
6. Give squirrels their own food
Squirrels raid feeders because they're hungry. Set up a squirrel feeding station with corn or peanuts well away from your bird feeder, and they'll often be too full to bother your birds.
7. Experiment and keep watching
With over 250 squirrel species worldwide, there's no single trick that works on all of them. Try several of these tips, watch your feeder, and see what works. If your squirrels are acrobats, switch to foods they dislike. If they're bold, add more deterrents. Your birds will thank you for your persistence.
How can you tell if your squirrel tricks are working?
Watch the feeder, or let a camera watch it for you. A smart bird feeder photographs every visitor and sends the photos to your phone, so you can see whether squirrel visits drop as your photo collection fills with birds instead.
Your seed level is going down, but who's really eating it? With a smart bird feeder you'll know. Smart feeders can be placed like any other feeder, so you can follow the 5-7-9 rule by pairing one with a pole mount and a baffle.
The best part? Even if a squirrel does breach your defences, you'll get a hilarious close-up of the culprit for your "most wanted" board. See more of our best squirrel moments, and read why fall is squirrel season.
FAQ
What is the 5-7-9 rule for bird feeders?
Place the feeder at least 5 feet off the ground, 7 feet from anything a squirrel can jump from, and 9 feet below overhanging branches. It keeps the feeder just out of a squirrel's leaping range.
What bird seed do squirrels not like?
Squirrels usually avoid safflower, nyjer (thistle) and white millet, and they dislike seed treated with hot pepper.
Does hot pepper bird seed hurt birds?
No. Birds can't sense capsaicin, the compound that makes peppers hot, so it doesn't bother them. Squirrels and other mammals find it unpleasant and stay away.
Do squirrel baffles really work?
Yes, when they're placed correctly. A pole baffle needs its top at least 4 to 5 feet off the ground, and the pole must follow the 5-7-9 rule so squirrels can't jump over the baffle.
Is any bird feeder squirrel-proof?
No feeder is completely squirrel-proof, but combining good placement, a baffle and foods squirrels dislike stops most of them.
