Squirrels spend a lot of time and energy eating. They eat more than their body weight in food each week.
Two pairs of sharp incisors enable squirrels to gnaw through nuts. These incisors also allow them to gnaw through many feeders.
Squirrels have been known to gnaw on electrical wires and have caused financial damage and power outages in some cases.
Squirrels can jump up to 5 or 6 feet vertically, and they can leap 8 to 10 feet between objects.
They have the ability to scale trees, houses and many other surfaces.
They have the ability to cling from objects with their back foot toes (with support from their tail) which allows them to hang upside down and use their front paws to stuff their faces.
Squirrels have a highly elevated olfactory sense; they can smell food from great distances. This, of course, makes it easy for squirrels to detect the food we put out for the birds. You may see squirrels "running" away with food from the feeders. Squirrels frequently hoard food for a later time. Finding the food they hoard is mostly dependent on squirrels smelling where it has been hidden.
People either seem to love squirrels, put up with them, or hate them. Many people complain that the squirrels are eating the birds' food and destroying the bird feeders. We can suggest squirrel "proof" feeders (feeders that eliminate the squirrels), creating a squirrel "proof" setup (setups that baffle the feeders) or making existing feeders squirrel "proof." In all situations, we can help people deal with squirrels and better enjoy the hobby of birdfeeding.
The methods used in squirrel resistant setups can be applied to existing feeders. Existing feeders can be fitted with the OnGuard™ wire mesh protector available at Wild Birds Unlimited. It is designed to keep squirrels from reaching the seed in tube feeders. The OnGuard is designed to fit the Wild Birds Unlimited Medium, Large, and Extra Large Seed Tube feeders.
Safflower can also be used in feeders to discourage squirrels (and blackbirds) from eating from the feeders. Safflower is only effective if used exclusively in the feeder.
For some people, providing squirrel food may deter squirrels from bothering the birdfeeders. For other people, feeding squirrels is actually fun. It is recommended that people who feed the squirrels place food away from window sills or doorsteps so as to discourage squirrels coming through screens or doors into houses. Feeding stations for squirrels should also be placed away from the regular birdfeeding stations. There are many good feeders for feeding squirrels. Stop into any of our stores for a wide selection of squirrel feeders.
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