Bird feeders effectively attract birds to your backyard and give them a place to rest while they eat. But no matter if you hate squirrels or love them, they tend to steal this food and scare away the birds as well. So while several beautiful bird feeders complement gardens and landscapes, they are inefficient in keeping squirrels and other pests away. That’s why investing in a squirrel-proof bird feeder will ensure that your feathered friends get all the food you are putting out for them. While choosing a squirrel-resistant feeder for birds, its durability and structure are the two key aspects that must be considered. The feeder must be designed to hold as much food as possible while still being sturdy enough to keep the troubling squirrels away. We have compiled a list of the best squirrel-proof bird feeders in 2021, along with a buying guide to help you through the process of choosing the right one for your home.
Dimensions: 29.4 x 20.7 x 20.6 cm
Weight: 990g
Materials: Metal, PVC plastic
The iBorn squirrel-proof bird feeder is a sturdy piece, fitted with a metal hanger that allows it to be hung on trees or feeding stations. This bird feeder is power coated with anti-UV paint, thus preventing its color from fading.
This set-up consists of 23 cm bird feeder barricaded by a squirrel guard that prevents pests from stealing bird food. The bird feeder has two ports and two perches to match, so that more birds can feed at a time. The top and base of the feeder, feeding ports and perches as well as the squirrel guard are made of metal which is power coated with anti-UV paint that allows prevents rust and allows the feeder to be used all year round. The feeder is suitable for many different seeds, blends and mealworms and can hold up to 400g of feed. The iBorn feeder boasts an alluring traditional design to enhance garden décor and attract more birds to your garden.
Dimensions: 13 x 13 x 49.2cm
Material: Metal, Plastic
Feed reservoir volume: about 0.6L
The Squirrel Buster bird feeder is an ingeniously designed squirrel proof feeder that attracts variety of birds. This feeder is fitted with a metal hanger that allows you hang it in places where squirrels cannot easily reach.
The squirrel buster is designed with two different mesh size to allow different sizes of nut and dried fruit be accessible to birds. A weight sensitive metal perforated sleeve surrounds the seed reservoir. This sleeve closes once it senses the larger weight of squirrels, thereby shutting out the squirrels from the seeds. The meshes are very strong to support the weight of the birds; and this piece is designed with a meal shroud below the mesh that serves as a support stand for woodpeckers. As it houses nuts and dried fruits, this feeder is easy to clean since these feeds don’t produce much debris.
Dimensions: 24 x 24 x 29
Feed holding capacity: 530g
Material: Metal
The Gardman heavy duty bird feeder is a robust squirrel proof feeder that offers large capacity feeding. This piece is designed to reduce feed wastage to a minimum.
This bird feeder features a fine mesh tube protected by a sturdy metallic outer cage that keeps squirrels and large birds away from nuts, allowing smaller birds to enjoy. The piece fetures a large squirrel proofed lid that prevents water from draining into the feeder, keeping feeds suitably dry for bird’s enjoyment. This feeder is made from durable metal and power coated with grey paint to prevent rusts and color fades. It also boasts a unique antibacterial coating that kills microbes in contact with it, thereby keeping the feed safe and also protecting humans from inadvertent contamination. This feed comes with a metal hanger so that it can be hung, but may also be placed on garden floors
Dimensions: 41 x 24 x 24cm
Material: Galvanized steel
Repeak’s squirrel proof feeder is elegantly designed to provide enjoyment to smaller birds and comfort to you. This piece is built to keep out both squirrels and larger birds from the nuts
The material used in making this feeder is galvanized steel. This system is also designed as an internal bird feeder with a sturdy external cage that cannot be compromised by large pests. The feeder comes with a metal hanger so it can be mounted on tree branches. It features an easy to lift lid that permits seamless refilling without taking the feeder from its mounted position. The cage is paint coated to help it withstand harsh weather so that it can be used all year round.
Dimensions: 9 x 47 x 57cm
Feeds capacity: 1.5L
Suitable for small wild birds and garden birds
This bird feeder from roamwild is an innovative piece that’s built to provide comfort for both birds and human owners. With a capacity of 1.5L, this bird feeder is suitable for variety of nuts , seeds and mealworms
The roamwild bird feeder is designed with an automatic spring syste on the perches. Once heavier animals like squirrels or bigger birds step on the perch, the springs are activated to shut the ports and deny access to the nuts. This feeder features a metal hanger that allows it to be placed ina variety of hanging positions. Because of the large capacity of the feed, there’s no need to constantly refill with nuts, small birds have large avenue to enjoy. The feeder features a built in rain guard above it that prevents water from draining into the feed and causing clogging, thereby making the feeder easy to clean.
Different innovative features are embedded into bird feeders to make them inaccessible and unappealing to squirrels and other furry pests. While some work like a charm, others fail to do the task and ultimately allow squirrels to steal all the food. To help you figure out which feeder will work better for your garden, here are some things you should consider before you choose one.
The capacity of the feeding tube will determine how often you have to refill the food. With feeders having a significant capacity, you must check for any ventilation issues in it as the food can easily rot in accumulated humidity and thus go to waste. On the other hand, opting for one with less capacity will require frequent refills, so make sure you are willing to do that before getting it.
Feeding stations enclosed in cages and having ventilating tubes that get rid of hot air and humidity are better at keeping the bird food fresh for a longer period. Poorly ventilated food often stinks and rots, repelling birds from coming to your feeder.
One of the most common methods of keeping squirrels out of the feeding tube is through spring-attached perches. The weight of squirrels is significantly greater than birds, as birds have hollow bones. The perches rely on this extra weight of the squirrels and, once detected, immediately shuts the feeding ports. However, these can also be activated when too many birds sit at once. Bird feeders with adjustable springs that let you control the weight are the best choice if you want to feed bigger birds or several birds at once.
This feeding station contains an internal motor that starts rotating the feeder as soon as a squirrel jumps on it. The squirrel has a hard time hanging onto the perch and ultimately gives up. It is quite fun to watch and is efficient at keeping squirrels away from the food.
While they seem simple with no springs or motors, they are one of the most effective feeders for keeping squirrels off bird feeders. The cage openings are large enough to fit small birds in without letting the pesky squirrels in. However, one disadvantage to such cage feeders is that they do not let larger birds go inside to eat.
Feeders hung on branches or mounted near trees serve as a great way to feed hungry birds without scaring them away. If you wish to keep bigger birds away that often dominate feeding stations, caged feeders like the Squirrel-X are a great option. However, if you want a more open feeding system for your backyard birds without dealing with squirrels, weight-sensitive perch feeders are for you. No matter what kind of feeder you choose, the important thing to consider is the location of their placement. Choose a shady spacious area for your birds to rest and relax while eating.
A: Yes, vaseline will make the feeder mounting pole slippery and prevent squirrels from climbing it. A vaseline-coated pole will serve as the ultimate resistance to pests, along with a quality squirrel-proof bird feeder.
A: You can mix some spices like cayenne pepper with your bird food and leave it out. While the birds will happily eat it, the squirrels will avoid it completely.
A: Squirrels love a lot of seeds and foods meant for birds. However, foods like safflower seed, white proso millet, and nyjer seed repel squirrels.
