[email protected] writes:
>dusty wrote:
>>
>> YEIKS! You mean people actually feed TREE RATS?
>
>Never understood the dislike for em. I feed them in my back yard; they
>are friendly, cute and add some life round the place. They can be little
>demanding, but all in all, pretty decent critters. Better'n skunks in
>any case.
>
>PK
Like you, at one time, I thought they were "cute" critters to have around.
However, that was before they destroyed several bird feeders which were
not cheap. It was also before they started chewing anything plastic they
could find in the yard. While I can understand why they would chew the
plastic containers that contained bird seed, what earthly reason would
they have for chewing on the top of the children's playhouse? There is no
food there, never was, so there is no food smell as in the storage jugs.
My neighbor has borrowed my squirrel traps twice because they have managed
to get into her attic. Can you hear "wire sheathing?" Yes, they will
chew electrical wires, also. While one particular squirrel will only chew
through once, it has the potential of burning down someone's home.
They spread disease and are very flea-laden. I had no idea what a
tremendous flea carrier they are until I started trapping them. It was
merely by chance that I put a large, heavy-weight, plastic bag around the
trap before I put it into my car trunk. By the time, I reached the
wildlife preserve to release the critter near water and a food source, the
plastic bag was crawling with fleas on the inside, at least dozens,
perhaps hundreds. It was quite eye-opening as to how much of a danger
these animals could be in a residential area.
When there is a high population and a chance of rabies in the area, there
is the risk of bites to those who are foolish enough to encourage them to
reside in their yards.
There are some of us who are sick and tired of constantly digging up
little walnut and filbert trees.
While I don't mind a few around, when I see a dozen in my yard on the
ground at once, it's time to start re-locating them.
Forget bird feeders with them around. For the most part, there is no way
of keeping the squirrels out of the feeders. For those who want to feed
the birds, I suggest the method I have found successful. I have a gazebo
bird feeder which is fastened to the top of a 6-foot length of 4-inch pvc
pipe. I've chosen black (sewer pipe) because black blends in better with
the landscape and is not as visually distracting. Because of changing my
mind all the time, I have used two 6-ft metal fence posts driven in the
ground side by side (two for stability) and set the pipe around the posts
to hold it upright. The feeder is fastened to the pipe via a toilet
flange. The flange is bolted to the bottom of the bird feeder instead of
its intended floor beneath a toilet base. Secured this way, the feeder
will now set nicely over the pipe. Do not fasten the flange to the pipe
to allow easy removal for cleaning of the feeder. (Flange and pipe must,
of course, match in diameter.)
This arrangement for the bird feeder has worked well through severe winter
storms so is stable. It is relative easy to move if relocation is desired.
Do not, of course, place this under a tree or near bushes where the
squirrels can jump to the feeder; it's amazing how far those pests can
jump! They are not able to climb the slick PVC surface regardless of how
much they try. The six-foot high level also prevents most cats from
reaching the birds that visit the feeder. Ground feeders, of course, are
at risk.
Nope, squirrels are *not* welcome in my yard. They have done hundreds of
dollars worth of damage. Anyone who thinks they are great to have around
can have *all* of mine! Just come get them. And I haven't even gone into
the single squirrel that destroyed at least 75 lugs of apricots last
summer before they had a chance to get ripe; I really hope that squirrel
got hit by a car since then. Because I live in town, a 22-bullet was not
an option. A smart squirrel would have figured out after the first
hundred or so apricots that they are *not* walnuts. No, he didn't eat the
pits, either green or after they started to ripen. He actually would
*throw* them to the ground after taking only one bite. My oldest
granddaughter was hit on the head with one; she was five feet from the
nearest overhead branch. We rarely have the weather for a good apricot
crop in our area so we were all looking forward to a good harvest. The
bounty on the tree, at $12 a lug which was the selling price around here,
would have produced many hundreds of dollars of fruit to sell at farmers'
market, so this went beyond destroying feeders, storage containers, and
children's toys.
Perhaps that helps you understand why at least one person dislikes them.
Skunks? Personally, I'd rather have skunks because that would mean the
possums aren't so prolific. Possums have ousted the skunks in our area as
they compete for habitat, and skunks are not so aggressive and tend to
stay more away from people though an encounter is much more memorable and
a reason to have a lot of tomatoes around.
Glenna
disliking squirrels more
than any other creature
Glenna Rose wrote:
> Like you, at one time, I thought they were "cute" critters to have around.
> However, that was before they destroyed several bird feeders which were
> not cheap. It was also before they started chewing anything plastic they
> could find in the yard.
<Horror stories of squirrels deleted...>
I think yours might be a little more agressive then ours which can be a
pest occasionally but not exceedingly so. Well, except for the bird
feeder thing. The squirrels and birds share food in my yard and I do not
try to "house" any birds, nor do I try to feed certain kinds of birds; I
just kinda leave it as a free for all. It is interesting to watch
sometimes. The Jay's will run off the squirrels for the good bits of
food, like peanuts. The chickadee's hang around the edges of the zone
waiting for the squirrels to get into a fight and then hop in and swipe
some of the food. Doves sort of hang out, eat some of the food that has
been dropped off. CHipmunks also steal out from under the squirrels,
especially when they are fighting. And there are others too...all in
all, a good show and great cat TV.
PK
I was not successful with using a 4 inches PVC pipe as a feeder. Flying
squirrels have jumped on it and chewed up the PVC to enlarge the feeding
slots. Today I made a prototype using a 4 inches metal cylinder instead of
PVC with only narrow sluts at the bottom for the birds to feed. I watched
the bird using the feeder this afternoon and its working good. Tomorrow
I'll how the squirrels tackle the new metal cylinder. If it works well I'll
use stainless steel cylinder in making the next feeder.
"Glenna Rose" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] writes:
> >dusty wrote:
> >>
> >> YEIKS! You mean people actually feed TREE RATS?
> >
> >Never understood the dislike for em. I feed them in my back yard; they
> >are friendly, cute and add some life round the place. They can be little
> >demanding, but all in all, pretty decent critters. Better'n skunks in
> >any case.
> >
> >PK
>
> Like you, at one time, I thought they were "cute" critters to have around.
> However, that was before they destroyed several bird feeders which were
> not cheap. It was also before they started chewing anything plastic they
> could find in the yard. While I can understand why they would chew the
> plastic containers that contained bird seed, what earthly reason would
> they have for chewing on the top of the children's playhouse? There is no
> food there, never was, so there is no food smell as in the storage jugs.
>
> My neighbor has borrowed my squirrel traps twice because they have managed
> to get into her attic. Can you hear "wire sheathing?" Yes, they will
> chew electrical wires, also. While one particular squirrel will only chew
> through once, it has the potential of burning down someone's home.
>
> They spread disease and are very flea-laden. I had no idea what a
> tremendous flea carrier they are until I started trapping them. It was
> merely by chance that I put a large, heavy-weight, plastic bag around the
> trap before I put it into my car trunk. By the time, I reached the
> wildlife preserve to release the critter near water and a food source, the
> plastic bag was crawling with fleas on the inside, at least dozens,
> perhaps hundreds. It was quite eye-opening as to how much of a danger
> these animals could be in a residential area.
>
> When there is a high population and a chance of rabies in the area, there
> is the risk of bites to those who are foolish enough to encourage them to
> reside in their yards.
>
> There are some of us who are sick and tired of constantly digging up
> little walnut and filbert trees.
>
> While I don't mind a few around, when I see a dozen in my yard on the
> ground at once, it's time to start re-locating them.
>
> Forget bird feeders with them around. For the most part, there is no way
> of keeping the squirrels out of the feeders. For those who want to feed
> the birds, I suggest the method I have found successful. I have a gazebo
> bird feeder which is fastened to the top of a 6-foot length of 4-inch pvc
> pipe. I've chosen black (sewer pipe) because black blends in better with
> the landscape and is not as visually distracting. Because of changing my
> mind all the time, I have used two 6-ft metal fence posts driven in the
> ground side by side (two for stability) and set the pipe around the posts
> to hold it upright. The feeder is fastened to the pipe via a toilet
> flange. The flange is bolted to the bottom of the bird feeder instead of
> its intended floor beneath a toilet base. Secured this way, the feeder
> will now set nicely over the pipe. Do not fasten the flange to the pipe
> to allow easy removal for cleaning of the feeder. (Flange and pipe must,
> of course, match in diameter.)
>
> This arrangement for the bird feeder has worked well through severe winter
> storms so is stable. It is relative easy to move if relocation is
desired.
>
> Do not, of course, place this under a tree or near bushes where the
> squirrels can jump to the feeder; it's amazing how far those pests can
> jump! They are not able to climb the slick PVC surface regardless of how
> much they try. The six-foot high level also prevents most cats from
> reaching the birds that visit the feeder. Ground feeders, of course, are
> at risk.
>
> Nope, squirrels are *not* welcome in my yard. They have done hundreds of
> dollars worth of damage. Anyone who thinks they are great to have around
> can have *all* of mine! Just come get them. And I haven't even gone into
> the single squirrel that destroyed at least 75 lugs of apricots last
> summer before they had a chance to get ripe; I really hope that squirrel
> got hit by a car since then. Because I live in town, a 22-bullet was not
> an option. A smart squirrel would have figured out after the first
> hundred or so apricots that they are *not* walnuts. No, he didn't eat the
> pits, either green or after they started to ripen. He actually would
> *throw* them to the ground after taking only one bite. My oldest
> granddaughter was hit on the head with one; she was five feet from the
> nearest overhead branch. We rarely have the weather for a good apricot
> crop in our area so we were all looking forward to a good harvest. The
> bounty on the tree, at $12 a lug which was the selling price around here,
> would have produced many hundreds of dollars of fruit to sell at farmers'
> market, so this went beyond destroying feeders, storage containers, and
> children's toys.
>
> Perhaps that helps you understand why at least one person dislikes them.
> Skunks? Personally, I'd rather have skunks because that would mean the
> possums aren't so prolific. Possums have ousted the skunks in our area as
> they compete for habitat, and skunks are not so aggressive and tend to
> stay more away from people though an encounter is much more memorable and
> a reason to have a lot of tomatoes around.
>
> Glenna
> disliking squirrels more
> than any other creature
>
This will stop them ....
http://www.squirrelbuster.com/Sb2/SB2EIndex.html
[email protected] wrote:
> Glenna Rose <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>Forget bird feeders with them around. For the most part, there is no way
>>of keeping the squirrels out of the feeders. For those who want to feed
>>the birds, I suggest the method I have found successful. I have a gazebo
>>bird feeder which is fastened to the top of a 6-foot length of 4-inch pvc
>>pipe. I've chosen black (sewer pipe) because black blends in better with
>
Glenna Rose <[email protected]> wrote:
> Forget bird feeders with them around. For the most part, there is no way
> of keeping the squirrels out of the feeders. For those who want to feed
> the birds, I suggest the method I have found successful. I have a gazebo
> bird feeder which is fastened to the top of a 6-foot length of 4-inch pvc
> pipe. I've chosen black (sewer pipe) because black blends in better with
I've had pretty good luck with my two bird feeders by putting up a
metal baffle so they can't climb up the post, and of course keeping them
far enough away from jumping off points. The platform feeder that
is mounted on a 4X4 post was squirrel free for a couple of years,
but a bigger nusiance showed up. My wife came almost face-to-face
with a racoon sitting in that feeder one day. The baffle hadn't
stopped him, but cladding the post for a couple of feet under
the baffle with aluminum flashing seems to have worked. I also
enlarged the baffle at the same time. The smaller feeder is on a
1/2 inch galvanized pipe, which squirrles can climb (I found out)
but the tilting baffle on there has been working well for a couple
of years now. The squirrels can have what the birds knock out
onto the ground, and the cats keep them from getting overconfident,
though I did watch one taunting a cat as they faced each other on
the top rail of the wooden privacy fence.
Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.
Nuke the squirrels!
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Glenna Rose <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Forget bird feeders with them around. For the most part, there is no
>> way
>> of keeping the squirrels out of the feeders. For those who want to
>> feed
>> the birds, I suggest the method I have found successful. I have a
>> gazebo
>> bird feeder which is fastened to the top of a 6-foot length of 4-inch
>> pvc
>> pipe. I've chosen black (sewer pipe) because black blends in better
>> with
>
[snip]
Mon, Jan 17, 2005, 4:38pm [email protected] (Lu=A0Powell)
exclaims:
Nuke the squirrels!
Hardly. You roll them in flour, fry them, and make gravy.
JOAT
Charity ain't giving people what you wants to give, it's giving people
what they need to get.
- Albert
"Steven and Gail Peterson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I have one of the squirrel-proof feeders with a spring-loaded feeding
>platform that can be set to close when a (heavy) squirrel gets on it. It
>is quite effective, and it can be comical watching squirrels try to get
>around it. However, chipmunks weigh about the same as cardinals, for
>instance. So the spring can't be set to keep chipmunks out, and they are
>much more of a problem than squirrels. They will keep coming, removing
>seeds, and taking them away to bury them, until the feeder is empty. A
>baffle is about the only way.
>
> Steve
Damn squirrels have conquered my baffle. They climb the pole under the
baffle, hang on to the pole with their back feet, grab the edge of the
baffle with their front feet and climb on top. Then they can hop from the
top of the baffle to the feeder. I already had to raise the pole to stop
them jumping from the ground, so perhaps a bigger baffle.
The Rock Doves are a bigger PITA than the squirrels in any event.
> <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> Glenna Rose <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Forget bird feeders with them around. For the most part, there is no
>>> way
>>> of keeping the squirrels out of the feeders. For those who want to feed
>>> the birds, I suggest the method I have found successful. I have a
>>> gazebo
>>> bird feeder which is fastened to the top of a 6-foot length of 4-inch
>>> pvc
>>> pipe. I've chosen black (sewer pipe) because black blends in better
>>> with
>>
>> I've had pretty good luck with my two bird feeders by putting up a
>> metal baffle so they can't climb up the post, and of course keeping them
>> far enough away from jumping off points. The platform feeder that
>> is mounted on a 4X4 post was squirrel free for a couple of years,
>> but a bigger nusiance showed up. My wife came almost face-to-face
>> with a racoon sitting in that feeder one day. The baffle hadn't
>> stopped him, but cladding the post for a couple of feet under
>> the baffle with aluminum flashing seems to have worked. I also
>> enlarged the baffle at the same time. The smaller feeder is on a
>> 1/2 inch galvanized pipe, which squirrles can climb (I found out)
>> but the tilting baffle on there has been working well for a couple
>> of years now. The squirrels can have what the birds knock out
>> onto the ground, and the cats keep them from getting overconfident,
>> though I did watch one taunting a cat as they faced each other on
>> the top rail of the wooden privacy fence.
>>
>> Bill Ranck
>> Blacksburg, Va.
>>
>
>
On Sun, 16 Jan 2005 00:40:01 +0000, Denis Marier wrote:
> I was not successful with using a 4 inches PVC pipe as a feeder. Flying
> squirrels have jumped on it and chewed up the PVC to enlarge the feeding
> slots. Today I made a prototype using a 4 inches metal cylinder instead
> of PVC with only narrow sluts at the bottom for the birds to feed. I
> watched the bird using the feeder this afternoon and its working good.
> Tomorrow I'll how the squirrels tackle the new metal cylinder. If it
> works well I'll use stainless steel cylinder in making the next feeder.
I'm sorry, but I can't help but ask where you found the narrow sluts?
- Doug
--
To escape criticism--do nothing, say nothing, be nothing." (Elbert Hubbard)
I have one of the squirrel-proof feeders with a spring-loaded feeding
platform that can be set to close when a (heavy) squirrel gets on it. It is
quite effective, and it can be comical watching squirrels try to get around
it. However, chipmunks weigh about the same as cardinals, for instance. So
the spring can't be set to keep chipmunks out, and they are much more of a
problem than squirrels. They will keep coming, removing seeds, and taking
them away to bury them, until the feeder is empty. A baffle is about the
only way.
Steve
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Glenna Rose <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Forget bird feeders with them around. For the most part, there is no way
>> of keeping the squirrels out of the feeders. For those who want to feed
>> the birds, I suggest the method I have found successful. I have a gazebo
>> bird feeder which is fastened to the top of a 6-foot length of 4-inch pvc
>> pipe. I've chosen black (sewer pipe) because black blends in better with
>
> I've had pretty good luck with my two bird feeders by putting up a
> metal baffle so they can't climb up the post, and of course keeping them
> far enough away from jumping off points. The platform feeder that
> is mounted on a 4X4 post was squirrel free for a couple of years,
> but a bigger nusiance showed up. My wife came almost face-to-face
> with a racoon sitting in that feeder one day. The baffle hadn't
> stopped him, but cladding the post for a couple of feet under
> the baffle with aluminum flashing seems to have worked. I also
> enlarged the baffle at the same time. The smaller feeder is on a
> 1/2 inch galvanized pipe, which squirrles can climb (I found out)
> but the tilting baffle on there has been working well for a couple
> of years now. The squirrels can have what the birds knock out
> onto the ground, and the cats keep them from getting overconfident,
> though I did watch one taunting a cat as they faced each other on
> the top rail of the wooden privacy fence.
>
> Bill Ranck
> Blacksburg, Va.
>