Can squirrels climb PVC pipe? No, they cannot, especially when it’s wide enough. When you cover your bird feeder’s pole with PVC pipe, it creates a slippery surface that ensures that the squirrels can’t climb up because they can’t grip it easily like a tree.
Before installing the PVC pipe on your bird feeder, ensure that it has a diameter of over four inches and it’s at least four and a half feet above the ground. After you’ve installed your PVC pipe, drill holes on it that will match with the ones on the bird feeder.
It’s also important to ensure that you place a cap on top of the PVC pipe. This is to prevent any birds you attract from falling inside the PVC pipe.
It’s important to note that using a PVC pipe isn’t the only way you can keep off squirrels off your bird feeder. There are several other strategies that have proven successful in keeping the little rodents at bay.
1. Place your bird feeders wisely
Squirrels are known to make jumps of over 10 feet horizontally. This means that you have to place your feeders in a more inaccessible station if you don’t want the squirrels to reach it.
The first step in this strategy is to ensure that you place your bird feeders at least 11 feet away from the trees.
This will prevent the squirrels from making these horizontal jumps and reaching the bird feeders. It’s important to note that the trees aren’t the only thing that squirrels can use as launchpads for their jumps.
They can also use decks, powerlines, and houses, among others. When stationing your bird feeders, ensure that they are not close enough to any of these objects.
If the bird feeders are out of reach for the squirrels, this way, you can save your bird’s seeds and get some entertainment watching the squirrels take turns trying to reach them!
2. Invest in a squirrel-proof birdfeeder
If you can’t possibly stop the squirrels from reaching your bird feeders, it might be time for a more advanced option.
Many bird feeders out there can allow birds to enter and leave as they please but are also small enough to restrict squirrels from entering. The following are some popular styles used in making bird feeders;
Weight sensitive
There are some designs used in making these bird feeders that can sense the extra weight on them and act accordingly. We all know that birds are lighter than squirrels.
These bird feeders are made in such a way that if a squirrel or any animal heavier than the bird steps on them, the door closes, thus denying them access to the bird food.
Cage
Some of the bird feeders also feature an additional cage around them. These cages often have openings that are big enough for the birds to use and access the bird feeder but also small enough for the squirrels and other bigger birds to go through.
Birdfeeders fitted with a motor
These bird feeders combine weight-sensitivity and an active motor to keep the squirrels at bay. What happens in these types of bird feeders is that whenever a squirrel or any other animal heavier than the bird steps on them, the motor spins repeatedly and throws them off.
If you want to check out some bird feeders tailored towards keeping the squirrels out, check out some of our reviews of the feeders currently on the market.
3. Use foods or seeds that squirrels don’t like
If you have realized that it will be almost impossible to keep squirrels off the bird feeders because of where they are stationed, you might want to use another alternative. Indeed they like some foods such as sunflower seeds, corn, and peanuts more than other foods.
This information can help you keep the squirrels out of your bird feeders a little bit less aggressively. Squirrels never seem to like foods such as white proso millet, nyjer seeds, and safflower seeds.
For this reason, if you know the types of birds you’re looking to attract with your bird feeder, you can research the seeds they tend to enjoy and which are not so much of squirrels’ favorites. This strategy will help you attract the birds while also keeping the squirrels out of the bird feeders.
4. Use hot peppers
Hot peppers contain a compound known as capsaicin which is the compound that causes the heat that you feel whenever you eat food with pepper. You can use this compound to your advantage when it comes to driving squirrels away from your bird feeders.
Most birds enjoy capsaicin in their food, and squirrels can’t stand hot peppered seeds or food, which means you can use it to keep them out of the birds’ food.
All you need to do for this strategy is coat the seeds or bird food with capsaicin in either liquid or powdered form.
When the squirrels get to your bird feeder and feel that smell and taste of capsaicin, they will have no other option than to quit visiting it and start searching for alternatives.
Also, it’s important to note that many varieties of birds like capsaicin, so you do not need to worry about any health hazards been reported from it.
5. Feed them separately
This strategy will solve the problem at hand and help show some kindness to the wild. You can do this by getting a feeder purposely to feed them. This feeder should be placed at a point where it’s easily accessible for the squirrels.
When you fill-up this feeder with the food that squirrels enjoy, there is a great chance that they won’t need to go up to your bird feeders and chase away the birds in search of food.
Regularly doing this helps develop that habit among the squirrels, and within no time, they might even forget about the bird feeders.
Conclusion
Hopefully we answered your question as to whether or not squirrels can climb PVC pipe — and we’ve also given you sufficient tips to help keep your birds fed and keep the squirrels away. Use of PVC pipe remains one of the most effective ways of keeping squirrels off your birdfeeders without harming them. For this reason, many people adopt this strategy to keep their bird feeders out of reach for the squirrels.
Related
- An interesting question came to us recently about the squirrel/bird relationship. We know the squirrel/bird relationship is strained but.. Do Squirrels Eat Birds?
- Want to attract more birds to your yard? We can help you get started. Start here with this article on how to turn your backyard into a hummingbird sanctuary.
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