I have a home made squirrel guard on my feeder pole, it's a length of
aluminium stove pipe that they cannot crawl up under between the post and
the guard. Well, until recently I haven't had any problems, it's worked
fine - but now I've got a squirrel who jumps up on the post and then jumps
onto the guard and "bear hugs" it (picture yourself hugging a huge tree
w/both arms and legs and that's what the rodent looks like). He hangs like
that for a few seconds and then launches himself upward to try and grab the
top of the stove pipe - it takes him a few tries (he falls to the ground and
gets up again) but he eventually does it.
What I would like to know is if there is any way to use batteries to run a
low voltage charge either into the stove pipe or the feeder pole itself.
Obviously I don't want this to be something that is going to zap them into
little squirrel heaven, I just want them to get a jolt - I figure after a
couple jolts the squirrels aren't going to try it anymore.
Any ideas are helpful.
LeeAnne
PS - When I had the same guard on my front yard feeder it worked w/out a
hitch. I moved it to the backyard and now this. I'm guessing it's probably
one squirrel who is just a little smarter than the others.
The squirrel is alive and well, and now happily munches the stuff that falls
out of the feeder.
Dusty
San Jose, Ca.
LeeAnne <bar...@ici.net> wrote in message
news:Uy1m3.1927$5X1....@news.goodnet.com...
Bernie Daniel
Cincinnati
--
Posted via Talkway - http://www.talkway.com
Exchange ideas on practically anything (tm).
I can give you two other choices. Trap this particular squirrel with a
trap, or buy one of the feeders that is battery operated and will give
him a jolt. It's not cheap though......about $100.00.
Andrew Longtin
New Hope, Minnesota
ALongtin *at* worldnet *dot* att *dot* net
No SPAM needed here..
Must fix anti-SPAM address to reply..
LeeAnne wrote in message ...
|Hi all,
|
|I have a home made squirrel guard on my feeder pole, it's a length of
|aluminium stove pipe that they cannot crawl up under between the post and
|the guard. Well, until recently I haven't had any problems, it's worked
|fine - but now I've got a squirrel who jumps up on the post and then jumps
|onto the guard and "bear hugs" it (picture yourself hugging a huge tree
|w/both arms and legs and that's what the rodent looks like). He hangs like
|that for a few seconds and then launches himself upward to try and grab the
|top of the stove pipe - it takes him a few tries (he falls to the ground and
|gets up again) but he eventually does it.
|
|What I would like to know is if there is any way to use batteries to run a
|low voltage charge either into the stove pipe or the feeder pole itself.
|Obviously I don't want this to be something that is going to zap them into
|little squirrel heaven, I just want them to get a jolt - I figure after a
|couple jolts the squirrels aren't going to try it anymore.
|
LeeAnne,
I don't know about electrocution but you better do something quick.
Squirrels learn by watching other squirrels. Pretty soon you will have
every squirrel in the neighborhood doing it. FWIW a pellet rifle works
for me. Good luck.
--
Roger A. Moncrief
http://www.indrev.com/
Indepth Reviews
Indepth reviews of WinImages, trueSpace 3.1, Imagine for Windows, Ray
Dream Studio 4.1, Bryce 2, World Construction Set 2, Detailer, Goo,
Click & Create, CourseWorks 3.2 CBT, Desktop Support Factory, 3D Deck,
Kitchen & Bath, etc. on line now. Animated Communications' 3D
Choreographer in work. Page also contains a brief Photoshop 5 issues
report.
Any truth to this?
If not, I may start using vaseline too.
Jeff
What exactly is this contraption? Something that zaps you if you walk over
it?
I've heard of the keep your pets in the yard type of fence systems, but
those require you to have a special collar on your pet.
Thanks
LeeAnne
Dusty Bleher wrote in message <93275529...@news.remarQ.com>...
>I bought one of those "keep your pet out the garden" kind of electric
>fencers. About $29 at the local garden supply shop. Wired up my feeder,
>and it took *1* lesson.
>
>The squirrel is alive and well, and now happily munches the stuff that
falls
>out of the feeder.
>
>Dusty
>San Jose, Ca.
>
>
>
>LeeAnne <bar...@ici.net> wrote in message
>news:Uy1m3.1927$5X1....@news.goodnet.com...
LeeAnne
Larry Newton wrote in message ...
>Try greasing the aluminum, electricity won't do it.
>
I think I'll be looking for some larger stove pipe this week.
Thanks
LeeAnne
Andrew Longtin wrote in message <7ndldp$8ke$1...@bgtnsc01.worldnet.att.net>...
>What size stove pipe, I use 7 inch diameter..
>
>
>Andrew Longtin
>New Hope, Minnesota
>ALongtin *at* worldnet *dot* att *dot* net
>
>No SPAM needed here..
>Must fix anti-SPAM address to reply..
>
>
>LeeAnne wrote in message ...
L
Roger A. Moncrief wrote in message <379B0B...@ix.netcom.com>...
My feeder is a plastic hanging one. I was fortunate in that it had a steel
cable in the center for that purpose. My hanger is one of those "Shepard's
crook" metal hangers. With the butt end of that driven 3 feet into the
ground, I've got a great ground source. The steel wire on the plastic
hanger provides a great connection to that ground plane. So, I used
"chicken wire" to make a cover for the "roof" of the feeder. I wrapped a
couple of the strands of that 'roof' around the grounded cable. That way
the entire 'roof' of the feeder was a large grounded area.
Next, I took a 4in. wide strip of the chicken wire--finished side down (so
as not to snag the birds), cut side up--and wrapped it around the body of
the feeder. Twisting the wires together at the joint to make a tight
fitting sleeve around the body of the feeder. Since the roof has an
overhang of a couple of inches, the electrode on the roof doesn't even get
to the edge of the roof, and the electrode wrapped around the feeder is
under and inside that roof; it's unlikely (except for a very large bird,
impossible actually) that a bird would ever be able to contact both at the
same time. *BUT*, my squirrel found out that by hanging from the cable, he
could reach around the roof ledge, and get to the seeds. Stretched out,
that critter is probably 14in. long.
I attached the ground of the mini-fencer to my satellite antenna rod (a 4in.
diameter steel post sunk at least a meter into the ground by the house. And
ran a single wire from the "hot" side of the fencer to an alligator clip
that I clipped onto the electrode wrapped around the body of the feeder.
Then I had a circuit. Via the ground, I had everything from the roof on up
grounded. The strip around the feeder completed the circuit.
The addition of the screen on the roof gave Mr. squirrel an easy grasp
point. It was only a matter of time before he'd touch the hot electrode.
And when he did, he leaped straight out away from the feeder and did a rocky
the flying squirrel imitation--straight down. He hit the ground pealing out
at near mach 2. He was back the next day, but he NEVER even looked at the
feeder again. And in 2 years, I've not had a "squirrel problem"... So, say
what you will, my solution didn't require killing a squirrel, and has
worked... While I've not plugged the fencer in, it's still in place and
ready in case a newcomer needs an education...
Dusty
San Jose, Ca.
LeeAnne <bar...@ici.net> wrote in message
news:xgZm3.369$X4....@news.goodnet.com...
> Hi Dusty,
>
> What exactly is this contraption? Something that zaps you if you walk
over
> it?
>
> I've heard of the keep your pets in the yard type of fence systems, but
> those require you to have a special collar on your pet.
>
> Thanks
> LeeAnne
>
> Dusty Bleher wrote in message <93275529...@news.remarQ.com>...
> >I bought one of those "keep your pet out the garden" kind of electric
> >fencers. About $29 at the local garden supply shop. Wired up my feeder,
> >and it took *1* lesson.
> >
> >The squirrel is alive and well, and now happily munches the stuff that
> falls
> >out of the feeder.
> >
> >Dusty
> >San Jose, Ca.
> >
> >
> >
> >LeeAnne <bar...@ici.net> wrote in message
> >news:Uy1m3.1927$5X1....@news.goodnet.com...
Stove pipe baffles work great!! I have never seen a squirrel get around one
yet!! They are way cheaper to make then what the bird stores gouge you for to
buy one!!
Yes, and remember the Exxon - Valdeze? Birds who get the grease on their
feathers from off the pole (an they do, my sister is a wildlife rehabber)
cannot preen the grease off. Very unwise to do this. Effective baffles are
available at most full service birding/nature stores for less than $20.
Grease is grease, "organic" or not. Whether solid or liquid, fats and other
lipids are still absorbed by organic materials. And no matter what kind, it
*will* screw up their fur. The degree of problem will be related to how
much they get on them, where it's located on their bodies, and to a lesser
degree the exact nature of the material.
Without access to some sort of detergent or way to remove it, it will linger
and not easily break down. Although being non-petroleum based, it's not
directly poisonous, I'd guess that it's not that good for their fur--which
is where they get their warmth and water resistance. In most cases, they're
going to have wait for a new coat before they can be rid of it.
I don't like squirrels around my feeders either. I don't even mind throwing
things at them, soaking them, or giving them a little "jolt" to further
their education and/or speed them on their way. While "zapping" them might
seem cruel, it does nothing to them to effect their lives (except briefly
speed them up considerably (:-)!). I think treating them with grease is
sort of harsh. Please refrain...
Dusty
San Jose, Ca.
Karen <kar...@nwnexus.com> wrote in message
news:MPG.1206dad38...@news.nwnexus.com...
> In article <379C3C7B...@ct1.nai.net>, jadu...@ct1.nai.net says...
> > I have read in a couple of bird feeding books that greasing poles is not
> > good. The grease gets into the fur of the squirrels and can create
> > problems with shedding water and interferes with the squirrels body
> > temperature. I also read somewhere that the squirrels will try to lick
> > it off and in the process ingest the grease. Both potentially killing
> > the critter. I haven't used grease because of this.
> >
> > Any truth to this?
> >
> > If not, I may start using vaseline too.
> >
> > Jeff
> >
> > Sharon wrote:
> > >
> > > I tried it, each time the squirrel tried to go up the pole, he would
> > > slide back down. But each time he tried he got a little further up
the
> > > pole, till he got to the feeder. We had a good laugh watching his
> > > determination. I used vaseline, maybe something else would have
worked
> > > better. Sharon
> > >
> >
>
> I use Crisco and slather it on the pole thick enough that they don't want
> to mess with trying to climb it. It's more "organic" so I don't worry
> about polluting or poisoning anything.
>
> Karen
My bird feeder is on top of about six feet of four inch PVC pipe (slid
around the regular steel pipe) and, in the six years it has been there,
NO sqirrel has EVER climbed it.
It is worth the effort just to watch them try, though! They sit at the
bottom and look up, then jump as high as they can jump, try to grab the
pole (which is far too big for their little arms), and slide right back
down to the bottom!. Repeat. Etc.
Enjoy!
John MacArthur
Marlboro, VT
As far as the grease goes, that was my first idea when we first put
the feeder up. I got some Tender Flake lard and smeared it on the
pole. Know what the squirrels did? Licked it off. Uh huh! Never
got any of it on their fur at all. Just on their grubby little paws.
Enjoyed it too. I scratched that idea right there and then.
I should have known better, they love suet, why wouldn't they love
lard?
On Tue, 27 Jul 1999 15:09:39 -0400, John MacArthur <jm...@sover.net>
wrote:
Where I would be worried about grease would be birds getting
on their feathers.
Lynda
On Tue, 27 Jul 1999 11:34:13 -0700, "Dusty Bleher" <du...@fsinc.com>
wrote:
LeeAnne
Sharon wrote in message <379CE997...@flash.net>...
>It didn't seem to bother the squirrel any, he just rubbed it off in the
>grass, I only did it the one time. It didn't work so I didn't use it
>again. It would probably be a waste of your time if you tried it.
>Sharon
>
>Jeffrey Dutton wrote:
>>
L
John MacArthur wrote in message <379E03...@sover.net>...
I've had cats a long time, and I'd never hear of giving them Vaseline for
hairballs. Certainly a new one on me. OTOH; when you consider all of the
things they will lick and eat...I guess the Vaseline must be like ice-cream
to them...
Dusty
<lynda_m...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:379ec8da...@news.videotron.net...
> >> > I have read in a couple of bird feeding books that greasing poles is
not
> >> > good. The grease gets into the fur of the squirrels and can create
> >> > problems with shedding water and interferes with the squirrels body
> >> > temperature. I also read somewhere that the squirrels will try to
lick
> >> > it off and in the process ingest the grease. Both potentially killing
> >> > the critter. I haven't used grease because of this.
> >> >
> >> > Any truth to this?
> >> >
> >> > If not, I may start using vaseline too.
> >> >
> >> > Jeff
> >> >
> >> > Sharon wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > > I tried it, each time the squirrel tried to go up the pole, he
would
> >> > > slide back down. But each time he tried he got a little further up
> >the
> >> > > pole, till he got to the feeder. We had a good laugh watching his
> >> > > determination. I used vaseline, maybe something else would have
> >worked
> >> > > better. Sharon
> >> > >
> >> >
> >>
As for the squirrels, since installing my "squirrel zapper". The score has
been: Dusty-1 Squirrels-0.
Dey may be dumb! But dey ain't stupid! One lesson was all it took...
Dusty
San Jose, Ca.
<lynda_m...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:379fcb8...@news.videotron.net...
> Hi Dusty,
> Found out about the Vaseline in an odd way. I had a
> pretty orange and white long haird cat named George when I was first
<good post snipped>
After that I've been using the Vaseline on all my cats when
I run out of the special tube stuff you get from the Vet for
hairballs. Most cats will readily lick it right off the tip of your
finger. Not too much though, just a little dab. My cats usually live
right into their late teens so I assume I haven't poisoned any..;)
Yes it was a hoot watching those squirrels licking the lard
off the pole and their paws. It was maddening though..;) I've been
keeping a scoreboard and so far it's Squirrels-112, Me-0. *sigh*
Lynda
On Wed, 28 Jul 1999 14:57:27 -0700, "Dusty Bleher" <du...@fsinc.com>
wrote:
>Yeah, saw your post after I'd already made mine. Certainly when I think of
>it, they do like suet, don't they? I guess I had visions of them having it
>all over their bellies and legs. And I thought that might be a bit tough on
>'em. But licking it off their paws must have been a hoot to watch...(:-)!
>
>I've had cats a long time, and I'd never hear of giving them Vaseline for
>hairballs. Certainly a new one on me. OTOH; when you consider all of the
>things they will lick and eat...I guess the Vaseline must be like ice-cream
>to them...
>
>Dusty
>
>
><lynda_m...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>Oh, I forgot to say it's hanging on a rope
Fair warning - every time I've hung a feeder using a rope the
squirrels have chewed through the rope dumping the feeder on the
ground. One even broke from this abuse.
Now I hang them using steel with hooks in the ends. The material for
one came from the frame of a lawn type political campaign sign. It
was just a simple steel U, with at least some coating to inhibit rust.
Easily bent to fit my needs.
Roy
>Can't shoot the little buggers, it's not in me to do that.
I used to work with a fellow who had a squirrel problem. Seems he
had a big old house and the squirrels were getting in the attic and
generally making a nuisance of themselves.
After a few false starts he decided the only way was to shoot the
little fellows. He got some twenty two shorts and his rifle and
sneaked up and did one in. Said he really felt bad about it but he
had to do something. Time passed and he continued his squirrel
control efforts but the squirrels became smarter and smarter and it
became a real challenge to bag one. After a while his gentle nature
was went by the wayside and he found he really enjoyed clobbering the
little buggers. Alas the killer instinct in him came to the fore and
his joy in life was mercilessly hunting down and dispatching the
little critters.
At the time I worked for a corporation who were downsizing and
cutting expenses. The general theme of all the meetings was to tell
us of the loss of more benefits and the addition of more
responsibilities. The managers were always careful to tell us how
they hated to do it but...
Our squirrel hunter one day related his experiences with his
squirrels and said that of course they hated to do it at first but,
after a while they really came to enjoy screwing the employees.
The analogy was quite appropriate and it came as no surprise to us
that the squirrel hunter was on the next list of employees who were
dispensible.
Which was probably a real bad idea. He'll be the one who shows up
to "dispatch" the guy who fired him.
8^)~~~~ Sue
~~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
********************************************************
ICQ 44667939 (http://www.icq.com/)
Visit me at http://eckhardt.net/suzanne/
Fayetteville, NC - http://fayettevillecommunity.com/
********************************************************