Homemade Squirrel/Bird Feeders

[Christi]

We're all moved - lots to unpack - but LOVE the new place. We have a small yard and Ryland is LOVING how many squirrels are around. We're totally broke so I've been looking for ways to make a homemade feeder to hang from our pine tree. Here are a few I found - I'd appreciate any details or ideas - most of the links I have found are about squirrel-proofing your bird feeder but I want to attract squirrels. LOL Oh, and where's the best place to get bird/squirrel food?

http://ut.essortment.com/homemadebirdfe_rtbv.htm
http://www.diynet.com/diy/cr_garden_...275857,00.html (I'm not going this far.. LOL)

[crzy4piggers]

Okay this is how I get around feeding the birds and squirrels. The feeder is squirrrel proof so the birds can get some feed. The round feed bucket is the squirrel feeder. I have drilled holes in the bottom so water runs through. At the moment it is empty, but the seed is on the ground too so I am not worried.



This is the squirrel and bunny bucket. You can see the seed on the ground.



Here is the squirrel house I made for the winters here. It is new and at the moment it is housing some variety of black bird. Will have to clean it out this fall.

[Christi]

Great!! Now, what do you buy to feed them and where do you get it.

(And are we really the only ones here who want to feed the birds and squirrels? LOL)

[capnsweets]

No, I have been wanting one for bunnies and birds, but just haven't gotten around to it yet!

[crzy4piggers]

Well the squirrels really like the unsalted peanuts, and the sunflowers from the deluxe wild bird food I get. No special brand just has to have sunflower seeds in it to make everyone happy.

So in the bird feeder goes the plain deluxe seed and in the squirrel feeder goes the deluxe seed and unsalted peanuts. Happy critters in my yard.

[Christi]

Thanks. I think I'm going to try to make one out of a 2-liter bottle. The articles also said birds love fruit - so I'm gonna throw some in there til I get seed. I'll post pics when I'm done!

[Crittercall]

Lots of people have always thought I'm crazy for feeding squirrels and my Mom goes absolutely beserk when she sees them in her back yard. I assumed I like them since I had raised so many from tiny babies - Erin's long blonde hair makes a wonderful nest for a squirrel who doesn't have his eyes open yet!!

I think I mentioned that I have a tall stump from an old tree in my back yard. I use an old cake pan with some nails around it to secure it and the required nail holes at the bottom for drainage. I have more pigeons around here than other song birds, and they are ground feeders, so they usually eat whatever the squirrels throw away.

Call me one day and we'll go Salvation Army shopping for things that could be used to feed them. Together I think we could come up with enough imaginative things that would work!!

I buy squirrel food at PetSmart; they also have the dried corn on a cob that the squirrels just love. It's pretty cheap. I keep it in the house in a big plastic container that will seal - usually in the spare refrigerator. Keeps the moths from hatching!!

I have seen bird food with red peppers in it to keep the squirrels out of it and argued with a man at a vet conference over a battery operated bird feeder that shocked the squirrels. I think we all should get a chance to eat!!

Where is your new home? I missed that somewhere.......

[Christi]

We're now in Casselberry, right down the road from you.

[Purplebunny]

I have a family of 4 squirrels who visit my garden every day.. I feed them unsalted peanuts which are shelled.. I used to give them nuts in the shell, but they made too much mess..
Here is a picture of one of them...

[Crazy Chin Lady]

I know this is an older thread, but I love feeding the squirrels!! I'd much rather feed the squirrels than the birds, simply because they're so entertaining to watch!!

They make food specifically for animals like squirrels, chipmunks, etc. We got the food at Wal-Mart for cheap. I like the stuff they had beforehand better, though. Purina makes a "squirrel chow" that has sunflower seeds, corn, pumpkin, and other stuff mixed in. Was expensive, but they liked it. I also have a corn cob feeder as well.

[possummomca]

I make coconut houses for my sugar gliders and change them out every so often . When they come out of the cages I fill them with the squirrel mixes and hang them in the tree for my yard squirrels. The coconut is well rough enough that they just jump to it and eat to their hearts content In the summer when it is drier I put out a couple of the monkey biscuits or primate biscuits for them too , and the occasional rodent block
Barb

[lixx]

The cheaper the bird seed the more corn & fillers in it, therefore the more waste. The more expensive brands will be double screened (so less chaf and waste and dust), seeds will be whole and not ground, and you can even get de-shelled varieties which wil prevent them from germinating. You will get a higher percentage of seeds and/or fruit and nuts with good nutitional value that the birds will actually eat all of, not crap they will shove out the way to get at the stuff they want. They may cost more, but you get more 'food' in the bag. As for the squirrels, it is recomended that you have a seperate feeder for them or they will destroy the other feeder and scare most of the birds away. They prefer larger grains and will take the corn cobs too.
Birds have great memory and some, like finches are territorial. Once they find a great place they will stay there. Remember to keep the feeder filled YEAR ROUND. Many people think they just have to feed in the late fall/winter, but the best time to attract them is in spring and then keep filling to keep them. Some high quality mixes will also adjust the contents seasonally so the birds get what they need. Be sure to get an airtight container to store extra seed away from heat. All seed has pantry moth eggs in it. Keep the seed fresh and always rotating and you won't have a problem. Seed 'expires' too. Be sure to look at mill dates. After 90days, it's not worth buying. Buying huge quantities is not recomended unless you are actually going through it reasonably quick. The company that was my last supplier was working on a kind of 'pasturization' process to kill the eggs, but I believe that is not yet inplemented yet. I know of no other companies here that do it, though perhaps in the states there are.
Hope that helped a little!

[ninja_smurtles]

Squirrels love hazel nuts.
We used to feed them in England with that