Man vs Squirrel

Amazon lists 343 items as squirrel proof feeders. These products are mislabeled. The proper term is squirrel entertainment feeders. I have tried every type of feeder, baffle and deterrent and in each case Mr. Squirrel always wins.

I found a "squirrel proof" feeder at the New Ipswich Green Center.  It has a spring loaded perch which closes the seed ports when a large animal steps on it.

A lightweight small red squirrel had no problem chowing down at the feeder.

The gray squirrel used brute force to push up the cover and crawl inside. I attempted to make that more difficult by add clips to the support wire but in this case, the squirrel succeeded.

I found a "bird cage" type feeder at the Green Center which has proved to be somewhat squirrel proof.  It has been tested thoroughly by our forest friends.

However it was a different story for the Red Squirrel.

This "squirrel proof" feeder also came from the Green Center and was quite effective. The weight of the animal closed the seed ports. Mr. Squirrel found if he hung upside down he could grab some seed. Later he lifted it and dropped to the ground breaking off some of the metal perches.