How to make a squirrel-proof bird feeder pole with a piece of PVC pipe.
I shared my $5 bird feeder pole way back in June so I thought it was time for an update and to answer some questions I've been getting. Really it's just one question, and that is..."have you had any problems with squirrels?"
The answer to that is...YES!
Oh, it took awhile for those sneaky little beasts to catch on but, once they did, there was no stopping them.
Now, I like squirrels and have nothing against them but they were eating all the bird seed faster than I could put it out.
I love having a bird feeder right by my dining room window so I had to come up with a solution.
The first, and most obvious solution was to use a baffle. We found a clear one at the home improvement store and put it on the pole. It took about a day for the squirrels to figure out how to get around it.
Solution #1 was a bust.
Solution #2 was to grease the pole. I tried coconut oil and WD-40 but neither one worked. Sure, they would slide down the pole a little bit but they quickly figured out how to jump over to the feeder.
Solution #2 was also a bust.
While we discussed our options, standing at the dining room window, we'd watch the squirrels watch us, watching them. Mocking us.
No sireee!
That was not going to do so we took another trip to the home improvement store to get a few supplies.
How do you squirrel proof a bird feeder pole?
The squirrels were jumping from the deck railing right to the feeder so our idea was to raise the feeder higher to get it out of their reach using a 1" PVC pipe.
Along with the baffle we were sure that this would do the trick.
Supplies
All we had to do was to take the original pole, which was ¾", out of the hole in the rail.
Then I drilled a bigger hole in the deck rail to fit the new 1" PVC pipe. I attached the PVC pipe to the bottom of the deck with wood screws.
Next I slid the original ¾" EMT pipe into the new 1" PVC pipe.
We figured out a good height for the feeder and the hubs drilled a hole through the original pole and the new pipe.
I slid a hitch pin in the holes to stop the original pole from sliding down.
So our $5 bird feeder pole ended up costing us about $32.
- $5 for the EMT pipe
- $4 for the PVC pipe
- $3 for the hitch pin
- $20 for the baffle
Ouch! Way more than I wanted to spend but well worth it. I love watching all the birds.
So how did Solution #3 work?
Like a charm!
I've given it about 6 weeks and all is well. The squirrels tried to climb it in the beginning but quickly figured out it was too high.
There's one good thing and one bad thing about this new set-up. The bad thing is that it's a little higher than I 'd like.
I can still see it from the sunroom but I can't see it as well from the dining room window. I have to squat down a little to be able to watch the birds. That's ok, it's good for the quads.
The good part of all of this, besides the fact that the squirrels leave it alone (and my quads are stronger), is that the feeder is easier to fill.
All I have to do is take the hitch pin out, spin the feeder over the deck and lower the EMT pipe into the PVC pipe. I can fill the feeder and then swing it back, raise the pipe and insert the pin.
Easy.
Hopefully this is it for our squirrel issues. Only time will tell.
Check out more bird feeder posts
DIY Bird Feeder Pole for Under $5
Update on a DIY Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder Pole
ColleenB.~Tx. says
Great solution.
One thing that you may want to try is put up a squirrel feeder (far away from your bird feeders) with ears of corn, along with other food that squirrels like to eat. If they are provided with their own food, they just may leave the bird feeders alone.
Kristi says
Great idea Colleen! We actually did try this but it didn't work. We finally found the perfect solution so everyone is happy...well, maybe not the squirrels. 😉 Thanks for sharing your suggestion.
Jude says
How do you refill the feeder?
Kristi says
I pull the pin out and drop the pipe into the PVC pipe. The feeder comes down so I can refill. When I'm done I put the pipe up and secure it with the pin. Hope that helps!
Ginger says
Well, is it still working, 2 years later? I'm also curious about how tall the 1" PVC pipe is off the deck rail. It doesn't look very tall and seems like the squirrels would be able to jump up to the 3/4" pole. Please share your measurements of height and length of the top cross piece. I'm working on planning such a contraption for our feeder. I just hope our squirrels don't eat the the PVC pipe! We had to replace our picnic table (from recycled plastic) because they started nibbling on it! Also, we keep our seed in a plastic cooler on our deck and they chew at that, too! Thanks for your post and any additional info you can share.
Carol Rodenbaugh says
LOL
I remember the battle of the wits with these squirrels in Macon. At the time it wasn't so funny but it is now. I believe the reason there are so many squirrels in this world is because Mother Nature gave them the wits to survive in spite of humans!!
Kristi says
I think you're right about squirrels. I had one in Illinois that would climb out of the tree when I came home and he would come and take a peanut out of my hand. They are certainly very smart.
MaryJean says
My battle with squirrels has gone on for several years now. This year I didn't even put the bird feeder out. I had too many projects on the inside of my house to contend with and in fact, I only prettied up the front of the house (because you can see it from the road) and haven't done anything in the back. It's impossible for one person to do everything around here. I had to pick and choose. At my age, even though I still think I'm 20.
Anyway, we have a woods full of pine and hickory nut trees so you would think they would be satisfied. No way, they want the bird seeds too! And we have some very fat, healthy squirrels! Next summer I will be working on the outside.
Congratulations on your success, even though it was more than you wanted to spend.
Kristi says
We are in the same boat, MJ. We have tons of oak trees but the still want the bird seed. I think we've stopped them for now. Hopefully it's for good.
Our outside is a mess too. We've hardly done anything in the two years we've been here (and it needs it...bad). Next year will be dedicated to outside (unless I find another fun project for us ;)).
Thanks for stopping by. Hope you are well.
Marlene Stephenson says
Squirrels are so cute but they can be such little devils when it comes to feeders. They are very smart and you know that cannot be their only supply of food. You found a way to out smart them good for you. I bought a feeder that they can't get into but, they do try. Have a great day.
Kristi says
I'm hoping that we outsmarted them, Marlene. So far, so good. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by and reading.