# The Anti-Squirrel Ball---



## Brian Rupnow (Dec 24, 2013)

For something a little different---I like to have a hanging birdfeeder outside in the wintertime. Last year no matter what I tried, the squirrels always defeated me and ultimately got to the hanging ball of birdseed and eat it all. The squirrels I have are major league aerialists!!! I had purchased one of those acrilique half domes that mount on a pole planted in the ground to keep squirrels from climbing the pole and tried putting it on the suspended ball of birdseed, attached to the wire. The squirrel would run out the tree limb, jump down onto the half "ball", hook his hind feet in the knot at the top of the ball, hang down over the edge and swing back and forth until he was able to grab the ball of birdseed. This year I have glued two balls together. The top "eye" will attach to the tree limb with a wire. The birdseed ball will hang from the aluminum fixture at the bottom. I have waxed and polished the outside of the acrilique balls. We'll see what happens---


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## benjames (Dec 24, 2013)

Clever little buggers they are! I used to have one that stared at me when I was in the kitchen. He would sit about a metre away on the other side of an open window in summer. He would look at me eye to eye for ages when I was preparing breakfast and it was really weird and was kind of almost a 'connecting' moment with nature. I found out later that my wife would feed him and that's why he was there. lol 

 Good luck with your ball design, I admire your thinking and perseverance, hopefully it will pay off! If he manages to get it after all your hard work then your next project should be to make him a little ninja costume!

 Ben.


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## jwcnc1911 (Dec 24, 2013)

OMG!  So many good squirrel hating videos on YouTube.

Please, we need video.


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## Art K (Dec 24, 2013)

Brian,
I had to reply to this remembering the video my uncle showed me of the squirrel jumping on the roof of his feeder only to fall 6 feet to the ground. He hung a two liter soda bottle under a sheet metal roof ( suspended in the center ) hung about four feet down from a tree branch. The squirrels didn't try to climb down the rope but jumped down onto the roof which being held in the center about a foot above the feeder flipped down causing them to fall directly to the ground with a stunned look. Might work unless the Canadian squirrels are more accustomed to this treatment than those in Sawyer County. It didn't stop bears though so it was a seasonal fix.
Art


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## AussieJimG (Dec 25, 2013)

This should be worth a bag of popcorn

Jim


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## Generatorgus (Dec 25, 2013)

I use an electric fence charger, it's really effective, also I get a good laugh to see a squirrel doing a back flip off of the feeder.  Doesn't seem to hurt the little critters, but they learn quick to stay clear. Effective on deer and bears as well.  Chippies can sometimes get in under the radar, but enough of them have felt the sting and passed the word along. 
You have to set it up to avoid shocking the birds your hosting.  Also have to remember to shut it off before filling the feeder.
I used to have problems with bears on my bee hives.

GUS


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## Gordon (Dec 25, 2013)

One of the funniest things that I tried was when I had the feeder on a shepherds hook and they would climb up the pole. I sprayed the pole with silicone spray and they would make it about 3/4 of the way up and then slide back down. Only lasted for a day before it wore off but it was funny while they tried again and again.


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## crueby (Dec 25, 2013)

How bout a steam powered vacuum cleaner that sucks them up and shoots them into the nieghbors yard??


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## Admin (Dec 26, 2013)

Get video what ever you do!


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## Brian Rupnow (Dec 26, 2013)

The grey squirrel showed up today. He's not much of an aerialist though. He climbed the tree, ran out the limb, looked down at the globe, shook his tail in anger a couple of times and went back down the tree. I'm waiting for the black squirrels to show up. That will be a whole different story!!!


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## gld (Dec 20, 2014)

Hi Brian

Here is one man's solution:

http://safeshare.tv/w/NOZOjdApvG


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## Swifty (Dec 21, 2014)

gld said:


> Hi Brian
> 
> Here is one man's solution:
> 
> http://safeshare.tv/w/NOZOjdApvG



He was certainly persistent, all to no avail, good for a laugh. They look so cute to us here in Australia, although they must be a pest like our possums.

Paul.


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## purpleknif (Dec 21, 2014)

First, you gotta realize that squirrels ain't nothin' but rats with bushy tails. Best result I've had is putting cayenne pepper in the seed. Apparently the birds can't taste it but the squirrels hate it . Pretty soon they figure it out and leave things alone.


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## Cogsy (Dec 21, 2014)

Rats with bushy tails? How cute! I accidentally purchased an adult male rat and cage at an auction about 10 years ago. Turned out to be the best pet I ever had - smart, clean, affectionate, trainable. The only problem with them is they only live for about 2 years. If you've never had a rat as a pet you're missing out!

I do like odd pets though, I even had a kangaroo when I was a lad.


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## bmac2 (Dec 21, 2014)

Weird but I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ve ever seen a rat. Alberta is one on the few places in the world that&#8217;s rat free. I saw something I thought may have been a rat once on vacation but I&#8217;m not sure.


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## Paulsv (Dec 22, 2014)

There was a show in England where people would build obstacle courses for squirrels.  The would build an obstacle, and once the squirrels learned that obstacle, they would build another obstacle leading to the first one, and so on, until they had something like this:

http://www.maniacworld.com/squirrel-obstacle-course.html

 Seems to me that that would be a lot more entertaining than just feeding birds!


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## crueby (Dec 22, 2014)

Paulsv said:


> There was a show in England where people would build obstacle courses for squirrels.  The would build an obstacle, and once the squirrels learned that obstacle, they would build another obstacle leading to the first one, and so on, until they had something like this:
> 
> http://www.maniacworld.com/squirrel-obstacle-course.html
> 
> Seems to me that that would be a lot more entertaining than just feeding birds!



The squirrels are a lot more trainable than the politicians too...


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## bazmak (Dec 22, 2014)

Youve hit the nail on the head paulsv.Maybe its coz im a pom but i love the little critters.Its more entertaining than going to the movies.I remember years ago when my wife was in hospital,one used to come up to the low level window and keep her happy waiting for visiting time.When i arrived i would drop a grape out the critter would carefully peel it before eating it.Great to watch but do not touch or let them indoors.I love the obstacle course on Utube to mission impossible


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## ddmckee54 (Dec 24, 2014)

A couple of years ago I planted several varieties of tomatoes in hanging planters on my deck.  I had a couple types of heirloom tomatoes, a variety of beefsteak and a yellow pear tomato plant.  As the tomatoes started to ripen I started finding the remnents of tomatoes laying on the rail of the deck.  The stinking squirrels would pick the tomato before it was fully ripe then sit on the railing and eat the tomato, all except for a little bit of the stem end which they would leave on the railing.  The only tomatoes that I got that summer were the yellow pear tomatoes, the next year that was the only variety I planted. 

Don


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