Squirrel-Proof Tube Feeder
There’s a squirrel-proof bird feeder sold by Yardiac that is made by Audubon. It’s called the Squirrel-Proof Tube Feeder. It is very similar to many other bird feeders in that it has an ordinary tube feeder surrounded by a metal cage that the squirrel can’t chew through.
Some of its features are an improvement over other tube and cage feeders, but others are not.
First, the pros.
The cage surrounding the tube feeder is exceptionally wide. This means that even squirrels with long reaches cannot get to the seed.
The width of the cage also means that even if a squirrel is hanging upside down on the cage, he won’t be able to reach eat from the fallen seeds that are caught at the bottom of the feeder.
The feeder also keeps out bigger birds such as cardinals.
Now the cons.
The mesh openings are also exceptionally big. One reviewer reported that smaller squirrels were able to fit through the bars. In my backyard, this wouldn’t be a problem since all my squirrels are a little on the rotund side.
Here’s a big, big problem with the design. The halves of the feeder do not fit perfectly flush where they join. This means that there’s a bit of a gap. This may not seem like a big deal, but one reviewer reported that she went out to fill her feeder, only to find a dead little bird hanging. His foot had gotten caught in this gap and he couldn’t free himself.
This may have been a fluke that will never happen again. Other reviewers said this feeder worked beautifully for them. But with so many other squirrel-proof bird feeders on the market, why take a chance?
I wouldn’t recommend this one.
