Using Soda Bottles to Squirrel-Proof Your Hanging Feeder

There are creative ways to keep squirrels out of your bird feeders without purchasing a squirrel-proof bird feeder or squirrel baffle. If you have a hanging feeder, you can utilize one inexpensive method which involves empty 2-liter soda bottles.

Since the average gray squirrel can jump 3 to 4 feet straight up and can leap horizontally a whopping 10 to 12 feet, the first thing you need to do is find a place to suspend the feeder that is at least 5 feet off the ground and 12 feet away from the nearest tree trunk, deck railing, hammock stand, etc. If you have a large yard, a wire or fishing line strung between two tree trunks might do the trick.

Even though this may put your bird feeder out of launching range, a squirrel can still walk along the wire and climb down. That’s where the soda bottles come in. Poke a hole in the bottoms and thread the line through them, two bottles on each side of the feeder. When the squirrel tries to walk across them, they rotate, dumping him to the ground.

A friend of mine has had great success with this method: