If you are reading this article, chances are that you have a bird feeder in your backyard and raccoons living nearby. The number one question I get from people is how to keep these pesky critters off their feeders? There are many ways to prevent them from getting at your seed, here we will go over 13 of the most effective methods!
How to Keep Raccoons out of Bird Feeders: 13 Provent Tips Tricks!
I have been hearing a lot about how raccoons are ruining bird feeders. I wanted to share with you 13 tips and tricks that will help keep those pesky critters away from your feeders.
Tip 1: Use a motion-activated sprinkler system, like Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler System, to deter raccoons. It sprays water when it detects motion in the area and scares them off!
Tip 2: Place your feeding station high enough so that they cannot reach it – for example on top of a tree or pole. This way they won’t be able to get up there themselves either!
Tip 3: Plant thorny bushes near your feeder to make climbing impossible without getting scratched.
Tip 4: To keep unwanted guests away from your bird feeder, you can wrap the smooth metal around the pole. This way raccoons will not be able to climb up and get into it!
Tip 5: Feeders are a prime target for raccoons, but you can turn the tables on them with just one simple trick. Put some dried red chili pepper flakes around your feeder and they’ll avoid it like a plague! This is because these animals have sensitive noses that will be overwhelmed by the smell of hot peppers from far away. Sprinkle chili pepper flakes on the ground around your feeders to keep raccoons away. They’ll steer clear from it like a plague, just be careful not to get any in their eyes!
Tip 6: Use bird feeders that raccoons can’t use! Most bird feeders are designed for birds. However, some of them can be used by raccoons as well! To prevent this from happening, purchase a squirrel-proof bird feeder.
Tip 7: Raccoons are the bane of birders everywhere. They can be sneaky, and they have no qualms about raiding your feeder for a quick snack! To protect against these varmints, it’s important to make sure you’re taking steps to secure them. The best way is by insulating with wire mesh that will keep raccoons out while also letting birds in – or even better yet: buy one of those plastic cages that cover their entire feeder so nothing can get inside!
Insulate your bird feeds by placing them deep in trash cans or positioning wire mesh over them – this should foil any hungry critters from reaching the seeds without an invitation.
Tip 8: If you want to prevent raccoons from accessing your bird feeders, there are several things you can do. One option is placing a reflective surface at the base of the feeder. The light will attract bugs and birds, but it’ll be so bright that it’ll be difficult for a raccoon to see the feeder. Additionally, you can buy reflective tape and wrap it around your pole feeding system so the light will reflect from below up onto the seed surface.
Tip 9: Feed raccoons separately to keep them away from your feeder. Squirrels are always stealing the food off your feeder, but raccoons can be an even bigger problem! At first, they might just come to eat a few seeds here and there.
But then what happens?
Soon you’ll find them hanging out all day at your feeder because it’s so easy for them to get free meal after free meal with no effort whatsoever! It doesn’t take long before these pests have eaten every last seed in sight. Leaving nothing left for any bird who is actually trying its best as opposed to those lazy critters. They refuse to expend any energy climbing trees or using tools like other animals do when they need something desperately enough. Feeding raccoons separately will prevent this from happening altogether by limiting how much food is available to them.
This way, they won’t be able to eat all the seeds and you will still have food for the birds who don’t want to risk their lives climbing a tree just so they can get some extra grub!
Tip 10: Raccoon-resistant bird feeders – Stop raccoons from attacking your bird feeders and protect them with a new line of heavy-duty, durable Raccoon-resistant Bird Feeders. These have been designed to hang below eye level so that the animals can’t reach it without dropping whatever they’re holding on their paws. They also come equipped with features such as clamping mechanisms which make these really hard for any type of tipping over when fending off an attack because they are too sturdy!
The good news is there’s even more security in knowing that you’ll be able to set time limits on how long this animal will stay trying to get into it; once enough attempts happen, the food becomes inaccessible indefinitely until reset by humans only (in case some forgetful person forgets to lock the feeder).
In addition, these Feeders are also raccoon-resistant because they are made of a material that is difficult for an animal to bite through. So even if you have other types of animals that may like bird food too (such as squirrels or chipmunks), this will be worth it and work great!
Tip 11: Place tin foil on top of your bird feeders so there aren’t any drips left behind after being filled with seeds. These will cause all sorts of problems for visitors trying to eat from it later down the line.
Tip 12 Trap the raccoons and release them if you can not stop them from eating your bird feeder – You can do this by placing a live trap and baiting with something that the raccoons are attracted to. You will have to be very patient in waiting for it to work but if they don’t eat then you’ll need to set up another one until it does. You can learn more details about how to catch raccoons from this post.
Tip 13: And last but not least, you can purchase a raccoon guard for your feeder! These are metal wire loops that attach around the pole and will keep those pesky critters from being able to reach it easily.
Summary of tips about how To Keep Raccoons out OFF Bird Feeders!
Be creative! Use what you have to make your feeding station hard for raccoons to climb up or reach – such as taping bags of flour at varying heights around the pole, use slanted poles rather than straight ones, wrap them in wire mesh, etc. You can also place mothballs near the feeder where animals are not likely to go if that is an issue.
About The Author:
Lake Streeter, A Gun enthusiast, and loves to hunt in the middle of the wood. Always check the latest hunting gears out in the market and try to share his honest opinion with the audience in Tarheel3Gun.