so the birds eat at the feeder, good they eat the bugs in my garden. but so do the squirrels who eat my bulbs. so has anybody out there hooked a 110 line up to thier bird feeder?
my hubby and i are both electricians but he doesnt think it will do enough. i think it will kill 'em. what do you think?
2006-07-24 06:34:06 · 6 answers · asked by miss angel 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
killing them would be just fine, and electricution is very quick and effective and placing the bird feeder on a pole wont solve my bulb issue.
2006-07-24 06:41:27 · update #1
and i am in the suburbs so shotgun is out of the question thanks guys... i have been quietly shooting them with paintballs to give them the hint for the day... it's a shame it only works for a little while... btw paintballs are great for keeping the hawks away from baby birds too!
2006-07-24 12:04:10 · update #2
first off, know that any small increase in energy allows a small mammal to become the alpha critter in a population. if you choose one squirrel and feed him high energy food (like leftover potatoes, stale bread, even cookies!) he will dominate your yard area and keep all the other squirrels away from his food supply. this strategy has worked well for 20 years where i live. killing a squirrel is not the solution. we have a saying here...''kill a squirrel and 6 show up for the funeral.'' ie- as soon as the squirrel dies, all the other squirrels know that territory is empty and they will move in. there are always more squirrels than available food supplies, so the alpha squirrel approach to management is really the only solution. squirrels are easily trained to look for food at certian times and places.
as for your bulbs, good luck...place food on or in the ground and something is going to show up and eat it!
2006-07-24 06:49:43 · answer #1 · answered by the prof 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why not just place the bird feeder atop a metal pole? Squirrels apparently cannot climb metal because they cannot sink their claws into it.
**edit**
Electric fences made to hold in cattle usually run at normal line voltage. But obviously these fences do not kill large animals, or else they wouldn't be used. Will it kill squrrels? I never saw any dead ones laying around, so I guessing probably not.
But I don't think that it will keep the squirrels out, because they will simply find a way over it.
2006-07-24 06:38:47 · answer #2 · answered by Randy G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with Jeffrey S. . . the shotgun works for me. Squirrels are very destructive. They are rodents, just cute rats with fluffy tails, and need to chew on stuff all the time because their teeth never stop growing and need to be worn down. They have chewed on our house, the tools in our barn, they took out our telephone line, and they eat the bird seed as well as bird eggs and baby birds. And they can, too, climb metal poles. Even if you grease them.
Shooting is not barbaric if you are a good shot.
2006-07-24 07:33:01 · answer #3 · answered by dig4words 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree - that's absolutely inhumane. Use a metal pole and locate the bird feeder away from a jumping source - squirrels can jump from tree branches, roof tops, utility lines, etc. You have absolutely no reason to electrocute squirrels just because they're eating your bulbs. Life, as tiny and insignificant as you appear to believe a squirrels is, has meaning and purpose, just as yours does.
2006-07-24 06:45:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Electrocution barbaric and inhumane? Have you considered the tried and true method...shotgun?
2006-07-24 06:50:08 · answer #5 · answered by Jeffrey S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you trying to kill them? That is barbaric and inhumane.
2006-07-24 06:38:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋