We Used A Cheap Baffle From Amazon To Keep Squirrels Off Our Bird Feeders And We Aren't Terribly Impressed
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We have a love/hate relationship with squirrels. Their frisky hijinks make us laugh, and their constant presence in our yard keeps the cats entertained. They also steal our tomatoes and tear up our bird feeders to get to the seeds inside. Now, we are kind and benevolent gardeners, offering the squirrels their own food, but they are greedy creatures. Apparently, it's not enough to be surrounded by pecan and walnut trees or get fed at a mini-picnic table. They also want the bird's sunflower seeds.
Baffles are supposed to help protect bird feeders from squirrels, so when we were shopping for a humane solution to deal with these food thieves, we decided to try the EasyGo Squirrel Baffle from Amazon ($18.99) to use with our existing bird feeding station. Although we have a squirrel-proof bird feeder, we also like to hang thistle socks and plants from our pole — all things those furry feinds damage. Our experience was ... a little baffling.
Expectations
After reading the description for this squirrel baffle, the installation seemed like it should be pretty simple. It's two rounded, angled pieces of metal that attach around the pole to keep squirrels from climbing up to our bird feeders. All we would need to do is put a piece of metal on each side of the pole and screw them together with the four included screws and nuts. We expected to spend about five minutes installing the baffle.
Naturally, since the purpose of this product is to keep squirrels from accessing feeders and other hanging items, we expected the baffle to create a reliable barrier. The instructions state that the baffle is supposed to be loose, so when a squirrel jumps on it, they slide back down. The product we chose came with two installation options. We could place it on our pole to keep squirrels from climbing up or on top of a hanging feeder. Frankly, watching this process, knowing that none of these critters were starving, seemed like a new source of entertainment.
What did not work
We chose this baffle because it was inexpensive, and the design seemed simple enough. We wanted to use it on our pole that has four hooks so this product could keep all those items protected. What seemed like a simple process turned into what felt like a wrestling match between us and the metal. We simply could not get the holes lined up while trying to install it around our pole. After twisting and pushing the two metal pieces and dropping the screws countless times while trying to hold everything in place, we had some choice words for this product. While we expected the squirrels to be confused, it was at this point that we were entirely baffled ourselves.
After trying to get the two pieces together around the pole, we decided to try its hanging design for a suet cake feeder. We finally got the baffle put together and discovered why it wouldn't work on our pole: the top hole was too small to fit around it! What was supposed to be loosely fitted around a pole was too tight to fit. We believe it really came down to getting what you pay for.
Changing plans
After a lot of sweat and some sore fingers, we shifted our focus to using this baffle for suet cakes. We love being able to attract interesting birds like woodpeckers by purchasing their preferred food. Some suet cakes come with nuts or fruit, but we have not been able to use them. Those rascally furballs would eat a whole cake in a day. We could only provide hot pepper cakes because squirrels won't touch them. Unfortunately, these cakes are more expensive and less attractive to a broad range of birds. We hoped using the baffle on top of a suet cake feeder meant that we could buy those special cakes without worrying about squirrels.
Even though the hole at the top of the baffle was too small to go around a pole, it fit loosely around the included hanging assembly. This piece has a large eye hook at the top to make it easy to hang and another inside to connect to your bird feeder. We hung the baffle on the tree with a bungee cord and used an S-hook to connect our suet cake feeder to the inside of the assembly.
Overall results
Although this specific baffle would not work with our pole, we are reluctant to try another. The included instructions state the item must be installed at least 5 feet above the ground. Even though our pole is over 7 feet tall, because of the location of the hooks and how far the feeders hang, that just wouldn't be possible. For this pole, we will just have to rely on squirrel-proof feeders.
We are happy that the baffle seems to be working for a suet cake holder. So far, no squirrels have breached the barrier to dig into our fruit-filled suet cakes. While it worked for a feeder, it did not work with either of the two feeders we already had. The inside eye hook is very short, so we had to purchase a feeder with a longer hanger to make it work. Ultimately, the process was much more frustrating than expected, and we had to spend more money on a new feeder, negating the savings of choosing a cheap baffle. We believe this arrangement will work well for many years, but we wouldn't do it again.