* Please note - This page is written by WBU of Springfield, Illinois. We are locally owned and operated. We specialize in local, personal service, so encourage you to stop in so we can discuss the specifics of your yard and help you choose the best options for your situation. If you live out of the area, you can also find some of our products in our MyWBU online store.




 

 

 

 

Stopping the Masked Bandits

Have you ever stepped outside in the morning and found your bird feeder laying on the ground, perhaps with a squirrel sitting there eating the spilled seed? Or maybe the feeder is still hanging, but the lid is broken or the perches are missing?
Well, rarely is that squirrel to blame for this sort of mischief. Squirrels may chew on feeders (characterized by the pairs of scrape marks left behind from the gnawing of two front teeth), but they don't have the strength or dexterity required to actually lift large feeders or to pull them apart. Rather, this is more likely the work of the overnight shift, the raccoons, and the squirrel is just taking advantage of the issue.

Raccoon damage can occur any time of year, but peaks in late spring and summer, with more frequent and severe assaults on feeders. This is largely due to the fact that most female raccoons will have babies who are getting bigger by the day. She must find more food to keep up and your feeder is a pretty nice buffet for her. Most raccoons have a sweet tooth, so even fruit, jelly, or nectar feeders are at risk. Soon enough those babies will leave the den and will follow their moms to the feeders.

To save your feeders and economize your birdseed budget, you have several options:

1. Bring Feeders in Each Night.
Since raccoons are primarily nocturnal, locking feeders in a secure garage or shed before it gets dark each night will deny them access. Of course, this is a bit tedious or may not fit your schedule, so may not work for everyone.

2. Lock 'em Down and Ration Food.
WBU stocks devices to help keep feeders from being knocked to the ground or dragged away. Solution Clips fit over the end of shepherds hooks to stop raccoons from lifting feeders off the hook. We also have hanging arms that can be screwed securely to a tree or wooden fence which can also be fitted with Solution Clips.
Once your feeders are secure, pay close attention to how much seed or suet your birds actually eat each day, then begin rationing out just enough food each morning so the feeders will all be empty before dark. If there is no food to be had at dusk, some raccoons may lose interest, but this is not to say they may not damage feeders trying to see where the food might have gone. We consider this a short-term solution.

3. Pole Baffle Them! - THE BEST OPTION

Adding a steel raccoon baffle to your feeder pole is the most effective way to stop raccoons. Squirrel baffles won't do the job. Raccoon baffles are much larger. If you are using our modular Advanced Pole System (photo at right), one baffle can protect many feeders at the same time.

We stock raccoon baffles for poles in three diameters, each 24" tall.
GOOD: 6" diameter baffle. Typically successful when used on bird HOUSE poles, where there isn't a strong scent of food and raccoons may not give their full effort to overcome. Not recommended for keeping raccoons off bird FEEDERS, though it does work to keep squirrels off.
BETTER: 8" diameter baffle. This medium sized raccoon baffle may work to keep many raccoons off feeders, but the largest of raccoons may learn to "bear hug" the baffle and shimmy over it.
BEST: 10" diameter baffle. This has proven to be the most successful against all sizes of raccoons and is the model we strongly recommend.

*Proper placement of baffles is important. If you are combating both squirrels and raccoons, we recommend the top of the baffle be at least 5" above the ground and that no feeder hangs lower than the top. The pole itself should be 10' from any object (tree, fence, etc.) from which critters could jump from. Raccoons are expert climbers, but not as athletic of jumpers as squirrels, so if raccoons are the only issue, you could possibly get away with 4' above the ground and 5-6' away from other objects.

Overhead Baffles

If you have a smaller feeder hanging in a tree, a large, 18" diameter overhead dome-style baffle may help, especially if the baffle is hanging from a hook at least 2-3 feet long. A baffle hanging directly from the tree limb may simply be lifted off by the raccoons, but by using a long hook, most raccoons will follow their nose down the hook to the baffle, and get frustrated at that point. This is not foolproof, but does work for many people. 

See our poles and baffles online. Free shipping on orders over $75 to most locations in downstate Illinois.

4. Give 'em some heat!

Use hot pepper bird foods. Birds lack the heat receptors in their taste buds that mammals have, so are not affected by the hot pepper, yet most raccoons take one bite and don't come back. We stock Fiery Feast Seed Blend, plus Hot Pepper Suet Cakes, Hot Pepper Suet Cylinders, Hot Pepper Seed & Nut Cylinders, and Hot Pepper Bark Butter products.

*Note - We do not recommend loose pepper powders be mixed into seed blends. They are not as effective because they don't adhere to the seed. This resulting weak pepper can actually train critters to tolerate heat. The type and amount of pepper bound into WBU brand seed, suet, and cylinders is at a scientifically proven heat level. 

See our hot pepper items online. Free shipping on orders over $75 to most locations in downstate Illinois.

5. Use a Raccoon-Proof Feeder 

There are few feeders that are in themselves truly raccoon proof (i.e. ones the critters can't eat from or destroy), but we have one, the Heavy Duty Suet Feeder (nicknamed "The BEAST") which has proven its merit. At first glance, it looks like a typical suet cage, but it's not. Stop by and we'll show you how it works.

We also have one model of squirrel-proof feeder that holds its own against the raccoons, provided it is hung with a few specific recommendations. Again, stop by and we'll go over the details.

Available online. Free shipping on orders over $75 to most locations in downstate Illinois.

 

This photo shows the durability of the raccoon-proof Heavy Duty Suet Feeder, as a semi-truck rolls over it with no damage.

Note: In the State of Illinois, Raccoons cannot legally be trapped and relocated. See this article for more info.

* Please note - This page is written by WBU of Springfield, Illinois. We are locally owned and operated. We specialize in local, personal service, so encourage you to stop in so we can discuss the specifics of your yard and help you choose the best options for your situation. If you live out of the area, you can also find some of our products in our MyWBU online store.