Chipmunks and birdfeeders

Hi
Last fall when I first moved to this apartment, I bought myself a little bird feeder and a hook to hang it from. That worked ok during the winter, eventually getting some chickadees. In the early spring though, a crow decided to eat from it and shattered the plastic from one of the holes....so then I got a little chipmunk friend.
I thought he was cute, so when I got my new feeder I got one that he could access. That one was poorly made and I took it back when he went flying off the side (not part of the design). I got another one, which he promptly dug through and emptied in 24 hours (that's 5lbs of seed!). SOO yesterday I got a new one with less access. It appears that he has found it once again and once again has figured out how to dig the seeds he doesn't want out. My seed is already about 1/3 empty since filling it this morning.
So I need a solution....I've never had a bird feeder before and would like to continue having one.
Should I feed him separately on the floor, or anyone have any recommendations for a good style of feeder to keep him away? Maybe I should go to a hummingbird feeder....
Arg. Why does he need to be so cute!?!

I have the same problems with squirrels robbing my feeders, which hang off my porch, and plus the seed I put on the outside of the windowsill. I've never found a solution.

I prefer the birds, but the cats enjoy watching either, so I've given up, pretty much.

Yeah, I don't even mind it, except that he digs through to get to the good stuff and my seed empties over the course of a day.
I wonder where he's stashing all this.

Currently s/he's probably feeding a family. That's why bird feeders are robbed by the little critters more at this season than the remainder of the year. I don't fill the feeders all the way during this time of year for that reason.

You might try adding a suet cake, they seem to prefer those :










oh wait, it's chipmunks you are dealing with. You can try throwing seed on the ground for them and see if it helps.

adorable pics!
Yeah, i thought about getting a bunch of peanuts and sunflower seeds and throwing them in a pie tin for her.

Otto, love those photos!
Yeah, squirrels and chipmunks are very determined little critters. I would love a chipmunk to come visit me, but we just get squirrels. I can't complaing at all as I deliberately feed them in the winter, and I wouldn't mind their visits at all if they just didn't take so much. And they do spill the seed everywhere, not to mention pooping in my flowers and digging up seedlings sometimes.
I would second the suet cake idea, also nuts and corn they really go for. I figure if you make the birdfeeder hard to get to and have easier food out then he would likely go for that instead.

Originally Posted by Sylorna

adorable pics!
Yeah, i thought about getting a bunch of peanuts and sunflower seeds and throwing them in a pie tin for her.

Click to expand...

Well, I know a fair bit about chipmunks from living in the Catskills. Putting peanuts and sunflower seeds - well you will most likely attract squirels and jays but if you want either not a bad idea.

Most likely the chipmunk is coming down whatever you have hung your feeder on. They make squirrel baffles, round domes, that you hang above the feeder and the critters cannot get down to the feeder. Also, buy a good quality feeder with thicker plastic. Harder to chew through. Yankee something is the best.

I take it your kitties are indoor kitties. The cat we had in the Catskills years ago was indoor/outdoor and a huntress. She pretty much got rid of the chipmunk population. Don't recommend that solution.

Funny story: At the same time as the huntress cat was living, my Aunt and Uncle's family had a dog as well. He was not a hunter. One day, the cat chased a chipmunk into the storm gutter, down the chipmunk went and right into the mouth of the dog who was barking at the gutter. Boy, was Tober happy! I am not sure who was more surprised, me or the dog. Anyway, I figured that the chipmunk was not a candidate for a survival of the fittest award.

Where there is one chipmunk there will soon be more.

Originally Posted by otto

Currently s/he's probably feeding a family. That's why bird feeders are robbed by the little critters more at this season than the remainder of the year. I don't fill the feeders all the way during this time of year for that reason.

You might try adding a suet cake, they seem to prefer those

:










oh wait, it's chipmunks you are dealing with. You can try throwing seed on the ground for them and see if it helps.

Click to expand...

Boy don't I know this scenario! I have been putting out safflower seeds. The squirrels don't really like them - they are bitter, but the finches and cardinals will eat it. I also use a suet box but put seed cakes in there. I have to take it down every night because the resident fatty-fat-fat-pain-in-the-butt raccoon eats an entire block of seed in one sitting! Over two lbs!!! Sheesh. And they ain't cheap.

well, I got a tube style feeder with metal openings so the big birds wont peck through this time...and some peanuts/sunflower seeds. I gave him a handful of each and he put it ALL in his cheeks at one time!!!! Didn't look at the new feeder though, and then I had a finch visit
hope it keeps on working.

Wow that is not too unlike my situation. I found to my delight that my little cat adores watching a chipmunk through our patio door. I figure any distraction to his health problems is a great investment. While we do get some squirrels and the occasional bird its the chipmunk that is at least two hours of entertainment a day. Why is that? Chipmunks are greedy by nature I learned! They stuff their mouths with food and storage them in elaborate underground mazes while the squirrels I see just take one and eat it right away. He gets 98 percent of everything I drop and I think he found a girlfriend as I see two now. I guess its good to know that all my expensive feed has made him quite the player with the ladies.