Went Back To Feeding The Chipmunks, Birds , Squirrels Etc. Wish Me Luck For No Rats Again!

[les26]

I posted on here last year how after feeding the above mentioned animals and more I had to pull the plug on it because we started to get rats who discovered it, probably from a food cooking place for Rodale 1/2 block away that was demolished, they probably had a good thing going there and when that came down they found our "buffet" and were starting to have babies and we couldn't have that, we have neighbors all around us and they would flip plus they would try to get into the garage and house and we couldn't have that so I pulled all the feeders last year, it broke my heart to do it as some of these creatures were here a long time but I was told by many "they'll be fine, they'll find food" and I'm sure that they did. But I started seeing a few chipmunks around, started putting scoops of black oil sunflower seed out and watched them fill up their jowls and race back to their hole and back again, so cute, and I even got to the point where if I see them and they hide I just shake the plastic cup with the seeds in and they come back out, I don't know if I trained them or they trained me or both lol! And I also found a small hanging bird feeder that has very small holes on the bottom so not much seed would fall through; my plan was to put that on a tree stump so they could eat out of it and then take it in if need be, but I decided to hang it in the Dogwood tree where the feeders had been for years, and sure enough within 2 days there are birds and of course the squirrel eating from it already! I am so happy to see some Doves there and eating, they are so gentle and innocent so I am glad they found it already, just really hoping that "Ratatouille" and his buddies have moved on and don't find it, if they do I'll sadly have to pull the plug on it again so we'll keep a watchful eye on things, wish me luck!!!

 

[susanm9006]

I sure do. I am also continuing feeding even though a Raccoon has been wandering through every night. I just love watching creatures at the feeding stations too.

 

[Mia6]

"Ratatouille" and his buddies

ha!!! Good Luck!!

 

[muffy]

Good luck to you and all of your critters. I was just thinking about you the other day. I also feed the animals and I am starting to get foxes and I found out yesterday that a bear cub was seen in my neighborhood. I am worried that my neighbors might start complaining.

 

[les26]

Good luck to you and all of your critters. I was just thinking about you the other day. I also feed the animals and I am starting to get foxes and I found out yesterday that a bear cub was seen in my neighborhood. I am worried that my neighbors might start complaining.

Wow, that's crazy stuff! A bear is almost as bad as rats I guess?!

Tonight I got home to see there already are 3 squirrels who have discovered this! I don't mind feeding them but they are pigs and will just sit and eat and eat and eat, so I guess some things never change....

Thanks for the well wishes and to you also, wow!!

 

[AbbysMom]

How are things going with the bird feeders?

 

[les26]

How are things going with the bird feeders?

Hi!

Thanks for asking! So far so good....I still am only using the hanging feeder with the very small holes in the bottom of it so not much falls on the ground in hopes that it doesn't attract the rats again and while some shells and seed do fall it is not much and I have not seen them so maybe they have moved on or got eliminated by the neighbors. The other day I thought about putting the "real" hanging feeders out like before but that would allow a lot to fall on the ground, so I am still seeing how this one does.

We have 3 Grackles that found it and hang around, 3 pigeons who found it and also 3 squirrels who are pigs and try to eat it all! But we also have some little Finches and Doves and Cardinals, it is only a fraction of what we used to get but we would like to keep the population down, like I said we were a "buffet" before and at times had 30-40 pigeons and they will eat you out of house and home! But so far, so good, thanks for asking!

 

[AbbysMom]

Good news! I hope it continues!

 

[les26]

I put out another feeder tonight, it is bigger but has a wooden "base" around it so it should catch some seed from falling, and I just looked out and the 3 little pigs a.k.a. the squirrels are eating out of the other one. I hope and have a feeling that with all this time passed that the rats would've moved on especially over the Winter, but we'll see!

 

[susanm9006]

If the squirrels get too aggressive with the feeders switch to golden safflower instead of sunflower seeds. The birds especially the little ones and cardinals love it and the squirrels don’t. Make sure it is golden, not regular safflower. The golden has a thinner shell and is easier for little birds to crack.

 

[les26]

If the squirrels get too aggressive with the feeders switch to golden safflower instead of sunflower seeds. The birds especially the little ones and cardinals love it and the squirrels don’t. Make sure it is golden, not regular safflower. The golden has a thinner shell and is easier for little birds to crack.

Thanks, I might just give that a try! I don't mind that they eat but they don't know when to stop lol!!!

 

[Graceful-Lily]

So, it's just the feeders? You don't actually hand feed them, right? Because I used to do that with a squirrel but she got too tame and it became an issue. I named her Juniper. She used to come into my house and walk around smelling stuff. She would follow me all around the yard and jump up for food all the time. I had to cut her supply.

 

[les26]

So, it's just the feeders? You don't actually hand feed them, right? Because I used to do that with a squirrel but she got too tame and it became an issue. I named her Juniper. She used to come into my house and walk around smelling stuff. She would follow me all around the yard and jump up for food all the time. I had to cut her supply.

No it's just the feeder, if we did that and one came into our house with 9 cats it would be a war zone lol!!!

 

[les26]

Yesterday the squirrels ripped one of the ropes holding the flat feeder up so I said "that's it, I'm putting the old church one back up" (looks like a church) which is supposed to be squirrel proof but they eventually figure it out, the food can fall on the ground if it has to, this makes my life easier. If I see you know who come back then I'll adjust, but I would think they would have come back by now, we'll see!

 

[les26]

I put a second feeder out, it has a bit of a base on it to help catch the seeds, and the somewhat larger birds can land on it once they figure it out.

So far so good!!!! We'll see!!!! But everyday there's one or two more pigeons, how they heck they are finding it this fast I don't know???

 

[les26]

No rats that we see or traces of them so far, but there are at times up to 10 pigeons, it started as 1 then to 3 then to 6, 8 and now 10 so they are onto it again and also at times up to 3 squirrels who will jump on the feeder with the side trays on and wipe it out so I may have to go back to using the two squirrel proof (yeah, right) ones that look like churches, we bought them years ago at Tractor Supply and they are sturdy and will slow the squirrels down. We know they all have to eat, we have no issues with that, but the squirrels just sit and eat and eat and eat so that has to be changed! But so far, so good, I think the rats moved on before the Winter and if the neighbors saw any they "eliminated" them, they didn't look the other way like we did, and I'm sure if they were around we would've seen them or the tracks in the grass from them and holes like before.

But we are getting the little Finches and Sparrows and Doves, Cardinals and Blue jays so it is fun to watch! We were sitting out back last Saturday watching them and I said to Deb "we're back in business!", I hope it stays this way!

 

[GaryT]

I stopped feeding the squirrels and birds until winter returns. I used to always have a feeder up until the local bear tore it down and broke it. Fed them fro years but now, I won't until the bears are hibernating.

 

[susanm9006]

One fun feeder that I put up this year is a squirrel proof peanut feeder. Nuthatches, woodpeckers and chickadees seem to love it the most but I have also seen birds I don’t recognize at it.

 

[Libby.]

When we lived in the townhouse, I had to feed the squirrels peanuts to keep them from eating my tulip bulbs.

 

[les26]

I see from my first post that it has been almost 3 months and the rats have not returned, I guess they all moved on and some were probably eliminated by people if they saw them. Like I said this was the first time in 30 years living here that we had issues with them so they must've come from right down the street when that food cooking place for Rodale was demolished.

No rats but many pigeons again and of course several squirrels but they have to eat too, but I only fill the feeders I don't throw any on the ground like I used to and the pigeons do a good job of cleaning the ground up from what the squirrel and other birds knock out. And some chipmunks and they are so cute! I take the cup with black oil sunflower seeds in and shake it so they hear it and call out "Chippy, where's my buddy?" and they usually come around, and I learned that they will let you know that they are out and ready for you to feed them by emitting a loud "shriek/whistle" noise, it's pretty cool!

That was quite the learning experience about rats!

 

[susanm9006]

I love chipmunks too. I used to have a few at my previous home but for fourteen years never saw one here. But this summer I have a pair showing up to stuff their cheeks with safflower.