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How to Keep Raccoons Away from Bird Feeders?

how to keep raccoons away from bird feeders

Raccoons are famous for eating any scrap of food that they can find in garbage cans, so just imagine what they will do to a bird feeder once they know what it contains. If you want to keep enjoying watching little birds partake of the birdseed you put out, you need to know how to keep raccoons away from bird feeders.

It is often not enough to just hang the bird feeder. Raccoons are great climbers and they have no qualms about pulling it down once they grab it. These are crafty animals and outwitting them can be a bit tricky. However, there are ways that you can use against them. Here are a couple of methods that you can try.

Step-by-Step Guide

Method 01: Hang the Bird Feeder High

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Do raccoons eat birdseed? Yes, raccoons eat bird seed among other things. Although raccoons are great climbers, they need to have good handholds, but what if they don’t have them?

What to prepare:

  • A hanging bird feeder – 6’ long and no more than ½” in diameter
  • A rubber mallet or a hammer

Detailed steps:

Step 1: Purchase a hanging bird feeder. Make sure that the bird feeder comes with a pole that is at least 6’ long. This will allow you to bury the pole deep enough to keep it out of reach of raccoons and other ground critters.

Step 2: Stick the pole into the ground. Pick a spot in your garden and hammer the pole into the ground. You should bury it at least a foot into the ground to keep the pole secure. Stake the pole somewhere where the ground is a bit firm to keep it from toppling over.

Step 3: Fill in the bird feeder and hang it up. Now that the pole is ready, you can fill the bird feeder with your choice of birdseed and hang it up on the pole. Make sure that the pole is not crooked or slanted on one side. If you think that it is not secure, stick a couple of thick wooden dowels around the base. This will compact the ground, letting it hold the pole in place.

The pole should be thick enough to hold the weight of the bird feeder, but it should also be thin enough that raccoons will not be able to hold on to it tightly enough to climb.

Method 02: Install a Baffle on the Pole

What to prepare:

  • Wrap-around baffles – Shop for a baffle that can fit around the pole of your bird feeder.
  • Basic tools – You will be using a hammer, some nails, and maybe a screwdriver, depending on the instructions for installing the baffle.

Detailed steps:

Step 1: Buy the right baffle. There are different kinds of baffles available with each one being made of different materials as well. The plastic baffles may be cheaper, but you should buy the ones made from galvanized iron sheets. These will be exposed to the elements and these are the ones that will be able to last much longer.

Step 2: Install the baffles. The top of the baffle should be at least 4 feet above the ground to keep the raccoons from jumping up and over the baffles. With that said, the bird feeder should be high enough off the ground to keep the birds from perching on the baffles.

Step 3: Refill the bird feeder. Clean up any bird seed that fell around the post of the bird feeder, and refill it with fresh birdseed. Raccoons are easily discouraged and they will quit trying when they find out that it is more difficult to climb up to the feeder with the baffles.

Method 03: Feed the Raccoons Separately

how to deter racoons from bird feeders

If you have tried everything that you can think of but the raccoons are still getting at your birdseed, it would just be better to give them their own food.

What to prepare:

  • Kitchen scraps
  • Container for the scraps

Detailed steps:

Step 1: Pick a location far away from your bird feeder. The location should be far enough from the bird feeder that raccoons will not think about going out of their way just to get at the birdseed in the feeder. It would be better to place the container outside your property. If there is a forested area nearby, you can place the raccoon feeder there.

Step 2: Place the container and scraps. Just before it gets dark, you should position your container and the kitchen scraps at your chosen location. Putting the scraps just before it gets dark will make sure that the raccoons can get to them before the other animals.

Step 3: Refill the container regularly. You do not have to refill the container every day, but you should do it often enough to keep the raccoons from going into your backyard again.

Why Do You Need to Keep Raccoons Away from Bird Feeders?

Aside from devouring all the birdseed in one sitting, another reason why you need to know how to deter raccoons from bird feeders is that they are quite destructive. Raccoons will not carefully open the bird feeder to get to the contents. Their sharp claws will rip it open and leave you with a useless piece of scrap metal.

Another reason why you should keep your bird feeder out of raccoons’ reach is that if they know they can find food on your property, they will keep coming back hoping to find more. Raccoons are clever little creatures, and they will not want to waste their time and energy going to a place where they know they cannot get anything to eat.

Conclusion

Now that you know a couple of methods on how to keep raccoons away from bird feeders, you should apply what you learned to practice. The methods mentioned above are quite easy to implement, and you would not even need any fancy tools. The best part is you will not be harming the raccoons. You will just discourage them from eating your birdseed.

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