Best Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder

After a thorough examination of several squirrel-proof bird feeders, we’ve found that the best squirrel proof bird feeder is the Droll Yankees DROFLIPPER squirrel-proof bird feeder. This feeder is battery powered (rechargeable) and is designed so that when a squirrel steps on the perch, the food ports close and the perch spins around, throwing the squirrel off the feeder. Endless entertainment, who needs YouTube?! The DROFLIPPER can fit five pounds of seed and is covered under a lifetime warranty against squirrels. It’s the best squirrel-proof bird feeder on the market.

For further information on the DROFLIPPER feeder, see the Product Reviews section below.

In second place on this list is the Brome Squirrel Buster Wild Bird Feeder. This feeder is stable, durable, and easy to set up. It comes with a warranty and replacement parts are easy to get. The product keeps out squirrels and large birds while allowing smaller ones to reach the feed inside. The weighting mechanism is adjustable, so you can configure it for your local environment. Considering the feeder is inexpensive, it’s a great choice for those who don’t want to spend a mint.

For details on the Squirrel Buster, see the Product Reviews area below.

Finally, a great budget choice is the Stokes Select Squirrel-X Squirrel Proof Suet Bird Feeder. This feeder is the least expensive on the list but still manages to be durable. It takes seed and suet cakes instead of loose feed, and part of the price is donated to bird habitats, making it great for individuals who worry about the environment. It’s pretty easy to use, making it a good choice for people who want to attract birds but don’t want to spend too much money.

See below for the details on the Stokes Squirrel-X feeder.

Squirrel-Resistant Bird Feeder Buyer’s Tips

Bird feeders, along with bird baths and bird houses are very helpful bird-care boxes and can help keep birds alive over winter and keep birds healthy. Be sure to check out our article on how to hang a bird feeder to go over the best practices for bird feeder placement and care. Note that it’s very important that you regularly clean your feeder, as unclean feed can lead to pathogens that can cause birds to die. Once you’ve got the basics down, it’s time to turn your bird feeder into an impenetrable squirrel-proof bird fortress! Let’s discuss how to do so here.

How to Squirrel-Proof a Bird Feeder

Keeping squirrels out of your modern bird feeder can be an exercise in futility if your squirrels are anything like the ones around our area! They are clever, study this stuff for years, and are smart enough to get around many systems. Squirrels take lots of online classes in bird-feeder cracking. Birdseed can get expensive, especially if the squirrels are chowing down on it. Additionally, all that seed the squirrels eat means less seed for the birds. This is why it’s quite helpful to have a squirrel-proof bird feeder.

Squirrel Baffles

The first place to start to squirrel-proof your bird feeder is to ensure that you have a squirrel baffle in place if the feeder is a hanging feeder or a pole feeder. This will make it much more difficult for the squirrel to gain access to the feeder to start with.

From there, you can use a squirrel-proof bird feeder to further harden the feeder against unauthorized intrusion.

Mechanism of Squirrel-Stopping

There are two main avenues you can take when trying to stop squirrels from getting into your feeder. You can use a cage that surrounds the feeder, or a weighted system that light-weight birds can perch on, but heavy squirrels cannot.

Cages

Cages surrounding bird feeders work exceedingly well at keeping squirrels out of the feeder but allowing smaller birds though. These systems are pretty reliable and generally work well. However, if the squirrel does manage to get through the cage, it can get stuck, and then you have to deal with a freaked out squirrel trapped in your bird feeder. Nuttery Bird feeders are popular cage-designed feeders. This doesn’t happen often, but it can!

Weighted Systems

Weighted systems work quite well at keeping squirrels out. Generally, the perches have a little weight system on them that smaller birds are too light to trigger, but squirrels and larger birds will trigger. This will cause the food ports to close up, preventing the squirrel from actually getting any food from the feeder. Depending on how the feeder is mounted, squirrels will sometimes thwart these systems by gripping various points on the feeder that don’t engage the locking mechanism, and they can occasionally get through these mechanisms.

Food Port Material

The food ports are the areas of the bird feeder that are open to seed. If the food ports are made of plastic, squirrels, chipmunks, and the like may be able to chew through the plastic in order to make a larger opening, ruining the feeder and making you extremely frustrated. If the food ports are made of metal, they are generally much more robust and will be harder for squirrels to get through.

Type of Food Dispensed

Bird feeders typically dispense either suet cakes or bird seed. In this article, we discuss bird feeders that are compatible with both options.

Ease of Access

You need to consider placement of the bird feeder both for bird access and for people access! You’ll need to regularly refill your feeder, so place it somewhere you can get to, but cats, squirrels, and other animals have difficulty reaching.

Ease of Cleaning

As we mentioned in our how to hang a bird feeder article, it’s very important to properly clean your bird feeder on a regular basis to ensure no pathogens get spread throughout your bird population. To clean your feeder, you’ll need to keep it in an easily-accessible location.

Type of Suspension

Squirrel proof bird feeders are generally placed either by hanging them on a tree branch or other object or by placing them on a pole. Either method works pretty well, as long as you use a squirrel-baffle to aid in hardening the feeder against theft.

Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder Reviews

Bird feeders are great for attracting songbirds to yards, helping the local ecosystem, and adding decoration to homes. However, the food inside is attractive to other creatures, especially clever pests like squirrels. Squirrels can be a major nuisance because they are destructive, creative, and can absolutely ruin any feeder through their wiles. To prevent this, companies are now creating squirrel proof bird feeders designed to stop this destruction.

In this section, we’ll look at six great options for squirrel-proof feeders. We’ll start with a comparison table to get oriented, and then dig into the details on each of the options. We’ll conclude with our favorites.

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1. Audubon Squirrel Proof Caged Tube Type Bird Feeder Model NATUBE3

Key Points at a Glance

• Caged
• Plastic and Metal
• Four Feeding Troughs
• Powder-coated Steel Cage
• Plastic food ports
• Warranty Available
• Hanging Mount

Dimensions

Holds 1.25 lbs. of Seed

Product Dimensions9 x 9 x 15.5 in.

Weight3 lbs.

The Audubon Squirrel Proof Caged Tube Type Bird Feeder Model NATUBE3 (Audubon Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder) is a tough, durable feeder. It’s constructed of a plastic tube hidden within a large, powder-coated steel cage that prevents squirrels, chipmunks, and large birds like grackles from getting inside. There is a hanging mount at the top of the feeder that can be attached to a pole or nails to change the method of location. Should you choose to hang it, you’ll get much more squirrel-resistance by adding a squirrel baffle. The main tube has four feeding troughs for smaller birds like finches. A warranty is available for the Audubon Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder from the manufacturer. This feeder can hold 1.25 lbs. of mixed seed or small shelled nuts, and which is a fairly small seed capacity for a bird feeder at this price point.

Cleaning of the Audubon NATUBE3 is pretty simple, and the whole system comes apart easily. The interior tube can be removed and cleaned before refilling. The NATUBE3 is a pretty effective squirrel-proof feeder, all things considered. However, the construction isn’t the greatest since the plastic sections can be bitten and torn through by a persistent squirrel. Additionally, the two sides of the cage are formed separately and then welded together to create the enclosure. At those weld points are a few spots that a bird can get caught on and trapped by. This is obviously not ideal! Some buyers have also had issues when trying to use the warranty, which is a concern as well.

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2. Stokes Select Squirrel-X Squirrel Proof Suet Bird Feeder

Key Points at a Glance

• Uses Suet Instead of Seed
• Weatherproof
• Powder-Coated Steel
• Removable Locking Roof
• Includes Metal Cage
• Part of Cost Goes to Bird Habitats
• Durable
• Hanging Design
• Filtrates and Airs Food
• Four Feeding Ports

Dimensions

Holds 2 Suet Cakes

Weighs 2 lbs.

Product Dimensions10 x 10 x 9.4 in

The Stokes Select Squirrel-X Squirrel Proof Suet Bird Feeder is a smaller feeder designed to hold seed-and-suet cakes instead of loose seed.

The Squirrel-X takes the form of a cage nested inside another cage. The system features a broad roof and baffle to keep out squirrels and large birds that might steal all of the food inside. It is colored a moderate brown to be more attractive to songbirds and is weatherproof. The design primarily consists of slick powder-coated steel. When individuals purchase a Stokes Select feeder, part of the cost is donated by the manufacturer to bird habitats and conservation centers. This product has four feeding ports and an open design to better filter air to the food and keep it fresh and attractive. The inner cage can hold up to 2 suet cakes. The empty feeder weighs roughly 2 lbs, and each suet cake is about 1 lb. The Stoke Select Bird Feeder is an extremely easy model to clean and includes a hanging mount that works on poles and nails.

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3. Droll Yankees DROFLIPPER 887961451702 Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

Key Points at a Glance

• Available in Multiple Colors
• Made in the United States
• Replacement Parts Available
• Environmentally Friendly
• Comes in 4 Designs
• Metal and Polycarbonate
• UV Resistant
• Multiple Feeding Ports
• Battery-Powered
• Efficient
• Durable
• Lifetime warranty against squirrels

Dimensions

Holds 5 lbs. of Seed

Weighs 9 lbs

Product Dimensions28.5 x 10 x 10 in.

The Droll Yankees DROFLIPPER Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder is an environmentally friendly, extremely durable bird feeder made of metal and polycarbonate. The product is UV resistant and also battery-powered, which is unusual to see in a feeder. The feeder manages to efficiently deliver seed and food to four separate ports which are difficult for squirrels, chipmunks, and other rodents to reach. Should a heavy object put weight down on the supports, the feed ports will close (battery operated) and the support will spin around, causing the squirrel to fall off. Here’s a short video that shows the experience. This feeder will feed the birds, and also give you huge satisfaction each time you see a squirrel dizzily tumble to the ground after taking a spin on the bird feeder. Outstanding. The Droll Yankees Squirrel Proof Feeder can hold up to 5 lbs. of feed and weighs roughly 9 lbs. when empty. This feeder is available in multiple colors and even several different styles to suit varying environments. The materials used are environmentally friendly and can be replaced with parts ordered from the manufacturer. The entire product is made in the United States and remains durable and efficient. And the whole thing is covered under a lifetime warranty against squirrels! Just be sure you check the batteries from time to time. They typically last for about 1 month over the summer before they need to be recharged.

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4. Roamwild PestOff Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

Key Points at a Glance

• Made Entirely of Metal
• Baby and Adult Squirrel Proof
• Weatherproof
• Waterproof
• Weight-Based Closing
• Simple to Use
• Locking Top
• Warranty Included

Dimensions

Holds 3 lbs. of Food

Weighs 1.5 lbs.

Product Dimensions16.5 x 7.6 x 7.6 in.

The Roamwild PestOff Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder is a professional grade bird feeder made out of metal with a plastic bottom for easy access for cleaning and care. The top can be opened and then latched shut to replace bird feeder simply and easily. The Roamwild is designed to be weatherproof and waterproof so the seed inside doesn’t get damp and clump up or rot. A warranty is available upon purchasing, lasting for roughly 1 year. The Roamwild bird feeder includes a weight-based closing mechanism that can be reset by the user. This mechanism comes preloaded for the weights of adult and baby squirrels and primarily works for red and gray squirrels. It’s also designed to be resistant to chipmunks. This feeder holds 3 lbs. worth of seed and primarily works with mixed seeds, sunflower hearts, and safflower seed. There is some basic UV radiation resistance to prevent discoloration.

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5. Brome Squirrel Buster Standard 5“x5”x21.5“ (w/hanger) Wild Bird Feeder

Key Points at a Glance

• Lifetime Care and Repair Warranty
• Hanging Model
• Seed Ventilation
• Hanging Style
• Weight-Based Closing
• Chew-Proof
• UV Radiation Resistant
• Plastic and Metal
• Green

Dimensions

Weighs 1.5 lbs.

Product Dimensions5 x 5 x 21 in.

Hang Mount Included

Four Food Openings

The Brome Squirrel Buster Standard Wild Bird Feeder is a reasonably sized feeder designed to keep squirrels out. It accomplishes this with a well-designed adjustable weight mechanism. This means the owner can set the level where the weight causes the lid to close over the food troughs. You’ll be able to tweak the settings for your individual micro-environment, which is a great solution! There are four food openings at the bottom, and the feeder best accommodates small seed mixes, some millets, and shelled nut foods. The Brome Wild Bird Feeder is meant to feed species like cardinals, chickadees, finches, blue jays, and some woodpeckers. This squirrel resistant bird feeder weighs roughly 1.5 lbs. and is made of green plastic and metal. The material is UV resistant to prevent discoloration and the gradual breakdown often seen from sun exposure. The materials are also designed to be bite and chew-proof so squirrels can’t eat their way through to the seed. No tools are required to set up or take apart the feeder. Additional seed ventilation is included in the design so seed stays fresh but doesn’t get wet from the rain, and the whole system is pretty easy to take apart and clean. A hook is included at the top as a hanging mount, although the Brome Wild Bird Feeder does work when hanging off of poles as well. If you decide to hang it, be sure to combine it with a squirrel baffle for further protection. The Brome Wild Bird Feeder comes with a lifetime care and repair guarantee from the manufacturer, meaning it can always be sent in to be fixed.

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6. Woodlink Absolute Squirrel Resistant Bird Feeder Model 7533

Basic Features

• Constructed of Powder-Coated Steel
• Weight-Based Closing
• Bluish Green
• Made in the United States
• Locking Top
• Includes Hanger and Pole
• Warranty Available
• Adjustable for Bird Types
• Single-Sided Opening

Dimensions and Specs

Holds 15 lbs. Of Seed

Available Hang or Pole Mount

5 ft. Pole

Weighs 12 lbs.

Full Product Dimensions13.5 x 16 x 11.2 in.

The Woodlink Absolute Squirrel Resistant Bird Feeder Model 7533 (Woodlink Bird Feeder) is a high-capacity squirrel resistant feeder that looks like a small house made of steel. The bluish-green feeder has one opening on the side and comes with a metal hanger and a 5 ft. pole covered in powder for a slippery service. Owners can choose whether they want to hang it or use the pole to set the feeder up in the yard. The feeding tray is adjustable for small, medium, and large birds. The Woodlink Bird Feeder is weight-responsive, which means it slides shut whenever a creature over the set weight limit sits on the feeder. The top locks so squirrels can’t pry it open and get the delicious food inside. The product holds roughly 15 lbs. of seed or feed and works best with mixed seed, sunflower seeds, peanut halves, or safflower. The entire product is made in the United States and does have a warranty available.

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Conclusion

Squirrels can be a nuisance, but they’re not the end of the world. It’s still possible to feed and care for songbirds without having to worry about the rodents’ destruction. How? Investing in a squirrel proof bird feeder. Out of all of the products reviewed here, the first, second, and budget picks were the DROFLIPPER, Brome, and Stokes Select. Each one is difficult to crack, easy to fill, and all around attractive to birds. Don’t let the squirrels ruin the day; it’s time to set up the feeder and let the birds play!

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