Shetake care of the birdsin your garden every year with food? How about doing something good for another popular animal in winter 2021? Even squirrels can starve to death in winter! Especially if you live near a forest or park or have many large trees in and around your garden, there is a good chance that you can attract squirrels to your garden with food and watch them all winter long. Or maybe you already know that they visit you regularly or are annoyed that they constantly steal the birdseed. Then a feeding station for squirrels would be just the right idea to lure them away from the bird food and at the same time provide them with food and enjoy the view.
We will explain to you which food is best and which you should avoid, and give you instructions on how to build or craft a feeding station for squirrels. You can also make these available in a city park, where the natural food supply is otherwise very rare, and replenish them regularly.
Various materials and objects are suitable if you want to craft or build a feeder for squirrels. There are extremely simple projects for beginners, inexperienced craftsmen and children, but also more complex ones made of woodfor hobby craftsmen. We will introduce you to a few options with which you can make a squirrel feeding station yourself.
Build a squirrel feeder out of wood
In principle you cansimple birdhouseUse wood as a feeding place for squirrels. The only important thing is that the house has an opening through which these animals can fit. But the classic bird feeder with four open sides is ideal. Another variant would be this model, which is built like this:
Feeding station for squirrels – construction instructions
Would you like thisBuild your own squirrel feeder, you need three wooden boards of any length of the same length for the side walls (can also be cut at an angle at one end) and back wall, one for the roof, which should protrude slightly at the front, and a longer board for the floor so that the squirrel has a place to sit receives. Screw or nail these elements together. Attach another board opposite the back wall and between the two side walls. You have several options for feeding squirrels:
Either you place it on the bottom of the box and leave a sufficiently large opening at the top so that the squirrel can lean in and get food out, or you leave a gap open at the bottom through which the food can slip out. The top opening is then used for easy filling. You can also close the box at the top and leave only a gap open at the bottom and just attach the roof with a hinge so that you can open it for filling. Make sure that the gap is large enough so that even larger nuts can slip out.
Instead of wood, you can also close the front with plexiglass. This way you can always see whether there is still food available or whether you need itFeeding place for squirrelsneed to be refilled. Glue it along the front edges of the side boards and then hide the glue spots using strips.
Picnic table for a particularly fun feeding place for squirrels
You can also build a picnic table out of wood. You can easily attach the cut wooden parts together with wood glue (hold them together with screw clamps until the glue dries) or you can screw them together with small screws. Then provide the table with a side wall that is used to screw the table to a tree or fence. You should definitely fasten these with screws after you have pre-drilled the holes for them.
You can then put some food on this table. Another option would be to screw a longer screw through the table from below (pre-drill a small hole first). You can then stick an apple or corn cob (see below) onto it.
Make a feeding station for squirrels with Slinky
With a little creative thinking, you can transform some everyday objects into an inexpensive feeding place for squirrels. This also applies to the so-called Slinky, which we probably all know from our childhood and love to this day. A perfect project for children and for coarser food:
- Slinky
- Pipe cleaners
- cord
- Food (see list below)
Squirrel feeder – building instructions
As easy as making this squirrel feeder looks, it really is. Take pipe cleaner, put it through the slinky and bend the ends up, forming a semicircle with the slinky. Make sure that the gaps between the individual bars do not become too large so that the nuts do not slip through. Knot or twist the ends of the wire and tie twine. Then you can hang up the squirrel feeder.
You can also slide the Slinky onto a metal ring or embroidery hoop and do it that waynocreate a wreath. In this case, you should create larger spaces between the bars so that the squirrels can pull out the nuts. Such a wreath is only suitable for medium-sized types of nuts. Walnuts would be too large and would not fit through the openings, while hazelnuts would probably fall through. However, you are welcome to test this yourself beforehand and then decide which food to use for this type of squirrel feeder.
From a simple tray
You still havean old traythat you no longer use? Then you already have the perfect container for a squirrel feeder. Drill a small hole near each of the four corners through which you can thread sturdy string and tie it securely on the outside. The knot prevents the line from slipping out again. Then bring the four strands together into a bundle and knot them too. Now tie a string to this bundle for hanging and fill the feeding station with suitable food.
Build a squirrel feeding station with pipes
An idea for building that you definitely don't have to be a professional craftsman for -PVC pipesAnyone can really put it together! Get a straight piece and an L-shape and a matching connector piece. Cut the long pipe to the desired size (a sharp knife or saw is suitable for this), sand the cut edges and poke or drill two holes in one of the two pipe ends and tie twine. Connect the other end to the L-piece and you can hang it up. Make sure to hang the whole thing at a slight angle so that the lining doesn't slip out. Now fill the tube with the food.
Feeder made from a plastic bottle
A large plastic bottle is ideal for making a bird feeder. Since it's not really pretty to look at and such a house would be far too bright for the squirrels, cover it with yarn after you've cut an entrance into the bottle. Simply wrap the yarn around the bottle, applying glue at regular intervals. Cut open the entrance area. You can then decorate the squirrel feeding area as you wish.
Corn cob idea
Squirrels really like dried corn. Therefore, you can set up whole ears of corn and feed them to the animals. You can screw a hook into the butt and then hang it up, or you can screw a longer screw through a board and then the butt on top. The board can also be part of a bird feeder.
Do you have a lot of squirrels to care for? Then you can attach several ears of corn at the same time.
Feeding place for squirrels – What do the animals like to eat most?
Of course, now that your squirrel feeding station is ready, you still need to fill it with the right food. But what can go in and taste particularly good to the animals? Everyone knows thanks to the cartoons and documentaries – squirrels love nuts! These should definitely be whole, raw and unpeeled. The following are suitable:
- Peanuts
- hazelnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Corn kernels, dried
- Raisins
- Sunflower seeds
- Walnuts
The cute animals also like small pine cones and even rose hips. Rusks are also suitable, but they must be unsweetened.
Are forbidden: Almonds, as they contain prussic acid, which is deadly for squirrels. Fresh fruit and vegetables such as grapes, apples and carrot pieces are suitable but are not recommended as they tend to grow mold and could make the animals sick.
The right place to hang
So that the squirrels can enjoy their food in peace without being bothered by cats, dogs or other animals, it is important to choose the right place after you have built the squirrel feeding station yourself. Since they particularly like to climb trees and these are their natural habitat, it is best to choose a tall tree in your garden. Ideally, you should hang the squirrel feeder at a height of at least 2 meters. The house should also be easily accessible to the animals without them having to cross too much open space, as this puts them in danger. And since these are very shy animals, they will think twice about putting themselves in such danger for a little food.
Be sure to clean the squirrel feeding area regularly to avoid illness!
