5 Easy Ways To Raccoon Proof Bird Feeder - Hummingbirds Info (2023)

FAQs

What keeps raccoons away from hummingbird feeders? ›

The best way to keep squirrels and raccoons off feeders is to use a pole or shepherds hook with pole baffles installed or hanging baffles installed above the feeder. We DO NOT recommend adding grease, oil or petroleum jelly to a pole or hanger to make it too slippery for squirrels and raccoons to climb.

Hang 'em high—Hang your bird feeders on poles a half inch or less in diameter, securing the pole firmly so it cannot be knocked over. Raccoons cannot climb such a thin pole and they won't be able to tip it over to access the seed. High-wire act—Suspend your bird feeders from a wire extending between two trees.

Mammals such as raccoons are sensitive to spices, especially hot spices. You can purchase suet and seed already prepared with hot pepper. Or, you can make your own simply by adding hot pepper oil to your seeds. Bird are not affected by spices like raccoons are, so this could be one of the simplest deterrents.

Bats, squirrels, raccoons and bears are usually the culprits that drink hummingbird nectar, although usually bears will be more conspicuous, as they are noisy and will typically destroy the feeder.

Hot pepper, garlic, peppermint oil, onion, and Epsom salt are a few scents used to repel raccoons. Read on to see how you can discourage these pests from entering your house and make sure that they're out for good.

Scatter or spray pepper

Spices like cinnamon, black pepper or cayenne pepper bother a raccoon's sense of smell, forcing it to relocate to a more livable area. By mixing cayenne pepper and onion in boiling water, you can create a natural raccoon repellant. You can add hot sauce to the mixture, as well.

Plants That Are Prickly

Raccoons have sensitive feet. Because of this, they stay clear of walking on prickly plants. They will certainly avoid squashes like pumpkin. They will also avoid oriental poppies, cucumbers, “Kentucky Wonder” pole beans, and globe thistle.

Well, did you know that birds don't mind spicy seeds? They can't taste the difference. Guess what can? Sprinkle some cayenne pepper or a similar spice onto your birdseed before you put it out. Birds will eat the seed just fine, but squirrels will smell the heat and stay well clear.

Raccoons aren't fond of spicy smells, so a cayenne pepper spray can be an easy and effective raccoon repellent. Mix a small bottle of cayenne pepper with a bottle of hot sauce, then add both to a gallon of water and shake well. Spray this pepper solution around your plants, bushes, and other garden greenery.

Raccoons stay away from animals that are their natural predators. These natural predators include; bobcats, coyotes, the great horned owl. You may have picked up a pattern here- raccoon predators are typically large.

Does Irish Spring soap keep raccoons away? ›

Soap the yard

The ingredients in Irish Spring soap are generally effective in keeping raccoons and other small mammals out of your yard.

Small hawks such as the northern kestrel and the sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawk are the species most likely to catch a hummingbird.

Adding a steel raccoon baffle to your feeder pole is the most effective way to stop raccoons. Squirrel baffles won't do the job. Raccoon baffles are much larger, a full 10" in diameter and about 2 feet tall, preventing the crafty critters from reaching over or "hugging" their way over it.

2) Bring your feeder in at night to prevent freezing. Hummingbirds do not feed at night. They will feed heavily at your feeders at dusk and then go into thick bushes, like cedar hedges or junipers, to sleep. While sleeping they enter a mini-hibernation or torpor where their bodies' metabolism approaches zero.

Although a porch light is helpful, it will not keep every raccoon away because the light source is too high. Motion-activated floodlights are lower and will only activate after a raccoon triggers the sensors. If you place the lights in key locations around your property, they will scare the raccoons away.

One homemade “taste” raccoon repellent recipe uses 1 bottle hot pepper sauce or 1 bottle cayenne pepper powder and mixes it with a gallon of water and a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. The soap helps the liquid to adhere to what you're spraying, and should be sprayed on the entire area that you would like to protect.

Vinegar will deter raccoons from returning time and again to your home and yard since they hate the smell. Like if you were using peppermint oil to deter them, you can soak a number of rags with vinegar then put them in key access points around your home and yard to keep them away, albeit until the smell fades.

Throwing coffee grounds and epsom salts on the lawn can help keep raccoons away, along with the strong scents of vinegar and ammonia.

Raccoons hate the smell of apple cider vinegar (and so do some humans!). Soak a cloth in apple cider vinegar and place it in an aerated container near the den. The smell will deter them!

Wind Chimes: The random clanging will scare raccoons away, but these intelligent animals will ignore the chimes unless you change the location and type of chimes regularly. Radio Conversations: Having a radio talk show on will keep raccoons away-especially if your home is in a rural area of Worcester.

What does a raccoon baffle look like? ›

The raccoon baffle is a cylinder baffle with its 24 inch long and 8 inch wide diameter. The baffle stops the raccoon, squirrel, and chipmunk from climbing up 1 inch diameter poles to the bird feeders and bird houses. This Cylinder Raccoon baffle can also be used on 0.5 inch up to 1.375 inch diameter bird feeder poles.

To keep raccoons out of your garbage, stretch a rubber bungee cord tight from one handle over the top of the lid to the other handle. Hang a string of blinking Christmas lights around trash cans and leave them on all night to act as a raccoon deterrent.

Wild animals are suspicious of moving things. From string, or a clothing line strung across a fence, hang balloons, strips of cloth or aluminum foil. These will frighten the animals and encourage them to leave the area. Remove or cover all possible food sources.

Squash, cucumbers, and oriental poppies are some of the plants that repel raccoons because they are thorny. Raccoons can walk on almost everything except for these spiky plants. Raccoons also dislike spicy foods. Planting spicy-fruiting herbs like Chilies and Black Pepper can deter them from eating your fruits.

Most online recipes for pepper in bird seed suggest about 3 tablespoons of cayenne pepper per pound of seed. You can use more, if you like.

Cayenne pepper is a spice with a strong smell, and it can be used on your lawn without harming the grass or plants growing there. You can use its sprinkled or spray form to repel rodents, dogs, insects, etc., away.

Homemade Raccoon Repellents that can be used

The soaked pieces of cloth can be placed around the house, such as near food sources or around garbage cans and bins. Pine Sol can also be used in place of ammonia. Vinegar - Vinegar cider can be applied or soaked onto pieces of cloth or rags.

One of the most common wild predators of other raccoons is large cats. In North America, this includes mountain lions, pumas, and bobcats. These powerful predators hunt alone and use their stealth and speed to take down their prey.

Main Attraction: Raccoons are attracted to sweet foods, especially ripe fruit such as apples, peaches, and plums. They also feed on apricots, cherries, and mulberries.

Does Epsom salt really repel raccoons? ›

Epsom salt is a double benefit because not only will it deter raccoons, but it is an excellent fertilizer. Sprinkle some Epsom salt around places like garbage cans and gardens to keep them out.

Before you toss the garbage bag into the garbage, spray it with Windex, or ammonia. It deters the little guys big time.

A few tablespoons of Epsom salt spread around your garbage cans will deter the raccoons, who don't like the taste of the stuff. Don't forget to reapply after it rains.

Hummingbirds are aggressive for a good reason—they can't afford to share flowers during times when not many blossoms are available because they may have to wander a long way after nectar is depleted. This aggression is so deeply ingrained that they just can't figure out that feeders are different.

Hummingbirds die in many ways, including being taken by predators (particularly free-roaming domestic cats), flying into stationary objects (especially windows and buildings), getting hit by vehicles, encountering problems during migration or bad weather, succumbing to disease or other physical maladies, or just dying ...

The average life span of a hummingbird is five years, but they have been known to live for more than 10 years. As with any creature, there are threats to the hummingbirds' survival…

Add a 3-4-inch layer of mulch below the feeders, then turn the mulch to bury debris where it can decompose out of sight. Replace the mulch seasonally to dispose of remaining debris. Allow feeders to remain empty for a day or two to encourage ground-feeding birds to pick up spilled seed and be their own cleanup crew.

milo, red millet, oats, rice and wheat). Not only will these seeds be discarded by wild birds, but they will also absorb moisture—promoting spoilage and fungal growth while attracting rodents and other species. Different bird species prefer different seed types, try to provide a variety whenever possible.

Use the Right Type of Feeder

Other feeders that work well to prevent rats from eating birdseed are metal or glass feeders. Metal and glass feeders tend to be more rodent-proof. Squirrels and rats cannot chew through them as easily as with plastic. Avoid bird feeders with platform trays.

All of this being said, generally, the best time to catch hummingbirds eating is early in the morning or in the evening before they go to sleep for the night. Essentially, these are the times when they “tank up” to replenish their energy stores, so you're more likely to notice them because they'll be eating for longer.

How much sugar do I put in 2 cups of water for hummingbirds? ›

So, in this example, you would mix ½ cup of sugar (1 part) with 2 cups of water (4 parts).

Hummingbirds sleep at night to regulate their internal system and conserve energy for the following day's activities. Hummingbirds usually sleep from dusk till dawn, about 12 hours. But if they are very tired they can sleep for up to 18 hours!

You can get rid of raccoons by taking advantage of a raccoon's fear of sharp, loud sounds. Sounds that scare raccoons include the following: Wind Chimes: The random clanging will scare raccoons away, but these intelligent animals will ignore the chimes unless you change the location and type of chimes regularly.

Squash, cucumbers, and oriental poppies are some of the plants that repel raccoons because they are thorny. Raccoons can walk on almost everything except for these spiky plants. Raccoons also dislike spicy foods. Planting spicy-fruiting herbs like Chilies and Black Pepper can deter them from eating your fruits.

Solution Clips fit over the end of shepherds hooks to stop raccoons from lifting feeders off the hook. Utility Chains can help keep feeders hanging securely from tree limbs. We also have feeders (suet, peanut, fruit, etc) which can be securely screwed to a tree or fence.

If you want sturdy baffles that create deep ventilation channels, you'll probably have to make your own. Site-built ventilation baffles can be made from a variety of materials, including rigid foam. Other options include thin plywood or fiberboard sheathing.

Throwing coffee grounds and epsom salts on the lawn can help keep raccoons away, along with the strong scents of vinegar and ammonia.

Epsom salt is a double benefit because not only will it deter raccoons, but it is an excellent fertilizer. Sprinkle some Epsom salt around places like garbage cans and gardens to keep them out.

Garlic acts as an effective raccoon repellent home remedy. Crush garlic and chili powder together and spread it around the boundaries of your attic. You may even sprinkle it around the garden randomly near the crops. They will get irritated by the smell of garlic and leave your garden.