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Squirrel Stopper Pole

Complete Bird Feeder Post Assembly
in white or black

It's virtually impossible for squirrels, raccoons, cats, and other critters to climb. The inverted cone is loose and suspended on springs. When touched it starts to bounce, and animals just can't get a hold on it to climb the pole.

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Squirrel Stopper

Michael and I put a Squirrel Stopper Pole in our yard last spring. That rounded cone-shaped baffle is on springs, and as soon as an animal touches it, the thing starts bouncing up and down.

We like the way it looks, and the birds adopted it immediately. (That's the picture of ours, above, taken in my backyard.)

We hoped we would get to see a squirrel or a raccoon try to climb the Squirrel Stopper Pole, but it worked way too well for that. The animals must have tried it in the dark the first night it was up and learned that they couldn't climb it. Clearly they've given up on the Squirrel Stopper. Squirrels completely ignore it. We've never seen a raccoon go near it, though they still raid any other feeders we have the audacity to put out.

RaccoonRaccoons are great natural climbers, which is no doubt why they've scaled every other pole we ever hung a feeder from. We've tried various baffles, but the raccoons always bested them. A big raccoon can bend an iron pole by climbing up on it and swinging its weight around as they attack the feeder.

I really thought they'd defeat the Squirrel Stopper Pole too, but I was wrong. Every morning when I look out the window I see it standing tall, with birds flocking to the feeders. The raccoons may have picked over fallen seed, but they certainly haven't been up the bouncy-jouncy Squirrel Stopper Pole.

Now I wonder if we'll ever get to see an animal try the wonderful pole. It seems as if they all know it's not worth wasting energy in a fruitless attempt to climb it.

Squirrel Stopper BlackThe Squirrel Stopper Pole comes in white or black. Both work well for bird feeders. Some people hang baskets of plants from some or all of the arms. We might have to get another one for plants. You can see how someone has used the black Squirrel Stopper for plants in the photo at right. (It would sure be nice to plant a fuchsia for the hummingbirds and not have chipmunks dig them up as fast as I plant them.)

We love the way the Squirrel Stopper Pole looks, and the birds are so comfortable with it that we actually have more species in our yard than we've ever had before. Today we had a red-headed woodpecker using the sunflower feeder hanging from one of the arms.

Following the instructions, Michael and I assembled the Squirrel Stopper Pole in a few minutes. (We got a white one, but it's also available in black.) It wasn't difficult job, but we were glad there were two of us doing it, as an extra pair of hands did help.

How we put it up

Squirrel Stopper PiecesWe assembled the top part of the Squirrel Stopper Pole by sliding the cross arms through the main pole. We used a screwdriver to put the little braces under each cross arm, and we attached the decorative cardinal motif at the top.

Squirrel Stopper AugurWe screwed the bottom section of the two-part pole into the ground, with its bouncy shroud. It was easy, because the bottom of the pole is an augur. We gave it a few turns, and it went right through the turf and into the hard ground.

Then we inserted the top assembly into the lower part of the pole, twisted it a bit, and stood back to admire our work. We chose four bird feeders and hung them from the chains at the ends of the arms.

A great success!

Squirrel Stopper

See price

Text copyright 2008-2015 by Diane Porter.
Photo of white Squirrel Stopper Pole in use copyright 2008 Michael and Diane Porter

 



 

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