How to keep Squirrels out of bird feeder with Cayenne Pepper

With a commitment on your part to clean up bird feeders covered in spices more regularly, cayenne can be smeared directly on accessible bird feed at bird feeders.

As long as squirrels can taste while wild birds cannot, Cayenne pepper is a great idea to smudge on wild bird feed to repel pests. Birds will continue to feed at the port wells of bird feeders, enclosed or open to all - yet squirrels will be repelled due to the strong odor coming off the spicy Cayenne pepper.

Unfortunately it can get a little messy when cayenne pepper is stepped on by multiple wild birds and squirrels while in use, thus it vital to find how much or how little cayenne to use for your particular bird feeder setup.

How to keep squirrels out of bird feeder using cayenne pepper only requires some spice smeared on any accessible bird feeder food.

Cayenne is smudge on the port well holes on seed bird feeders or you must mix cayenne pepper in bird feed that is intended to be suspended on more exposed bird feeders.

Suet bird feeders will require you to sprinkle cayenne on suet cakes or fat balls before adding them to their cage feeder. Whereas peanuts must be mixed in cayenne prior to being added into the fine mesh feeder... as there's no way to smear the outer peanuts.

How to feed wild birds without squirrels taking over the feeder can result in cayenne pepper - or at least some cayenne - being lightly sprinkled on the bird feeder exterior, wherever squirrels are seen to place their paws.

Squirrels don't like stepping in anything messy thus they will think twice about putting their delicate paws in spice, or any spices found on the spice rack really.

I advice you to absolutely keep squirrels off bird feeders while using cayenne pepper if it works, though it isn't recommended to use this technique to deter squirrels accessing Hummingbird feeders - because nectar and spice mixing is a dangerous concoction.

I would still want to install a squirrel baffle on a pole or use it above suspended bird feeders, as it helps to keep the area completely free of squirrels.

With all that said, if no success comes to using cayenne pepper on or within bird feeders, it could just be more hot and spicy cayenne pepper will need be used, to actually witness squirrels recoil at the strong spicy fumes.

Smudge cayenne at port wells

Well, I will admit the idea of putting any food belonging to your household groceries list on a bird feeder sounds ridiculous, but not so with cayenne pepper.

Bear in mind cayenne will rot quickly in an outdoor environment thus its vital to keep that in mind, while cleaning it up by changing the bird feed on a regular basis.... and the bird feeders, but I'll get in to that later.

What you will do in the meantime is physically smudge cayenne pepper on to the exterior of any exposed bird feed.

When it comes to bird feeders that utilize port feeding wells - where wild birds poke their bills in to feed on seeds mostly - its within these multiple accessible port well holes where you'd literally smear on cayenne pepper.

No need to use too much cayenne or other spices like chili powder on the full load of bird seeds, stored within a clear tube bird feeder.

All you want to do is cover up all exposed access points on a bird seed feeder in particularly, as you can repel squirrels at any opening well - which will be where the birds perch next to the port well holes.

Bird seed feeders can be easy to defend against squirrels yet the limited access points on a seed style bird feeders, will make it easy on you.

Smear on exposed bird feeder food

With a bonus clear tube seed bird feeder that is good enough at keeping squirrels out of bird feeders, other types of bird feeders such as suet feeders are hard to protect against squirrels - as the bird feed is literally out in the elements.

With any suet bird feeder being made into a cage - with up to an inch wide space between the bars - there's no small section here to smear cayenne pepper on.

Well, what you do instead is take every suet cake or fat ball you intend to use at any one time, to sprinkle a good helping of cayenne pepper completely over the suet.

Both flat sides of a suet cake will need to be smudged in cayenne pepper - including all four edges - while it will be easier to cover each and every suet fat ball, before inserting them into their fat ball bird feeder.

Smear cayenne pepper on any suet cakes or fat balls used prior to inserting in the bird feeder - or else you'd be left using the tip of your finger to smudge cayenne through any available gap in the cage - which can be avoided if doing the smearing prior.

Other types of bird feeders where it will be super difficult to get enough cayenne on the outer areas of any bird feed, is in a mesh style bird feeder for peanuts.

Peanuts in a small gap mesh bird feeder won't be easy to sprinkle on the cayenne, thus I suggest you first mix the cayenne pepper onto a small amount of peanuts this time, before pouring the nuts into the peanut feeder.

Cayenne pepper will develop bacteria long before all the cayenne peanuts are eaten at the feeder, and that is why its vitally important to use less bird feed if you must mix it in.

Spill some Cayenne spice on exterior

Focus on applying a good helping of cayenne pepper on the bird feed, rather than on the bird feeder itself, which is a good rule of thumb you must continue to follow.

With determined squirrels pecking away at what will always be some exposed bird feed available at port well hole - or if accessible through a suet cage or fine mesh peanut bird feeder - it would help to smudge some cayenne pepper on the bird feeder exterior.

What I am talking about here is never sprinkling your spices all over the bird feeder, that would simply be implausible while causing a mess on your bird feeder at the same time.

Instead, you can think about smudging cayenne pepper on any part of the bird feeder where a squirrel likes to get its paws on or around to access the bird feed at an angle.

You know the areas, like perches outside the port well holes on bird feeders, along with cayenne possibly smeared on the complete exterior of the mesh-only part nut feeder.

Hopeful result could be squirrels unwillingness to step in a strong spice odor powder, as they tend to avoid anything that gets them messy.

Downside would be squirrels undeterred with the spices smeared on accessible bird feeder points - which will see squirrels raiding the feeders as normal.

But that's OK, you'd hopefully have cayenne pepper smudged on bird feed where its accessible at any point on the feeder; be it at the port well holes or if you decided to mix in the spice into the bird feeder food, before inserting in the bird feeder interior.

Mix in bird seed mix on open tray

While its easy to sprinkle cayenne pepper on bird feed stored within an already difficult to access bird feeder, the trouble comes when deterring squirrels on an open to the elements bird feeder - like an open tray or platform bird feeder.

Essentially, the only technique you can apply here to stop squirrels eating bird seed, nuts or mealworms offered on a tray - as oppose to an enclosed bird feeder - is to mix any bird feed on the tray in cayenne pepper, and plenty of it.

Allow no bird seed, peanuts or dried mealworm untouched with a proper helping of cayenne pepper, with an additional heap of cayenne pepper added on top of the bird feed for good measure.

Failing to not cover each and every bit of bird feed, including bird feed scraps, will just see a squirrel walk over with exposed bird feed as normal.

You want to show visiting squirrels no bird feed will be made available to them that isn't covered in spices.

Hopefully they will get the idea while delaying their return or will never be seen again.

To avoid inserting damage on what could be a wooden bird table or platform, I would mix the cayenne pepper into the bird feed while using a bowl at first; thus to avoid staining the wooden surface as you mix cayenne into the bird feed on the platform.

Enough spice to repel squirrels

Initial results on adding cayenne pepper to the bird feeder food in particular which doesn't have a possible outcome, isn't anything that can't be corrected next time.

You see, much like people who can be accustom to spicy food, or would prefer it mild on their curry - squirrels could just be trying it out - with hopefully a few days to pass before you notice squirrels are indeed avoiding the bird feeder food.

With little results with cayenne added to the bird feeder where bird food is accessible on many types of bird feeders, it could just be your not using enough.

Mild to no spice at all could be added to your bird feeder food thus the squirrels isn't likely to taste the spice as intended.

You must be generous when sprinkling or smudging on super spicy cayenne pepper directly on the bird feed, or the bird feeder if you have to.

More cayenne pepper used the spicier it will become, with squirrels sure to think twice after tasting it just the once.

You don't want squirrels tasting the bird feed, you want squirrels to be so disgusted with the spice mixed in the bird feed, it will 100% stop them eating bird feed - and therefore their clumsy attempt at accessing the suspended bird feeders.

Cayenne wear on feeders likely

With cayenne pepper smudge directly on bird feed or indeed if you must smear some cayenne on accessible bird feeder exterior to make squirrels think twice about stepping in it... bear in mind all this will have its toll on your bird feeder.

Make no mistake about it, cayenne pepper in particular is a strong spice that belongs in the little glass jar it came in.

To add cayenne to bird feed that is stored within an enclosed clear tube or wire mesh bird feeder, will begin to see wear and tear.

In particular, staining will be a big cause of cayenne pepper turning the bird feeder interior with a tint of red.

Whereby wooden bird feeders or indeed wooden features will absorb the red spice which will bleed into the grain.

How to avoid cayenne pepper damaging your bird feeder in the long run would be to clean your bird feeders as often as you possibly can.

When utilizing cayenne pepper or other spices within a bird feeder, or on the bird feeders exterior, its your responsibility to avoid discoloring caused by strong spices.

Summary

What with squirrels having no desire to consume a spicy mix of wild bird feed stored within the bird feeder they intend to access, cayenne pepper is just the solution.

No need to go overboard either as you only have to gently smear cayenne on the bird feed within any bird feeder, at the access points only.

Example of that is, smudging cayenne pepper at the port well holes where wild birds will normally perch to poke their bills in to feed on the seeds.

Not so on a suet cage or wire mesh bird feeder as you'd need to smear cayenne on the suet cakes or fat balls prior to putting them in their corresponding bird feeder. Peanuts will also have to be mixed in cayenne before pouring them into the nut bird feeder.

Squirrels willingness to access bird feeder food will continue on for some time, until they get the point there's no spice-free bird feed available.

It will help to sprinkle some cayenne pepper on any point on the bird feeder squirrels tend to stop on - as they will tend to avoid this - thus making it even harder for them to access the cayenne-covered bird feed.

With bird feed offered to wild birds in an open tray or on top of a platform feeder, you must mix all the peanuts, seeds or dried mealworms in cayenne pepper before putting the bird feed out on the bird table, or on a mounted tray.

Don't skimp on the cayenne pepper used or else squirrels will continue as normal.

Use as much cayenne as you can spare while replenishing the exposed bird feed with more cayenne as soon as spice-free bird feed becomes available, which is when wild birds take away the cayenne pepper-covered bird food to exposed fresh bird feed.

Share this article: