# Do Slinkys Keep Snakes from Birdhouses & Squirrels from Birdfeeders?



## Lara (Mar 7, 2018)

To keep snakes away from your precious baby birds in your backyard birdhouses, and squirrels away from bird feeders, has anyone tried using a Slinky on a pole with any success? I think it works, but you need a tall pole for squirrels and maybe grease the PVC pipe too. I've never tried it.

Some buy one of those wrought iron "shepherd's poles", slide the Slinky onto the pole and hang the birdhouse from that. They say not to hang your bird feeder from a tree because the snake can enter from the top...although you can slide a Slinky down the hanger from the top I suppose.

Squirrel videos below. I couldn't find any snake videos using the Slinky. Does anyone have any suggestions other than this that work?

*How to:*





*Works:
*




It didn't work for this guy so he added a greased PVC pipe:*
Now it Works...Go to 17:50 of the 19 minute video...
*


----------



## SeaBreeze (Mar 9, 2018)

That's interesting Lara, hope for folks with a squirrel problem.  I used to have a couple of bird feeders years ago, but my neighborhood is overrun with squirrels, so I stopped with the birdseed.  It was also attracting field mice into my yard, shed, etc.  I used to love playing with my Slinky as a kid.


----------



## Lara (Mar 10, 2018)

I never thought of the birdseed attracting mice. Good point, Seabreeze. I haven't noticed that problem yet. 

I haven't tried the Slinky solution yet but I trained my dog, Bella, to chase the squirrels off from the feeder and leave the birds alone. She takes her job very seriously. She thinks it's her purpose in life. I don't mind taking care of the squirrels but not when they hog all the birdseed for themselves.

The only problem is in cold weather, I can't leave the door open for Bella to come and go freely so I'm always "at attention" every time she whimpers at the door when she sees the squirrels at the feeder. I haven't really got a good place to install a doggie door since every door in the back of my house is glass in a 5" frame.


----------



## Mizzkitt (Mar 10, 2018)

Lara, thank you for posting this. I am certainly going to give it a try.


----------



## Lara (Mar 11, 2018)

You're welcome Mizzkitt, and thank you to SeaBreeze for moving this thread to the more appropriate "Outdoors" forum :rose:


----------



## RadishRose (Mar 11, 2018)

Lara, these are interesting. Good for Bella, but I thinks dogs are born to hate squirrels.

This one is amusing too, but I bet the squirrel wins eventually.


----------



## KingsX (Mar 11, 2018)

SeaBreeze said:


> I used to love playing with my Slinky as a kid.





Me too 

Someone gave my autistic child a slinky as a gift.  Thereafter he could not be parted from his slinky even as an adult.
From time to time he would break one. So I had extra slinkys stored in his closet.  In most of his photos he is holding
his slinky.  After he died [during a seizure],  he was buried holding his precious slinky.   For a long time after his death,
I seldom went into his bedroom.  But around the first anniversary of his death,  I opened his closet door and right there
on the floor in front of me was a slinky in a perfect arc [apparently one of his extra slinkys had fallen from an upper shelf.]


----------



## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 11, 2018)

KingsX, so very sorry for your loss. I'm not overly religious but I take that as a sign that he is happy and wants you to know it.


----------

