Homemade Squirrel Baffle for Bird Feeders or Bird Houses

Want to make your own homemade squirrel baffle for your bird feeder because you just can't take one more day of squirrels stealing your bird seed or chewing out your bird house hole and moving in?!

Well so did our website visitor, Mark from Alabama. He sent us some photos with instructions of a successful wrap-around squirrel baffle he made for his bird feeders after many other failed attempts of outwitting the squirrels.

Instructions for the Baffle are below, but here's what Mark wrote to us if you want some background info:

"For squirrel problems on a pole mounted feeder or birdhouse I thought that I had tried everything and found that the world's most intelligent squirrels reside here in Alabama.

They will try anything just short of growing wings to get to grain feed or babies in a birdhouse.

The two most effective methods were wrapping the post with smooth aluminum at least two feet high on the post, three feet off the ground and the use of a concave surface four feet off the ground.

It took my persistent fuzzy-tailed rats only a week to figure out that if they gained enough speed while attacking the pole they could overrun the smooth surface length and gain enough traction to defeat the two foot rap of aluminum on the pole.

I use five small bird feeders on a ten foot, four by four treated pole with hanging brackets. So I tried the concave barrier and it worked ...for awhile at least until they figured out how to hang off the edge of the barrier and chew the edge of it.

After two weeks they had a two inch wide groove from the edge to the pole that they simply walked through.

It seemed that all the squirrel barriers available were made of plastic or rubber and that simply will not last long.

So I went to the internet and found that I could buy for very little money a very large thin stainless steel serving bowl. I bought two of them - one for kitchen use should we need one that large, and one for my feeder pole."

Directions for Making Your Own Homemade Squirrel Baffle

1. First, buy a large stainless steel mixing bowl that is at least 18" in diameter. The deeper the bowl the better because it makes it more difficult for the squirrel to get around it from below. Mark used one that was about 5 3/4" deep.

2. Use a metal cutting blade to make your cuts. Mark used a jig saw to make his cuts.
3. Important! Cut off the lip of the bowl, otherwise the squirrels will have a place to grab onto when trying to climb around it.
4. Mark and then cut a hole in the center of the bowl the same size as your feeder or bird house mouting post. 

5. Cut down one side of the bowl to the center. (Mark originally cut the bowl in half, but realized all you need to do is cut down one side for installation). Note: If you can easily disassemble your feeder or bird house to slip the bowl over the top or from the bottom, then you do not have to cut it. But if it is difficult to do this, then make the cut for easy installation.
6. Drill holes along both sides of the cut so that they will line up when you wrap the baffle back around the post.
7. Now spread the cut side and twist it over the feeder pole. 

8. Attach the baffle to the post with L-brackets and bolts and use pop rivets or screws to cinch the bowl together. If you use screws, make sure they have smooth tops so that there aren't any edges a squirrel could get a hold on to help his way up and over the guard.
   Note: If you are installing the squirrel baffle to a metal pole, you could do so by first attaching something like a collar bracket, hose clamp, emt tubing connector or even zip ties to the pole. Then you place the baffle above it which will prevent it from sliding down the pole.

Now enjoy bird watching without squirrels stealing your bird seed!

"It's been six years not one scratch on it, and not one squirrel has reached beyond it. Oh they still try,. but cannot beat its magical powers. :-)" - Mark

You could use this same baffle above your feeder if you are having trouble with squirrels jumping to your feeders from trees or other structures and you are unable to move your feeders to a jump-free location.

Squirrels can jump 4+ feet vertically, so place your baffle high enough up the pole so they can't simply leap above it from the ground.

More tips about squirrel-proofing your feeder on our other squirrel baffle and squirrel-proof bird feeder pages below.

Another DIY Homemade Squirrel Baffle that Only Costs $10

Best Wrap-Around Squirrel Baffle

Squirrel Proof Bird Feeders

Best Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder Review & Comparison

Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder Pole - Includes floating baffle that keeps squirrels from reaching your feeders.

Bird Feeder Pole Favorites - Best bird feeder poles for hanging your feeders and attaching baffles to for a squirrel proof pole.

Bird House Hole Squirrel Guard

Squirrel Feeders - To Make Everyone Happy ;-)

Free squirrel Feeder Plans - Feed the Squirrels away from your bird feeders as an alternative option to the fight.

Squirrel Feeder - Best squirrel feeders if you do not want to build your own.

Keeping squirrels off feeders

Free Bird Feeder Plans

What can I use as a squirrel baffle?

For our homemade squirrel baffle we used a stainless steel bowl. But you can use a 5" or 6" galvanized duct pipe to slide over your bird feeder pole. A slinky slid over the feeder pole is also an option.