Have you ever found yourself asking, ‘what critter is raiding my bird feeder?” After all, you visited the feeder only to find the feeder had been depleted, chewed up, or in rare cases, removed completely!
There can be many nocturnal animals rummaging around in the your feeder. The most common animals include common skunk, raccoon, opossums, rats and flying squirrels. Sometimes, bears and deer will forage within the feeder as well.
Do not fear too much! You can do a few simple, but effective options to protecting your feeder!
Skunk
At times, a skunk may make an attempt at a bird feeder.
Fortunately, they are rather tame . They will only become aggressive or violent if they feel threatened.
Even if threatened it will repel with a spray instead of attacking.
Most of the time, skunks will not be damaging anything at bird feeders. Occasionally, they may try to snag a snack.
What do you do? If you’ve observed a skunk in the area, and suspect, potatoe, you can always hang it up just a little higher. Skunks are small, and not gifted climbers, so this should solve the problem.
Raccoon
There is a reason why the raccoon is more kindly referred to as a ‘robber rat’ and it mostly has to do with the racoons’ mask!
Raccoons are opportunistic eaters and love to scavenge from trash heaps, the bowls of a pets’ food, and even bird feeders!
In fact, raccoons are one of the largest contributors of devastation to your bird feeders as well. They are able to use those opposable thumbs to their advantage as they examine a number of feeders!
On occasion, a raccoon will even take your (now empty) feeder. Fortunately, there are a few options available to protect your feeder from raccoons.
Two things to try: One, hang the feeder from a very thin pole (typically raccoons need a thick pole or tree to climb up). Or, two, try pulling a wire between two trees (or from a tree to a fence, or etc.) and use this wire to hang the feeder!
Opossuml
The opossum is much less fierce than you think.
Although these long-tailed animals can hiss and act tough, their true weapon is to play dead (definitely not that scary).
However, they can cause similar problems with a birdfeeder as a raccoon does, or even a squirrel to some extent. That is, they can climb well, they have opposable thumbs, and they will most definitely think of an easy-to-reach feeder as a snack.
Now, in all honesty, opossums may even chew up the feeders, leaving you to ask yourself, ‘what’s raiding my bird feeder at night’. If you think an opossum is behind the activity at your bird feeder you may just want to bring in your feeders at night.
Action To Take: Or, if you want, you can try the methods above of hanging them from a pole/wire. However, remember that opossums can sometimes be faster than raccoons and better at climbing. Another method is to set up a motion-activated sprinkler.
Mice/Rats
Usually, mice do not ever bother with an existing birdfeeder.
Mice prefer the ground where there are holes and other shelter.
They feel exposed to any night flying predator, such as an owl. They will continue to scurry along the ground to hide in shadow.
So avoid ground feeding if mice are a problem for you! General mice may try sampling your loose seeds, but will not usually destroy a hanging feeder! Rats, however, take it to the next level.
Again as with squirrels, very hungry rats may eat a bird feeder. While rats are pretty brazen about it, placing a feeder on a pole or wire should work to keep the rats off.
Dan Consider This: – Check out this solution if you want to take the mouse and rat thief off your list.
Bears
If you reside in a bear zone, you may be shocked to imagine they are going after your bird feeders.
Bears have a better sense of smell than nearly all dogs, and they will travel for a meal.
Bears will tear feeders apart, and they can easily carry the feeder off, making it look like a big bear attack!
If bears seem to be troubling you, the best thing you can probably do is take the feeder down until the bears go into hibernation mode (in the winter).
Another option worth considering: an electric fence, just like would be used for livestock!
Deer
Another unexpected thief of bird feeders is the deer.
This is more likely when there is limited food available, such as during the winter (as deer do not hibernate and must continue to hunt).
While overall, deer might only be a few feet tall on four legs, when reared onto its hind legs, it can reach up to 6 feet tall!
This could certainly make grabbing a mouthful or three, a little easier!
Best Strategy: To limit bird feeder access to deer – your best bet is to add a chicken wire enclosure around the tree or pole, and/or to hang the feeder even higher!
Flying Squirrels (Nocturnal)
Finally, on our list of thieves on your night owl birdfeeders…The Flying Squirrel!
While your average gray or red-tailed squirrels are diurnal and come out only during the day, the flying squirrel is nocturnal.
Works Best: The flying squirrel is also a great little climber (and flyer), and you will find that only squirrel proof feeders will keep them away!
Final Thoughts
Therefore, if you’re asking yourself, ‘who is attacking my bird feeder at night?’, this list will most likely provide you with the answer.
There are also some really effective things you can do to secure your feeder!