I have two of these and they work pretty well. As said above there isn’t one that is completely squirrel proof.

https://www.amazon.com/Squirre...TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Basically the weight of the squirrel closes the openings and makes it very difficult to get the seeds out. Now our squirrels stay at the base of the feeders on the ground and wait for the birds to kick out the seeds.

The squirrel maze videos on YT are a riot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTvS9lvRxZ8

I've never seen a bird house or bird feeder that couldnt beimproved upon.

Are the rats climbing down from the top ?
That's very easy.

Or
Are they jumping on to the feeder from the side?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,

I put one on a shepherds hook hanger in the yard away from trees. I also put a 2 gallon plant pot upside down on the shaft of the shepherds hook about three feet off the ground and put a shitload of 2" drywall screws in the pot facing in. I took great pleasure is watching and hearing the squeals when they raced up the pole into their own little iron maiden.

Thanks all, I ordered a couple of the Brome Squirrel Buster feeders.

Update in OP.

I.m.o.
Still too close to the tree.
Relocating it 48 inches away and 48 inches off the ground will deter larger varments from tearing it open.

My wife has a selection of bird feeders including the same one as the OP. They are all of which are mounted on 1" poles. While the feeders are squirrel resistant, the little buggers hang on the feeder and feast on the bird feed.

So I installed squirrel baffles. It takes some experimenting to place them correctly ,low enough that they can't jump from the pole to the feeder and high enough that they can't jump around the baffle. They work only if the squirrels can't jump down from a higher launch point like a tree.

My wife also has a feeder that hangs on a 2' hooked rod. Raccoons were attacking the feeder so I used some some old aluminum plates from a camping cook set. They were worthless for dining so I saved them in my "useful at some point in the future" pile. Drilled a hole in the center and adjusted the position using a hose clamp. The raccoon tried to shinny down the hanging rod, hit the plate then took a 15' nose dive. No problem since that time.

As for the hot sauce approach. Our squirrels seem to enjoy the hot feed so that didn't work. One word to the wise: if you go with the hot feed solution, use gloves when refilling the feeders.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: SPWAMike0317,

I have a Wild Birds Unlimited feeder pole setup which holds a suet feeder, a small house shaped seed feeder, a thistle seed feeder, a peanut feeder, and a hummingbird feeder. My main squirrel proof feeder is hanging from a close by tree limb. There is a squirrel baffle on the feeder pole so the squirrels and ‘coons are not able to gain access to the feeders.

The feeder on the tree is a Wild Birds Unlimited squirrel proof cylinder feeder, but the squirrels and ‘coons have figured out the can swing the feeder, causing it to drop seeds. It doesn’t empty it out, but it does put enough on the ground for a snack for them and the ground feeding birds. I leave it on the limb because the birds have become accustomed to its location over the years.

So, the only thing which works for me at 100% is a squirrel baffle. On another note, I was actively taking the squirrels out, but it seems lately they are just eating the seeds dropped from the feeders when birds eat from them. I’ll begin taking them out again if they won’t leave the cylinder feeder alone.

Baffles are great tools.
Both from above and below


Some pay the premium retail price for them.

I use free garbage can lids guy, (plastic Rubbermaid)
From the hardware store.

The usually have half a dozen new lids laying around..

A hole in the center for pole use or a small slit in the center for hanging in a tree or beam