Is it correct to assume that you buy suet cakes with nuts/seeds/fruit?

If so, you might buy the plain rendered suet cakes or even better buy "real" suet from a butcher or grocery store. The squirrels aren't interested in there are no "goodies" embeded in the suet.

I refuse to let the squirrels win...yet.
If I were a woodpecker I think I would like my suet to have nuts and berries in it, so that's what I have out there.
If the squirrels prove to be smarter than I am (actually smarter than all of you, since they've already beat me), then I will go with the plain old boring suet.

I just read some information on cayenne pepper and how it can be used to ward of squirrels by mixing it with bird seed.
Has anyone ever tried and had success with this?
I'm thinking of sprinkling it on the suet to see what happens.
Stay tuned...

Hello,

My hubby and I built this one out of scrap materials and for whatever the reason, squirrels can't feed off of it. I have seen them try but I think it's hard for them to hold on and eat. It has no place for them to hold on with feet and use hands.

I had an old crab cage and fixed it to the front, the feeder holds 4 cakes. The woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatchers love it but I have had it up for two months now and have only seen two squirrels on it for a total of one min. I like to feed the squirrels too so I have plenty in my yard. We attached it to a broken tree because they were pecking there anyway!

Hope this helps,

Keilamarie
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Keilamarie,

Now that's a suet feeder!!
Short of building one myself (it's not patent pending is it? :), you did give me a good idea.
I think you're right about the back feet. I was watching one of the little bastards on the suet this morning (I forgot to put out peanuts) and he was clinging on with his back feet and holding the suet basket with both front paws while he chewed away at the corners of the suet. Seeing your contraption made me realize that if I cover the sides of the suet basket with something (strips of wood perhaps), they won't be able to get a mouthful since it appears that they actually chew around the corner bars.
I actually have a suet basket hanging from the trunk of my maple in the front yard just outside one of the upper windows. After scaring the squirrel away, I went and threw some cayenne pepper on the suet cake. My neighbours can't see the basket since it's on the house side of the tree, so I'm sure if anyone saw me it will be dinner table discussion tonight.

"Honey, the new neighbour was sprinkling red powder on the tree again!!?? And he was talking to himself...he looked mad."

Ha ha ha....that would be a site to see, make sure you stand down wind! I tried that but got tired of running out there to sprinkle it on. The squirrels here are depressed because except for the vine table (you can see it behind the wide shot in the background on previous post) where I put food out for them, everthing else we've made is squirrel proof. I've posted this before somewhere on another thread but here is the feeder we made, not a squirrel on it ever! :) All we bought was the plexiglass!
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I love making things for my feathered friends...made a shelter for them too....I'm such a nut for them can't stand to see them crowd the feeder in the rain for shelter, ran downstairs and built this. I even has two rows of perches for a flock to roost together. What a softy I am! :)
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