Making a good squirrel feeder with our own hands
Meeting a squirrel always brings a lot of positive emotions. A do-it-yourself squirrel feeder will help you attract these funny animals to your site.
Related article: do-it-yourself bird feeder.
Feeder requirements
- For a squirrel feeder with their own hands, they use exclusively natural wood, and not varnished chipboard or plastic fragments in general. Firstly, squirrels live in the forest and all sorts of paints, laminates and plastic paraphernalia are extremely dangerous for a delicate organism. Secondly, the smell of varnish can scare off the squirrel and your work will be down the drain.
- You need to make a compact structure.
- If the trough is closed, then it needs a round hole.
- In order for the squirrels to visit the feeder, you need to hang it correctly - only on a tree, and at such a height so that you can safely put food and sweets there.
Manufacturing technique
For feeders for squirrels, you can use any natural boards, including a croaker. The main requirement is that the material used must be absolutely dry. It is advisable to choose boards with a wall thickness of 2.5-3 cm. So the feeder will last longer, and the animal will be comfortable inside.
There are several basic options for creating feeder for squirrels (photo of some options below).
On this topic:do-it-yourself birdhouse drawings and dimensions made of wood
From planks
This method is the easiest and fastest. You will need boards with dimensions of thickness / width / length 1.8 / 30/300 cm, respectively. The total length should be three meters.
Manufacturing technique:
- Use a cutting square to measure and cut a 55 cm board. This will be the back of the trough. Above and below, 5 cm are canceled. It is with them that the feeder will be attached to the tree.
- Now the sidewalls are cut off - two boards 25 * 45 cm and an internal partition with dimensions of 20 * 25 cm.
- The remaining two blocks will act as a porch.
- With the help of a jigsaw, round holes are cut out on the front and back sides of the future feeder, through which the squirrel will get to food. Wooden sections must be carefully sanded with sandpaper so that the squirrels do not get hurt.
- Consider if you did everything, if all the details fit correctly. If there are no flaws, you can glue the feeder.
To be sure of the strength of the squirrel feeder, the parts can be additionally fastened with self-tapping screws. It is highly undesirable to use nails in this matter so that the animals do not cut themselves.
From the can
Oddly enough, but this method is not only interesting, but also simple, is popular and looks very original. In addition, the feed will be reliably protected from birds.
Choose a jar that is spacious enough, at least 15 cm in diameter, so that the squirrel can not only climb into it, but also sit and eat nuts.
The do-it-yourself squirrel feeder (drawings are attached) is a house, placed on a long ledge-base. The approximate dimensions of the house are 45/25/20 cm (length / width / height, respectively):
- Cut out 2 sidewalls, one front part, a roof and a back wall, mark an opening for a can.
- A hole is also made in the front, but it must match the diameter of the neck of the can.
- A hole with a diameter of no more than 10 cm is cut out in each sidewall. This is the entrance to the feeder. The base of the feeder should be of such length that it can fit into a house, a jar, and a small margin for placing a stopper that will securely fix the jar. As for the rear part, in addition to the function of the wall, it is also the holder of the entire structure, since it is she who will be attached to the tree.
- Having cut out all the details, they are processed with sandpaper, glued together and fixed with self-tapping screws.
- All that remains is to attach the feeder to the tree and add food.
With these tips, you can make your own squirrel feeder and spice up your garden.