Got burned on a $60 bird feeder that promised to be squirrel-proof

I bought this fancy feeder from a local shop in Portland back in March, one with those spring-loaded perches that are supposed to close when a squirrel hops on. Cost me 60 bucks, which felt steep but I was tired of refilling every two days. First week was great, squirrels looked confused. Then I came home last Tuesday and found the whole thing on the ground with the top popped off and all the seed scattered. Turns out the locking mechanism is plastic and one good tug from a determined squirrel snapped it clean. I'm back to using my old metal tube feeder with a baffle, cost me 15 bucks total and it's held up for two years now. Anybody had better luck with those weight-activated perches or is it all just marketing hype?

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henrys742mo ago

Is a bird feeder really worth getting this worked up over?

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veraw472mo ago

Oh man, I had the exact same thing happen with a "squirrel proof" feeder from a big box store. Cost me 50 bucks and the plastic latch broke within two weeks. Found the whole thing in the dirt with the seed spilled everywhere. Those spring-loaded perches are a joke, just marketing fluff. I stuck with a cheap metal tube feeder with a baffle too, works way better for a fraction of the price.

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