Where should I put my feeder?

It is important to keep feeders away from areas that are accessible to cats. All feeders should be sited in a mature tree which is surrounded by other trees - this lets the squirrels arrive via the trees rather than by crossing open ground. It should be placed about 6 feet up, or higher as this reduces the risk from cats, but make sure you can still top the feeder up easily!

The feeder can be attached to a tree using screws or straps (which are less damaging). Nylon straps with quick release catches can be purchased from Halfords. When first installed, scatter food around and on top of the hopper to help the squirrels to find it.

Thirsty work!

Eating all those peanuts, sunflower seeds and hazel nuts etc can be thirsty work! Red Alert advises thast you ensure there is a good shallow water source available for the reds to drink from. Remember though, don't make the water too accessible to cats.

What else might visit the feeder?

In general, all feeding hoppers will attract wildlife other than squirrels. Birds and mice will also take some of the food.allow entry by juvenile grey squirrels and this cannot be avoided. In such circumstances we advise that you attempt to control the grey squirrel population as it will assist in red squirrel conservation. Contact the Project Officers for more information.

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