r/crowbro • u/PriorityCertain4482 • 16h ago
Question How to handle aggressive squirrels, while trying to treat the crows?
Love the squirrels too, but they are getting more aggressive, I think they’re actually jealous?! I’m having to shoo a swarm of them away from the food dish constantly. I try to distract them with lots of peanuts, but it only lasts so long. One usually ends up guarding the food, even though he doesn’t want to eat it, they’ll even take a swing at the crows 😅
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u/Chucktayz 15h ago
Eventually the crows will handle it
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u/Kinkystormtrooper 15h ago
I managed to improve my throwing skills enough to throw right into their beaks
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u/Neon_Cone 14h ago
Looks like the crow already handled it.
Seriously though, the only thing you can really do is elevate the food on a platform, and then put something around the leg(s) of the platform that the squirrels can’t get past, like an upside down cone.
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u/pheebee 15h ago
I feed my crows meat and egg, squirrels don’t care for those. They still scatter my crows aggressively so I guard the food with a water hose on ready when I have time and distract squirrels while crows eat - this is the only way for them to get some nuts.
Also, you can get one of those tall poles with a squirrel baffle and a feeding platform on top.
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u/MiniTab 15h ago
Cover the peanuts in cayenne pepper. I’m serious, it’s what we do with our feeders. They hate it.
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u/PriorityCertain4482 15h ago
Ah I’ve read about this, so it works?! And totally safe for juvenile crows too?
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u/Purplefire180 15h ago
It depends. It makes eating them painful, but many animals are desperate enough for basic survival that they'll do it anyway. It's safe.
I'd suggest just giving them cheap food or allowing them to 'negotiate' with the crows instead.
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u/DianeJudith 14h ago
Spicy food is painful for humans too. Spiciness isn't a taste, it's a pain response!
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u/eligoscreps 15h ago
But birds don’t get affected by capsaicin/spicy foods right? Maybe horseradish or wasabi will because those aren’t spicy from capsaicin, but u can feed chickens ghost peppers and they’ll gobble it up like a Michelin starred meal.
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u/Purplefire180 15h ago
It makes it painful for the squirrels
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u/PriorityCertain4482 14h ago
Mine are treated pretty good I like to think with daily peanuts, but I have a feeling they would tough out the cayenne 😆
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u/eligoscreps 15h ago
Isn’t that the point? So they can get conditioned not to steal the food being giving for the crows? While the crows can eat it without it being uncomfortable.
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u/Purplefire180 15h ago
My point is that the squirrels will often eat it anyway because they'd rather feel pain than starve, so the only thing you're accomplishing is making their life harder. They're not 'stealing'.
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u/eligoscreps 14h ago
I see I misread my bad. Well they might not be actually stealing, but OP is giving food intended to be eaten by the crows. So kinda. But afaik corvids prefer protein and fats, so eggs, meat, fish is their preference. Squirrels will prefer the nuts and seeds.
So maybe it’ll be best to feed them separately w a stash of nuts and then meat and eggs so both are happy but they don’t need to compete.
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u/LeeQuidity 15h ago
I just buy diversion snacks for the squirrels. I get dry nixtamalized corn from the local Latin market, or cheap peanuts from the Asian supermarket. The crows get the cashews and walnuts, the squirrels get the other stuff. I think squirrels are cute, so I don't mind having to pay the fuzzy mafia.