re: Squirrel proof bird feeders: Updated

I don't think a squirrel-proof bird feeder exists--only a bird feeder the squirrels haven't figured out--yet.

My neighbor thought he had the problem solved. Bought a feeder with remote control to electrify the bird feeder when the squirrel was on it. The premise was the squirrel would stay away from the feeder because the electrical jolt occurred for no apparent reason.
After about two weeks, the neighbor noticed the squirrels would look in the window to see if anyone was watching prior to getting on the bird feeder--the squirrels realized someone was present when they got zapped.

Mine is like this one. It kept the squirrels out for 10 or 12 years. They’d gnaw all around the edges and on the wooden perch, but they could never get in. They best they could do was to shake the feeder, and pick up the seeds that had fallen to the ground. Eventually, they gnawed the perch in two. With the perch gone, the trip lever was gone, and they had easy access. I replaced the dowel, and they gnawed through the new one in one day. It took them all those years to figure out how to get in, but once they had it figured out, they had it figured out! I put a piece of copper tubing over the third perch.

[img]ziptied a slinky onto the shaft[/img]

I've tried everything including this.

I recall reading that "The issue is a squirrel will spend all of its time figuring out how to get to the food thus rendering squirrel proof feeders a fruitless effort."