I live in Ohio. I had bird feeders hanging up, and had the exact problems you described in this video. Skunks, opossums, mice, and worst of all, Norwegian rats, showed up at night for the buffet. I live in a ranch house, and yes, I did get Norwegian rats in my attic. It was sometimes hard for me to sleep, with the pitter patter of rodent feet above my head, wondering if I was going to wake up to a house fire from chewed wires. Luckily, nothing happened, but it was very unnerving. Since my job is mostly work at home, I still want to feed the birds, since I find them entertaining to watch while I'm working. So now, what I do is, I fill two large stainless steel pet food bowls with bird seed, and put them on the ground outside in the morning. If there are any leftovers by sunset, I bring the bowls inside. There are two advantages to this. One, it's less work because there's no need to cleanup spilled seeds. Birds eat right out of the bowl, they don't pick up seeds and drop them on the ground as with a hanging feeder. Two, bully birds and squirrels are surprisingly much less of a problem, so all the birds get a chance to eat. Oh, and that's absolutely true about native plants! Goldfinches, for examples, absolutely love picking coneflower seeds and sunflower seeds directly off the plant.

@TheTrapperGuy

Жыл бұрын

Sounds like a good plan. Most the problem makers come out at night.

@hamsterama

Жыл бұрын

@@TheTrapperGuy Exactly! Which is why most people don't realize bird feeders attract rodents and other problem critters. We watch the feeders during the day, but not during the night. I only wish I discovered your video a couple years ago. It took me a while to figure out that the bird feeders and the rats coming into the attic were connected. Ever since I eliminated the hanging feeder, I've had no more rats in the attic.

@TheTrapperGuy

Жыл бұрын

@@hamsterama make sure you seal off any rat openings into your attic. They will go up there for shelter also.

@hamsterama

Жыл бұрын

@@TheTrapperGuy Great advice! Thank you!

@TheTrapperGuy

Жыл бұрын

@@hamsterama your welcome!

I'm glad I searched "Bird Feeders" I didn't think I needed to but I would have just been a know-it-all with a rodent problem🤣 Glad I did. Great video

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Lol. Thanks!

Thanks! This change my mind to get a bird feeders at our backyard.

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Plants some native plants. You get same outcome and less problems.

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

@Cheeky Hindquarters that brings out the bad aspects of feeder even more. More rats and other critters you don't want. Not to mention predators who can ambush the birds. Check what your local birds eat naturally in your area and try to add those things if possible.

Solid advice! Thanks!

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Your welcome!

great advice - thanks!

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

Your welcome!

Very informative

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great video! I use to bring in my feeder every night, but a better solution for me is to only put enough food to last a few hours. The birds are usually waiting for me in the morning.

@TheTrapperGuy

Жыл бұрын

thanks!

Great vid. +1 for native plants

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great advice!!!

@TheTrapperGuy

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Thank you.

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Welcome!

Thanks for all that info. If you’re in sarasota, please come to one of my shows, I play music on town

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Your welcome. next time im down that way I will check it out!

It’s a chore but I try to clean under the feeder, not only to keep pests away, but to also prevent the birds from getting sick and then spreading that sickness. I usually just bury whatever I clean up from below the feeder and sometimes the stuff I bury grows back which gives me a supply of sunflowers.

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

Maintenance is the key!

In northern Virginia rats have moved from the city to the suburbs. They now scavenge for birdseed during the day.

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Lots of food in the suburbs as well.

@swissmaid

3 жыл бұрын

Don't leave birdseeds out all day. Instead use them like a tool to attract them to one or two spots in your garden. Once timing is established, place a cocky cage near the bird seeds and they will come and eat the poison. I use pellets, which I smear a little of smooth peanut butter on. They love it and come from everywhere. But make sure you take the birdseeds away and sweep the ground clean of fallen seeds. The birds just help to call the rats. Take the poison away at nights, so raccoons, possums can't get at it. Their little hands can get it easely through the cage! Too

Thats cool that you have a trapping business. That seems like fun to trap nuisance animals and get paid for it.

@TheTrapperGuy

Жыл бұрын

It is fun but the trapping is a small part of the job. Fixing animal damage and doing preventative work is the biggest part of it.

I love opossums around they eat fleas ticks and rodents and snakes

@TheTrapperGuy

Жыл бұрын

They are very beneficial...and will still be around without bird feeders.

I honestly don’t care about any critters but RATS and MICE. I need to get rid of the rats we now have. And yes I want to keep my bird feeders

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

You can never get rid of all the rats unfortunately.

I’m in Canada and for years we put out bird feeders year round but had exactly the problem you spoke about with rodents. We think it was a rat but whatever it was was hoarding bird seed in an interior wall in the house that had fallen from our feeders. They got in through a very tiny exterior opening in the brick that was left uncaulked when our gas fireplace was installed. Anyway, we learned from our pest control friend that rats (in particular) will hoard food until they can’t find any (for us that’s winter time) and then they return to nest and have babies. Needless to say I was suitably freaked out - took the feeders down and that, coupled with laying out multiple sealed baits traps through the house and attic, took care of the problem. Once the rat was eliminated, the exterior entry point was caulked and we’ve been fine ever since. I love your idea about the different flowering shrubs - I have a new garden bed to fill up this year and will incorporate your ideas! Thanks so much.

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

Glad i could help! I love helping out wild native birds...but unfortunately my customers learn the hard way like you did.

@libbyannstew8775

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheTrapperGuy Yup! The best of intentions can blow up in your face!

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

@@libbyannstew8775 that describes many of my customers. Lol

I LOVE opossums!!

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

😀

@JustanotherLisa

3 жыл бұрын

Me too and all other animals but no rats and mice

Keren banget bosku..🙏👍👍👍

Hey Trapper Guy, Thanks for the info. Here in Nor-Cal Something is emptying my nyjer feeder overnight, it is on a long narrow chain hanging from a tree branch, I thought it was "out of reach". What is climbing down this small chain?

@TheTrapperGuy

Жыл бұрын

Only way to find out is to put a game camera on it. You will be surprised by the results.

Had me at Tampa Bay

@foofstarr4856

3 жыл бұрын

Yep, trapper from Florida lmao

I had no idea!! I’m so sad that I will need to take down my feeders!! Just saw a nice in my garage the other day😢

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

You can still do feeders...but they are so much work...and not as good for birds as wild plants!

Thanks for the info. Are there any cons to having bird baths?

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

Only mosquitos if you don't maintain them. Check out my video here for tips. kzread.info/dash/bejne/iXeY1dOMlNS2j6Q.html

So what kind of "live plant" should i purchase and plant....live in a suburb of Chicago,Ill......tired of my bird feeder...thanks for helping.

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

I can't answer that for you....I'm a Florida boy. Check your local extension services or Universities for info on bird attracting native plants....or a knowledgeable nursery that specializes in native plants (not Home Depot, etc).

@a.joseph4233

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheTrapperGuy Okay...thanks for helping

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

@@a.joseph4233 Welcome!

It boils down to being a responsible feeder.

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

Sums it up.

I place coyote & fox pee around my bird feeder= nothing but birds come by.

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

How about coyote and foxes?

Much better than Black Sunflower Seeds is Sunflower Hearts....No shells at all!!

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Great idea!

Use Hot Pepper mix ..rats hates it 😊

You can’t just use sunflower seeds, not all birds eat that. That’s why u use a mix. I do buy the high quality mix. But the grackles and crows eat up everything fast and the song birds get chased away . And they all make a mess on the ground. I can’t just chase away the grackles and crows either since they’re local birds and belong here. They clean out all 4 of my bird feeders in a few hours. It’s crazy. I want bird feeders but not rats and mice. Hubby wants all feeders GONE . But it’s my house too and we need to compromise. I agree to buy better feeders with a seed catcher underneath, only put up 2 feeders instead of 4-6. And buy better quality seeds. And clean constantly. I don’t know what else to do. Biggest problem we have now is how to get rid of the rat family humanely. I’d like to relocate them far into woods. Or use that bucket trap with water and drown them and take their bodies into the woods where they’re gonna get eaten. So nature takes over.

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

I wouldn't use the bucket trap outside because you could drown some native wildlife like small opossums.

In Northern Virginia rats have moved from the city to the suburbs. The scavenge for birdseed during the day.

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

They go where the food is.

I've never had a problem with rats or mice scavenging under bird feeders but I guess they wouldn't have much to eat since the deer literally lick up what little spilled grain is there at the end of the day. Easiest way to avoid this 'problem' is just only put out enough grain that the birds will finish it all before dark. Well that or make friends with the deer and raccoons. Guarenteed no rats with a nightly clean up crew lol

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

How do you know you don't have rats under feeder at night?

Justmix some cayenne pepper in with the bird seed and suet. Birds can't taste it. Mammals can and hate it. You can buy "hot seed and suet" already bagged online and in some bird food stores. 0:09

@TheTrapperGuy

7 ай бұрын

I have tried it on bear...and used cayenne and carolina reaper pepper which is 100 times hotter. The bear loved it. Remember humans are mammals....and they make the pepper for human consumption. Lol

I hope my alligator feeder doesn’t attract rats...

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

lol

I don't think the rats coming to my bird feeder know that the sunflower seeds aren't supposed to be their favorite!

@TheTrapperGuy

2 жыл бұрын

Lol. Bird feeders are always going to be a constant battle.

Takes a certain kind of man to head lock a possum.

@TheTrapperGuy

Жыл бұрын

Who is head locking a possum?

Is there a way to have bird feeders without attracting rodents

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Rats are nocturnal...so if you bring your bird feeders in at night it will help. Also don't forget the seed that may drop to the ground. A big tray underneath helps. If you have trees and owls where you live....locate the feeders in open areas so owls can pick off any rodents that go for seed on ground you may have missed.

@jonathanjadotte

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheTrapperGuy aye bro my neighbor got some big rats that will come out during the day onto my yard. These rats here are super bold 🤣 I'm also in the Tampa Bay area go Bucs!

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

@@jonathanjadotte Go Bucs!

@gonzobongo6669

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheTrapperGuy Miami Dolphins! Dan Marino= the BEST QB!

@patrickfalls6819

3 жыл бұрын

Did this just turn into a sports thread? If so, Geaux Saints! 😉

🐦^🐁 ^ 🐍

Let that raccoon go you cruel man.

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

Nice troll!

@asensibleyoungman2978

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheTrapperGuy I'm not trolling. I think you're cruel.

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

@@asensibleyoungman2978 since I am in fact not cruel.....you are trolling. Stating your opinion without facts is the very definition of trolling. The raccoon was relocated (you didn't ask).

@jonathanjadotte

3 жыл бұрын

Ah you Trolling loll,have a great day

@gonzobongo6669

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheTrapperGuy I'll eat that raccoon for you.

Animals are NEVER a nuisance

@TheTrapperGuy

3 жыл бұрын

I'm guessing you aren't a homeowner.

@foofstarr4856

3 жыл бұрын

When they live in your attic or garage the rats and rabbies will definitely be a nuisance

@turbofanlover

Жыл бұрын

You would seriously be fine with rats in your attic? LOL.