Customer Reviews

Wild Bill's 8 Station Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I ordered this feeder not because of the shock feature, which I don't use, but because of it's large capacity and enclosed seed bin. Those aspects of the feeder are terrific, and it's nicely designed and well built. But caution: In the less than a week since we have owned this feeder, a bird has already become trapped inside the seed bin. It's important to keep the feeder at least three quarters full to avoid the birds getting in through the upper feed ports to get at the seed and not being able to get out.

The first day we put it up, squirrels learned to fear it. Since that time a year ago, we haven't seen a single squirrel try to get birdseed. Even when we leave the power switch off, no squirrels. Other "squirrel-proof" feeders we tried didn't work nearly as well, and usually got chewed up by our frustrated little rodent friends.

As a bonus, the feeder is the simplest we've found for filling and cleaning. It holds 10 pounds of birdseed.

Once, I inadvertently shocked myself 'cause I forgot to turn the power switch off. Just as they claim, it's a very mild static-electricity type shock which startles rather than harms.

we had a squirrel problem. dozens of different kinds of squirrels attacked and spilled our old feeders. we tried many different solutions and finally found a feeder that works. wild bill's feeder is great. we fill it once a week with sunflower seeds and once zapped the squirrels stay away. we had to cut away a branch or two to keep the clever squirrels from reaching into the feeder from the side. at times a squirrel will creep down a branch and pause in thought over the top plate. they usually change their minds and think better of trying to touch the top metal plate. the only problem we had occured during single digit michigan temperatures. the battery became too cold to work. we brought the feeder indoors and as soon as it warmed up (a matter of minutes) it worked again.

once a squirrel is zapped by the feeder, they learn to stay away from it. we left on a week long trip and returned to find the feeder in place and still containing sunflower seeds. the level of seeds was down, but it had not been accosted and stripped of its contents as our former feeders were. our birds are looking plumper and our formerly obese squirrels are looking somewhat fit. the squirrels still hang around on the ground looking for a spilled seed, but wild bill's feeder has solved our squirrel problem. we liked it so much we bought another one.

We have had the larger feeder for two or three years and never had a chickadee get inside. We have only had this feeder up a few weeks and have had two birds caught inside. Possible explanation: The lid for this feeder is the same diameter as the lid for the larger three tiered feeder, which has a larger diameter bin. On the larger feeder, the birds could also get in but can see their way out since the hole at the rim is visible and the bird can see out through that opening. In the smaller two tiered feeder, the lid comes down much lower over the openings in the rim, so the birds can not see their way out: it looks blocked to them inside the feeder. We have put tape over the rim cutouts on both the outside and inside (to cover the sticky side of the tape) thereby preventing the birds from getting inside the bin.

Have had unit for over two years and if I remember to turn the power on we do not have issues with the squirrels. Live in northern Indiana and if ice forms over the feeder it will short out and run the battery down. Other than that it has worked very well. Remember to clean it out to prevent stale seeds making the birds sick.

I would suggest you not buy this feeder. Maybe the problems we are having are due to our living in Florida. I am now changing the batteries monthly, without much success. The squirrels actually get into the feeder through two large holes at the top of the feed bin under the roof. This could be because it rains a lot this time of year where we live (wet season). Maybe the wet humid air keeps the unit off a lot. Anyway ours are on there way to the land fill

This is a great bird feeder to keep squirrels at bay. I only saw one squirrel get zapped by it. The squirrels go up and down the tree several times but do not jump on the feeder anymore. The only flaw with this feeder is that the feeder holes are too large. The birds are getting at the feeder, but much of the seed is being dumped on the ground. I actually have to fill it every other day because of this. I gave it 4 stars because of the feeder holes being too large and bird seed being wasted on the ground.

I've had the 12 port model of this feeder for almost 3 years. Amazon doesn't carry it yet but bestnest does. It works great. The squirrels do a backflip off of it and then shake their legs as they try to figure out what hit them. They don't get on again. I have it mounted on a pole. No problem yet with anything trying to chew through it.

I have tried everything to stop the squirrels and at last i don't have to worry .It took no time to stop them climbing on the feeder and now they are scared of getting on any feeders in the garden ....I really cant believe this has worked but it does and I recommend this to anyone who wants 100% squirrel relief.

So far the pesky squirrel has been foiled by Wild Bill's bird feeder. We have had it up for about 1 month. We are a little disappointed in the quality, however. Probably would have given this feeder 5 stars if it was better built with better amterials. Not sure how long this will last. We bought another "squirrel proof" feeder at the same time we bought this one and the quality of construction on the other feeder is significantly better. Problem is that it does not hold near as much seed as Wild Bill's does. It certainly is nice to fill it less often. The battery has been checked after 1 month and it is still very strong, so no problem with battery life.