It is of course Grey squirrels we are talking about here – if you’re lucky enough to have Red squirrels coming to your garden, then the last thing you’d want to do is deter them. The Grey squirrel, however, is not a native species to the UK, and despite its huge population (there are around 2.5 million compared to the Red's 160,000), wide distribution across our shores and arguably attractive looks and entraining behaviour, it is not welcome in most gardens. Some people do feed Grey squirrels and therefore encourage them, but this is not something we generally recommend and for a number of reasons: Grey squirrels will sometimes eat the eggs of songbirds and even young birds in their nests; cause a huge amount of damage to trees by stripping bark to get to the nutritious sap, plus they can also find their way into lofts of homes and cause considerable damage. It's also the case that in areas where both Grey and Red squirrels exist, the Greys will not only often outcompete the Reds for territory and food (a major reason for the historic loss of Reds in England, Wales and parts of Scotland), but also pass fatal squirrel pox to them - a disease which Grey squirrels carry but aren't otherwise affected by.

Deterring Grey squirrels from garden is difficult but you can stop them getting to bird food


Deterring Grey squirrels from gardens is a problem which few people manage to fully overcome. Not only can squirrels jump great distances, but they also have the uncanny ability to figure out how to overcome almost any obstacle put in their way. That said, keeping them off the actual bird food – provided it is in a feeder – is possible and can be achieved by using squirrel-proof feeders. There are basically two types of these feeders: The first has a metal cage which surrounds the feeder, with these being available for seed, peanuts and suet products. The openings in the mesh of the cage prevent squirrels from getting to the food (plus also larger birds like Jackdaws), but are just wide enough to allow small birds through such as species of tit and finch. The second type works by the weight of the squirrel triggering a mechanism (again, this will also work for larger birds like Jackdaws) which then closes the ports in the feeder, and therefore prevents access to the food. See our full range of squirrel proof feeders here.

Further measures you can take to try and keep Grey squirrels off bird feeders


A further step you can try to keep Grey squirrels off bird feeders - including standard feeders which aren't protected - is to ensure there is at least an eight foot gap (2.4 metres) from trees and fences etc. to feeders – this distance being more than squirrels can jump. This will of course mean not hanging feeders from branches but instead from a feeding station. With that gap created, the next problem to overcome is preventing squirrels from climbing the metal pole of the feeding station. There are two main ways you can achieve this (though the determined squirrel may still get around both): Use a Giant Seed Tray & Squirrel Guard or apply a grease on the pole such as Vaseline.

Provide a purpose-made squirrel feeder


Having said that encouraging Grey squirrels to gardens and giving them easy access to food isn’t a good idea, we realise that some people will enjoy having these tenacious mammals in their gardens, and therefore will want to feed them. That being the case, the best approach is to use a purpose-made squirrel feeder like this one. This approach also has the benefit of helping to keep the squirrels off bird feeders, as the purpose-made feeder is far easier for them to access.