Squirrel Stopper

Back in 2004, the two founders of this company had a dilemma. They and their wives were avid wild bird aficionados, but they were spending more money on bird seed every month than they had spent on the bird feeders. The trouble was; they were unwittingly feeding the squirrels and raccoons first, and the birds got what was left over, which wasn’t much. Between them, they tried every anti-squirrel device on the market. Those devices would occasionally slow the critters down, but not for long. Squirrels and raccoons are very crafty, they love to eat, and they have a lot of time on their hands. Quickly, they would find their way up to the feeders. These gentlemen like squirrels; just not on their feeders. So, they became inventors by necessity. Their first device was a parallel-sided baffle that rocked sideways when a squirrel got a hold of it. In 3 months of testing, it was found to be only partially effective. Next, they tried a tapered baffle. For 6 months, they experimented with different squirrel baffles before deciding on the best taper. But still, a few squirrels and raccoons managed to get around it. Finally, the inventors attached the baffle to springs. Now, when the critters tried to grab on, the baffle swung not only from side to side, but also up and down. This elliptical movement would prove to be the key. Over the next 12 months of trials, not a single squirrel or raccoon succeeded in getting around the baffle. In fact; they would only try 2 or 3 times. Then they would give up. For over 100 years, hundreds of inventors had attempted to come up with a bird feeder that is squirrel proof. Finally, it was done. Now, 9 years later, the Squirrel Stopper brand is universally recognized as the leader in environmentally friendly, humane, squirrel-deterring products. To date, over 33,000 Squirrel Stopper Bird Feeder Post Assemblies have been purchased, in all 50 states (yes; in Hawaii, too). They have been sold in 8 major catalogs and in many hundreds of birding specialty stores across the U.S. and Canada. And not one squirrel has beaten it. It is 100% effective! One raccoon, in 2008 in New Hampshire, succeeded once. And that’s it. Almost perfect.