Man’s “clever” use of kids’ toy to keep squirrel off bird feeder goes viral

One man’s fight against a squirrel eating from his bird feeder has delighted the internet after he shared his unusual solution to the problem.

The British homeowner, who faced an intruder tucking into the bird food he had put out, came up with a creative solution to deter the squirrel: a classic children’s toy.

In a video posted on Reddit, user /u/stateit showed how he thwarted the squirrel’s attempts to reach the bird food by wrapping a slinky toy around the feeder’s pole.

The Slinky was invented in 1943 by Richard James, a mechanical engineer. When it was introduced to the Gimbels department store in 1945, it immediately sold out.

Now, one Redditor has given the toy a new use: pest control.

The video of a squirrel trying to climb the wrapped pole, which /u/stateit posted on the /r/CasualUK subreddit, received more than 15,000 upvotes and was praised by many viewers.

“That’s a great idea! Also that squirrel is very angry with you and you should sleep lightly from now on,” a commenter wrote.

Another user’s review of the slinky deterrent was simple: “Clever!”

Newsweek has contacted /u/stateit via Reddit for comment.

Other commenters predicted the squirrel would return, with one writing, “You’ve won this round but he’ll be back.”

Another added: “They work it out eventually. They just grip tighter between the coil. You’ll see.”

Unfortunately, the commenters were correct, and the Redditor’s solution proved short-lived.

The morning after he posted the video, /u/stateit wrote: “Was woken by Mrs.Stateit showing me a photo of a furry thing eating sunflower seeds from the feeder. Less than 24 hrs.”

Squirrels remain a common problem faced by bird enthusiasts. A 2013 study found that grey squirrels, brought to the U.K. from North America in the late 19th century, can significantly deter bird visits to feeders, reducing their numbers by up to 98 percent.

Originally introduced to the U.K. as an ornamental species, the grey squirrel is now an invasive species that has become a nuisance, outcompeting native red squirrels and posing a threat to local bird populations.

In June, other squirrels amused social media users when they were caught cooling off in front of an electric fan.

The TikTok video, which has received millions of views, showed the moment a series of squirrels took advantage of a fan left on a porch in Texas.

The poster wrote, “It started when we accidentally left the fan on and this little guy took full advantage.”