squirrels drinking from my hummingbird feeder

Question

I have sprayed WD40, straight vinegar and bug spray directly on the post where the feeder hangs. They hang from their back legs and pull the feeder toward them and up-end the feeder and drink out of one hole, spilling the rest out the other holes.

Answer 1

Well, I must admit, this is a first. I have never heard of a squirrel drinking nectar/sugar water from a hummingbird feeder before. I will now be keeping an extra eye on our furry friends whenever they visit the bird feeders. Hopefully, some of the suggestions in the following articles will be of some help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/get-rid-squirrels.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/foolproof-tips-on-how-to-keep-squirrels-out-of-birdfeeders.htm

Answer 2

They just began doing this late last year. The feeder hangs from a plant hanger off a post on my screened-in porch so it's about 10 inches from the post. I guess I'm going to have to move the hanger farther away from the post so they can't reach it. I couldn't find any suggestions of anything I could put in the nectar that would repel the squirrels and not repel the hummingbirds.

I'm spraying my railing and posts on the deck with straight white vinegar to keep the raccoons out of the bird feeder (same scenario - sit on the deck and reach out and grab the feeder) and that is working great. But the vinegar doesn't seem to repel the squirrels. Thanks for your input.