How To Use HOT Pepper Birdseed to Keep Squirrels Away!
Today, we are going to be talking about hot pepper birdseed.
More specifically, how hot pepper birdseed can help keep squirrels from eating all of the bird food at your feeding station! Seriously, this strategy really works. When I use this spicy food, squirrels (and other mammals) take one whiff and decide to look for food elsewhere.
In case you didn’t know, hot pepper birdseed is food that has been infused or coated with something incredibly spicy. For example, hot habanero chili peppers or cayenne pepper is often used.
So, why on earth would you put out birdseed that would make our mouths burn?
The reason might surprise you, and it’s not because birds have suddenly acquired a taste for spicy food. 🙂
Think of the last time you ate a hot pepper. The “heat“ that you feel in your mouth after eating one is caused by a compound called capsaicin. The reason we feel pain, discomfort, and burning after eating hot peppers is that capsaicin messes with specific nerve endings in our mouth.
So here is the crazy thing:
Only MAMMALS are affected by capsaicin.
Birds don’t have much of a sense of taste or smell, so they are immune. As a result, they can eat hot pepper birdseed all day long and have no ill effects.
Just think about this fact for a second. The list of mammals that can cause problems at your feeding station includes not only squirrels but also raccoons, chipmunks, rats, mice, and even bears! All of these creatures have SUPER sensitive noses, so all it takes is one smell, and they should start looking for food elsewhere.
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But birds won’t hesitate to eat hot pepper birdseed!
And please don’t worry about the birds eating spicy food, as it’s completely safe. Products that contain capsaicin have been on the market for a long time now. There are no reports of any birders or ornithologists who have spoken on the adverse health consequences for birds.
Does this sound too good to be true?
So while using hot pepper birdseed is an effective strategy for stopping squirrels, it’s not perfect.
First, buying food that has been treated with capsaicin is EXPENSIVE when compared with regular birdseed that is not spicy. But on the flip side, you won’t be feeding squirrels anymore, so the supply of food will last longer.
Second, you have to be CAREFUL when handling hot pepper birdseed. The worst thing you can do is touch the stuff, then rub your eyes or nose. You can probably imagine how your face would feel. I have made this mistake exactly ONCE and now won’t handle it without gloves.
Ok, now that we know why hot pepper bird seed works, let’s talk about how you can get some!
In general, there are TWO ways to acquire hot pepper birdseed:
#1. Buy birdseed already coated or infused with capsaicin.
The easiest thing you can do is buy pre-made hot pepper birdseed. Just open the bag and fill your feeders!
While this is easy, it’s also relatively expensive. You are paying for convenience.
Here is the hot pepper birdseed that I use:
Coles Hot Pepper Sunflower Seeds:
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#2. Make your own hot pepper birdseed!
Preparing your own spicy food is more time-consuming, but it’s going to save you money. Personally, I use the concentrated hot sauce pictured below and mix it with shelled sunflower seeds.
Cole’s Flaming Squirrel Seed Sauce
You need to be careful using this stuff because it is hot and incredibly painful to get the concentrated solution on your face (speaking from experience). Here are three things I do which help keep the sauce on the seeds and OFF me. 🙂
- I have a 5-gallon bucket with a lid that is dedicated to mixing and storing my homemade hot pepper seeds. It’s also individually marked, so nothing else ever goes into this bucket.
- Always use gloves!
- I have a dedicated thick wooden stake that I use for mixing the hot sauce into the seeds. The stake is kept in a special location so I don’t accidentally touch it without gloves on.
There are also many DIY recipes available on the internet that talk about mixing cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes into your bird food. Unfortunately, at this point, I have not tried any of the recipes out myself and can’t comment on how any of them work.
Have you tried using hot pepper food to keep squirrels away?
If so, please comment below to let us know your experience!
Also, please share any proven recipes for making your own hot pepper birdseed at home.
I totally agree that this spicy birdseed keeps squirrels and rats away ! I make it myself with the product (and another Canadian version sold on Amazon )which you suggest but tend to double the recommended amount. We were not thrilled with rat visitors so wanted to make sure they would feel very unwelcome!! Also learned by trial and error that sunflower seeds have to be shelled or certain mammals will continue their visits . A variety of birds gobble the food down and have only become more numerous over time 😊 . We use window feeders .
Use it all the time, and it works well, but I need a better way to measure how much is needed.
I have had the best success with hot birdseed and suet from Wild Birds Unlimited. Some of the products I’ve purchased from Amazon apparently aren’t hot enough and squirrels and raccoons will eat them. I plan to try Cole’s products now. Thanks for the recommendation.
I have tried both kinds of liquid bird hot sauce on safflower seed. It does seem to keep raccoons less interested in that seed. However, my squirrels must love spicy foods, as the hot sauce does not keep them away!
I really am hooked on a birdseed blend that is endorsed by Cornell’s Ornithology Lab and the WBFI ( Wild Bird Feeding Institute). Sizzle ‘N Heat by Wild Delight. I like that it has peanuts in the mix of hulled seeds.
(the black oiled sunflower seeds are not hulled). This way, the mess is less. It’s expensive , but I’m hooked. I also use the wild delight, Sizzle and Heat suet. No mammals so far have tried to eat the seed, however our deck is at least 30 feet off the ground. The squirrels visit the drinking water often with access to the deck from the railings, but they have not yet attacked either of the feeders, suet and seed. I have been using this brand for about five years now with no issues.
Have you ever tried Bitter Yuk? It’s a product that tastes bad to keep dogs off the counter and away from whatever.
I’ve had it in my hands, and gotten an accidental taste. Pretty “Yucky”.
I am thinking of giving it a try on the little varmints who are eating my squirrel proof feeder, in order to get a little nibble.
I’ll probably get some hot seed too.
Unfortunately I found that the squirrels eat the hot seeds with no problem. All of my friends who actively feed the birds like I do have had the same experience. I mentioned it to my feed and grain supplier who said he thinks they’ve learned to adapt to the spice. I’ve tried multiple brands and had the same results with each of them.
I was buying hot pepper seed just for my window feeder. It worked great! No squirrels or chipmunks etc. then I had a raccoon problem with my bird feeders in the backyard. I switched to the hot seed, and he doesn’t come around anymore! It works great!!!
I have recently started mixing cayenne pepper with unshelled black oil sunflower seed in our bird feeders. (goodbye squirrels)
We were also having visits from skunks and raccoons. This too has ceased. We just sprinkle cayenne in, on, and around the feeder, and had total success – until it rains. Then, they are right back. The pepper is much less expensive than the seed they were consuming, because we had up to ten squirrels!
I bought my hot pepper seed from tractor supply and the squirrels love it and not bothered by it. I put up and baffle with spikes on it, they go over that. I use the alarm on my birdfy and they’re not bothered by that either. Raccoons cleaned out two feeders last night. 🤯
When you did the seed, how much oil per lb of seed?
The Cole’s hot sauce works great for me, but have to wear a mask also, as it is so strong it burns my nose and causes a coughing fit. I’d love to find a less expensive option, though, as it has gone up to $20 at the local bird store. Thanks for the great article! I’d be wary of using bottled hot sauce as they are loaded with salt and possibly vinegar and other things.
Hot pepper suet is great. Squirrels take a taste and never come back.
I bought the flaming hot bird seed from Cole’s but the squirrels loved it!
First I bought the treated bird seed, too expensive. I read don’t use cayenne seasoning (dry) bc it can blow into the bird’s eyes. So I’m using Texas Pete hot sauce & it works. I didn’t have a recipe so I estimate & stir until it looks coated.
The squirrels still check out the seed daily but they’re not gobbling it up now.
I’ll check out the Coles sauce product.
Thanks!
I bought Hot Pepper suet cakes & most all the birds won’t touch it & the Squirrels love it. The same is true of bird seed with my
Cayenne pepper mixed ln.
Ed
I have a window feeder and mixed cayenne pepper (a LOT) with my peanuts and birdseed…and at least one squirrel LOVES it! Until my beloved cat died last month, she kept the small mammals away. Will purchasing infused peanuts and seed work? (I can’t go through losing another fur baby at this time, so another cat isn’t an option, plus our cat wasn’t a climber so she stayed in our privacy-fence backyard–the next one might not and I don’t want my pet roaming)
works for us. Squirrel-proof birdfeeder didn’t outsmart raccoons, but the hot seed keeps both away
Dear Scott:
We have been using the Cole’s Flaming Squirrel Seed Sauce for 2 yrs. Intially the squirrels would sniff the treated seeds and then leave. But now they ignore the treated seeds and eat them anyway. We use 3 capfuls to 1 gallon of seeds. Once we doubled the capfuls to 6 but it didn’t make any difference. Then we started spraying the seeds in the platform feeders with double the amount of Squirrel Mace but that didn’t seem to help either. Why are the squirrels still eating the seeds????
I bought the already made Audubon Peanut & Hot Pepper Suet and it works fairly well, one of my four squirrels seems to like it and still chomps away, even though it did slow him down as this brand last a day or two, however, I tried another brand sold by McClendon’s hardware that don’t work at all… gone in a few hours.
Hi, bird lovers! I have indeed tried the Cole’s Hot Meats Birdseed. I am under the impression that squirrels are the among the most immune creatures on the planet! While the hot seed worked for a while, they soon began creeping right back onto my feeders and honestly I am at a loss!! They proceed to eat every bit of it and completely empty my feeders! I used to love squirrels and while I don’t want to hurt them, (at least not permanently:) I’d love to find a real deterrent that LASTS. Is it just my Eastern North Carolina squirrels, or does anyone else have this issue? What to do….I just don’t know anymore…
I tried it last winter and at first the squirrels would sniff it and then go away. Eventually they just started eating it and once again became the usual pests that they are. This spring the little rats dug up 50 bulbs that I put in my garden. I do not like squirrels !!
I use Coles hot sauce on my shelled peanuts. I use Squirrel Slip on the poles and wrap around baffles because the squirrels found a way to get to the peanuts. This slip and the hot sauce has cut down the squirrels in my feeders by 90%. The slip is safe and non toxic for animals.
Thanks for your articles.
I’ve tried sprinkling cayenne pepper in my existing seed and I think it doesn’t coat the seed enough so the squirrels eventually come back. Sigh! I have used the expensive Coles seed many times with success!
I tried Cole’s and it didn’t work.
I now buy all my seed in bulk, mix 3 Tablespoons of Franks Extra Hot Red Hot Sauce (Walmart gallon) and 3 Tablespoons each of Cayenne and Hot Pepper flakes (Walmart generic) per 1# of seed, let dry before filling feeders.
Squirrels, Raccoons and Chipmunks hate it!