Stolen Fat Balls + Pond Digging!

cw1975 · #1 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 10:37 AM

Hello,

I'm a newbie so hello to everyone!

I have two questions that might have already appeared previously but here goes:

I. I have recently had around 5 fat balls taken from my front garden after being in place for about a month. The gate was shut and the garden is quite secure (we have two german shepherds which put most people off!). I purchased another 4 yesterday and a hanging cage feeder which came with 4free fat balls. This morning all the hanging fat balls are gone but the cage feeder remains with the fat balls inside. My question is, what is taking these? Is it magpies or squirrels or something else?

II. A few months ago (again in the front garden) I noticed some soil disturbance around the pond. This was minimal but led to a few of the large stones around the outer edge of the pond being moved slightly. Today, however, an area has been dug into with the big stone on top of the pond lining being moved and some of the pond lining has been chewed

. I had seen a cat sat by the pond this morning. My question is, is this the work of a cat or cats, Hedgehog, squirrel or Fox? The activity was most likely done overnight.

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Boddie · #2 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 10:48 AM

I'd say squirrels, or a singular squirrel is most likely

cw1975 · #3 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 11:03 AM

Hi Boddie,

Did you mean the stealing of the fat balls?

Do you think the squirrel is responsible for the pond digging? I have just chased off the cat that was sat at the pond this morning again! Out of the two problems, the pond is worrying as a puncture to the lining supporting the water and its good night...

Thank you for your help

Morph · #4 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 11:38 AM

The fat balls as you say sound like squirrels, the digging if not the dogs could be Badger if your in the right area or Hedgehog ?
I,ve got a few Hedgehogs in the back garden and they dug a nice deep channel under the side gate to get to the front, so digging isn't a problem for them.

tufftie · #5 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 12:56 PM

What are the fat balls hanging on? It could be quite a few things, corvids, squirrels, Badgers even. The pond sounds more like Badgers.

Ida · #6 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 12:57 PM

Hello and welcome to WAB.

A friend of mine had a problem with a squirrel eating most of the fat from his wire-cage bird feeder. He's recently bought one of the fat slabs containing insects, and apparently the squirrel doesn't like this 'flavour'. Might be worth a try, although I don't know if all squirrels have the same taste in bird food!

tufftie · #7 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ida

Hello and welcome to WAB.

A friend of mine had a problem with a squirrel eating most of the fat from his wire-cage bird feeder. He's recently bought one of the fat slabs containing insects, and apparently the squirrel doesn't like this 'flavour'. Might be worth a try, although I don't know if all squirrels have the same taste in bird food!

Squirrels don't like chili pepper sauces but birds don't mind, so dabbing some on might also help if it is squirrels

cw1975 · #8 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 01:44 PM

Hello,

Thank you to all the replies

.

I don't think the digging around the pond was caused by dogs (definately not my dogs as they don't use the front garden apart from to go out that way for walks

).

Interesting thought on Badgers

My husband has seen a Hedgehog on and off in the front garden so the digging could be the result of Hedgehog antics - would this just be a case of digging for food? I have a old compost heap in the corner and was hoping for a resident but, as the saying goes, careful what you wish for!

We will both be keeping a careful eye on activities out the front. It would be a great shame if we lost the pond as it is a real haven for wildlife (and keeps me amused

).

cw1975 · #9 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 01:47 PM

... Forgot to mention

I have found one fat ball (presumably mine) on one of the grass verges near the house, it has been torn open with the seed scattered so it looks like the fat was the 'hit'.

... the mystery continues

diggleken · #10 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 02:17 PM

Corvids are expert at tearing fat balls away from a feeder - the fat balls need to be anchored if this is your culprit by tying on firmly.
Just keep a lookout for the culprit and let us know?
HTH
Ken

cw1975 · #11 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 03:20 PM

Hello Ken,

Thank you for the reply. The fat balls are about 5 feet up off the floor and hung on nails which I have put in the conifers (don't like them that much

). Unfortunately the ones purchased from supermarkets are very flimsey and easy to tear so it would be really easy for the magpies

.

It is a real shame that there has been an attack of stealing. The long tail tits absolutely love fat balls and it is amazing watching a group of 10 individuals feeding on them

I hope they adapt to the wire feeder.

Clare
cw1975

cat72uk · #12 (**permalink**) 29-09-2008, 05:42 PM

i had a cat eating fat balls from my garden
i had blocks in a wire cage too and the cat jumped up swang on it till it fell off the bird table and when it hit the ground it would open and the cat would it that
we used wire in the end to secure it

ellie_w · #13 (**permalink**) 01-10-2008, 06:08 PM

Our old German Shepherd would pinch the fat balls i put out if she had half a chance

cw1975 · #14 (**permalink**) 02-10-2008, 07:45 AM

Hello ellie_w,

German Shepherds are very clever!

We think it is most likely the work of magpies for the fat ball stealing. A couple more empty and torn bags have been found on the grass verges around the house.

As for the pond digging, well the mystery still remains...

Clare
cw1975

JoFish · #15 (**permalink**) 03-10-2008, 04:13 PM

It sounds like rats to me

We had a problem with rats stealing stuff from our feeders for a couple of years. We tried all sorts to deter them. They would steal fat balls, and sit on the sunflower heart feeder and empty it on the ground for the rest of the rats to devour. Smart little things really.
Then I tried putting Old CD's on each of the arms of the feeders and that worked to a degree, see pic:

You can just about make out the CDs, this rat got up on the one arm that had the CD placed at the very end of the arm above the feeder. She promptly fell off when she got to it, lol.

In the end though, I was fed up of seeing the CD's plus occasionally the rat would succeed in getting past them. So we ended up buying the plastic hoods. They prevent rats, mice and squirrels from climbing the feeders. Pic of feeders and hoods:

For anyone interested in more info about our feeding station set up click HERE I have tagged the pic and wrote a bit more info on that page

.

Oh and I forgot to mention, the rats have chewed our pond liner and dug around and underneath it before.

snowdrop · #16 (**permalink**) 03-10-2008, 05:40 PM

Hi, jo. Good site. I would love to know where to buy the hoods.

Poirot · #17 (**permalink**) 03-10-2008, 07:45 PM

squirrels are very very sneaky. I watched mine push the bird feeder of the nail it was hanging on jump down then pull the heavy squirrel proof top off.

My guess is a squirrel they are stronger than they look, but hey you have to admire their intelligence

Poirot

P.S. Those plastic hoods are really good i am too wondering where you got them Jofish.

JoFish · #18 (**permalink**) 04-10-2008, 05:53 AM

I bought my hoods from Baytree Garden Centre near Spalding Lincs, but have seen them in Pets at home also. If I remember correctly they are made by Gardman. Be warned though, they are about £15 each

cw1975 · #19 (**permalink**) 04-10-2008, 09:58 AM

Hello and thank you to everyone for their really useful replies

I totally agree with the thinking of rats that are the culprits for the pond digging, it would explain the persistent presence of the brown cat which is reluctant to move even with two deranged German Shepherds hot on its tail

It is kind of my fault as I would scatter sunflower hearts on the grass below the feeder for the dunnocks to feed. However, since the cat has arrived the dunnocks have taken to feeding on the tray so I will not worry about them

The fat ball are happy in their hanging feeder. The top ball has been knawed but all are presence.

I have covered the holes around the pond with large stones (more like slabs) but I know that rats are very determined

On a happy note, my husband heard the single note of an owl on the back last night (this is unusual as the back of the house is built up, we live in a back facing cul-de-sac). I came outside and saw a fluttering ball of cream pass just over the top of the house to go to the front (a lot more trees and wildlife friendly there!) so we assume that this was the owl, although I was surprised that is wasn't more skilled at flying

Hopefully this new friend might like to feed on the resident rats

Bye for now.

Clare
cw1975