In addition to the high cost, some organizations, including the Humane Society and Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology, still have concerns about offering birds spiced-up food and recommend that we don’t use it. Can you imagine? I didn’t pay that much for my first car (or my second or third car). They charge $288.85 for a bag of birdseed. How high? One online dealer sells fifty pounds of hot seeds for (get ready) $228.85. The factory-installed hot seed comes with a price, a high price. Folks reported that the pre-coated seed worked (mostly) at keeping the squirrels away from their feeders. But instead of selling a mixable powder, they sold seed with the hot stuff factory-installed. With that problem in mind, another company eventually came out with a different hot birdseed product. It was a pain in the neck (and the eyes). One of the difficulties with Squirrel Away was the chore of mixing it into the seed. Regardless, I don’t see Squirrel Away advertised anymore and apparently the company has gone out of business. Today, some organizations think it’s totally safe for birds, while others still aren’t sure. Even though the birds couldn’t feel the burn (sorry, Bernie), there was a chance they were being affected internally or in some other undetectable way. Is hot powder safe for birds? When this product first came on the market birding organizations were very concerned. This was not only laborious, but the people doing the mixing occasionally got the hot powder in their eyes (and don’t think the squirrels didn’t find that ironic…or funny). In addition, consumers had to mix the product into each and every bag of seed. Like most anti-squirrel products of the time, it just didn’t work very well. We never carried Squirrel Away, but we did hear quite a bit of feedback about it, and the majority of the feedback was negative. In other words, you should not get into a hot sauce-eating contest with a cardinal or a titmouse because you will get smoked (literally). Birds can eat all the hot peppers they want and never feel a thing. Birds don’t have the same taste receptors in their mouths that mammals have and thus can’t detect the heat. The next question is: Wouldn’t the stuff also deter the birds? No, it won’t. The makers of Squirrel Away figured that if this hot stuff were mixed in with birdseed, the squirrels would take one bite and “go away,” hence the name. A little capsaicin gives food a nice spicy flavor, but too much can cause steam to come out of your mouth (or so it seems). Capsicum peppers contain capsaicin, which is the ingredient that makes hot peppers taste hot. Squirrel Away was a powder made from Capsicum peppers. It was back in 1993 when I first started receiving questions about a product called Squirrel Away. What’s next? The return of “Keep on Truckin’” T-shirts? If so, I’m ready. But I never thought the hot birdseed topic would come back around yet, here it is again. Star Wars, for example, never stops coming back, and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before someone makes another TV show about a talking horse. When we run out of new ideas, we just drag out the old stuff. It’s amazing how things come and go, and then come back again. Have you ever tried it and if so, does it work? Is it safe for birds? She says the birds don’t mind, but the squirrels stay away. My cousin suggested I try birdseed that has been laced with hot pepper. We can’t keep them out of our birdfeeder. As with most people, we have been fighting an endless battle with the neighborhood squirrels.
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