Perky-Pet 334-1SR Squirrel-Be-Gone Max Large Wild Bird Feeder with Flexports, Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder with Weight-Activated Perches - 4LB Seed Capacity

After MUCH research and experimentation, this is the ONLY bird feeder that has kept squirrels at bay. Hung on a 36” rod (with a slinky slung across it) the squirrels can’t hang down to the feeding holes and can’t reach it from the railing.

I've been loving this feeder. It works well and gets lots of use. The squirrels attempt to get a snack but have to settle for what the bear gets them.

Perky Pet's line of bird feeders heavily touts "Flexports" which are small plastic "flaps" attached to each of the feeding ports of the bird feeders. The Flexports are designed so that birds can push through to access the seeds but the Flexports then close up to prevent the seed from pouring out.The problem with the Flexports is that they wear out quickly from the beaks of the feeding birds rubbing through the plastic.Result- the bird seed now empties out of the feeder so fast that the feeder is unusable [unless you just want to feed your birds with the seed that has fallen on the ground below the feeder.]Solution- contact customer service at Perky Pets via email [no phone number] and request to buy replacement Flexports. Probably less than $10.00 or so.The email response from Perky Pets is ridiculous, at best...."Hello William,Thank you for reaching out to us. I'm sorry to hear your feeder needs new flexports! These are not something we have available as replacement parts. Your interest in them has been shared with our Product Managers.Please feel free to contact us with any questions, we're happy to help.Sincerely,KathrynOnline Customer Experience SpecialistWoodstream Corporation”Now, since no replacement Flexports parts are available from Perky Pets nor seemingly anywhere else on the web [even though Perky Pets continues to advertise "Flexports"], I now have a worthless bird feeder.Moral: Beware Perky Pets bird feeders!

Well,I have this bad boy out for the first day & the squirrels are giving it a run for the money. Interestingly they are chewing at the hanging cord at the top, I hope it holds up? I have a deck holder which sticks out 36" and I really don't want to put barb pointers on the deck holder as this was going to be my best alternative.

I had a birdfeeder that the resident squirrel in the tree would invade and chase birds away. I went 13 rounds with him trying to defeat him with my superior IQ. I hung it in a tree, he climbed on it; I pulled it away from the branch with two ropes to make it harder for him to reach it, he walked on the two ropes, two legs on each rope; I reduced it to one rope, he pulled the feeder to him. This went on for a week. I finally surrendered and bought this feeder.Well Rufus, the high IQ tree rodent, would climb on top of it and override the safety button and open the top. This squirrel should have his own TV show called "Stump the Human- You Will Never Stop Me". I had one more tactic, I used the baffle from the earlier feeder that he had worked to get to the feeder. I placed the baffle over the hanging hook. See the picture.I watched Rufus study the new feeder complex with intensity, moving from one branch to another trying to find the best angle. Well, my victorious moment was when he hung by his tail curved around the hanging wire and was reaching down to try to reach under the baffle.I watched him stretch, and stretch moving every closer to get under the baffle, and finally his tail broke lose, and he fell out of site to the ground. I screamed "Take that you big, tailed rodent!" I swear I could hear him screaming "I will get you human, I know where you live!". He jumped off the ground, held his little paw at me and I swear I saw a middle claw rise up. Buy the feeder and the baffle and you will never suffer the embarrassment of being outsmarted by a squirrel.

Until the birds beaks pecked the plastic things covering the seed ports, it was great. I couldn't figure out why the seed was disappearing so quickly until I looked closely at each of the four seed ports. I could fill the feeder with seed and it would last at least 7 days and up to 10 - we have a lot of birds - but now it was empty within 2 to 2-½ days. In two of the ports, the plastic covering each of the ports had been pecked at enough that the seed could flow freely out. The other two ports are not as bad but after a few weeks will probably look like the other two. I used duct tape to close the two "open" ports until I can figure out what to do - find replacement parts or buy another feeder.

Works great!! Trick to squirrel proof... My hanger is 21 inches out from tree... Squirrels can't get to the food!

Expect a good portion of your seed to end up on the ground, thanks to the "flexports" that are supposed to keep the seed in.Imagine you're a bird, and you see a selection of different seeds. You are fond of one particular type, so you reach in to get it. However, your beak is guided towards something else by the "flexport" and you end up with something you don't really like or want. You can still see the one you DO want in front of you, so you drop the yucky one and try again. And again. And again. You eventually get the seed you want, but you've thrown several others onto the ground trying to get to it.While the feeder may keep squirrels out of the feeder itself, the ground become littered with cast-off seeds. All they have to do is saunter across the ground and stuff their faces with the seeds that you were trying to keep them away from.The only way I could possibly see this being worthwhile is if you fill it with only one type of seed at a time (sunflower, millet, etc.) to lure only birds that will eat those particular seeds. I personally like a variety of birds at my feeder, though.Since it has a good capacity, is solidly built, and theoretically would work well in some circumstances, I can't in good conscience give it 1 star. However, I would recommend people look elsewhere for feeders without "flexports."