It took exactly 1 month 2 days 32 hours and 10 seconds (Ok I totally made that up it was really approximately 4 weeks) for my neighborhood squirrel population (or maybe it was just one squirrel) to make this........
into this...........
and while I am feeling a little hostility toward the afore mentioned squirrels for the total demolition of yet another bird feeder (see first bird feeder Here and second attempt Here) I am also suffering a few pangs of guilt for the probable plastic bottle squirrel poisoning. I do hope they have strong stomachs and suffered only minor side effects.
I have read some articles that indicate that animals can't pass plastic which doesn't make a lot of sense and after having cleaned up the dog poo for years I can only say......well maybe my dogs are just special. Not that I have every purposely fed them plastic but.... well they are dogs and sometimes they eat things when I am not looking. And let's be clear here, I don't spend a lot of time analyzing the stuff on the other end but sometimes you can't help but notice, and quite honestly be thankful, that they were able to get ride of whatever strange / gross thing they had in their stomachs. At any rate I am certainly not proposing that is it a good idea to feed plastic to anyone, human or otherwise. But in an attempt to assuage my guilt of feeding 13.27659 grams (this number is a completely fabricated estimation) of #2 HDPE plastic to a 1 pound squirrel (this is the average weight of a squirrel according to a Google search.) I set out to find a little more information.
After about ten minutes of investigating, I concluded that my head might explode.
I know that plastic is a hot button item with the environmentalists and I would agree that our US consumption of the stuff is too high, but I can't quite get myself to demonize it as some do. And while the plastics industry might want us to believe that the stuff is made with such harmless ingredients as sunshine, rainbows and butterfly kisses I do realize that there are some harmful effects. But trying to figure out the answer to any specific questions gets quite complicated. For instance, bottled water bottles. Some say that they are for single use only because when you reuse then some of the chemicals migrate into the water. But why didn't they migrate into the water the first time the bottle was used? And what chemical is it that might have migrated into the water? And how much of it migrates and how fast does it migrate and how bad is it for you really any way? And what makes reusable plastic bottles better? And how much better are they? And if you can't find the answers to these questions how likely are you to find out any real usable information on the effects of plastic consumption in squirrels.
So after reading a list of some of the possible side effects of plastic on humans and the environment ranging from cancers to learning disabilities to birth defects and death. I abandon my search and decided that in this case I would be happier if I adopted the sunshine, rainbows and butterfly kisses version of plastic. Of course if I find a 6 foot radioactive squirrel in my yard tomorrow I reserve the right to change my mind.
Anyway, after three failed attempts to make a squirrel ready bird feeder you might think that I would move onto more promising projects but you would be wrong. :-)
First of all because I am stubborn.
Secondly because I am competitive (not so much with humans but it is hard to capitulate to a small furry creature that is less than 1% of my body weight)
And Thirdly because I still want a bird feeder.
So here it is Bird Feeder number 4.
Supplies
Empty Plastic Bottle
8oz Tin Can
Empty Paint Can Lid
Metal Candle Holder / Stand
E6000 Glue
Spray Paint
Spray paint the plastic bottle lid and the paint can lid.
Remove the can lid and punch holes on the bottom of the can.
Use a small hammer and sandpaper to flatten and smooth the openings.
Cut the plastic bottle to the desired size.
Use E6000 glue to attach pieces together.
And decorate as desired.
Happy Upcycling,
