Things You'll Need
Bungee cord
Rope
Ladder
Corn on the cob
Small rope
Eye screw
Fabric
Sewing machine
Squirrels
There are several different types of squirrel bungee feeders, but all are designed to entertain onlookers. The squirrel bungee feeder is very easy to make and can be used for your own enjoyment or given as a great gift to friends who enjoy watching the squirrels in their backyard.
Find a tree or a patio cover from which you want to hang your squirrel bungee feeder. The hanging spot should preferably be in your yard where you can watch the action from inside your home.
Buy a thin bungee cord, approximately 3 to 6 feet in length, with hooks on each end from an auto supply store. The bungee cord needs to be thin enough for the body weight of a 1-pound squirrel to bounce upon.
Attach the bungee cord to a long piece of rope. Use a ladder to tie the rope to a strong tree branch or the patio cover. The hook end of the bungee should be about 12 inches from the ground. Cut off the excess rope.
Get an ear of corn on the cob, raw or cooked, and tie a small rope around it. Attach the corn to the hook on the bungee cord. The corn should be a few inches from the ground at this point, so the squirrels can easily find it. Once the squirrels know there is food hanging from a rope, shorten the rope. Each day, shorten the rope more so the squirrels must jump to reach the corn.
Another method of attaching the corn to the bungee cord is using eye screws. Eye screws are available at home improvement stores. Screw the eye screw down into the corn on the cob and then hook the eye screw over the bungee cord.
Tips
To make the bungee feeder safer for squirrels, cover the bungee cord in fabric. There have been cases of squirrels getting the bungee cord wrapped around their necks while jumping and spinning. Get a piece of stiff cloth that is 4 inches wide and 12 feet long (or longer if your bungee cord is longer than 3 feet). Fold it in half and sew all the way down the 12-foot length, leaving the ends open. Thread the bungee cord through the fabric tube. Use strong thread and securely sew the top of the fabric tube to the top of the bungee cord. Sew the bottom of the fabric tube just above the hook. The thick fabric will allow the bungee cord to bounce but make it less likely for the cord to get wrapped around a squirrel's neck.
