kitkatswing Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I thought I would ask the collective massive of DOL for advice.. Is there anyway of keeping birds away from eating the dog food? Any tricks of the trade? We have Mauis bowl outside (undercover) but the birds are making a HUGe mess of it, poop everywhere. We have tried the fake owl thing, that lasted one day before the birds knew it was a fake... I know our last resort may be having to feed him inside, but we would rather avoid if possible... Any ideas please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Willow Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Is food left down all day? The easiest solution i think would be to just feed him at set times and take the bowl away in between times so there is nothing for them to get at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyra Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 If you figure out a way let me know! I think the local pigeons are very well fed. I have stopped leaving food down now as a result Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Purchase a bird scare owl. They are amazing. No birds that would normally feel threatened in nature by an owl will come within cooey of it. Suspend it from a verandah or a tree or clothesline. We have one up on our balcony to keep the maggies away and stop smaller birds nesting in our roof. Haven't had any around since. They are inexpensive and can be purchased from Bunnings either in the standard version or the solar eye version for around $10-$30 I think. They are also sold on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkatswing Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Done the owl thing.... Didnt work..... We have smart birds.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkehre Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Done the owl thing.... Didnt work..... We have smart birds.... Oops sorry, didn't read your whole listing. Did you make sure the owl moved around in the wind a bit? We have had ours up for a few years now and the birds in our area still have not figured it out. Edited June 12, 2012 by dyzney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 dont leave food out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkatswing Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 Yes well, not leaving food out is the obvious option I do know that..... Maui is a grazer, he wont eat all at once, he will eat all day, I do not mind this. He isnt greedy, he will eat when he is hungry.... Im looking for other options APART from not leaving food out..... Once idea I did think of is that I have a dragon kite from Bali, might string that up and see if it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 put his food in a treat ball so he only gets what he needs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aziah Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Yes well, not leaving food out is the obvious option I do know that..... Maui is a grazer, he wont eat all at once, he will eat all day, I do not mind this. He isnt greedy, he will eat when he is hungry.... Im looking for other options APART from not leaving food out..... Once idea I did think of is that I have a dragon kite from Bali, might string that up and see if it works. He's a grazer because you allow him to be... Having a set meal time does not equal a greedy/hungry dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Yes well, not leaving food out is the obvious option I do know that..... Maui is a grazer, he wont eat all at once, he will eat all day, I do not mind this. He isnt greedy, he will eat when he is hungry.... Im looking for other options APART from not leaving food out..... Once idea I did think of is that I have a dragon kite from Bali, might string that up and see if it works. He's a grazer because you allow him to be... Having a set meal time does not equal a greedy/hungry dog. So what if she likes her dog to have food at all times and eat at his leisure, I do the exact same thing, don't have birds and won't change this as she's happy and healthy. I realise that she may have to look at changing her feeding regime because of the bird problem but just because someone feeds differently does not mean people need to jump down her neck because she doesn't follow the throngs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdie Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Try Motion activated bird repeller,bird distress calls.Plays recording of predator birds.From sureguard.com.au And Also use a replica hawk bird scarer,there are some on ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aziah Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Yes well, not leaving food out is the obvious option I do know that..... Maui is a grazer, he wont eat all at once, he will eat all day, I do not mind this. He isnt greedy, he will eat when he is hungry.... Im looking for other options APART from not leaving food out..... Once idea I did think of is that I have a dragon kite from Bali, might string that up and see if it works. He's a grazer because you allow him to be... Having a set meal time does not equal a greedy/hungry dog. So what if she likes her dog to have food at all times and eat at his leisure, I do the exact same thing, don't have birds and won't change this as she's happy and healthy. I realise that she may have to look at changing her feeding regime because of the bird problem but just because someone feeds differently does not mean people need to jump down her neck because she doesn't follow the throngs. I didn't jump down anyone's throat (unlike yourself) and I never suggested that the OP's feeding choice was wrong (suggest you re read my post). However the OP did imply that dogs who don't graze are greedy and hungry and I wanted to correct this. You have yourself a nice day donatella :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 put his food in a treat ball so he only gets what he needs I think that this is a great way to solve the problem! Mental stimulation too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MishB Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 My brother has a few of those plastic toy snakes lying around on his back veranda, he said that they keep the birds out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Maybe the treat ball option would work. Other than that I'm really not sure? Does he get bones? maybe a raw meaty bone for breakfast instead of kibble? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RosieFT Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 My foxie has access to biscuits ad lib too. I give her a small scoop in the morning and she never eats them immediately, but invariably they are gone when i get home. Same in the evening. She eats them at some point in the night, or not at all. More so now it is winter. I feed her in the laundry with access to yard via dog door. The only thing i can think of is a bit of a pain, but you could have a feeding box - an old cupboard or something, with tassles/fly strips hanging over hte front. Sure a dog would be ok to push its head through, but a bird wouldn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Grazers are your worst nightmare & so much hassle especially when sick & when older plus there often self created . Personally i wouldn't want to be encouraging birds to hang around for food especially considering some of the diseases there poo can transmit. Chances are if the dog is a grazer it has taken a back step to the birds & is going hungry anyway because its food is being eaten so infact the dog is missing out. You could try other options but birds often don't give up on easy food sources Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest RosieFT Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 (edited) Showdog - an interesting point. Although I have to say Rosie's main meal is chicken wings/necks/frames and she eats them immediately. The kibble seems to work for me now, trying to see how it could become a problem. She is not a food oriented dog and is more interesting in what is going on aorund her, so i assume once hte house is quiet she settles down to eat the kibble. My parents have a bichon that is a pain in the neck to feed and rosie certainly isn't like that. Food for thought though. ETA - the birds would be too much of a pain for me to keep it up though - i would move it inside or change the feeding method. Edited June 13, 2012 by RosieFT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitkatswing Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 Thanks for all the suggestions... We are going to try changing his food bowl, to a box like kinda structure, Im not sure exactly what my hubby has in mind, so this could be interesting!!! :) Maui has plenty of bones to munch on, he only gets half a cupfull of kibble in the mornings, when I get home at 6 he gets canned food, which he eats outside, at night so birds arent a problem then :) Azaih: Sorry I didnt mean to imply non-grazing are piglets :) I like the treat ball idea, except we use that indoors, he would lose it outside! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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